Featured Rabbitry #6: Thumper’s Friends Rabbitry. An interview with the owner of Thumper’s Friends Rabbitry- Lea Kirby.
Check out their website: thumpersfriendsrabbitry.com
They are Mini Lop Rabbit Breeders located in California.
1: Tell us about your rabbitry…
We have a small scale rabbitry that consists of approximately 15 holes. Our rabbitry started out as a 4-H project with my four daughters, and grew to be a family hobby. With having a small rabbitry, we are able to give all of our rabbits the love and attention that they want while being able to keep up with the rest of life. We love to attend as many local shows as possible and frequently have babies for sale.
2: What rabbit breeds do you raise and why?
We currently have Californians, Mini Lops, Mini Rex, and Polish. We started off with Mini Lops and Polish. These were the two breeds that my kids fell in love with initially. I won a Mini Rex Doe in a raffle at a rabbit show, and have been attached to this breed every since. We aquired a Californian at a show we were attending and from that point forward, my oldest has been very focused on that breed. Not to mention that our Californian Buck was the first of our rabbits ever to win BOB.
3: About how long have you been raising rabbits?
We have only been raising/breeding rabbits for the past year.
4. Who has helped you the most with your rabbit project?
There have been two people that have been instrumental in our rabbitry. The first one is Nancy, who is our rabbit leader, She and her daughters attended our first show with us and helped us aquire several of our rabbits. She has given us many supplies and a lot of advice along the way. The second person is Serena, my kids 4-H sheep leader. She has a small rabbitry as well, and was actually the person that sold us our first three rabbits. We have become very close and are actually working on some cooperative breedings experimenting with some unique colors.
5. What is your favorite rabbit memory or experience?
My favorite experience was probably watching our first litter of kits come out of the nesting box. All our litters are exciting for us, but the first is very memorable.
6. Do you currently have any rabbit stock for sale? If so please provide details…
We currently have at least one Mini Lop baby for sale and are expecting some Polish babies at the end of the month. We are also planning some breeding at the first part of May. If we don’t have what someone is looking for, we will do our best to give you information for other breeders in the area. The Rabbit community is a pretty close community.