DJ's Poultry and Rabbit Farm

Don Spoehr says his granddaughter Carol is the real boss.

No other vendor at the Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market sells exactly what Don Spoehr sells.

Spoehr, a retired man who worked for the city of New London, sells a variety of rabbit products, including cut up rabbit and rabbit summer sausage, at the Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market, along with the more ordinary meats of chicken, turkey, Cornish hen and duck.

Spoehr’s nephew owns the land that DJ’s Poultry and Rabbit Farm is on, but his nephew has stopped farming, and now Spoehr’s son has taken over the farm. The farm is based in Bear Creek.

Spoehr stresses that the farm is all-natural.

"There are no hormones, no MSGs, no preservatives," Spoehr said. "All natural."

The farm consists of between 300 and 400 rabbits, 200 chickens, and "a lot of ducks."

Spoehr said that when his son was growing up, he had pet rabbits.

"He took care of the rabbits as pets and just came into the business," Spoehr said.

Although Spoehr’s son has to put a lot of hours into a farm of such a large size, he does have a helper.

Spoehr said that the real boss is his granddaughter, Carol Spoehr. Even though she is only 11, she sometimes does the feeding on the farm by herself and wakes up at 5 a.m. to attend the markets. Like her father when he was younger, she also has a pet rabbit, whom she calls Buddy. Carol said that she wants to be a farmer like her dad when she gets older. Her enthusiasm and care are apparent in her cheerful attitude and bright smile when she talks about the farm.

Recently, Carol tried to rescue a duck on the farm.

"The duck got pecked on the head and it was bleeding," Carol said. "I tried to help it and take care of it, but it eventually died."

The Spoehrs also sell their products in De Pere, Green Bay and Appleton. Don and Carol Spoehr only recently started selling at the Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market, but Don Spoehr already likes the market, saying, "The business is picking up every week."