Frequently Asked Questions

We have worked with several different meat breeds over the years, and have decided that Silver Fox are the only ones we care to keep anymore. They are docile, generally appreciate human interaction, tend to be very good mothers, and tolerate the southern summers better that we expected. Their gentle dispositions make them a great choice if you are introducing your children to the responsibilities of small livestock. We also enjoy them for their varied colors, beautiful dark eyes, and distinctive silvered fur.

A pedigree is simply a breeder record showing the parentage of your rabbit for several generations. It is not a "registration" (like AKC in dogs) but rather the product of your breeder keeping track of lineage as they breed individuals. It does not make a rabbit better, or more "special" than an un-pedigreed rabbit. What it does do is show you a snapshot of the detailed effort that the breeder has gone to in order to track and record their progress of (hopefully) improving their results generation after generation. Our rabbits all come with a three generation pedigree, going back to great-grandparents. (Each pedigree represents a minimum of 4-5 years of recordkeeping.)

This is a great question. Generally speaking, a trio will get you going. It doesn't have to be unrelated individuals--line breeding is quite common in rabbits. For additional questions on the nuts and bolts of raising rabbits for meat (housing/breeding/harvesting/etc.), I have included a recommendation for a fantastic book on my RESOURCES page.

The first step is to contact Laurel (pronounced luh-REL) via email, text, or phone. She will want to get a detailed understanding of what you are looking for (how many, what color, what sex), what your goals are (getting started in meat production, adding to an existing program, etc.), and where you are in your rabbit journey. (She loves helping new rabbiteers!) Our notification list is usually pretty deep, so you will be placed on the list once we know what you are looking for and we will notify you when it becomes available.

Litters are weaned at 6 weeks but not released for pickup until they are 8 weeks old. When they turn 8 weeks old, folks waiting on the list will be notified in chronological order, based on what they are requesting, and what we have available. We do not ask for deposits or payment up front, but you will need to confirm you are still interested and commit to picking up your kit/s before they turn 9 weeks old--in other words, you have one week to collect your kit/s. As a courtesy, if we have space available and you have made prior arrangements for a delayed pickup, we can hold kits beyond 9 weeks old for a boarding fee of $5/week per kit.

It depends entirely on what you are looking for. The more specific your request, the longer the wait. If you just want one doeling regardless of color, we can typically fill that request fairly quickly. If you want an unrelated trio with specific colors (ex: an unrelated chocolate buck, plus a lilac doe and a blue doe) it's going to be up to chance if we have all that available at the same time. The more flexible you can be on colors/bloodlines, the faster we can set you up with your new rabbits. *PLEASE NOTE--summer breeding is weather dependent, and typically we allow our does a break from breeding during the southern heat. As such, availability during the summer is very limited.*

If you are brand new to rabbit keeping, the best place to start is research! We have linked several excellent sources of information for beginners on our RESOURCES page. Please note, that prior to bringing home any Willoughby rabbit you will need to have all of your facilities and equipment in place. We will not allow pickup of any animal until we know that it will be properly housed and cared for as soon as it arrives in its new home!

We do not show rabbits, nor do we offer show prospects. That is not to say our rabbits do not adhere to published breed standards (known as Standards of Perfection, or SOP), we simply do not enjoy the demands of maintaining a show schedule (travel, lodging, hauling our animals to and fro, exposing them to possible contagions or injury, etc.) or the social expectations of being members of a club. We are exclusively focused on producing healthy meat for our family, and quality small livestock for the homesteader who wants to raise their own meat. If you are interested in showing rabbits, we highly encourage you to visit the ARBA and research the specific clubs and breeders available in your area.

We do not offer pet rabbits. There are far too many pet rabbits in need in rescues and shelters, and we encourage and endorse rescue adoption. You may ask how we can reconcile this perspective while harvesting rabbits for meat. It's simple--homesteaders will never dump a domestic rabbit to fend for itself in the wild. Domestic rabbits are not equipped to survive outside of captivity and dumping one outdoors is unconscionably cruel. Yet, every year countless rabbits are dumped after the "cute" wears off, they start spraying due to sexual maturity, or the kids stop taking care of it. This is particularly problematic after Easter. If you are committed to a pet rabbit then PLEASE consider offering a home to a rescue in need!

At this time, the best way to keep up with our chick/grow-out availability is to follow our Facebook page!