Our Boys Home Academy has added an agricultural element to the students’ education. The boys are raising rabbits for food.

Through the generosity of two supporters, the Boys Home received several dozen rabbits and 13 cages to breed and raise them in. Most of them are New Zealand Whites, which can average 10-12 pounds each and provide about 6 pounds of meat.

Students Ty and Landon, both freshmen, spent time around farm animals but have gained a greater appreciation for what it takes to produce food. The pair feed and water the animals and have learned how to process the rabbits when they reach food weight at about three months old.

Landon has raised cattle but not rabbits. “Rabbits need to be taken care of quite a bit, because they will knock over their water and they eat a lot of food. Some of them get pretty big pretty quick.”

The rabbit venture began earlier this year when Roger Murphy, a retired pastor and farmer from Nashville, Indiana, donated rabbit meat to Good News. That led to visits to Murphy’s farm, where he encouraged Good News to take over the operation. There was hesitation because we had no place to house them.

That’s when another farmer, hoping to downsize his own rabbit operation, donated growing cages during a Boys Home field trip. With cages and the animals, the Good News rabbit ranch was born. They are kept under a raised cabin, with protective fencing, tarp and heat lamps. Their feed is donated vegetables and high-nutrient rabbit feed. Joseph, a dorm supervisor, oversees the operation and Boys Home menus are already incorporating the meat, such as Cajun rabbit with rice.

Our rabbit operation needs a consistent source of pelleted rabbit feed. If you wish to donate, contact Boys Home Director Kurt at kglosser@goodnewsministries.com.