Small livestock big responsibility

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK
Register Reporter
2 pics

Because they’re smaller, rabbits and chickens often aren’t considered as challenging to raise as larger livestock. But for Allen County 4-Hers, lesser size does not equate to lesser care or responsibility.
Katie McEndree has been raising rabbits for about five years. Three of her entrants in Monday’s rabbit show she’s had as long.
“How long they live depends on the breed and how well you care for them,” McEndree noted.
It’s not necessarily easy.
“I had one die here two years ago form heat stroke,” she said. “She was my favorite bunny.”
To prevent a similar occurrence this year, McEndree is putting ice bottles — frozen water bottles — in each cage. The rabbits lie against them to keep cool. Also, she said, she ensures they have plenty of fresh water each day, and uses fans to keep the air moving around the rabbits.
In her years raising rabbits, McEndree has learned much about different breeds and the standards they must meet to become champions. One of her rabbits, Hunter, a Holland lop, is a former grand champion.
This will be the last fair for McEndree, who turned 19 this year. She hopes to continue raising rabbits, nonetheless, “If I can fit it into my schedule,” she said.
She also works at Gates Manufacturing and will be attending Allen County Community College for pre-veterinary medicine come fall. She has horses to care for, as well.
Mercedes Trollope is a relatively recent comer to the art of raising rabbits. She’s had her Flemish giant, “Marshmallow,” for two years now.
Marshmallow was bred and sold by the Allen family — who also had rabbits at Monday’s show — just before the doe was named grand champion at the 2008 Allen County Fair.
“It was rather disappointing,” noted Casey Allen, 11, whose entrants this year included a young Flemish giant that already was the size of a full grown Dutch rabbit.
The Allens (Casey has a twin sister, Stevie), raise rabbits solely for 4-H. If they sell, “We donate half the sales price back to the baby barn,” noted mom Amanda.
Casey and Stevie take the showmanship portion of the rabbit show seriously. They groom their rabbits beforehand, and are careful in their handling of the animals. The 11-year-old twins have been raising rabbits about three years, they said.
Jack Colborn, Chanute, is the rabbit judge. He’s been at it 20 to 25 years, he said, and raised rabbits about 35 years before his health disallowed the practice. He still loves the animals, though, and tries to teach the 4-Hers as much as possible through his judging process.
The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes 48 breeds with specified standards of perfection for each, Colborn noted. He explained to growers the features — both good and bad — of each rabbit he judged.
A stickler for the standards, Colborn gave out few blue ribbons, but plenty of white ones.
Some rabbits, although beautiful to the untrained eye, were simply too heavy for their breed class. Others had color imperfections or too-slender hips.
Through it all, the young livestock raisers were attentive and pragmatic.
Allen’s young Flemish giant was a bit too small this year, but next year offers another chance, she said.

FOR POULTRY lovers, Monday’s poultry show offered a variety of breeds, from stocky “dual purpose” meat and egg hens to a slender chocolate runner duck and frizzy-haired Polish crested rooster.
Judge Jim Kramer, of Parsons, was more forgiving than Colborn had been. Going from cage to cage, he told the eager audience what made a good bird, what to look for in trying to raise a champion and why some were blue ribbon, rather than purple, poultry.
A set of three buff Orpington pullets received a purple for their uniform size, their demeanor and good feather form despite the heat.
Between two white rock hens, Kramer explained that one was close to champion material — she held herself well, she had smooth feathers and she walked upright, again despite the heat. The other, he noted, while larger, was more ruffled in appearance.
Stevie Allen noted that her hens — granite-colored silver lace Wyandottes — lived in their goat pen amongst the goats. “Sometimes they’ll sit on the goats backs,” she noted.
One, Casey Allen said, was named Helicopter for her habit of flying up and down off the goats’ backs.
Kramer, too, took the time to teach the youths about proper handling of the birds and how to present them in the future.
After judging, he held a brief impromptu lesson for the youth on the topics.
In showmanship, all got blue ribbons.