BLOOMINGDALE, Ind. – Raising prize-winning giant rabbits is no small task but a brother and sister from Indiana are excelling at what’s become a family tradition.

It’s probably a good bet more trophies will be coming to their 40-acre farm near Bloomingdale since they’re learning from their mother, who took part in competitions with giant rabbits as a child.

Their mother is also a teacher passing along to them her knowledge of setting and achieving goals. “I had to build a new trophy shelf and it’s already full so I guess I’m going to be building another one,” Sara Grayless said.

Megan and Brock Grayless have been the sweepstakes points’ winners for two consecutive years in competitions during the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) convention held annually in the fall.

Last fall, they also earned best of breed honors at the convention in Reno, Nev., in the youth division for their Giant Chinchilla, who was an intermediate doe.  

Sara Grayless said her highest finish during the ARBA convention was 13th out of a class of 50 giant rabbits.

She said her best performance was pretty high considering youth and adults competed against each other when she was breeding and showing rabbits in the ARBA competition as a teenager in the 1980s.

“The kids have blown me away,” she said.

The siblings have also won or finished high in other competitions, including ones during the Parke County Fair.

Megan, 15, said the key to being a champion breeder is pairing up males and females with the right genetics, but also important for showing is giving them the proper amount of food along with exercise.

Megan said she wants her giant rabbits to be lean with just enough fat to look healthy but not bony. “You don’t want them too overweight,” she said.

At maturity, the Flemish breed of giant rabbits can weigh more than 25 pounds.

Others like the Giant Chinchilla and Checkered Giant usually come in around 15 to 18 pounds. 

In comparison, the average weight of a typical rabbit is about three to five pounds.

Despite their size, Megan said giant rabbits can hop along the bunny trail as well as their smaller counterparts. To build muscle, she takes hers out for runs on a regular basis and has them on a high protein diet.

She felt other factors leading to success include nutrition and a good old-fashioned rolling up of the sleeves.

“I have secrets in my feed that I don’t really want to disclose but also just hard work and determination,” she said.

Megan said her friends, when catching their first glimpse of the giant rabbits, are stunned by their size but quickly their hearts melt. “They think of them as teddy bears and they just want to hug them,” she said.

However, she’s also had to warn them not to be so quick in showing affection to the usually gentle, even-tempered huge bunnies, who can lash back. “Sometimes, they get aggravated with that,” she said.

Brock, 13, described the success he’s had with his sister as “pretty cool.”

What he especially likes is cuddling with his giant rabbits, who he prefers over his dogs, cats and chickens, but just barely.

Sara Grayless said her children first entered the ARBA competition in 2021 when the convention was held in Louisville.

They decided to approach the convention last year like a first vacation out west but with 18 rabbits from five different breeds going along for the ride.

“We just went hoping we’d do well. We didn’t know we would end up being one of the top ones,” she said. 

Megan and Brock plan to compete again during the ARBA conventions that will return to Louisville this year and in 2024.

After graduating from 4-H, Sara Grayless said her rabbit breeding days tailed off some but she got back into it full swing again in 2007 when her other children enrolled in 4-H.

Her oldest child, Rachel, 25, is a soil conservationist in the southwest part of the state. Brian, 22, is a machinist for Don Schumacher Racing in Brownsburg, Ind. Brandon is studying auto mechanics with a focus on racing at the University of Northwestern Ohio.

Sara Grayless said the personal growth made possible by the various experiences provided by 4-H was factor in what she and all of her children have achieved, so far. “There’s so much life skills associated with that,” she said.

The Grayless farm has more than 30 giant and standard sized rabbits used mostly for breeding. The rest are used for meat.

Sara Grayless said she’s in the process of expanding the meat production end of their operation.

“With food insecurity around the world, we think it’s the right time to introduce farm fresh rabbit back to the general public,” she said.