The Many Rewards of Rabbits

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Belgian Hares, which date to the early 1700s in Europe, are a very historic breed in the United States, having launched domestic rabbit keeping here with their arrival in 1888. The breed's early promoters exhibited the rabbits at small stock shows across the country, successfully popularizing them. For a time, large numbers were imported at fabulous prices—as much as $1,000 each at a time when laborers were paid 10 cents an hour—creating what now is called the "Belgian Hare boom."

Today, Zaloudek, who is secretary-treasurer of the Belgian Hare Breeders Club, says only about 400 of the animals exist in the United States—but their popularity is on the rise again, especially along the East Coast.

These rabbits are tricky to breed, he says, but the challenge of such a difficult task and the beauty and grace of the animals, which will "prance in their cages in a fashion that can only be described as an animal ballet—not a flat-footed rabbit hop," appeal to fanciers. With handling, he says, they make good pets, too.

MEAT AND MANURE

Backyard rabbitries also may provide meat for a family. Rabbit breeds developed specifically for meat include Giant Chinchilla, Californian and the New Zealand.

Zaloudek regularly culls from his Mini Rex, Belgian Hare and Flemish Giant herds, too. He and his wife butcher the animals themselves and take them to a local butcher, who mixes the rabbit meat with herbs and pork (for fat) to make a tasty rabbit sausage the couple enjoys. Zaloudek says his practical motto is "Show the best and eat the rest."

If there's a rabbit around your house (or yard), it will reliably produce about a pound of dry manure a week, or 50 pounds in a year. With minimal effort, the rabbit's output can be turned into garden "black gold." George Dickerson, extension horticulture specialist in New Mexico, describes rabbit manure as a "high quality" soil conditioner that is often low in weed seeds because rabbits usually are fed prepared foods. The average nutrient content for dry manure is rated at 2.4 percent nitrogen (N), 1.4 percent phosphorus (P) and 0.6 percent potassium (K). Fresh, it is higher in nitrogen than chicken, cow, horse, pig, sheep or goat manures; dry, it remains higher than cow, horse and goat manures.

Less likely to burn plants than some other manures, rabbit manure is particularly well-suited to plants that require heavy feeding. Davis' husband, Bill, swears by it for azaleas; others favor it for roses.

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