Why Bunnies?

When I talk about my hobbies, I'm often asked Why rabbits?

  See, I live in the city. I tell people that all the time, and they say yeah, I live in city limits. No, not in the city like a small town. I live in the downtown urban area of a major metropolitan city. I can see the high rise office buildings from my window.

  I discovered a long time ago I am a country girl trapped in a city girl's world.  Right now, expanses of land are not in my future. Large livestock raising is not going to happen. Interestingly, it is permitted within city limits, if one has an acre plus of land (that's not me). In order to get the feel of start to finish, I needed a small fiber bearing animal that can be kept in a quantity that would be suitable for a small space, but produce a decent amount of fiber.  The only thing that fits the bill are Angora Rabbits.

  Rabbits are perfect for urban livestock. They are relatively small, can live in confined spaces, make little to no noise, and are cute. Rabbit meat is a clean, low fat/high protein source, raised without any meds, chemicals or hormones. Different breeds of Angora produce different amounts, but a decent rabbit harvest is a pound of clean, lanolin free fiber per year. An added bonus is their manure is one of the best fertilizers around.

  You are thinking there must be some drawbacks? Angoras do need grooming. how frequent depends on the breed and the lines. My annual molting French are groomed every few months, I rarely touch them in between harvests, and I harvest every 4-7 months. Sooner during hot summers, less during colder winters. The El Nino this year meant 3 clips instead of 2.

The only other drawback is the manure. I have way more than I can use on my little plot of land, and it smells. I try to only put it out when a rain show is expected, I know my neighbors can smell it, and are not pleased. I'm still working that out.

  In the meantime, I highly recommend Angoras to anyone who wants a bit of novel fiber of their own to spin. Most cities, and even apartments won't think twice if you have one, a few, (or in some cases a dozen) rabbits as a pet.