If you are thinking about doing a 4H Rabbit Project, then you’ve come to the right place. Here we review the types of 4H Rabbit Projects and some guidelines for choosing a rabbit for your project.
Rabbits are always a popular project because 4-H Rabbit projects are easy for younger members to manage and experience fun and success. Rabbits require less space, less feed, less cleanup (barn chores), and therefore less cash than many other 4-H livestock projects.
If you are new to 4H there is no reason to feel overwhelmed and as they say, there are no stupid questions. One of your best resources for information and to help you understand the 4H projects and how they work is the helpful group of more experienced 4H club members.
Many hobby farm and homestead children participate in 4H Rabbit projects. 4H can be a great group for you children to be associated with as they grow and mature.
Additionally, there are many 4H Rabbit resources posted on the web and on youtube.
We list and link to some of these key resources below.
4H Rabbit Project: Learning Objectives And Outcomes
The Penn State University Extension 4H site provides the following objectives and outcomes for 4H projects:
Learning Objectives include:
- Animal Care and Ownership
- Honesty and Sportsmanship
- Animal Health and Biosecurity
- Quality Assurance
- Animal Housing and Facilities
- Animal and Environment Relationships
- Human Health
- Ethics and Conduct
- Career Exploration
Learning Outcomes includes:
- Entrepreneurship
- Leadership
- Communication
- Problem solving and critical thinking
- Sportsmanship
These objectives seem to apply to showmanship competitions as well as to the Pet, Marketing, and Breeding project.
Types of 4H Rabbit Projects
Three of the various types of 4-H Rabbit Projects are Pet, Market and Breeding. Our Hobby Farm Heaven opinion is that the Rabbit Pet is the easiest project. Rabbit Market involves growing rabbits for food and requires much more time and expertise than the Pet project. And finally, Rabbit Breeding is the hardest of the projects. It includes understanding and then raising rabbits to the Perfection Standards for their specific breed. We’ll explain a bit about each project type.
4H Rabbit Pet Project
In a rabbit pet project the 4H’r gets familiar with caring and being responsible for a rabbit as a pet. Food, water, housing, predator safety, animal exercise, and observing and keeping records are the main checklist items that the 4H’r will have to accomplish and put into practice.
We recommend choosing a breed that is known for its easy handling and sweet personality (see below). Obtaining your bunnies from a known local rabbitry or reputable breeder is the best way to proceed.
4H Rabbit Market Project
In a rabbit market project the 4H’r raises one or more rabbits to a particular age and weight. The market project includes raising, marketing and selling the rabbit(s) either as a companion or as food.
Here is the breakdown on the different market projects.
- Meat Pen: Raise three rabbits of the same breed to 8-10 wks of age and to 3.5 to 5.5 pounds.
- Roaster: Raise one rabbit to 5 months of age and to 5.5 to 9 pounds.
- Fryer: Raise one rabbit to 8 – 10 wks of age and to 3.5 to 5.5 pounds.
- Stewer: Raise one rabbit to over 5 months of age and to more than 8 pounds.
For the Market Projects we recommend raising one of the standard meat breeds. Obtaining your bunnies from a known local rabbitry or reputable breeder is the best way to proceed.
Standard Rabbit Meat Breeds
Some of the standard or typical rabbit meat breeds are:
- New Zealands
- Rex
- Florida White
- Californians
- Champagne D Argent
- Harlequin
- Satin
- Palomino
- Silver Fox
4H Rabbit Breeding Project
In a rabbit breeding project you breed rabbits and you attempt to achieve the Standard of Perfection for the breed. Part of a breeding project is removing undesirable traits from your breeding pool. This may mean removing some rabbits from your breeding stock so that undesirable traits are not passed onto offspring kits.
For the 4 H Rabbit Breeding projects we recommend you obtain your rabbits from a local reputable breeder. Most experienced 4H people will tell you that if your goal is to meet a high Standard of Perfection for your breed, then you need to start with some very good genetic material. This means going to a reputable breeder to purchase your breeding stock.
Choosing a 4 H Rabbit for Showmanship
When choosing a 4-H rabbit specifically for showmanship competitions, one of the most frequent recommendations is to start with a small breed with a reputation for being manageable and docile, vice a large size breed or a breed that is known to be harder to manage.
Smaller Breed Rabbits – Often Easy To Manage
Here’s a list of smaller breed bunnies that are often easy to manage and will make good rabbits for younger and less experience 4H’ers to start competing with:
- Havanas,
- Mini Lops,
- Dutch,
- Himalayans,
- Thriantas,
- Creme d’Argents
The larger breeds and the Long Hair Bunnies are often harder to manage and the show competition with the larger and long hair breeds is much more intense.
Where To Obtain Or Buy Your 4H Showmanship Competition Rabbit
If you’re planning to participate in rabbit show competition then one of the best places to find a good show rabbit is right within your current 4H club. Starting out with a good adult rabbit who is already accustomed to showmanship can be a great way to go. Often, older 4 H members are happy to see their showmanship bunny continue on with a younger member who will spend time with and work with the experienced rabbit.
Resources for 4-H Rabbit Show Preparation and Showmanship
4-H Rabbit Show Preparation and Showmanship Fact Sheet
4H Rabbit Manual – Distributed by Ontario 4H, Ontario Canada
Frequently Asked Questions Related To 4 H Rabbit Project
Can you show a spayed rabbit in 4-H?
In the USA, spayed or neutered rabbits may only be used in the 4H Pet project. They may not be used in the Market or Breeding projects and they may not be shown in competition.
What is a Class 4 rabbit?
Show rabbits are either class 4 or class 6. The class 4 rabbits are those that generally grow to 9 pounds or less. They are competitively shown in 4 classes:
- Junior Male
- Junior Female
- Senior Male
- Senior Female
The class 6 rabbits are those that generally grow to larger than 9 pounds and are competitively shown in 6 classes:
- Junior Male
- Junior Female
- Intermediate Male
- Intermediate Female
- Senior Male
- Senior Female
Here’s a great video providing a 4-H Rabbit Showmanship Tutorial
Final Thoughts on 4H Rabbit Project
We advise you to get to know your fellow 4H club members. The older club members have experience and can help you figure out what kind of 4H rabbit project you want to do.
The Rabbit Pet Project is a good starter project for a young 4H member.
The Rabbit Meat Project – is an undertaking with an intermediate level of complexity and responsibility.
The Rabbit Breeding Project – is longer and much more involved. The responsibilities and complexities of breeding rabbits for best Standard of Perfection are very challenging.
Showing rabbits competitively can be a fun hobby. Getting your first show rabbit from an experienced older 4H club member may be a good way to proceed.