Palpating at 10-12 days

Learning to palpate is a great skill for any rabbit breeder to learn. By reducing the time between misses, you are likely to increase herd production.

If nothing else, palpate a buck and then your bred doe and see if you can feel the babies inside. That was how I learned to recognize what was a fetus and what wasn't. :-) The red stuff I'm showing is playdoh. Aviva was such a good girl...

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Hope it was somewhat helpful!

Happy (early early) New Year

Ok, so I had a little photo session today and can't hold it in anymore. I just have to share the pics.



This is how it panned out...

"Oh, so I get to be your model?! Here get my good side"


"Wait a minute...this isn't what I signed up for."


"Not funny mom, quit laughing. Now."


I think I will try again to do a sort of winter theme tomorrow so more pics to come later on this weekend hopefully.

Baby updates

The babies are growing and getting really cute now. I picked my keeper on day 1 and now she's really outshining the others right now in her development. You can just tell if they are going to be compact and dwarfy by looking at their size and ear lengths-even on day 1 you can see the difference.

Holly-my pick of the litter doe...she has tiny ears and is all head like her daddy! Very compact and good shoulder width...hoping she'll stay like that. Unfortunately she does have an ear spot but that's okay, she can definitely replace mom.



This little cutie has only one eyeband and I think she has a blue eye on the side without an eyeband which would be so cool looking as a pet.


The BUBs-Big Ugly Bucks ;) Yes you can tell who are going to be huge when they are older.




In other news, all of the does are bred! All palpated positive and a couple are first timers. These babies will be my juniors at the June show. Everybody is fed, watered and cleaned...happy buns this morning!

Rabbitry Logos

Just want to give a shout out to my sister who is ready for logo commissions. She is a graphic artist in Dallas and does animation work in movies such as "Open Season" and some of those modern Looney Tunes cartoons. She's Very good at what she does and I highly recommend her if you are wanting a rabbitry logo.

Rabbitry Logo Website

2012 Goals

Oh how I love this time of year! This will be the first time we've set rabbitry goals in a long time, so here we go!

2012 Goals:

1. Keep more homebreds.- I would really love to develop my bloodline to where I eventually I have more of mine than other lines. This may take some time since I am very strict on type requirements. We'll see! Right now I have 4 homebreds and 5 that aren't mine, hopefully the tally will be different this time next year.

2. Improve heads/eyebands.- Cruiz (BOJ 57), its up to you big boy! Help me meet my goal and pass on that gorgeous head of yours.

3. Add 4 more holes to the barn.- Making my total holes to 16.

4. Earn GC leg(s) on a homebred.- This will be tough but I'm up to the challenge!

5.Place at Convention.- I can't wait to go to my first ARBA Convention and will be breeding for juniors to take. So excited!!

As I think about goals and measures of success, I came across this drawing which is so true when it come to raising rabbits. I think most of you will 'get' this(some I have already shared this with)...but know that success isn't just handed to you or a smooth ride. Its the setbacks, unexpectedness, and twists of fate that keep you focused and determined to reach that goal, and when you overcome these obstacles and don't give up, that alone is true success.


“Success…seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”
–Conrad Hilton-

Keep Moving Forward!!

________________________________________
2011 Final Totals
Babies born: 43
Babies died: 15
Babies kept: 3

Shows: 2
BOB: 2
BOS: 2
Legs: 2
_________________________________________

My Christmas presents! :-D

I just want to say, I have the sweetest husband in the world! He absolutely shocked me this year by surprising me with two BIG gifts, I wasn't expecting either, well I had suspicions that something was up because he kept checking my email. lol

On Christmas morning he gave me an envelope...I cautiously opened and found reservations to the Hyatt in Wichita which will be right across from the ARBA Convention...We're going to Convention!!! I was soooo excited but then he dropped a bombshell, "Well you'll probably need this to get there..." He handed me a paper with a picture of a new SUV! We picked it up today and I am on cloud nine. He knew how bad we needed one to haul the bunnies. The last show I had to hold a 4 hole in my lap in the back seat. Oiy. So I had a very blessed Christmas this year.

I'm going to Wichita!!!! Woo hooo!!!!


Our new bunny mobile!!! I LOVE it!!

Merry Christmas!!

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Remember Jesus is the real reason of the season. Each year, it is traditional to give gifts at Christmas, just as you give gifts to your loved ones. God is offering you a gift as well: the gift of complete forgiveness, freedom from sin, and eternal life with Him in heaven. What a gift!

Almost Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve! We are preparing for the celebration of Jesus' birth. Making a a special birthday cake tonight. Merry Christmas to all!

Babies

The babies are doing great, they are back with mom who I think has come to terms she is a mom and has to take care of these babies. They will open their eyes on Christmas! Yay!

Bunny presents

The bunnies have been spoiled today. I picked up a trunk load of free newspapers for their bedding, power washed their cages, bought brand new, super green/FRESH hay(even I want to eat it-LOL just kidding), and new TOYS! The wiffle balls are a hit, they love to toss them around or sit on top of them. Silly buns.

"Hmmm...doesn't smell like a doe...doesn't smell like food..."


"Excuse me, you keep rollin in my hay..."


"That wasn't an invitation for a hug...now its rollin toward Me!"


"My ball...back up or I will bite!"...and she means business!

Telling gender at 3-4 days old

I took these pictures a few days ago of my babies and wanted to share how I tell genders at this age.

This is a buck. When you pull back the fleshy part you will see a tiny pin hole-not a slit and it will be more in the middle. It moves in position when you pull back and would actually be farther away from the anus if I could have pulled it back more but this baby was moving.


This is a doe. You will see a 'slit' like opening right near the anus. When you pull back on the fleshy part it will not move.

So you want to raise Dwarf Hotots?

I'm sure some of you know the difficulties of raising Dwarf Hotots if you have followed my blog long enough. As with any breed, there will always be challenges that are specific to one breed or another. I want to be a 'promoter' of this breed because I truly love them and want to see the breed improve as a whole.

As Roger Cota mentioned...
"The promoter will be willing to spend time talking to the new breeder about the thrills and enchantment of the Dwarf Hotot. He/she will also honestly talk about the problems and challenges of the breed that can be discouraging to someone not expecting them."

So what are the thrills and enchantment?
* Curious personality
* Attention craving buns!
* Unique look/markings
* Small in size

So what are the challenges?
BREEDING
* Often difficult to get bred
* Mothering instincts are a gamble, generally they aren't good mothers but there are a few good exceptions
* Peanuts- Double dwarf gene babies that die within 24-48 hours
* Max Factor- Deformed kits that are blind and weak immune systems-generally die
* Hippo kits- Deformed kits, usually born dead
* False Dwarfs- I get a large majority of these-they are commonly known as BUB/BUD
* Mismarked kits- Dutch colored, spots
* Partial eyebands, too thin and too thick are DQs.
* Kits with blue eye spots

HEALTH
* Very prone to Megacolon- genetic condition they are born with, they have large, irregular poops, sometimes diarrhea when stressed. There are no nerves in the lower portion of their colon.
* Malocclusion- bad teeth common in certain lines, butting teeth are common as well
* Wry neck- I've had this pop up for no obvious reason, they seem prone to developing it.
* E. Cuniculi tumors in the eye- again, they develop it for no obvious reason, possibly born with it and doesn't show until around 6-7 months
* GI issues- unfortunately very common since this breed has the charlie gene.

SHOWING
* Spots very commonly develop over time. Usually within a span of a couple of months and the rabbit is older. Spots can develop at any time, especially along the ear ridges and inside the ears.
* Eyebands can develop white hairs inside. Just because a rabbit is showable one year does not mean it will be next year!

So you still want to raise Dwarf Hotots? As long as you don't mind a challenge this breed can bring a lot of happiness to their owners.

Huge Babies!

Well my doe went skitso on me. Yesterday she was acting weird and started gnawing the wire divider, hopping around, in and out of the nest box, dumping her feeder over, trying to rip off her water bottle and THEN destroyed her beautiful nest. She took some hay/fur out of it and started to scratch out the babies. I have no idea what prompted this behavior but I since removed the nestbox and have the babies inside with me now for the fear that she will kill them. She is a first time mom so maybe she's having a mental breakdown-lol. On the bright side though, she fed them this morning and their bellies are tight and she is still full of milk. She tried to destroy the nest again after feeding them so they are back in the house.



Bellies full!


HUGE kit-it's a buck


The one I have my eye on...;) Its a dwarfy doe

Babies

The babies are doing well, I took a good look at them today and one is missing an eyeband. Sorry for the bad pictures...I didn't want to mess with them too much since its in the 40's in the barn.

My wooly Hotot

Hair is flying and it looks like one of my bucks are ready to give birth. LOL Poor guy, there is hair everywhere in his cage, if he were a doe he would be overdue for a nestbox. ;-) I have groomed him till he is bald in a couple of spots and litteraly the hair just falls out in your hand. I'm seeing some new hair growth so I really hope he can get over this horrible molt soon. I guess if I were to look on the bright side, at least he isn't one of those rabbits who molt over a span of months. When he molts, look out, its explosive.

I took pics AFTER he was groomed and cage cleaned of hair...should have taken a pic of the drop pan where I put all the hair!

Encouragement

Just wanted to share a little encouragement to those who's efforts seem at a standstill. There are several friends and breeders who are having a tough time with their herd right now. Hang in there girls! Don't give up! ((hugs))


And just because I'm in a sappy mood tonight...:-)

The Paradoxical Commandments
... by Dr. Kent M. Keith


People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

My baby drought is over :-)

Leah had 4 healthy babies today and they are all perfectly banded! She was a pro and kindled quickly and easily for being a first time mom. They look so good and will open their eyes on Christmas day...can't wait!

Leah

Quick post to say Leah is expecting and due tomorrow. This will be her first litter and she is HUGE...I'm going to guess 4 or 5 babies in there...possibly more, she's a large doe.

Everyone, cross fingers for a successful delivery and healthy babies. :-)

A look back at 2011

This time last year, rabbits weren't even a thought. The rabbitry didn't even exist. Its amazing what a year's time can do. I would have never thought I would have a working rabbitry and have made so many sweet friends from this hobby. I didn't really set goals this year other than to just get started with my old breed, Dwarf Hotots. I had a rough start with foundation stock that were really pets but had a label of 'show quality' pinned to them. I just wanted something, anything to start with and that was a huge waste of time and money. I am glad to say I think I have a decent foundation to start with now and 2012 will be the start of my 'lines' so to speak. There has been tremendous improvement but there is so much to work on and improve as well.

Eyebands need improvement:


Heads/ears need improvement:


Need better brood doe instincts to increase the production percentages:


Need easy going temperaments-not that Muffy is bad, he just is uncooperative all the time. ;-)


Shoulders and hindquarters are will be a forever improvement goal but I'm happy to say that I have made some progress with this years babies.

Here's to 2011! ((cheers)) Now bring on the new year!

Induction pics

Vinny and Merri's pictures were taken today. I guess you can say they are officially apart of the herd. :-)

4King's Vincent- Won the Junior buck class in both shows this past weekend.


4King's Merri- She took Best Opposite Sex on Saturday, I'm very proud of her.

Show Success

Delivered all 20 pigs to their owner this weekend, that alone is a big success to me. HAHA ;) My thoughts about raising cavies are no more, I had enough pig time to realize they are not my cup of tea.

The bake sell went fabulous! Our new club earned $375, how awesome! There were lots of goodies and we even had enough stuff brought that three tables were needed. Kudos to Nita W. for organizing it.

About the show, well we checked in at 7:30am and didn't show until 1:30pm-:-/ Not fun freezing to death and waiting so long. Both judges gave great comments and some weren't so great but I learned a lot. Charlie won't be shown anymore...his iffy bands were a no go. His type makes up for his lack of bands and with my two sport does with heavy ones, he'll stay. Mack will be for sale. He has an awesome body but his head/ear need improvement. I like him as a show rabbit but he isn't a buck I would want to breed any of my does at this point, since they also need improvement in the head/ears.

XEO won Best of Breed in BOTH shows!! He won 2 GC legs also! Wow. I almost didn't bring him because of the horrible molt he's in but both judges agreed that they could overlook the molt/bad condition because his type was so nice. Wow. I just brought him along to be a filler in the class really. That stinker will not pose at ALL for me at home but poses perfect and looks filled out on the table. Oh Muffy YOU are a mess!

XEO's son, 'Vinny' rocked it out too, he won 1st of 3 and the judges were very impressed with him. He will stay, he is the only baby I have of Diamond. I'm so glad her lines can still be in my barn. Hannah's little doe, Merri, did awesome as well. In fact she took Best Opposite of Breed. :-D Merri is a homegrown baby so I was pretty excited. She needs a good de-worming and some fattening for the next show though, she is still just a baby.

After all that, I hate to say, I didn't get a single picture. Ahhhhh! I know. The day was a blur and I am glad we went. Seeing everyone was great and we learned so much. Going to skip Waxahachie since I'll have a baby boom and let these juniors grow a bit. Next show...Feb. 2012...

Pigs and Candy

We'll be freezing our rears off at the show this weekend, what were we thinking?! lol Oh well, we have to go now...I've got 20 pigs in my house ready to go to their new home. I am transporting and really I don't have the room but we'll make due somehow.



Our club will be having our very first fundraiser this weekend too, a bake sale! I made several homemade candies and my mom donated two cakes. Won't be taking much to show this weekend, everyone is in a horrible molt-go figure! Oh well, we'll probably skip Waxahachie and aim for the Royse City show.