Six Leelanau County 4-H members attended the 84th annual American Rabbit Breeders Association's national convention Oct. 14-18 at the DeVos Convention Center in Grand Rapids.

DISPLAYING RABBITS that they showed at the
American Rabbit Breeders Association’s national
convention earlier this month were Harley Butler
(left) and Meredith Barnes. The two girls were
among six Leelanau County 4-H members who
attended the show, which was held in Grand Rapids.

The U.S., England, Canada, Japan and Australia were among countries represented at the convention, where some 23,000 rabbits and cavies were shown in “open” and “youth” competitions.

The six 4-H members are Harley Butler, Morgan Thompson, Jacob Terry, Katelyn Rice, Meredith Barnes and Granite Winowiecki.

Butler, a student at Westwoods Elementary School in Grand Traverse County’s Long Lake Township, took 28 rabbits of the Champagne D’Argents and Holland Lop varieties to the competition. For her Champagne D’Argents, she finished first in the commercial color fur and breed fur categories. She added a third place in senior doe, fourth places in the 6/8 Buck and fryer categories, fifth places in 6/8 doe and senior doe, seventh place in senior buck, and 14th in meat pen.

“My mom bought me a bunny for Easter when I was 7 and I’ve gone from there,” said Butler, whose brood at one time numbered 112.

She estimates spending 30 minutes each day making sure all her rabbits are properly fed and watered. Every two to three days, it takes her the same number of hours to clean their cages.

Before a show, she checks to make sure there’s no debris around each rabbit’s tail and that the coat is groomed;. She also checks the animals’ cheeks, nose, nails and teeth.
“You really want them to have a large hind quarters (for the Champagne D’Argent) … not skinny or with hollow stomachs,” she explained.

Butler’s “Holland Lops” earned a second place finished in the broken junior doe category, fourth place for solid junior buck, eighth for broken senior doe, 11th for solid senior doe, and 23rd for solid senior doe.

She also sold $1,200 worth of rabbits, including one purchased by a man for $250 to take to Japan to show. In addition, another went to Canada, one went to Utah, and four went to California to Ardis Hartwig of Lov’s Bunnies Rabbitry. Hartwig got Harley started with her own rabbitry, Butler Bootcamp Rabbitry.

“I want to continue to make progress in the quality of my stock so that I’m known throughout the industry,” Butler said.

Thompson took seven rabbits — French Lop, Dutch and American Chinchilla. She is home-schooled by her mother, Janet Terry. She earned best of variety and best of senior variety for her black senior Dutch doe, a second and third in the junior buck division, and a third in the junior doe for the American Chinchilla. She also sold one rabbit at the show.

Her brother, Jacob Terry, also attended the convention with Grey Dutch rabbits.

Barnes, a student at Traverse City West Senior High, took two rabbits to the event — a Siamese Satin and a Broken Siamese Satin. She earned a second place for her solid junior buck and an 11th place for broken senior buck.

Rice attends West Senior High and Granite attends Traverse City Area Public Schools’ Montessori program. They co-own Polish rabbits and took three to the convention. They earned a second place for their solid blue junior and two third places — for a solid chocolate junior buck and solid chocolate senior doe.

This was the first national convention for Rice, Winowiecki and Barnes. The others have attended several national conventions.