Daisy dipped her toes into rabbit-world with the purchase of two pet-quality lionhead males. They very quickly became Not Enough and also Not Show Quality, so she found them good homes, and began her quest for excellent rabbits she can show at competitions.
She decided that Dutch rabbits (above) and Mini Satins (below) are the rabbits for her. A week ago she got a breeding pair of Dutch, and yesterday the doe gave birth to NINE babies. The best of these will go to the fair in September, and the others will get sold as pets or eaten.
We're lucky to have a very active and educated 4H rabbit community around here. So even though the Composer and I don't know much about rabbits, Daisy has all the help she needs.
You probably won't post this comment but I've followed your blog for 9 years now and enjoyed it... following your journey and your childrens' journeys. I loved that we were sisters in Christ, loving the same Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. I have worked in rabbit rescue for years now and this post breaks my heart. I watch my friends in the snow chase unwanted rabbits to capture and rehome... I have seen farms shut down and hundred of rabbits cluelessly bred needing new homes. I have known you and your family were active in 4-H for awhile now and I always agreed it was something we could "agree to disagree on" but this one hits close to home. The Lord put animals on the Earth for man's use but I also believe they were put here for companionship as one of those uses as well... a rabbit is a companion animal much like a dog or a cat. The media lately has been trying to turn our society on to rabbit meat and it isn't necessary. We don't need another source of meat and these sweet, affectionate animals don't need to be raised to be slaughtered. Thank you for the years of joy your blog has brought me. But this is where I leave. God bless you, Anna.
ReplyDeleteDaisy clearly has the makings of a farmer and a business woman- no sentimentality there! Wishing her the best of luck with her enterprise :))
ReplyDeleteI'm a little disappointed by this post. That's not a great reason to get rid of a pet. If you don't know what you want or haven't done research, it's better to wait before purchasing animals.
ReplyDeleteAdorable, especially that satin bunny!
ReplyDeleteWe have a backyard bunny who is only a pet, but rabbits make great pets. He's very friendly and never strays when he is allowed to hop around the back yard.
Sarah, I don't see any irresponsibility in Daisy giving her rabbits to a friend. If there weren't another home available, of course she would have continued to care for them.
ReplyDeleteThere is not much wrong with it happening one time; the problem is if the next person also tires of them and does the same thing, and the next person... When animals get passed from hand to hand they eventually end up in a shelter, or neglected, or requiring rescue from a group like the one a comment mentioned above. Buying an animal should be a commitment. You might sometimes need to break the commitment but it should be for a good reason, not for something you could easily have known a few months ago.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for hearing me out, and I appreciate that you published my comment despite the different point of view.
I'm the one who said that Daisy has the makings of farmer so I'd like to add something here. Firstly, let's not judge a child so harshly. She is being raised to be a thoughtful and reflective young woman, being encouraged to make decisions and take responsibilities for her actions. She has decided after some thought and plenty of chat with Mum I'm sure that she would like to breed and show rabbits. So she made an error of judgement with the ones she chose at first. That's how we learn and develop.
ReplyDeleteAs for them being eaten, well it is a fact of life that farmers breed animals, amongst other reasons, to be eaten and most of us are happy enough to eat them. Daisy is breeding her rabbits for show purposes but she accepts and understands that those not suitable may meet another fate. Daisy's rabbits will be well cared for and have a happy life. That's as much as one can expect.
Best wishes to all from Angela.
This is where I too, stop reading. Like the Anonymous above, I have followed you for years and all the while, volunteered in rabbit rescue. I cannot support breeding rabbits for show and food. I have boycotted local grocery stores and farmers' market vendors when they started selling rabbit meat and cannot justify not doing the same with your blog. We do not need to further commoditize yet another animal for meat. I wish you the best. God bless you and your family.
ReplyDeleteAnna, I'm always so thankful for your gracious responses. I want to be just like you in dealing kindly with those who have differences in opinion. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt's good to remember that in a complex world, there are areas where thoughtful people of goodwill are going to disagree.
ReplyDeleteI may show my ignorance here on American history but in australia rabbit meat highly commodified and was what many families including my own grandparents primarily ate to survive the Great Depression.
ReplyDeleteMany wild rabbits have been consumed in North America by many people, especially before domestic rabbits became a luxury item as pets. It just may seem more appalling to eat rabbits than some other animals because they are cute and affectionate. However, they are easier and cheaper to raise for meat than many other animals, so it is a sensible choice. Cows can be cute and affectionate, too, so it's just a matter of preference and practicality, if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteRabbit was a very commonly eaten dish in Britain though it was always wild rabbit, not farmed. However during WWII individual households kept rabbits for meat due to food shortages. Although it's fallen out of fashion there, it's still widely eaten in Europe. I did a bit of research and would you believe that up to 300 million rabbits are slaughtered per year in the European Union? You can usually buy rabbit in the supermarket in European countries, either a whole rabbit or ready prepared and jointed.
ReplyDeleteIt's really a question, as with all meat, as to how it's reared, the conditions the animals are kept in etc. Daisy's rabbits will be kept in as near organic, free range conditions as it's possible for a rabbit to enjoy and that should be applauded. America has an unfortunate reputation for large scale farming practices which apart from their cruelty to animals, seriously compromise the quality of the food produced and personally I think that it's great to see a young person learning to farm responsibly. All the best, Angela.