This weekend I went with my son (The Rabbit Shepherd) to a rabbit show. Camden has his own business raising Holland lops for pets & show. See his herd here. If you don’t know what a rabbit show is let me explain; picture a lot of people with every kind of rabbit you can imagine, taking them up for an expert rabbit judge to look them over and see who is the closest to the standard for each breed, which has been decided on long before you came on the scene. Whew, that was a mouthful. Basically it is a bunch of rabbit nerds. Hey, I was there too, so no judging here. They all seem to know each other, but are very friendly to any newbies. Everyone is seeing if their rabbit is the “best.” If your rabbit happens to be the best; guess what? You guessed it! It is worth more and its babies are worth more. Were my son’s rabbits the best? Sadly, no, but Toasted Marshmellow did quite well. With the right buck she could produce some champions.

Let me just say that rabbits come in ALL shapes and sizes. I was amazed by one woman who had, what can only be called an industrial hair blower. She placed her rabbit on a stand with a lazy susan on top. So she was able to spin her rabbit around, while at the same time busily fluffing him out before the show. What a fluff ball!

The other type of rabbit that caught my eye was the English Lop, which I describe as the basset hound of rabbits. Those ears, they just go on and on!

Why breed rabbits?

• Great manure source(can be put right on the garden)
• Some breeds can be raised for pets. Baby bunnies are sooo sweet!
• Good way for kids to learn how to run their own business
• Make the homestead pay for itself by selling breeding pairs to others
• Help others get started on their homestead adventure
• Help kids get a rabbit to raise for FFA or 4H
• Larger breeds can be a great source of humanely raised, low fat meat
• Queit and easy to handle for the whole family

Something very lucky happened to me at the show. I was looking for another Champagne D Argent doe  to buy for the homestead because I want to be able to help other people start their backyard breeding program. Many people are not allowed to have chickens near me because of city or HOA ordinances, but a rabbit is quiet and can provide needed manure for the garden, as well as meat or just to be a family pet. When breeding it is best to have unrelated stock, to sell to others, so the rabbits keep their size and vigor.(Put in simple terms; don’t breed brother and sister) There was a man there who was selling about 10 different does and I had my pick. I picked the one I wanted, paid for it and waited for it to show. To my surprise the one I picked won 1st place! Here I am with my Lucky Silver Dollar!  She has the most beautiful coat!

So now I have a Champagne D Argent buck and 2 unrelated does. This is an old breed, named after the province in France that it originally came from. I love the look of their coat. Welcome to the homestead Silver Dollar!