Milk Maid
The Easter season is upon us and it’s looking like it’ll be a white Easter! That means Easter traditions will be in full swing.
One of my favorite parts about Easter is all the rabbit decorations and photo shoots. Every spring, three of my rabbits team up with a lamb and are models for Easter pictures in Marshall.
Have you ever wondered why baby rabbits, (properly called kits, not baby bunnies), lambs and chicks became symbols for Easter?
They are often associated with Easter because most baby animals are born in the spring around Easter time.
In ancient times, eggs and rabbits were signs of good luck and new life. If that was true, I should be a very lucky person! Some sources say the Easter Bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and brought their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.”
Just to clarify, rabbits are mammals and don’t lay eggs. They do, however, enjoy hopping down bunny trails. Decorating eggs for Easter is a tradition that dates back to at least the 13th century, according to some sources.
One explanation for this custom is that eggs were formerly a forbidden food during the Lenten season, much like meat today, so people would paint and decorate them to mark the end of the period of penance and fasting.
They would then eat them on Easter as a celebratory treat.
With how my chickens have been laying eggs lately, I will have more than enough eggs to decorate. I’m hoping for more white eggs than brown eggs this week. Since Easter falls on April Fool’s Day this year, it might be fun to hide white eggs in the snow.
It would put a new spin on the Easter Egg “Hunt.” Because of these traditions, people enjoy giving baby animals as gifts at Easter time. Sometimes it works out great, sometimes it doesn’t.
I personally won’t sell an animal as an Easter gift. Animal husbandry comes with great responsibility. Making sure you or the gift recipients have the time, patience, space and knowledge to raise them is vital.
Have you seen a full grown chicken? Sure the chicks are cute, but they don’t stay like that long. I’m not calling my chickens ugly, but they aren’t cute and fuzzy like they once were.
Eventually, baby chicks grow up to be like my chickens. Now, I like my chickens, but they do require knowledge and responsibility. In some cities, like Minneota, there are rules and regulations for owning rabbits and chickens so it’s important to check the ordinances before you buy. Rabbits start out the opposite of chicks.
They are born hairless, blind and just plain ugly.
But, most of them stay cute forever. Just like the chickens, they require knowledge and responsibility. I’ve seen many posts making the rounds on social media about the survival rates of Easter animals.
Those posts need to be taken with a grain of salt because everyone states a different number. I know it sounds fun, but before you buy a live animal as a Easter gift, do your homework and have a feasible plan.
Those animals can live up to ten years so it’s not a decision to take lightly.
I am excited to spend the weekend watching my cousins hunt for white eggs in the snow and to spend quality time with the cute and feathery responsibilities in my life too, my rabbits, chickens and calves.
Happy Easter!