rabbits and 4-H

[cheapcheap_jeepjeep]

Any one have or know of a good breed of rabbit for a 9yr old to show in 4-H? My kids have joined 4-H this for the first time. I would like to have a small breed.

Also She wants to show chickens too. So do I need to start with a chick and go that way or would our chickens we have be ok?

Thanks

 

[Frozen Feathers]

4-H is judged more on the care of the animal rather then if it meets the breed standard, so I would say your chickens are fine. Just make sure she handles them a lot and takes really good care of them.
For a good rabbit breed I like little Hotot's they are extremely tiny. Or you can check out the American Rabbit breeders Assoc . They have a lot of great photos and tons of information on different breeds, so you can get an idea of what breed you'd like.

 

[jackiedon]

Lots of the kids around here raises mini rex rabbits. You can show your chickens too.

jackie

 

[cheapcheap_jeepjeep]

Thanks all ,

I was hoping to use our chickens we have now. We can handle most of them really well I am thing of using one of our roos.


And as the rabbits thanks all I am hoping to gt one that a teacher had at school in a preschool class room.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I agree that the mini Rex is a good rabbit to show for beginners. Do you have a county fair to show at? Do they auction off livestock? The reason I am asking is if the 4-Hers can auction off their market animal, you might be interested in raising California meat rabbits. They are white with black ears. Our county requires that the kids breed a doe and buck together and the babies are raised to show and sell at the auction. It is a great way for a kid to raise money for college. My daughter has been in 4-H for 11 yrs. She has done meat chickens for 8 years. She has won reserve champion for 4 of those years. She would make anywhere from $285 to $400 for her reserve champions. Even the ones that didn't win, she would make around $125 for two meat birds. Not a bad deal and the 23 at home she sold mostly to family members that wanted fresh chicken for $10 for a 7 to 9lb bird dressed. She also shows fancy chickens and lambs too.
If your 9yr old is small depending on what kind of chickens you have, I would suggest some sort of bantam. They are easy to handle for the beginner. 4-H is a great way for kids to develop responsibilty, teamwork and sportsmanship. Even if the kids don't like doing rabbits or chickens, there are all kinds of projects from sewing, cooking, woodworking, shooting sports, the list goes on and on. I hope 4-H becomes a household name for you, as it did mine and has been for 15yrs.

 

[cheapcheap_jeepjeep]

Thanks 4_H,
I am hoping for my daughter to use one of our roos the the chicken part. I only Bantam we have a SS Hamburg and she is so hard to get a hold of (

) but once you have her it is easy to hold.

Since we are new to 4-H we have only had one meeting and I am still waiting on more information on what we need to have for this and all.

 

[ole-crone]

Angie n Maine said "4-H is judged more on the care of the animal rather then if it meets the breed standard"

Check with your local 4H office to find out how they judge. In CA, our county 4H judged according to handling and care of animal AND also on breed standard.