A year ago this month, I brought home these two girls, innocently enough, to gather a little luxury fiber for my spinning and knitting. In that year I've added 2 more Angoras, and 3 Mini Rex for a total of 7 rabbits.....plus a chicken! 'And I'm not even breeding them! (dang! Those baby coats look good on those girls!)
I would love to breed a couple of my rabbits, but really had a pang of fear and dread put in me recently when reading on one of the Yahoo Groups that a "cull buyer" was planning to attend an upcoming show. I had never heard that term before. That's even worse than knowing the extras go in the freezer. "Cull buyer" - it sounds positively Dickensian.
The reality is you can always breed more animals - rabbits, in my case - than you can reasonably sell, and the future for the extras is grim - pet stores, food for snakes (the mini rex), etc. - something I just will not do. I found out this week that spaying and neutering rabbits at the local 'exotic' Vet runs $298, per bun, before pain meds. So......I won't be doing that anytime soon, either.
It's got to be a very difficult balance for those who breed livestock - to breed enough to develop the characteristics / wool / fliber, etc. that you want, while not creating so many you have to harden your heart and mind to the consequences of what happens to the unwanted ones.
A downer post. Sorry, but it is one of those hard things the farmer has to think about, whether they are farming in the rural, suburban, or urban setting.
You are absolutely right. I was really tempted to breed Rebecca Boone this fall, but knew she'd have at least 2 lambs if not 3 and said no :-/.
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