I spent the better part of a year researching before I decided on the rabbit breed I wanted to bring home. As someone who aspires to have an urban homestead, I knew I wanted a breed that was hardy, had an exceptional temperament, and grew quickly with good feed to meat conversion.
Granted, I think I had only eaten rabbit once of twice prior to this adventure, but that did little to slow me down.
In addition to the points above, I also wanted something that wasn’t too common, and was a heritage/heirloom breed. Oh yeah, and multi-purpose was another advantage.
The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes 52 breeds of rabbits, in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. I narrowed my choice down to American Chinchilla, Silver Fox, and Champagne d’Argent. Ultimately, I went with the Champagne, after being able to locate an excellent breeder within my province.
Armed with my research, I soon found myself with a pedigreed trio (two does and a buck, each with a 3 generation family tree). That was spring of 2023; and that year we had 12 kits. In 2024, we produced 26.
As part of my goal, a good portion ended up in the freezer, and were later used in soup, stew, stir-fry and more. Some hopped on to new homes, joining new rabbitry breeding programs. The one thing I had not expected to happen, was to show my stock… but I did, and I did well! Further to that, I expanded my rabbitry genetics, and imported fresh stock from the eastern United States.
Of course, it wasn’t without occasional struggles. Sometimes does fail to become pregnant, and extreme weather poses additional challenges along the way. I always strive to do the best that I can in any situation.
I’m very much looking forward to what 2025 will bring with the Ravencroft rabbits. Follow along for updates!
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