Glimmercroft Rabbits

E-mail Laura Workman, Glimmercroft, Lynnwood, Washington

Creme d'Argent bunnies two weeks old.

Here at Glimmercroft, we have a very small rare-breed rabbitry consisting of Creme d'Argent Rabbits and Silver Fox rabbits. I raise rabbits for meat because I feel strongly that industrial agriculture, while a current necessity, is also very detrimental to the animals involved, to the environment, and to our own health, and the more we can move away from it, the better off we'll all be. I raise rare breeds in order to promote and preserve them, helping to protect the genetics of breeds that were developed to thrive under non-industrial management practices and in specific, non-industrial environments.
For many reasons, I see rabbits as the ideal urban meat animal. They are clean and quiet, very productive, and easy to butcher. They are a perfect complement to an urban garden, consuming garden waste and turning it into delicious, versatile, easily digestible, high quality animal protein, and providing abundant manure that is a sought-after garden amendment. Additionally, they can make use of vegetation grown in unused areas such as empty lots, side yards, power line easements, and the like. In addition to feeding commercial rabbit pellets, I use an Austrian scythe to collect fresh grass and weeds for my rabbits in season, significantly reducing my feed bill, increasing the healthfulness of the final product, and keeping my yard tidy.
I'm working on a new breed, using Creme d'Argent and Silver Fox rabbits as foundation stock. The goal is a standard-sized rabbit with good meat type, fast growth rate, gentle temperament, good mothering abilities, and importantly, a pelt that resembles coyote fur. The pelt from a meat rabbit is often considered a waste product. I try to show my respect for an animal's sacrifice by using as much as possible of what it has given, and breeding a rabbit that carries a valuable pelt will help with that. I hope that maybe someday, those fur-trimmed items we see in the department stores will be trimmed with coyote-look "waste product" rabbit fur rather than the coyote-look dog fur currently being imported from China for that purpose. OK, stepping down from the soapbox now. . . . If you'd be interested in helping with the development of this breed, I'd love to hear from you. I can only keep so many rabbits, so I'm looking for other interested folks to partner with in this project.
Creme d'Argent rabbits are a beautiful, frosted gold rabbit developed in France. They are born orange, and as they mature, each hair is tipped with silver. They are somewhat smaller than the Silver Fox rabbits, but I just can't get over that beautiful coloring! Cremes are gentle, calm rabbits with good meat characteristics, and the does are good mothers. This is a rare breed in need of preservation. Cremes are listed as "watch" on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy conservation priority list, which means there are fewer than 200 annual registrations in the United States and estimated global population is less than 2,000 animals.
In my search for these rare gems, I was lucky enough to contact Travis West, Secretary of the Creme D'Argent Rabbit Federation. He not only gave me a start with two beautiful does from his own rabbitry, both of which have been shown successfully, but he also did me the enormous favor of shopping for an outcross buck at the 2006 National Convention in Texas. The buck he purchased for me took Best of Opposite Sex in Cremes! Is that too cool or what!! Travis is very high on my list of really good people.
Silver Fox rabbits were developed in the United States in the 1920s as a dual-purpose rabbit, raised for both meat and fur. Their fur is extremely dense and black with silvering throughout. It resembles the fur of an Arctic Silver Fox, being denser and longer than normal rabbit fur. When stroked backward, it will remain upright until it is brushed back down. The does are excellent mothers and produce large litters that grow quickly and have a high dress-out percentage. These rabbits are known for their gentle, docile nature.
The Silver Fox rabbit is another rare breed in need of preservation, and is listed as "critical" on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy conservation priority list. This means there are fewer than 50 annual registrations in the United States and estimated global population is less than 500 animals. Patsy Butcher, an ARBA judge and breeder since 1976, was kind enough to give me a start in Silver Foxes with a very nice trio of her rabbits. I have not been disappointed!

Creme d'Argent Young Buck
Young Creme d'Argent buck. (Please excuse my
poor attempt at setting up this gorgeous
buck. I'm not a bunny showman yet!)

Creme d'Argent Doe (She did a much
better job setting herself up
than I could have done!)

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This page updated November 11, 2007.