Texas Rabbit Connection

Do you need to reserve meat pen (market rabbit) projects for the 2008/2009 4-H and FFA county fair rabbit shows? We presently have reservations for youth shows in the early fall of 2008. As school is not in session during the time to breed for the early fall shows, exhibitors are often left to their own resources to reserve the meat pens. Do not delay contacting your breeder to insure availability!

After seeing a severe shortage of rabbits available throughout the state for the 2007/2008 fair season, please do not hesitate to reserve the rabbits. Due to the rising expense of feed, some hobby breeders are no longer maintaining large numbers of doe. Take note of this as it may be a factor in the availability of a suitable project.

Texas Rabbit Connection can supply Californian and New Zealand White meat pen rabbits for your project. Our does are bred on the correct dates to have market pens available for many Texas County 4-H fairs. Contacting us in advance of the breed date will insure that we are able to provide quality rabbits for your 4-H and FFA projects. The does and bucks are routinely bred throughout the year to insure fertility when it counts! The rabbits are also maintained in a cool environment during those hot days of our Texas summers. Problems with temporary sterility are rarely seen in our facility.

Providing the breed date or date of birth and/or the county rules will speed the process as well.

This is very helpful should your county allow for fryers older than 70 days and/or with weights more than five pounds.

Without these dates, it is impossible to determine whether meat pens are available.

Note: Kindling (birth of the babies) is approximately 31/32 days after the mating of the doe with the buck. For shows with a maximum 70 days of age, the does are bred 101 days prior to judging. It is important to provide show date and validation dates when inquiring.

When contacting us, please provide all the information relevant to the rules of your show. We need the date of the rabbit judging (not all the dates for the Fair), rules for age and weight (or date of birth), the validation date, and the name of your county.

Some people are under the impression that producers of fryers for a commercial market such as a processor are not able to provide quality show rabbits for youth market pen projects. Many breeders are considered "commercial" due to the large volume of sales from several ventures. The earnings are reported to the IRS. Being a commercial business will not necessarily mean that inferior or lesser quality rabbits are being produced. However, it is possible that some meat breeders will not have rabbits with the type and conformation to provide quality meat pens for the project. These breeders may not be aware of the quality needed for 4-H and FFA market projects. Be certain to inquire about the availability of the correct type of rabbit needed for the market show.

In order to maintain good productive does, rabbits should be bred on a regular basis. Some breeders do not have the outlet for the babies on a year round basis. As a result, the does and bucks are not bred as often as someone who breeds and markets rabbits regularly. When breeding is not occurring regularly, the possibility exists for the does to have become temporarily sterile and kindling will not occur on schedule to fill reservations. It has been found that bucks may be temporarily sterile as a result of summer heat which, of course, will affect the availability of a project. By this time, it is often too late to locate a suitable project. A suggestion would be to discuss this with your breeder of choice prior to reserving the rabbits.

Do your research. Know what type of rabbit is needed for the meat pen project. Attending another county fair or a show sponsored by the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association) might be helpful. Most exhibitors are happy to answer your questions.

Good luck with your project! If I may be of assistance, please contact Linda at the link below. Thank you for allowing Texas Rabbit Connection to assist you.

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!

Producers need to prepare well in advance by planning the breeding 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 101 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 150 days before show date is normally sufficient.

Providing essential information to the breeder can simplify the process.

Date of the rabbit judging
Validation date
Age and weight requirements (or date of birth)
County name

Have fun with the project and enjoy your rabbits.

Good luck on show day!

Note: Please provide all the necessary information when inquiring about meat pens. The actual date (one day only) for rabbit judging is required. If your Fair runs for several days, please provide the date for the rabbit show instead of the dates for the complete run of the Fair. The validation date is required to insure that the rabbits will be old enough to wean by the required date.

If you only receive email from someone on an approved list, check your Spam box for my reply. I respond to all inquiries regarding rabbits.

As current Chairperson of the Commercial Department Committee for the American Rabbit Breeders Association, I will be happy to assist as much as possible with questions regarding a commercial venture.

Due to time limitations and to maintain the health of the rabbits, I am not able to provide tours of our facility.

If you are inquiring about breeding stock, please note that I rarely have breeding age does available for sale. It is my opinion that purchasing younger does and developing them in *your* environment is more practical and will yield better results.

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