User:Robandcathie/Three Little Ladies Rabbitry
Three Little Ladies Rabbitry is a rabbit company located in Michigan. According to the National Jersey Wooly Rabbit Club they are the top youth breeder of Jersey Wooly rabbits in the world. In 2010 they had 3 of the top 15 rabbits in the United States including the top rabbit with TLL's Jack. Their rabbitry has won over 100 best of breeds, 15 best in shows and produced nearly 100 grand champion animals. Their website is the second most popular rabbit related website on the internet behind only the House Rabbit Society. They are referred to on over 1200 websites, had articles regarding them in multiple publications, and are quoted in university text books and labs. They answer 1,000's of rabbit related questions a year from pet owners, 4-H members, and rabbit breeders. Three Little Ladies Rabbitry has written articles that have appeared in many national rabbit industry publications including Fluff of the Fancy, The Hollander, Domestic Rabbit and Great Lakes, Great Bunnies.
History
[edit]Three Little Ladies Rabbitry founded in 2003 by Rob & Cathie Usakowski. It was started as a simple 4-H project for one of their three daughters. Jessica, the middle daughter of the three Usakowski girls adopted two pet bunnies. Shortly thereafter, they adopted two additional pure bred Holland Lops. The first litter produced a Grand Champion named TLL's Blankem. By 2007, the Usakowski girls had become the 41st ranked Holland Lop breeders in the country.[1]
Desiring to expand into other breeds became a focus in 2007. They began to raise a new breed, Jersey Wooly. They quickly experienced success in the breed. They ranked 42 nationally for the breed in the first year.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). Since 2009 they have been the top jersey wooly breed in Michigan and currently rank as the top breeder nationally.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
Website
[edit]While embarking on the new challenge of raising rabbits, the Usakowski's quickly realized that information available on the web was scattered and often missing. They made a commitment at that time, that they would share all of their knowledge on rabbits to assist other rabbit raiser who may experience some of the very same struggles that they experienced.
What started as a simple project has grown into the one of the most comprehensive rabbit sites available on the web today. Today the site contains over 1200 pages of information. The site receives nearly 1,000,000 visitors a year looking for rabbit information. The daily blog has helpful hints, study guides, and fun information.
Currently the website ranks 259,000 in all web traffic in the United States.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). This puts Three Little ladies Rabbitry as the second most popular rabbit related site on the internet, just slightly behind the House Rabbit Society site in traffic which ranks 226,000 in the United States. Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
Breeds Raised
[edit]Today, Three Little Ladies Rabbitry raises two primary breeds, the Holland Lop and the Jersey Wooly. Both are small compact breeds. The Holland Lop generally weighs in around 4 pounds, and is the smallest of the lop earred breeds. The Jersey Wooly which generally weighs between 3- 3.5 pounds is known for its easy to care for wool.
They also maintain breeding pairs of New Zealand whites, Satin's and Netherland Dwarfs.
Industry Offices Held
[edit]The Usakowski's, owners of Three Little Ladies Rabbitry, are very active within the rabbit community. They serve on many local and national committees and boards to promote the rabbit industry
2011 Rob National Jersey Wooly Rabbit Club Vice PresidentCite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
2010-11 Rob Michigan State Rabbit Breeders Association Constitution Commitee
2010-11 Rob St Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair Rabbit/Cavy - SuperintendentCite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
2009-11 Cathie Great Lakes Jersey Wooly Fancier Secretary/TreasurerCite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
2010-11 Cathie St Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair Rabbit/Cavy - Co-Superintendent
2009-11 Jessica Great Lakes Jersey Wooly Fanciers DirectorCite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
2009-10 Jessica Michigan State Rabbit Breeders Youth Association Vice President
2011 Jessica Michigan State Rabbit Breeders Youth Association Director
2009-11 Jessica Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club District 8 Youth Director
2010-11 Taylor Michigan State Rabbit Breeders Youth Association Director
Organizational Memberships
[edit]Michigan State Rabbit Breeders Association
American Rabbit Breeders Association
Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club
National Jersey Wooly Rabbit Club
Great Lakes Jersey Wooly Fanciers
Lapeer Area Rabbit Rasiers
St Clair County Rabbit Developmental Committee
Clover Kids 4-H Club
Media and Web References
[edit]Three Little Ladies Rabbitry has been quoted throughtout the web for their content. Its not uncommon to see them quoted on sites such as Yahoo! Answers for eveything from breeding rabbits to rabbit color genetics.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). They are often quoted on sites such as eHow[2] and reference dot comCite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
In 2009 the Michigan State Fair ended its run as the longest running State Fair in the nation. Michigan budget cuts forced state legislators to end the event. The Associated Press ran a nationally syndicated article that was picked up by several thousand media outlets across the country. AP journalist Corey Williams contacted Rob Usakowski of Three Little Ladies Rabbitry to obtain comments for his article. The article appeared on media outlets such as Fox News, Yahoo, and ABC NewsCite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
Three Little Ladies Rabbitry has been contacted by several colleges and universities for use of their material. The use has included everything from college text books to simple instructional materials. The University of Arizona is currently using material from the articles regarding rabbit droppings also known as cecotropes for one of its science labs. Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
In April 2008, The Times Herald out of Port Huron Michigan ran an article on the rabbitry after Taylor captured the crown of Michigan State Rabbit Breeders Youth Association Princess. The two page article focused on Three Little Ladies Rabbitry and their rabbit business. One of the newly born kits that was used in photographs for the article was subsequently named TLL's Tomes Herald.
Three Little Ladies Rabbitry staff has written articles that have appeared in several national rabbit publications. You can find their article in The Hollander, The Fluff of the Fancy, Domestic Rabbit and Great Lakes, Great Bunnies.
Many other rabbitries look to Three Little Ladies Rabbitry as a source for information, encouragement and advice. Sites such as Tru Luv Rabbitry have written articles about Three Little Ladies Rabbitry.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).Other sites often recommend Three Little Ladies Rabbitry articles for various rabbit related information. Sites such as Hillsboro Holland Lops, Celtic Hare RabbitryCite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). and Honeysuckle Rabbitry are just a sample of the many sites across the internet that recommend Three Little Ladies Rabbitry and their information.
Awards
[edit]| Year | Name | Award | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Rabbit Breeders Association | |||
| 2010 | Jessica Usakowski | Overall Achievement in Rabbits | National Champion |
| National Jersey Wooly Rabbit Club | |||
| 2011 | Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National Sweepstakes - Jersey Woolies | 1st |
| Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National Award of Excellence | 1st | |
| Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National Herdsman | 2nd | |
| TLL's Ladies Man | National Rabbit of the Year | 2nd | |
| Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National Colored Wool | 2nd | |
| Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National White Wool | 2nd | |
| 2010 | |||
| Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National Sweepstakes Points | 2nd | |
| Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National Award of Excellence | 2nd | |
| Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National Herdsman | 3rd | |
| TLL's Jack | National Rabbit of the Year | 1st | |
| TLL's Lucky Penny | National Rabbit of the Year | 6th | |
| TLL's Ladies Man | National Rabbit of the Year | 16th | |
| Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National Colored Wool | 2nd | |
| Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National White Wool | 2nd | |
| Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club | |||
| 2009 | Jessica & Taylor Usakowski | National Sweepstakes Standings | 21st |
| TLL's Bo | National Rabbit of the Year | 16th | |
| Michigan 4-H | |||
| 2011 | Jessica Usakowski | Rabbit Showmanship | State Champion |
| 2010 | |||
| Ashleigh Usakowski | 4-H State Award | 1st | |
| Jessica Usakowski | 4-H State Award | 2nd | |
| Jessica Usakowski | 4-H State Rabbit Showmanship | 1st | |
References
[edit]- ^ "Holland Lop Standings". Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ^ "Reference Quote". eHow. Retrieved 2011-03-05.