next on the farm.

First there were the birds.

And, of course, most recently, the new kittens.

Who were born because we had added these kittens over a year ago.

In the past it’s been chickens or a dog.

(There’s so many more actually – but I am tired of linking up these posts!)

It’s long been official – the Keigleys like pets.

I’ve got my eye on some goats in the future plus a turkey or two, but this spring we added new creatures that I have yet to share with you.

Rabbits.

I’m not sure why I haven’t posted about this earlier.

Growing up on a farm, my dad was pretty adamant about pets.  He didn’t really care for them.  Farm animals had to serve a purpose.  (So did farm kids for that matter.)

Cats caught mice.  Dogs herded cows and warned of strangers.  Cows produced milk.  Pigs produced, well, themselves.

Most of our pets at our home now serve a general purpose as well – chickens for the eggs, cats for the mice and a dog for protection.  (Hey, Ringo has become a pretty great guard dog.)

As of yet, however, none of our animals have produced meat.  (Well, I guess the chickens could, in theory, but we haven’t chosen that destiny for them.)

Until now.

It was a new concept for our family.

But one we wanted to explore.

I admit – it’s a little stretch out of our comfort zone.

The idea is this: You have two rabbits.  They make babies.  Once the babies are the correct age, you process the rabbits and eat them.  The two rabbits make more babies.  You do the same thing again.  And so on.

The benefits are these: Rabbits do not require a great deal of space.  Their meat is lean and full of protein.  We can handle the processing of the rabbits ourselves.

We wanted our kids to learn first hand that in order to eat meat, an animal has to die.

That’s real.  That’s how it works.

We wanted them to participate in the process of caring properly for an animal and viewing that animal as a source of provision for our family.  We wanted them to know that there is a humane and kind way to raise animals for human consumption.

(And while I very much want to purchase a beef cow for the same reasons, this is a more sustainable method for our family to gain hands on experience right now.)

We wanted to begin to take steps to be more in control of our food choices.  To appreciate the cost of our meat-loving diets.

To provide an up close and personal view of the cycle of life.

We probably won’t be handling our own rabbit meat until the fall, but the process has begun.

Of course, our two rabbit parents have names.  The male came with a moniker and once the kids heard it, they were unwilling to alter it.  His name is Thumper.

Thumper’s wife, although Kevin says they are not officially married yet, has been named Colonel Popcorn.

We did all agree on a basic family guideline to help us navigate these new waters.

Whilst the creatures are living in their pens, they are to be called rabbits.

When they appear on our plates we shall refer to them as coneys.

You’ve seen the rabbit above.

This is what coneys look like:

They taste delicious.

Even the kids think coneys are tasty.

(It helped that coneys is a British word and London pointed out that Frodo and Samwise consumed conies as a regular part of their diets.)

I am aware that this animal addition at our home may tip the scales in people’s opinions of our family right on over to quirky or weird.

But what with the multiple kid names and the chickens free ranging all over the yard and the kid reading food labels and the homeschooling bits, I think we were already leaning heavy in that direction to begin with.