Raising rabbits keeps Cal U student, fair queen hopping
Lindsey Gilbert holds one of her Netherland dwarf rabbits at her home in Spraggs, Wayne Township, where she currently has eight rabbits 鈥� some with babies on the way. Gilbert has been breeding rabbits about 10 years and held various titles with the American Netherland Dwarf Rabbit Club. She is the Greene County Fair Queen. (Photo by Rebecca Devereaux)
Lindsey Gilbert of Spraggs, Wayne Township gives her rabbit attention after feeding the Netherland dwarf some hay at her home in Greene County. Gilbert, who is the Greene County Fair Queen, has raised rabbits for 10 years. (Photo by Rebecca Devereaux)
Rebecca Devereaux|蘑菇视频
A Netherland dwarf blue otter rabbit pauses between hops under the watchful eye of her owner Lindsey Gilbert. (Photo by Rebecca Devereaux)
Lindsey Gilbert, 18, of Spraggs, watches carefully as her rabbit sits in the grass, taking in the sun and breeze on a warm spring day.
The small doe is quiet 鈥� for a few minutes 鈥� before testing her legs and bolting towards a nearby creek. Gilbert runs after her, picks up the animal and sets her back down in the grass for visitors to see before the Netherland Dwarf decides to run again. Gilbert is back in pursuit.
Gilbert, who is Greene County Fair Queen, smiles and finally decides to hold the animal as she talks about raising rabbits, long a symbol of Easter and spring.
鈥淚鈥檝e raised rabbits for 10 years,鈥� says Gilbert. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e one of my favorite species of animals that I鈥檝e raised throughout my 4-H career, probably because of their personality and the fun you can have with raising rabbits.鈥�
A 2016 graduate of Waynesburg Central High School and student at California University, Gilbert is employed as an assistant at Century 21 Frontier Realty and working on obtaining a realtor蘑菇视频 license.
Gilbert, who is engaged to Zachary Koratich, has been around animals all her life.
She says her parents, James and Heather Gilbert, raised horses and showed them in Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky.
When she was 8, Gilbert joined 4-H, starting with horse and goat projects and soon joined the rabbit club.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e irresistible when you鈥檙e a girl,鈥� says Gilbert. 鈥淚 started with three Netherland Dwarf rabbits, and it was history from there.鈥�
Through the years, Gilbert had different animal projects for 4-H, but she always stuck with rabbits.
鈥淭hey have a unique personality and humor,鈥� she says.
Gilbert has been a breeder since she was young, having as many as 150 rabbits when she was 12 that she kept in a 鈥渉igh-class luxury shed鈥� her father built.
She蘑菇视频 downsized in recent years. Today, Gilbert has about 15. And she is still a breeder.
鈥淚 have six does due at the end of the week,鈥� says Gilbert, noting that dwarfs usually have two to four kits in a litter.
Gilbert markets the animals on the internet or at conventions and shows. She explains rabbits are easy to care for but are not like fish and urges owners to play with their animals. Many of her customers send Gilbert photographs of their rabbits. At this time of year, Gilbert also provides a local photographer with rabbits for Easter photos.
She蘑菇视频 raised some rabbits of other breeds but Gilbert蘑菇视频 favorite is the Netherland Dwarf, which she says has been called 鈥渁 compact little ball.鈥�
They鈥檙e a small, pretty animal with soft fur, weighing just a few pounds. Gilbert says the breed has 27 different colors with names like blue silver martin, chestnut and squirrel.
Gilbert has won titles for her rabbits in competition, noting in 2012 she was No.1 youth breeder for the American Netherland Dwarf Rabbit Club. In 2011, Gilbert also won the title of best of opposite breed 鈥� meaning her animal was the best in the opposite sex from the animal that won best breed.
Gilbert started showing rabbits as part of 4-H at the Greene County Fair and then went to a show in Washington County before venturing out of the area for more.
鈥淢y mom and I used to go to Ohio pretty much every weekend. I showed more in Ohio than Pennsylvania because the shows were more convenient to attend. We usually went spring and fall,鈥� says Gilbert, who also attended conventions in Harrisburg, Georgia, Indianapolis and Kansas.
Gilbert also represented the industry as a duchess in 2013 and 2014 and then queen in 2015 of the American Netherland Dwarf Rabbit Club. Titleholders must be knowledgeable about the animals.
鈥淔or the competition, you have to take a quiz on the breed and then do an interview with the judges. Then you judge rabbits and a judge judges them to check how they should have been ranked. The titles are by age division,鈥� says Gilbert, explaining the titles run princess, lady, duchess and then queen for girls.
鈥淚t was exciting,鈥� she said of winning. 鈥淚 ran for duchess my first year and won. I was shocked. I feel I get super nervous for any competition I鈥檓 in 鈥� including fair queen. A lot of people helped me and I had a lot of support as queen and duchess.鈥�
Gilbert was also happy to be crowned Greene County Fair Queen last August. It happened during Gilbert蘑菇视频 last year in 4-H.
鈥淲henever I attended my first fair, I was watching girls who helped me get into 4-H and rabbits. Lindsey Longstreth was fair queen in 2008. I said I always wanted to run after that,鈥� says Gilbert says. 鈥淚鈥檝e been at the fair a long time. I think it蘑菇视频 really nice.鈥�
Gilbert says she蘑菇视频 going to miss 4-H.
鈥淚 was in every club. Every Monday night, I was going to a 4-H meeting and sometimes Wednesdays and Thursdays,鈥� says Gilbert, reeling off a club list that included horses, goats, lambs, steer, swine, breeding sheep, breeding heifers and rabbits as well as county council and shooting sports.
Gilbert served four years as president of the Greene County 4-H Rabbit Club, which she says had close to 30 youths. She notes, 鈥淚f the rabbit club kids need help, they can call me.鈥�
Meanwhile, Gilbert has plenty to keep her busy, including her adorable rabbits.