Thinking out Loud and Barn Remodel

     This post is mostly going to be random ramblings and updates. I have really noticed the need for new blood in my barn lately. I wish we had more people transporting right now so I could bring in new bunnies from rabbitries in the east and south. My hotot breeding program is going to be on hold for the most part now. I will continue breeding Teddy and Maybelle as I am trying to get a show buck out of Teddy with a beautiful h/e so I can move Teddy on to someone else. He produces gorgeous little babies. I am just waiting on my new hotots that will be making their way here in April. They will really contribute to the better bodies that I'm working towards. I'm excited to see how they mesh with my current hotots.
     On a Holland note, I am anxiously waiting for my new litter and news on LuvLops' litters and availability. Manda is due on February 4th and let me tell you, I have never been so excited for February in my life. Lol! I can't wait for those little babies. I wish I would have bred my NZ doe, Peach at the same time as Manda just in case there was a problem with Manda's first litter but I forgot to. Let's hope for the best! LuvLops' and I have been talking about the hollands and hopefully we'll have some new beauties in my barn by May after the West Coast Classic show in Reno.
     Another thing related to hollands, I've decided that I've had enough of Mushu's OCD Hyper-ness...that rabbit... Lol! I have started taking him out to the big playpen where we runs in circles around the tipped-over lawn chair and digs craters in the snow. That rabbit must be going 100 mph at all times. Lol! He has really calmed down a lot though. I think he's just over-loaded in hormones right now. hehe!
     I have done a little barn re-modeling throughout the week. I finally got the dividers in for the bottom row. Then I replaced all the doors and made them a lot bigger so I can fit nests through the door. I also bought a lot of new toys and bins for the bunnies to sit in. I will only be keeping the bins in their cages until we have a new barn (March 2013) and don't have to worry about critters attacking from underneath the cage. I also got a new digital scale which I am very thankful to have. Lol!

I apologize for how messy it is.
Everything is literally frozen rock solid and I can't clean

Addy and Maybelle <3

Addy

Peach and her little babies - 3 weeks old

Mia <3

New Barn?!

The title says it all, we're building a new barn! My dad and I were talking last night and out of nowhere he said "you better got those plans drawn. I'm about ready to start on that barn." I was caught off guard. I couldn't find the words to say! The only thing that came out was "What?...Rabbit...Barn? Huh? When? What?!" That's all I could say. Lol! So of course I ran into the office and drew the plans. My dad said to make the barn 8'x16' because the maximum shed transporting width is 8 1/2 feet and we will have to have the shed transported an hour away this Summer to our new house. Having an 8'x16' barn means that I can eventually build up to 60 holes!!! That's so exciting!!! Unfortunately I will be working with 3 breeds so in reality that is not very many holes per breed but it's definitely more than I have now. It will be a slow process building up to that many holes for sure. I will add on holes as needed and when I have the money from bunny sales. It's going to be a work in progress for a long time but I am willing to keep working at it because I love the breeds I work with.

So without further ado, I give you....the barn plans!

(Excuse my hand writing, Lol)

 

 

Just in case you're wondering, The litter box is for my cat who
 will also be living in the barn to control any rodents or birds
 that could possibly try to invade.

 

There are 4 large windows for proper ventilation.

Can you tell I've been planning out my rabbit barn for a long time? Lol! We have talked about it and we've decided that in the Summer we will be adding an AC to the barn for the safety and health of my bunnies. I will not be around all the time to move fans, spray down the roof, and supply frozen water bottles so the bunnies definitely will need something to stay cool.

However, they should handle the cold weather very well inside a barn. The body heat given off from many rabbits (and a cat) and insulated walls will keep the barn fairly warm. I may also bring in a heat lamp or two for light and extra warmth. I'm just so excited to start the barn and take tons of pictures to post on my blog!

Most of all, I want to thank my dad for the barn. He offered to build a barn for me and my bunnies so they are safe, away from the many predators that live on our ranch where we will be moving in the Summer. I know my bunnies will love it and I will love it even more! Thanks Dad!! <3

New Feed and Growing Babies

Yay! I finally found a new feed that I like! I am currently in the process of making the switch to Sherwood Forest. It is milled about 3 hours from me in Logan, Utah. I did a lot of research on rabbit nutrition and I have to agree, this is the best feed I've seen. I compared labels with the feed I have used for 7 years and Sherwood is so much better! The only real problem with Sherwood is you have to provide a salt lick for the bunnies because it does not have the required amount of salt for your rabbits. This is my rabbit's current diet:

-Sherwood/IFA mixture pellet feed adjusted to the right amount per rabbit 

(transition in progress to feeding 100% Sherwood and no IFA)

-Unlimited access to a Salt lick

-Unlimited access to Oat/Grass hay

Sherwood runs at $20 for a 50 lb. bag, the salt licks are generally 70 cents each, and the hay is free. But in the Spring I will be buying a few 120 lb. bales (the biggest bale that I can comfortably carry myself) of pure grass hay for the bunnies. Those bales usually cost about $6.50 each. I like to get the 2nd cut of the year because it rarely has any weeds in it.

IFA(left), Sherwood (right) What a Difference!!!

Sherwood(left) IFA(right)
Sherwood has no fines! IFA is loaded in fines. :/ 

 

As you can see, Sherwood is so Green! IFA is a yellow-ish green. In feeds that have some hay content, you can generally see the quality by the color of the feed. The richer the green color, the higher quality of the feed.

 

But enough about feed, here's some updated pictures of the youngsters in the barn right now. They are all turning out so nice! I'm really tempted to make a post of the progress I've made in my litters. I was going through pictures today and saw some of my first juniors... I've made a lot of progress! Lol!

 

 

-Little Rascal's Mia-
Look how wide she is! Reminds me of her dad so much!
(She was fighting the pose...Lol!)

 

-Little Rascal's Felix-
He's very wide. Maybe a tad pinched in the HQ.

-Little Rascal's Felix-
He was not posing for me. Lol This is the best picture I got.

 



-Little Rascal's Alec-

Will be for sale soon. He's a nice little show buck!



Announcements!!

...sigh... I really don't like this 'Winter' stuff. lol All the crocks are frozen within 2 hours, the chickens are confined to their layer, and the cows are walking icicles. If we had our nice barn we'd be in good shape but ever since we moved, we've had to keep all of our animals outside in quickly built shelters. We'll get new barns after we move though (YAY).

We currently have Peach and her 10 babies in my office keeping warm. Peach is beginning to grow on me too. She's a big, thick doe with a cute personality. The rest of the bunnies are doing great as well. I have all the cages wired shut to keep out critters. It's definitely a pain to twist 2 wires off and on every cage each day but I do it for the bunnies. I don't want to loose another one of my babies. It's too heart breaking.

I'm way excited for my future plans and new additions. I plan to have a new space for bunnies when I find a nice loafing shed available. We are currently looking for a galvanized steel 2 stall, stand alone 'barn.' One stall for the bunnies and the other stall...for a..........drum roll.............

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~~~HORSE~~~

My dad finally decided to get serious about horses again. We are going to see a bay mare over the weekend named Twaynas Bedouin Cash. I'm sooo excited!! But since this blog isn't about horses, I'll try to keep talking about them to a minimum. Lol! But I do have to sneak pictures of her into this post.

 

Okay, back to bunnies! I have some good news and bad news. The bad news, McRae passed away today. He turned out to be a fader. But the good news, my baby girl, Adaliene is healing really fast. I looked her over today and from what I can see, her nails are growing back! This means that as long as no black spots appear, she will be showable when she's finished healing!! I'm praying for Addy! She's the best hotot that I've produced and I would really love to show her. Her head is thickening up like her dad's and her ears are smaller than her dad's itty bitty ears! Plus her gorgeous body. She's just a solid doe.

And I successfully bred Manda today. She finally lifted for Gilroy! I'm so excited for a February 4th Holland Lop litter out of these two. They'll be absolutely gorgeous

babies!

 

This is what we are thinking about to be the bunny/horse barn.

 

Life Goes On...

Well, what do I say? The bunnies are all slowly healing from the tragic accident and so am I. I'm planning some huge changes that I'm very excited about. I guess we all have to learn some lessons the hard way.

 

"God only puts us through as much as we can handle, so the people who struggle the most have been chosen by God to be the strongest ones."

 

I took a few pictures today and I did include a slightly graphic picture of Adaliene's paw. Please skip it if you do not tolerate blood and raw flesh.

 

The 'House Crew'. Gilroy, Teddy, Addy, and Mia.

 

Gilroy, the social butterfly.
Can you tell he just finished drinking water? lol

 

Poor Addy's foot :'(

 

She's healing fast and most of her injuries look a
million times better but you can definitely see her feet
 and face were chewed on. :'(

I guess the bunnies will be alright. Addy will be a gorgeous brood doe. I probably won't be showing hotots for a while. Addy was my only show hopeful for February and now she can't be shown. I may just stick with my hollands for February. Hopefully Mia will be ready for the next show. In the Spring and Summer I will be doing lots of breeding with my new stock for both breeds!

 

Here's to a great new year! It definitely wasn't the start I was hoping for but I'm not going to let it kill me. I'm going to make a lot of progress in 2013!