Updates

I guess I'm over-due for an update! First of all, I'd like to announce some breedings that I forgot to share on my blog. Maybelliene is due on March 14th and she is pregnant for sure. I also bred Manda but I'm not expecting much considering I've been trying to get a litter from her for 6 months. :/ And then I also bred Peach, my New Zealand doe. I bred Peach a few days ago so we'll see if she took in a few days. I'm way excited to finally have litters again soon!

Also, I'd like to announce that I may be adding two Holland Lop does to the rabbitry sometime soon. These does come from my friend, Ty Gordon's rabbitry. They are 6 month old, solid black torts. One of them is a show doe and the other is a brood doe. It's not official yet but hopefully it will be soon!

Other than that, the rabbitry has been very quiet and rather boring lately. Lol!

Maybelliene enjoying her early nest box ;)

Ears!!! <3

 

Mia

Look at those shoulders!
Can't wait to line breed this gorgeous doe!

A few ribbons hanging in the barn...

No More Local Shows

     I've made a decision on something I've been considering for quite a while. I don't think I'll be showing locally anymore. Our last show was a disaster and many of the animals in the showroom were infected with snuffles. Three of my breeder friends came home only to have some of their best animals start sneezing with a bad case of snuffles. I was lucky enough to not have a problem with it but with the problems I had in the past with the particular disease, I will not expose to my herd to it knowingly... ever. So I've decided it's best if I just attend national shows from now on. I don't think the judge's opinions at local shows are worth the trouble and the risk. The judging is never consistent.
     I also think this will allow me to focus on improvement a lot more. I won't have deadlines to meet anymore and I won't have to hold back from breeding. I can just improve, improve, improve all year long! I'll definitely have something worthy of nationals by the time I make my way to Fort Worth in 2014 for ARBA National Convention. Although I'll miss my friends at the shows, I know this is best for me and my herd. I'm excited to be able to focus on improvement rather than showing.
     One last thing, Little Rascal's Adaliene may have broken her back, right leg. She is favoring it a lot. :(  Fortunately, she is eating and drinking well! I'm sure she'll be alright after she takes some time to heal. For now, she is under close monitoring. For now... Baby pictures of Adaliene... <3

Addy on the right

Addy and her momma <3

On the left...

<3 Love her <3

URBA Show

Whew! What a busy weekend! We had a show on Saturday which I do not have much to say about. The judging did not go well... the judges were not familiar with Dwarf Hotots nor where they familiar with proper Holland Lop type. It was horrible. However, I'm thankful Nate Burbidge was there to save the day for our little Eyes of the Fancy!  Nate knows how to judge a Dwarf Hotot very well and did a great job placing the class for Open B.
Congrats to my best friend, Paige Ellsworth for her BOB win with HD's Kofuku, her beautiful black banded senior doe!

Kofuku <3

Mia-ready to go home!

Little Rascal's Rabbitry and DunloppedSafari Rabbitry

Paige enjoying her wins...

BIS judging. Lots of gorgeous animals!!
My personal favorite was the Belgian Hare.

I had a great time at the show! Hopefully the next one will be better, judging-wise. I still love to go and see my friends and meet new ones!

Brood Barn

I finally got around to taking pictures of the indoor side of my barn, the Brood Barn. There's nothing too interesting going on right now, just waiting for the show on the 16th. Manda didn't take so she has been re-bred and is due on March 10th. I'm trying to breed Maybelle as well so I can send a beautiful daughter out of her to my great friend in Texas. I just can't seem to get a litter right now. I will also be breeding Adaliene on March 23rd. I can't wait for her litter!

Sigh... we're getting more snow... just when it started melting...

Inside the brood barn, we have Manda, Maybelle, and Adaliene.

It's still under construction. I should have it finished
on February 17th when I get all of the supplies needed.

Adaliene

Breakfast in the Bunny Barn

The Guard Cat. hehe Daisy loves the bunnies!

Manda's "pet me" face.

Mia and her new tattoo. Getting ready for the show!!

New Temporary Barn-Check!

The title speaks for itself, we have moved the bunnies into a new temporary barn! I'm really excited about the move and I'm glad my bunnies are in an enclosed barn where they are safe. I still have a lot to do and a lot more cages to build (Paige Ellsworth of DunloppedSafari Rabbitry gets to help me! Lol!) but it's such a blessing to have the barn. I have to get five more rows of cages built to fill the barn but I think I'll be okay with three more rows for now. Five rows will be cramped so we'll save that for when I really need them. Hehe! Unfortunately, I still have to deal with a pesky hen and rooster in the barn  but I'm just thankful I don't have to deal with the whole flock living with my bunnies. The chickens have to enjoy life on the floor of the barn. If you own chickens, you know that they are very...very...very messy creatures. Bird poop gets everywhere!! I'm pretty sure that the setup we have now will keep the chickens off the cages.

Hopefully adding 2-4 rows into this side of the barn.

Paige, justa creepin'... ;-)

South wall...

Addy chilling in her new cage, she didn't know what to think!

The white board and ribbon wall

Building a cage row for the brood doe barn. (pics coming soon!)

Addy

Mia

Mia- the thickest baby ever born in my barn <3 Love her!

 

I love my new barn and gorgeous little does! <3

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