Shaded Program

Wow...nothing for May, I guess.

Now that we finally have our feet wet, we're a little more educated on colors we would like to pursue. After much careful consideration, we've allowed our chocolate program to move up the road a little ways. Between Zebbie, Barbi, Penelope, and Hot Fudge Sundae, we are off to a really good start with a shaded program. Laredo is a great looking rising senior, and we're planning on keeping Hulen around as well. We're still a little undecided where that leaves us with the rest of the herd, but ultimately I guess there will be other beloved seniors that move on to different homes. I guess culling was never supposed to be easy...

Proud of our new mama!

We were very excited yesterday to see that our first-time mama, Penelope kindled 4 healthy little kits (+ 1 peanut) Sunday during church. She pulled fur and made a nice little nest and everything. We're very proud of Penelope. This is also somewhat of a landmark in the rabbitry because she is the first we bought as a junior. I suppose the next milestone will be when we are able to breed one that was born here, and I think we're getting real close with Houston...he'll turn senior in 2 days.

Speaking of Houston, we went to the Spartanburg Triple Crown last Saturday. There weren't a whole lot of people there, but it was still nice to socialize with fellow breeders. Houston placed 7th in the first and last shows (out of 11), but pulled out a 4th place in the second show...so not too bad for one from our very first litter. He sure is a sweet little thing, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll offer to the herd.

Never gets old...

Zebbie had her litter this morning. Four healthy little squirmy things. It never gets old pulling healthy kits out of the nest box for the first time.

We had a round of bad luck last week...unlike any we've seen before at our rabbitry. For the first time we had kits that were more than a day old crawl out of the nest box and chill on the wire. That happened to two of Fudge's, and (of course) they were a couple that I was really excited to see what color they were going to turn out to be. Then, we had one of Barbi's that managed to crawl into a neighboring cage, and subsequently lost three limbs. Poor thing was still alive when we found it, so we had to put it down. Also found the remains of another that had crawled out of the box and became a meal after it died. Four kits within three days--that's a pretty good sized litter that we had lost!

Just when we thought things wouldn't get any worse, Geri was vacuuming the rug next to a couple of Jr's in the house. She didn't want to freak them out with the vacuum, so she "just for a second" put them out on the deck. It was a very hot day with no shade on the deck. A couple hours later I heard one of them squeaking and bouncing around inside the cage like mad--apparently having a seizure or something right before it died. She had forgotten they were out there, and I never knew they were out there to start with until it was too late. That was a hard one...it was completely preventable.

Fortunately, everything seems to have stabilized and everybunny appears to be healthy and fat. Hopefully things will continue in that direction, starting with our new litter from Zebbie!

I don't bother counting anymore...

Several people now have asked me how many rabbits I have at my house now. My answer is starting to be the same...I really don't know. We just had several litters born in the past couple of days: 4, then 6, then 3. We also just sold 3 over the course of the past week, so it makes it harder and harder. I guess we're at 33 as of today, which is starting to sound a little crazy, even to me.

One number I am happy to report is "2". That is the number of bunnies that are currently in the house. That's down from the 9 we had in our house until yesterday. Our room has a strange odor about it...the smell of "not ammonia". We finally finished the upper tier of my Mickey Mouse Quick Flush system under the deck, so all bunnies except the two currently for sale are down there under the deck. It's been nice to have the house back.

Bad planning

I've got 5 does bred right now. Three are due in a week. Tha' heck was I thinking? I was actually thinking I would have time this week during Spring Break to build my barn...wrong!! I mean, it's conceivable that I could have the area cleared out by the end of the week, but it's becoming pretty evident that there won't be a completed barn at the end of the week. I guess I can let them kindle under the deck next week...at least the weather should be warm enough. My unrealistic planning is frustrating me once again...

Great time in Greensboro!

I really, really enjoyed our trip up to the NCRBA Convention in Greensboro. So much fun to see fellow breeders. There really aren't that many around here. I took Houston & Raindrop to get some judges' opinions. They both placed about as well as could be expected, but the experience was really fun anyways. It makes me really reflect on the quality of my herd and the outcome of breeding particular bunnies. Qwill & Aeropostale are both beautiful bunnies, but I just don't think their genetics are going go line up for a show-winner. Taking the best of their offspring (that I've seen) to the show was really an eye-opener for me. I still think Houston is a great looking rabbit, but when you compare him to the rest of the field, I realize I have a lot more work to do. Going to the show really refueled my enthusiasm for the hobby. Of course, the beautiful weather today doesn't hurt, either!

I can finally be excited for Greensboro!

It seems like I always wait until the last minute to make rabbit trips...whether it is to take a table to someone or go to a show, there always seem to be other priorities that get in the way. I finally took my microbiology test this morning, which has been hampering my enthusiasm all week for going to the Greensboro show. Now that it is over, I can devote a lot more of the day to preparing to leave in the morning. So now, rather that blog for a long time...I think I'm going to get ready so I can be excited when I go to bed tonight instead of stressed about what all I have to accomplish in the morning!

Two more bunnies...

After driving to Virginia twice for bunnies in January, I had decided I was done bringing new bunnies into the herd and I would just breed what I've got for a while. Yesterday I drove down to Camden to pick up a couple more bunnies from Poyfair Farms since they're moving...hey just doing what I can to help a fellow breeder out, right? So anyway, I'm pleased to welcome Hamilton's Zebbie and Hamilton's Rob Roy to the herd, a sable point doe and a sable point buck. (and we're looking forward to the arrival of Hamilton's Laredo later this month) Wow...I'm starting to think I need therapy.

Stupid Dog

I took a shot at a dog tonight with the 12 gauge shotgun. I heard it barking awfully close to the house so I grabbed the gun and headed out to the deck. When I got out there the only thing I heard at first was the rabbits thumping under the deck, signaling that a dog had at least been close by recently. I had decided the dog must have left the premises, when all of a sudden a big German Shepherd comes running out from under the deck. I would have never guessed there was still a dog under the deck or I would have had the gun cocked and ready. By the time I had flipped the safety and got a shot off the dog was already at the back corner of the yard. Since I only had a skeet load in the gun I doubt it got more than a sting, but I guarantee he'll remember my place next time. If not, I'll be happy to remind him. Stupid dog. At least all the bunnies are okay...pretty stressed out, but okay.

Updating websites

When I first got into Hollands I used to get really annoyed when people didn't update their websites. I hated seeing a "for sale" page with a rabbit that was pictured as a junior, but was actually 3 years old now. I started my website very shortly after I starting breeding Hollands, and I kept every thing very current and updated. It didn't take long, however, to fall into the same category of people I had previously been frustrated by. I found that it wasn't the most terribly convenient thing to update a website, and I realized that these rabbits grow and change so much that by the time you do get it updated, it is just time to update it again. So now, I just do the best I can with the time I've got. I recently purchased the full Microsoft Office suite, which includes Microsoft Publisher, and I'll see if that makes it any easier to keep a website current. I don't like using the built in "web builder" software the comes with purchasing a domain--it simply takes too long and it is slow. It is likely, that (like so many other initiatives) I'll end up using it for a little while, then the newness will wear off, and I'll fall back into my old habbits of updating less frequently. Until then, I hope to be a little more current, and I apologize to all of those I may have been frustrated with in the past, as well as to those who expect to see more current pictures from me. I totally understand now.

The perfect barn

Every time I pass a barn on a drive through the country, or even around my home, I feel just a little bit of envy. I don't care if it is small, huge, new, old, run-down, immaculate, red, white, black, or whatever--it's more than the barn I've got. Part of my issue is that I when I do finally build a barn, I want it to be perfect. I want it to be easy to clean, secure, convenient, and something the neighbors don't mind seeing. I want it to be comfortable--both for me and whatever animals I'm keeping inside. I want to have a pad for cleaning cages and a pressure washer stored right there. I want the cages to be mounted inside so they can come down easily and be rearranged however I feel like they should. There needs to be easy waste removal. Basically, I want it to make the chores of keeping rabbits or any other animal easier.

I do have to acknowledge that perfection is hard to achieve, and once you think you've got it, your perception of perfection changes. Hopefully, I'll be able to come up with a design I'm happy with at a time I have resources to make it happen. Until then, I'll keep longing for my perfect barn...