Don’t you kill the bunny? (by Jennifer Green)

…and other angora questions

We just got back from our County Fair. It’s a week of fun and time spent with my children. It is a time for us to share what we’ve been working on, show off the livestock and home economics projects and to share some knowledge with people who haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy the lifestyle we have.

We answer many questions about the animals during the week. Some people want to know each animal’s name, what their breed is and what that animal’s job is. Sometimes, we have an opportunity to educate people about some of the myths and misconceptions that abound about livestock and how they are raised.

We fielded many questions about rabbits this year. In particular, we answered questions about the Angora rabbits my kids had on display. We are raising German Angora rabbits and the kids are head over heels in love with them, as am I. The German Angora rabbit is a fascinating animal. Bred to be one of the largest Angoras, the German’s job is to provide a quantity of quality wool with low maintenance and upkeep requirements. They are sweet and friendly, hardy, excellent mothers and the workhorse of their kind.

One of the questions we hear most often, and one that is very surprising when you first hear it, is, “Don’t you have to kill the rabbit to get the wool?” The first time the kids got asked that question, they were so astounded that they looked at each other and then at me for guidance. No, we do not have to kill the rabbits to harvest the fiber. Depending upon the breed of Angora, the fiber is harvested, on a schedule, by either shearing or plucking the rabbit.

German Angoras are shorn every 90 days. They can produce between 60 and 75 ounces of wool per year with some animals far overreaching that average. These rabbits do not typically shed their coats, and so must be shorn rather than plucked. We remove the coat on the rabbits for two reasons. One is to harvest the fiber for use in the creation of textiles and yarn. The second is for the rabbit’s health. As I mentioned, these rabbits don’t shed their coat on their own. It is up to us, who bred them for this purpose, to periodically remove the fiber.

In so doing we cool the rabbit down in warm weather, offer an opportunity for the rabbit to grow new fiber, remove the environment for pests to live and grow, and take the time to inspect each rabbit for injury or disease that might otherwise be hidden by all that fluff. Another benefit to removing the fiber is that the animal is less tempted to groom themselves. When an Angora rabbit is forced to groom their own coat, they wind up ingesting a certain amount of fiber. This wool tends to bind up in their digestive system and cause a serious, and often painfully fatal, condition called Wool Block.

Other breeds of Angora do shed their coats periodically and for those breeds, many raisers choose to pluck the wool. Plucking (also called rooing) is not painful or mean. It is gentle and quiet and the rabbits learn to enjoy the time with their people. They are, after all, the center of attention and who doesn’t love that? Generally, the handler will place the rabbit in their lap and will gently comb through the rabbit’s coat with their fingers looking for loose clumps of fiber. Any loose bits are simply taken off with the handler’s fingers. No pulling. No injury. Just a quiet time of grooming and loving on the rabbit.

Again, it is important for the rabbit to receive this attention to prevent them from ingesting this fiber. Removing the loose fiber cuts down on matting which can harbor pests and filth, thus helping the rabbit to maintain a healthy condition. It is time the raiser can use to inspect the rabbit for condition issues and time spent in bonding with these sweet and loving creatures.

We have found our time with the rabbits to be so rewarding and memorable. The kids have learned about responsibility, love, goals, rabbit care, record keeping, showmanship and sales. I have spent priceless moments with them in support and love that will be mine to treasure forever. We continue to look forward to sharing what we have learned with those who come to see us, whether it be at the farm or at the fair. We welcome the questions that come from excited visitors and now look forward to showing folks how wonderful and rewarding these creatures are. We are no longer shocked to be asked about killing the rabbits, but rather welcome the question as an opportunity to educate and share.