22 Thursday, August 8, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
See RABBIT on 23http://www.advisor-chronicle.comwww.advisor-chronicle.com AD-VISOR & CHRONICLE - CALHOUN COUNTY FAIRAD-VISOR & CHRONICLE Saturday, August 10, 2024Saturday, June 8, 2024 15 15
Calhoun County Fair
175th
Aug.
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Rabbits and cavies (guinea pigs)
might be small but they create a
big challenge for 4-H members try-
ing to win trophies at the Calhoun
County Fair, coming up Aug. 10-17
in Marshall.
That’s according to Calhoun
County 4-H Rabbit and Cavy Club
General Leader Lori Caddell, who
described the skills needed to handle
rabbits for judging, which happens
starting Sunday, Aug. 11 at 8 a.m. at
the rabbit show.
“It’s one of the most difficult ani-
mals in showmanship that there is,”
said Caddell, the leader for nearly
five years. “It’s 15 minutes of very
intense, hands on, examining the ani-
Rabbits are small but challenging 4-H project: Fair show Aug. 11
Chloe Kaser, Sandra Bogard, Garrett (last name unknown), Dalyn Board,
Nathan Caddell, Jacob Fisher and Sara Fisher show their 4-H project rabbits
at a previous Calhoun County Fair. (Photo provided)mal and you’re one-on-one with the
judge where every other animal, with
the exception of chickens, you’re in
a big ring walking an animal around.
With rabbits, it’s very personal and
very one-on-one and you have to flip
the animal over.”
Other than poultry, she said, there’s
no other animal that the handler turns
over for judging.
“Because rabbits are prey animals,
they really do not like to be rolled
over on their back and expose their
belly so it takes some work to get a
rabbit and a young kid to the point
that they can flip the rabbit over and
they’re comfortable,” she said, “and
the rabbit’s comfortable and then
they can inspect the belly, check
their teeth, check their nails and pullon their feet and everything before
flipping them back over.”
While the countywide club has
22 members, all hailing from Battle
Creek, Marshall, East Leroy, Fulton,
Albion, Harper Creek and areas in
between, 12 will be showing at the
fair next week. The club is based in
Marshall.
“It’s a big starter area for kids,”
said Caddell, who also showed rab-
bits in her youth. “If they’ve never
been in 4-H before or never had
livestock before, they tend to start
with rabbits. Younger kids can
handle rabbits so I usually get to
deal with younger kids, Clover Buds,
which are five and six year olds and
all the way through senior but the
vast majority of our kids are 12 and
younger.”
Among those club members are her
two sons, ages 15 and 11, Austin and
Nathan.
“Some of our meetings are just on
rabbit handling and how to make
friends with your rabbit, what to feed
them and how to take care of them
in general,” she said of new mem-
bers. “Then, there’s a showmanship
meeting. There’s actually a Michigan
state showmanship guide.”Showmanship classes, she said,
determine not only how well the
handler is presenting their animal
for judging but how well they have
cared for their animal.
“So an animal that has never been
worked with or a 4-Her who has
never gone through these steps will
not be able to do that come show
day,” she said. “We also do breed
classes and market classes, which
look very specifically at the ani-
mal itself. In those classes, that is
100-percent the animal, how well its
been taken care of, they’re looking
for body conformation for the meat
quality and just the overall health
and depending on the breed, the
markings of the animal.”
The youths show in the market
classes so they can sell their animals
at the fair’s small animal livestock
sale which happens Thursday, Aug.
15 at 5:30 p.m. in the covered arena.
Not all members have an animal
when they join.
“It depends on what the kiddo is
comfortable with,” she said. “If they
are small, I tend to recommend a
smaller breed, mini rexes are very