Our Rabbitry
Our adventure in rabbits began with a birthday present to my oldest daughter from her best friend (whose family raises rabbits). Fast forward, all three kids raise and show rabbits, are active in 4H, and ARBA members.
Jillian (the oldest) was the first to specialize - in Jersey woolies. Our retired minilop (Lucky) served as showmanship bunny for each of the kids in turn - but despite her docile nature, she proved too big for small kids to handle for showmanship. Josh quickly settled on minirex (though he likes black and tans best, mom had visions of running-breed rabbits escaping a child who has a hard time holding minirex on occasion). Rhi has dabbled with a number of breeds - minilop, minirex, french angora, jersey wooly and American fuzzy lops . And mom is now working on French angoras - with lots of beautiful wool to play with.
The kids have all graduated and are moving on with their lives. We have a few rabbits left, but have stopped breeding rabbits as of 2016.
Jillian (the oldest) was the first to specialize - in Jersey woolies. Our retired minilop (Lucky) served as showmanship bunny for each of the kids in turn - but despite her docile nature, she proved too big for small kids to handle for showmanship. Josh quickly settled on minirex (though he likes black and tans best, mom had visions of running-breed rabbits escaping a child who has a hard time holding minirex on occasion). Rhi has dabbled with a number of breeds - minilop, minirex, french angora, jersey wooly and American fuzzy lops . And mom is now working on French angoras - with lots of beautiful wool to play with.
The kids have all graduated and are moving on with their lives. We have a few rabbits left, but have stopped breeding rabbits as of 2016.
A bit about our breeds...
French angora - "The Bunny with a Bonus"
French angoras are a dual purpose breed - raised for meat (at an 8.5 pound ideal weight these are the largest of our breeds) but more importantly (to us anyway) for their luxurious wool. French angora wool is hand-plucked (the wool loosens in a molt - have to catch 'just right' so it's loose enough to pluck but not falling out all over the cage or causing mats!). French angoras can be sheared (as are English angoras) but this results in a lot of shorter low quality wool and a ragged-looking bunny. If you want to produce your own beautiful colored wool for spinning, knitting, crocheting or felting this is the breed for you!
Not for the uncommitted - nor for a child. While arguably easier care than English angoras, French angoras require a lot of grooming. At least every other week with a comb or blower to keep a coat in show condition and major work to hand-pluck wool about every three months. Fur on the stomach and around the legs is especially prone to matting. And mats (especially on juniors) can get bad enough to actually tear the skin if grooming isn't kept up. If you are looking for a pet we recommend you check out one of the easier-care wool breeds (see Jersey woolies and American fuzzy lops) - these breeds generally love being brushed and groomed, but it isn't as essential for their health.
Our French angoras eat more than twice as much feed as our 'mini' breeds. Fiber (regular hay) is an essential, not an extra (despite the mess it makes of their wool - requiring more grooming) to prevent wool block. And we 'treat' with papaya at least during molts as an added precaution against wool block.
http://nationalangorarabbitbreeders.com/
With the kids no longer raising rabbits, barn maintenance and intense grooming schedule has become more than mom can handle, so I'm no longer breeding angoras as of 2016. Happy to redirect inquiries to friends still active in the fancy.
Not for the uncommitted - nor for a child. While arguably easier care than English angoras, French angoras require a lot of grooming. At least every other week with a comb or blower to keep a coat in show condition and major work to hand-pluck wool about every three months. Fur on the stomach and around the legs is especially prone to matting. And mats (especially on juniors) can get bad enough to actually tear the skin if grooming isn't kept up. If you are looking for a pet we recommend you check out one of the easier-care wool breeds (see Jersey woolies and American fuzzy lops) - these breeds generally love being brushed and groomed, but it isn't as essential for their health.
Our French angoras eat more than twice as much feed as our 'mini' breeds. Fiber (regular hay) is an essential, not an extra (despite the mess it makes of their wool - requiring more grooming) to prevent wool block. And we 'treat' with papaya at least during molts as an added precaution against wool block.
http://nationalangorarabbitbreeders.com/
With the kids no longer raising rabbits, barn maintenance and intense grooming schedule has become more than mom can handle, so I'm no longer breeding angoras as of 2016. Happy to redirect inquiries to friends still active in the fancy.
Minirex - "The People's Choice in a Fancy Breed"
First accepted by ARBA in the late 1980's, minirex have become arguably the most popular rabbit breed in the US - especially among youth breeders. Minirex are now accepted in at least 18 varieties (22 colors plus broken) and additional colors are in the development stage.
Their relatively small size (ideal weight 4 pounds) makes them relatively easy for kids to handle and we feel they are more docile/handleable than most of the other short-furred dwarf breeds. Personalities vary widely - we have some that the kids use as agility rabbits (willing to jump hurdles) and some that are perfect showmanship rabbits (sufficiently laid-back to be held upside down and examined).
We've found we need to keep our minirexes on a strict diet - most have a tendency to overeat and cannot be free fed or they will quickly get to an unhealthy weight. We are handling our bunnies daily and adjust diet as needed to the individual needs.
http://www.nmrrc.net/
Josh has decided to focus on his cavies and we are no longer breeding minirex.
Their relatively small size (ideal weight 4 pounds) makes them relatively easy for kids to handle and we feel they are more docile/handleable than most of the other short-furred dwarf breeds. Personalities vary widely - we have some that the kids use as agility rabbits (willing to jump hurdles) and some that are perfect showmanship rabbits (sufficiently laid-back to be held upside down and examined).
We've found we need to keep our minirexes on a strict diet - most have a tendency to overeat and cannot be free fed or they will quickly get to an unhealthy weight. We are handling our bunnies daily and adjust diet as needed to the individual needs.
http://www.nmrrc.net/
Josh has decided to focus on his cavies and we are no longer breeding minirex.
Jersey wooly - "The Fluff of Fancy"
Jersey woolies are known for their friendly temperament. Jillian's Jerseys actually seems to like to be tipped upside down for showmanship examination. They love to be held and petted and brushed - but their coats are relatively easy care. A quick comb through every few weeks is sufficient to keep the coat in show condition. When molting (especially the baby coat) a bit more care is required - mainly to keep them from grooming themselves and developing wool block. Under all that fur, Jersey woolies are small rabbits (max weight 3.5 pounds). We highly recommend Jersey woolies for 4-H Cloverbuds (5-9 year olds) learning showmanship. Jersey woolies are shown in 6 color groups (23 colors plus broken). We are able to free-feed our Jersey woolies, they seem to prefer to graze their food slowly throughout the day and we've never had a problem with over eating to the point of being overweight.
Jillian is off to college and we have sold out of Jersey woolies except for a few special pets.
http://www.njwrc.net/
Jillian is off to college and we have sold out of Jersey woolies except for a few special pets.
http://www.njwrc.net/
American fuzzy lop - "Head of the Fancy"
"Head of the Fancy"
First accepted by ARBA in 1987, American fuzzy lops are another relatively new breed. Fuzzy lops are shown in 6 color groups (a total of 18 colors plus broken). American fuzzy lops are closely related to Holland lops (bred from 'fuzzy' sports of the Holland) and it is still common to find Holland lops listed in American fuzzy lop pedigrees. Very dense wool is preferred, but they should not shed or mat like angoras. Some grooming is required to keep a coat in show condition, during molts and especially for baby coats. Some individuals still have the tendency to mat that characterizes the angoras - we try to avoid those in our lines. Under all that fur, American Fuzzy lops are a relatively small rabbit - with an ideal weight of 3.5 pounds.
http://aflrc.weebly.com/
-- we no longer raise American Fuzzy Lops.