Pet The Bunny Charity Event At Nappanee Friday Fest June 10
May 25, 2022 at 4:13 p.m.
Pet The Bunny Charity Event At Nappanee Friday Fest June 10
By Staff Report-
Rabbit breeder Ryan McBride of MC Rabbitry, a resident of Harrison Township near Nappanee, will share his knowledge of these animals. He will have rabbits for children and adults to pet while they learn about the ways rabbits provide food, fur and fancy for hobby and commercial use.
McBride is a member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA). As such, he helps newcomers to rabbit husbandry with advice. At the June 10 Friday Fest event in Nappanee, he will offer three short presentations: at 5:30 p.m. - How to Raise a Show Rabbit, at 6:15 p.m. – Rabbit Showmanship Tips, and at 7 p.m. – Breed ID: Food, Fur and Fancy.
“I was introduced to rabbits through my children’s 4-H projects,” McBride said. “Then I got more and more intrigued by this animal. There are 50 different ARBA recognized breeds and raising them is a great way for kids to learn responsibility.”
Rabbits are efficient converters of feed, grass and hay. A trio of rabbits – one buck and two does – can produce enough progeny in 18 months to result in the meat equivalent in weight to a full-grown steer. “One important difference between raising rabbits and a steer is that you’ll have meat all along the way with rabbits,” McBride notes.
This fact makes rabbits one cornerstone of the program by charity Heifer International to help hungry families in developing countries. In addition to accepting contributions for Heifer.org, the ACT Nappanee-Wakarusa booth also will accept contributions on behalf of The Center, a WaNee district charity that provides a food pantry among other services to families experiencing financial stress. Food insecurity in Elkhart County continues, said Mark Mikel, executive director of The Center: “At our food pantry, demand has increased by 93% in the past two months as gas and grocery prices have increased, and as clients have anticipated the pending decrease of their SNAP benefits by 50%.”
McBride’s 5:30 p.m. presentation on June 10, How to Raise a Show Rabbit, will emphasize the importance of providing a secure cage for your rabbits, balancing its diet, checking its health frequently, and handling your rabbit a lot so it trusts you and gets used to human contact.
“My best advice for raising your show rabbit: find a mentor who is a reputable rabbit breeder and forget what Bugs Bunny says, carrots are not all that great for rabbits,” says McBride. He recommends that anyone planning to raise show rabbits acquire their stock from a reputable breeder.
ACT Nappanee-Wakarusa is an organization of independent, progressive and Democrat voters who work to Advance Community Together.
For more details, email [email protected].
Rabbit breeder Ryan McBride of MC Rabbitry, a resident of Harrison Township near Nappanee, will share his knowledge of these animals. He will have rabbits for children and adults to pet while they learn about the ways rabbits provide food, fur and fancy for hobby and commercial use.
McBride is a member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA). As such, he helps newcomers to rabbit husbandry with advice. At the June 10 Friday Fest event in Nappanee, he will offer three short presentations: at 5:30 p.m. - How to Raise a Show Rabbit, at 6:15 p.m. – Rabbit Showmanship Tips, and at 7 p.m. – Breed ID: Food, Fur and Fancy.
“I was introduced to rabbits through my children’s 4-H projects,” McBride said. “Then I got more and more intrigued by this animal. There are 50 different ARBA recognized breeds and raising them is a great way for kids to learn responsibility.”
Rabbits are efficient converters of feed, grass and hay. A trio of rabbits – one buck and two does – can produce enough progeny in 18 months to result in the meat equivalent in weight to a full-grown steer. “One important difference between raising rabbits and a steer is that you’ll have meat all along the way with rabbits,” McBride notes.
This fact makes rabbits one cornerstone of the program by charity Heifer International to help hungry families in developing countries. In addition to accepting contributions for Heifer.org, the ACT Nappanee-Wakarusa booth also will accept contributions on behalf of The Center, a WaNee district charity that provides a food pantry among other services to families experiencing financial stress. Food insecurity in Elkhart County continues, said Mark Mikel, executive director of The Center: “At our food pantry, demand has increased by 93% in the past two months as gas and grocery prices have increased, and as clients have anticipated the pending decrease of their SNAP benefits by 50%.”
McBride’s 5:30 p.m. presentation on June 10, How to Raise a Show Rabbit, will emphasize the importance of providing a secure cage for your rabbits, balancing its diet, checking its health frequently, and handling your rabbit a lot so it trusts you and gets used to human contact.
“My best advice for raising your show rabbit: find a mentor who is a reputable rabbit breeder and forget what Bugs Bunny says, carrots are not all that great for rabbits,” says McBride. He recommends that anyone planning to raise show rabbits acquire their stock from a reputable breeder.
ACT Nappanee-Wakarusa is an organization of independent, progressive and Democrat voters who work to Advance Community Together.
For more details, email [email protected].
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092