Celeste Spencer, 12, of Hurricane arranges her rabbits on the judging table at the Putnam County Fair Sunday. Rabbits Reuben, Big Ears and White-out were declared grand champion market rabbits. They will be sold at the fair's livestock auction Friday.
For a complete fair schedule, click here
ELEANOR, W.Va. -- Three plump, fluffy, white rabbits sat calmly on a table in front of their handler, Celeste Spencer, during the rabbit-judging contest Sunday at the Putnam County Fair in Eleanor.
Every so often, one of her rabbits would fidget, and move away from the other two. Spencer, 12, covered the rogue rabbit's eyes with her hand, and shifted it back into place. The rabbit seemed to behave as long as its eyes were covered.
"If the rabbit can't see, it won't move," explained Treva Baker, co-chair of the 4-H rabbit hutch, when asked why the six other contestants along with Spencer kept periodically blindfolding their rabbits.
Rabbits that fidget too much are generally scored lower. That's why it is important for their handlers to make sure their rabbits appear to be obedient, she said.
Rabbits are judged and later sold in groups of three. Judge Ken Henry walked back and forth down the table, examining each rabbit to make sure they didn't have any noticeable defects or diseases in their eyes, ears, and teeth.
When that's done, he picks them up and rubs their feet to make sure they have the correct luck output.
These rabbits are perhaps not so lucky. They are market rabbits, which means though they may be soft and fluffy, they will eventually be slaughtered and sold for meat. The most important quality for a contest rabbit is for it to be fat. A disobedient rabbit, therefore, is less important.
"If I had a better rabbit that didn't sit there, I'd use that rabbit," Henry said. "Just because it doesn't sit good doesn't mean it's a better rabbit."
Henry said that a quality meat rabbit will be large, but not overweight.
"You don't want a bloaty bunny," he said.
The rabbit handlers, who range in age from 9 to 21, are all from 4-H. Each year 4-H-ers take on a project associated with farming. This year, these six kids chose to grow and show rabbits.
For a complete fair schedule, click here
ELEANOR, W.Va. -- Three plump, fluffy, white rabbits sat calmly on a table in front of their handler, Celeste Spencer, during the rabbit-judging contest Sunday at the Putnam County Fair in Eleanor.
Every so often, one of her rabbits would fidget, and move away from the other two. Spencer, 12, covered the rogue rabbit's eyes with her hand, and shifted it back into place. The rabbit seemed to behave as long as its eyes were covered.
"If the rabbit can't see, it won't move," explained Treva Baker, co-chair of the 4-H rabbit hutch, when asked why the six other contestants along with Spencer kept periodically blindfolding their rabbits.
Rabbits that fidget too much are generally scored lower. That's why it is important for their handlers to make sure their rabbits appear to be obedient, she said.
Rabbits are judged and later sold in groups of three. Judge Ken Henry walked back and forth down the table, examining each rabbit to make sure they didn't have any noticeable defects or diseases in their eyes, ears, and teeth.
When that's done, he picks them up and rubs their feet to make sure they have the correct luck output.
These rabbits are perhaps not so lucky. They are market rabbits, which means though they may be soft and fluffy, they will eventually be slaughtered and sold for meat. The most important quality for a contest rabbit is for it to be fat. A disobedient rabbit, therefore, is less important.
"If I had a better rabbit that didn't sit there, I'd use that rabbit," Henry said. "Just because it doesn't sit good doesn't mean it's a better rabbit."
Henry said that a quality meat rabbit will be large, but not overweight.
"You don't want a bloaty bunny," he said.
The rabbit handlers, who range in age from 9 to 21, are all from 4-H. Each year 4-H-ers take on a project associated with farming. This year, these six kids chose to grow and show rabbits.
After several minutes of deliberation, Henry finally began to announce the winners. He picked up a microphone and went to each contestant, explaining where their bunnies fell short, and where they excelled.
Spencer's white bunnies won by a hare.
She was happy, but also detectably somber. The now grand champion rabbits that she raised from babies and worked with every day since they were born in April are going to be sold for meat.
Spencer said she copes by "crying and then forgetting, knowing that they are rabbits."
She named her rabbits Reuben, Big Ears and White-out and commonly recites a sentence she uses to remember them.
"Rubin has big ears and uses white-out on his fur," she said. "See, it makes a great sentence!"
Lela Reedy, 18, showed three reddish brown-haired rabbits she named Radish, Rutabaga and Rhubarb. She said the trick is to not name the rabbits until a week before the show.
Even so, she admitted letting the rabbits go is still going to be hard.
"I'm going to try not to let it show," she said.
The fair continues throughout this week at the Putnam County Ernest Page Jr. Fairgrounds off of W.Va. 62. For a complete listing of the fair schedule, visit Putnamcountyfair-wv.com.
Reach Zac Taylor at Zachary.Tay...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5189.
