Get Started Raising Rabbits and Cavies!
Join Your Local 4-H Club For A
Great Foundation!
4-H is a
wonderful worldwide youth club promoting both family participation and
personal self-development while kids
have fun learning about their chosen projects! 4-H is often
the first stop for kids who are interested in raising and exhibiting
rabbits and/or cavies and introduces them to proper animal husbandry,
showmanship skills and good sportsmanship!
4-H is
not just for farm kids as is commonly
believed- there is a wide range of projects offered to suite just about
anyone's tastes: everything from domestic and farm animal care, vet
sciences, horses, to woodworking, electronics, rocket building, small
engines, shooting sports, botany, sewing and home decorating, cooking, and many
different art-medium projects, plus a whole lot more!
In general, 4-H is
organized through each state's university extension office. Clubs
are run by volunteers that pass a federal background check, and consist of
the main club-organizational leader(s), parent project leaders and youth
participate as members, leaders and club officers. To encourage
self-confidence and personal growth, the youth play an important part in
running and planning club meetings and deciding upon personal goals and goals for the club.
Individual clubs usually hold monthly or periodic meetings and plan fun
community-based activities and outings to participate in. Community
service of some sort is usually incorporated into activities, and clubs
often do some exciting fund-raising projects too.
 4-H has open membership - you can join at any time of the year!
Cost is affordable - usually less than $15/year per youth. A basic year's
timeline follows like this:
Fall:
Start of the new 4-H year. Clubs elect new youth officers, returning
members enroll for another year, and clubs plan their coming year's goals
and activities. Youth members usually choose and enroll in projects
that interest them, although projects can be changed throughout winter.
Winter: Club
meetings, fund raisers, fun club activities and project work.
Spring:
Project-specific meetings and workshops, attend 4-H project training seminars.
Summer:
Participation in local or county fairs- exhibit projects youth have been
working on, many opportunities to work in fundraising booths at the fairs
and help run project departments. My kids really enjoy
selling ice cream and working in the potato booth! Summer also
offers great 4-H camps, participation in parades and other community
functions.
4-H
has given us wonderful memories that we will treasure for a lifetime!
Give it a try! If you have any doubts
about the fun you'll have in 4-H - please attend your county fair this
summer - walk through the barns, browse the exhibits and stay to watch the
youth judging and showmanship competitions; you'll clearly see the pride
in our youths' accomplishments!
Some 4-H links to
get you started:
National 4-H Council
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