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Responsible Ownership

After the market pen project has ended, what will you do with your rabbits?  Will they be food for your family?  Will they be sold to someone for food?  Will they be sold for breeding stock?  Will you retain them for breeders for family food or to produce future meat pen rabbits?

If the decision is made to retain as breeders, please remember that rabbits need to be bred and allowed to raise litters frequently in order to maintain production.  Rabbits not kept in production will frequently become overly fat and will not produce when mated.

 Attention must be paid to the comfort and welfare of the rabbit.  Do you have facilities to maintain the rabbit during the summer heat?  Will there be a caretaker to provide feed and water during your vacation?

Have a plan for the responsible disposition and management of your market pen project.

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Judging Meat Pens

Meat Type - 40 Points

Condition/Flesh - 30 Points

Uniformity of Body and Weight - 20 points

Fur - 10 Points

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Meat Type

This is the most important factor in judging meat pens. Fryers need to be compact and short, with a well filled body, rounded and firmly fleshed.  Smooth, well filled hips and good depth of body are especially important.  Also needed are wide, deep loin, thickness in the hindquarters and well developed shoulders.

Order of Importance:

Hindquarters, Loin and Forequarters. (Protruding hip bones or prominent "razor backs" are serious faults.)

Condition

All meat pen fryers should be in prime condition.

They should be firm and solid.  They should show no signs of flabbiness, softness, looseness, or pottiness. The pelt should be tight over the body and the animals should be clean and show no signs of neglect or disease.

Uniformity

Uniformity must be present in weight, size, appearance, condition, meat type and fur. They should be as similar in all respects as possible.

Fur

Fur should conform to the breed description and be uniform on all 3 rabbits.  In stiff competition, the fur could be the deciding factor.

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Texas 4-H Rabbit Showmanship Score Sheet

Carry Rabbit - 5 pts.

To properly carry the rabbit, tuck the head under one arm and support the rabbit's weight by placing the other hand under the rump.  If the judge asks you to move to a different spot on the table, always use the same manner to move the rabbit.

Pose Rabbit - 5 pts.

For proper pose, front feet should be even with the eyes. Rear feet should be firmly on table with toes even with haunch (thigh joint) with tail up.  Facing left is natural position for right handed presenter.

Check Ears - 5 pts.

Examine ears for mites, proper tattoo, torn or missing portions of ears that detract from general appearance.

Turn Rabbit Over - 10 pts.

Properly support rabbit on the table or against your body while turning it over in order to complete the next tasks.

Check Teeth - 4 pts.

With your hand over the area of the eyes, place a thumb and index finger on each side of the split lip and push back lips to examine teeth for defects.

Check Eyes - 4 pts.

Examine eyes for defects.

Check Nose - 3 pts.

Check for signs of snuffles.  White nasal discharge and/or matted fur on inside front legs may indicate presence of snuffles (colds).

Check Toenails - 4 pts.

Push thumb into center of paw to examine toenails for missing, unmatched and proper color toenails on all feet.  Be sure to check for dew claws.

Check Hock and Front Feet - 4 pts.

Check the bottoms of all feet for sore areas.

Check Legs - 10 pts.

Extend front legs to check for straightness.  Extend rear legs by placing your cupped hand ahead of the rear legs and pushing toward feet.  Legs should not be bent, bowed, deformed or cow-hocked.

Check Body - 6 pts.

Run your hand over the chest and abdominal area to check for any abscesses, tumors or other abnormalities.  Ruptures may appear as large lumps or sores in the belly area.

Check Sex - 6 pts.

Place thumb below vent area and push toward front of rabbit with index finger.

Return to Posed Position and Check Tail - 6 pts.

Check for straightness in the tail.

Check for Proper Coloring, Smut, and Foreign Spots ---4  pts.

Check the fur for foreign colored spots not typical of the breed you are showing.  Inspect for smut.  Under color and/or ring color should be consistent with desired coloring in the breed you are showing.

Check for Quality and Cleanliness - 4 pts.

Stroke fur toward rabbit's head to show fur returning to natural position, either flyback or rollback.  Patting and blowing into several areas will help to check density standing/upright fur in some breeds.  Check for stains and molting.

Pose for Evaluations of Overall Balance - 5 pts.

Check front, rear and side views for overall balance.  Locate shoulders, rib spread and fullness of loin with your hand.  Check hindquarters for fullness by examining width and depth of the rump.  Check hips for smoothness/fullness by running your hand over top of the hip to tail.

Exhibitor Appearance - 5 pts.

Exhibitor should demonstrate good posture, eye contact, pleasant attitude, and neat dress.  Remove chewing gum, hats and caps.  Long hair should be neatly managed.

Exhibitor Actions - 5 pts.

Demonstrate a gentle and smooth flowing presentation with a confident manner throughout examination.  Be considerate to animals, fellow showmen and the judge.

Exhibitor Knowledge - -  5 pts.

Quick, confident and correct response to questions asked during the presentation.

 

 

Market Rabbit Project

Photos provided by a youth exhibitor also offer tips on selecting the project.  The article can be viewed in our

FORUM

Note added on 8/6/07:

The following hints and tips were compiled by Cheri Houghton for publication by Texas Rabbit Connection.  Although Cheri, Lisa, and Bill have reduced their rabbit inventory to concentrate on other activities, Cheri shares in the credit for the success of Texas Rabbit Connection.  Thank you!

We encourage comments and additional tips to be posted in our 4H and FFA forum. Registration is easy!   Contact me with a "User Name" and password for registration. 

Thank you for your continued support of our venture.  Please visit our forum for additional assistance with any questions relating to the care and exhibition of the market rabbit project.

We, at Texas Rabbit Connection, want to provide you with the best possible information to make your show day the best it can be.  We must warn you that although we feel we are sharing information with you according to how we would handle a market rabbit project, it should be noted that you will need to also work with your leaders and listen to the suggestions made by the experienced exhibitors in your group.   

Some of the areas we believe may be of interest are:

I want to show a market pen of rabbits…What do I do?

I have my rabbits…Now what?

This little rabbit went to market and this little rabbit stayed home.

Last minute tips on getting your rabbits ready for show.

Fact or Fiction…

Pay special attention to the Fact or Fiction section if you are new to raising rabbits. 

I want to show a market pen of rabbits…What do I do?

We get this question a lot so we’ve put our heads together with some tips to help you get everything right for your show day.

First, gather information either from your 4H leader or county extension agent.

Questions to ask and have answered:

1.When is the show date?

2. When is the validation date? What date must you have possession of the market pen?  You will often hear this referred to as the "tattoo" date.  

3.  What is the maximum age for the rabbits on show day?  Many counties have a maximum age of 70 days.  Other counties do not have an age restriction. 

4. Do the rabbits have to be purebred?  We suggest that "purebred" rabbits be used even if your show allows the showing of crossbred rabbits.  If any of the market pens should be kept for future breeding stock, we feel you will be much happier with the performance of purebred rabbits.

5. What is the minimum and maximum weight allowed for the show?

All this information is used by the breeder to provide the best rabbits born on the correct date.  Contact the breeder as soon as you know this information.  Rabbits need to be bred 100 days before the show if they are to  be shown at 70 days of age.  Time is needed to plan these breedings for your show in order to have kits available.

Many exhibitors will validate 4 kits.  Others will validate more if the rules allow it.  The more kits available to select from will increase the odds of having three uniform kits.   

Most responsible breeders will allow sufficient time between weaning and travel day to insure the kits are eating and drinking well.  Make certain that the correct date for pickup is supplied to the breeder to insure that you purchase healthy kits.  We suggest that kits be, at least, 33 to 35 days old when traveling to their new home.  When purchasing rabbits from Texas Rabbit Connection, a small bag of feed is supplied with each pen.  We feel this is essential when changing  the young kits to a new diet in their new home.   Minimizing stress levels is important for the continued health and good growth desired for your market pens.

I have my rabbits… Now what?

It is important to have good cages for your rabbits to grow in.  It must be roomy enough to allow each rabbit to lay down stretched out.  Not all rabbits get along, so plan on having at least two cages to separate any aggressive ones.  You may also need to separate your rabbits to allow for a different feeding regiment.

As with any animal, they must have fresh water at all times and fresh good quality show feed.  You will want to give your market pen rabbits all they want to eat up until about two weeks before the show.  At two weeks before the show, start weighing your rabbits daily and adjusting their feed according to their weight.  You want three rabbits per pen as close to 5lbs as possible.  Some shows will disqualify your pen if you have a rabbit over 5lbs or under 3.5lbs.  Carefully controlling how much they eat the last two weeks is very important.  Good scales to accurately weigh your rabbits with are the hanging electronic scales used to weigh fish.  These can be purchased for a reasonable price at many department or sporting goods stores.

You will probably be required to have each rabbit tattooed.  Some counties tattoo the rabbit when you validate and others leave it up to you.  There may also be requirements on which ears are tattooed.  Check with your leader or county extension agent for the tattooing requirements of your show.  If you are required to tattoo the rabbit yourself and have never tattooed a rabbit before, take it to someone who has.  It is important to have someone show you how it is done as rabbits can be seriously injured if tattooing is not done correctly.

This little rabbit went to market and this little rabbit stayed home.

All of the rabbits in your market pen must have regular inspections to make sure they haven’t developed a fault that will disqualify them from the show.  Here are a few of the most obvious disqualifications:

1.  Teeth…no malocclusion.  Malocclusion is when the top and bottom teeth do not meet correctly.  To meet correctly, the top tooth should slightly overlap the bottom tooth.  There are ways to correct malocclusion.  But we recommend that you seek help if you have no experience correcting this fault.

2.  Toes…yes, they all need to have all their toenails!  Five on the front and four on the back.

3.  Tails…don't laugh!  A tailless rabbit has made it to the show table before it was noted and disqualified!

4.  Clean ears with no evidence of ear mites.  If you find your rabbit has ear mites, please use caution treating the mites.  Miticides are not acceptable treatments on animals to be used for slaughter.  Some counties have rules that require the butchering of the rabbits for the auction buyer.  Please check your auction rules before using a miticide product.  We have found that a small amount of mineral oil in the ears can work just as well. 

 

Last minute tips on getting your rabbits ready for show.

Starting a few days before the show and up until the show, you want your rabbit’s coat as clean as possible with no loose hair.  There are so many ways of removing stains from your rabbit’s coat that we can’t possibly list them all.  We will list a few of the ways we have heard used, plus a few we have used.  Be sure to try out several different ways and use the way that works best for you before the show.  The most important thing to remember is that your rabbit’s coat needs to be as clean as possible the day of the show with no evidence of how you got it that clean for the judge to find. Also remember that a rabbit licks his coat to clean it, so anything you use must be safe for him. 

Different ways to remove stains from your rabbits coat:

s         Sprinkle a small amount cornstarch or cornmeal on the fur and work in with your hands. 

s         Make a paste of white vinegar and baking soda, dab it onto the stained fur with your hands, and let it dry.  When it is all dry, gently brush it out with a small animal brush.  You may need to repeat this several times. 

s         Apply lemon juice on the stain, or plain white vinegar.

s         Put a mixture of half water, half white vinegar in a small spray bottle.  Dampen the stain, without soaking it.  Rub cornstarch into the stain and let it dry.  Once dried, use a small animal brush to brush it out.  You may have to repeat this several times.

Fact or Fiction…

s       Drafts can cause a rabbit to catch the snuffles.

Fiction: a virus causes snuffles.  Unless the rabbit has been exposed to the virus, he cannot get the sniffles.

s       Lettuce is good for a rabbit.

Fiction:  Lettuce and other vegetables can cause your rabbit to get diarrhea.  There is no substitute for feeding a good quality pelleted feed.  Any supplemental feed will limit the intake of a balanced feed that the rabbit needs to be healthy and grow well.

s       Black oil sunflower seeds are good for my rabbit’s coat.

This is both fact and fiction.  Black oil sunflower seeds can improve a coat only if fed in very small quantities.  Too many can cause the fur to appear moth eaten and coarse.  We suggest the feeding of good quality pelleted feed with limited supplementation. 

s         To clean a rabbit’s fur, give it a bath.

Fiction:  You should never get your rabbit’s coat totally wet.  To clean his coat, wet your hand with water and rub your hands through his coat to remove the loose hair only.  We have several other coat cleaning tips in our Tips Before a Show section.

Reserving a Market Pen

Are you surprised that lots of Texas County 4H/FFA shows are held in January, February, March and April?  Imagine what it must be like for exhibitors trying to locate market pen rabbits!

Breeders need to prepare well in advance by planning the breedings of their rabbits.  County Fairs have specific rules regarding the age as well as the minimum and maximum ages on show date.  In order for the breeder to provide rabbits meeting the requirements for your show, it is important that advance notice be provided to the breeder you have selected.  Very few breeders will be able to assist should you wait until a week before validation to contact them.  Plan ahead!

The average gestation period for a rabbit doe is 30 to 32 days.  If the age limit for the show is 70 days, the breeding will need to occur approximately 100 days prior to date of exhibition.  A good market pen project doesn't usually  happen by coincidence.  Communicating with the breeder is an integral part of the project.  Contacting a breeder 120 days before show date is normally sufficient. 

Providing essential information to the breeder can simplify the process. 

1.  Date of the rabbit show

2.  Validation date

3.  Age and weight requirements.

4.  Preferred breed

Have fun with the project and enjoy your rabbits.

Good luck on show day! 

 

Updated: 08/08/07

Texas Rabbit Connection © 2007