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| The Pros and Cons of a SMALL RABBITRY |
| I like having a small rabbitry! But first I should start by defining what I mean by a "small rabbitry." I consider anything 25 holes and under to be small; if you are going to breed, show, and be competitive in the bunny world. There are a few concessions to be made in keeping my numbers down; but in my eyes the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. Benefits or pros to owning a small rabbitry include: lower costs, less clean-up, easier to maintain, less time to feed and water, less room required, more time to focus on each individual rabbit, better quality control and less upset to family and neighbors. Some of the negatives or cons include: having fewer rabbits to choose from for showing, not being able to do as many breedings in a year and not being able to have all the varieties and colors I would like. To explain some of these points further, lets start with cost. I spend less on feed, since I only keep 25 or less rabbits; except in Spring when I've got babies. My feed costs do go up slightly then, but generally, I will go through 1-1 1/2 50lb bags of feed. With prices continuing to go up, this has become a major factor for me. Also my entry costs are lower, since I dont bring as many bunnies to a show. Usually I will have between 6 and 12 to show; sometimes as few as 2-4, so my entry fees are pretty reasonable. Having fewer rabbits means fewer cages, carriers and other equipment, so I save money there too. Since there are fewer rabbits, it takes less time to clean up their waste and keep cages in order. It also means less waste for me to dispose of, which is an issue for me since I live in a subdivision and can't just dump it in my yard. I dont have as many carriers to clean up after a show and can easily rinse them out after every use. With fewer rabbits, feeding and watering chores take less time. I can feed in about 10-15 minutes, if I have to, but usually I will spend longer because I like to play with the bunnies. With only 25 rabbits or less I am able to keep better quality control of my herd. I am able to put my hands on each and every rabbit every day if I want to. I'm aware of feed problems, condition concerns and illness sooner. I also have better quality control because I am forced to do fewer breedings, due to limited space, so I must make sure I make the best choices with every bunny that I pair up. I try to keep only quality bucks that are proven breeders and have earned thier Grand Champion certificate. I am aware of how each of my lines develop and will try to breed compatible rabbits from these lines. When I do have babies I am constantly watching thier development and evaluating them. Once they reached weaning age I will start to make decisions on who will stay and who will go. This means I have a large turnover of rabbits, since I obviously cant keep them all, but it also forces me to have a high quality rabbitry with a nice show string. It also means I will be selling many of my seniors that are granded or have GC legs to make room for my new babies, and I will also be selling nice jrs, which in turn helps other breeders. A small rabbitry requires less space for cages and equipment. Less smell and noise means my neighbors are not offended by my rabbit habit, in fact most of my neighbors are not even aware I have rabbits, which to me is a good thing. A small rabbitry means I can devote more time to my family and they won't be playing "second fiddle" to the rabbits, although sometimes my family still gives me a hard time and calls me "bunny brained" or "the crazy bunny lady" However, at times, like a lot of us, I will use the bunnies to escape and will do a lot of "thinking" and problem solving while I am grooming, playing with, or even just watching my rabbits and enjoying thier antics. Unfortunately, a small rabbitry does have some limitations. I have fewer rabbits to choose from when it comes to showing and I do show alot of the same rabbits at every show. The upside of that is the bunnies get used to showing and usually have better table manners. The downside is they do not maintain condition as long as I would like, so I will have fewer rabbits to show as the season progresses. I am also limited on the colors I can keep, meaning I have to decide which colors are my favorites and work with those. There are quite a few colors I would love to have but must limit myself to those that are compatible for breeding to the colors I have already established in my herd. Luckily my two favorite colors are selfs and brokens, so I'm able to breed those to each other; then I throw in a couple of tans, an agouti or two, a few shaded and I've got most of the groups covered. So, in conclusion, I feel that having a small rabbitry is just a better fit for me. I can still breed and be somewhat competitive, maintain a quality herd and offer nice rabbits for sale, which is a win - win arrangement for me. ~Heather Neveu~ |
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| Baby Blue's Wee Rabbitry |
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| Great Plains Wooly Club Breeder's View |
| An "oldtimer" gives us a closer look at her "m.o.".....its not always all about the numbers! |
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