Blog Archives

The Long and Winding Road

3/28/2014

When I first decided to start breeding and showing it seemed like a simple enough thing to do. Boy was I wrong. The breeding part took several trials and errors and misses and quickly took the fun right out of it. Then there is the showing which, if you like to show animals, is fun, but also very competitive. In the course of a year we have raised only 5 litters. Of these 5 we have granded one doe and working on a second one. So moving up in the show world is a very challenging task. But it is something we look forward to and plan on continuing.
As for the breeding I am in awe at how long it takes. Sure you can throw your pair together and pop out a few babies and pass them on their way. That is easy. I however am in this for the long haul and I want to do more than just be a bunny mill. I am striving to learn my lines to the best of my ability. For the most part I have about 3 lines I am working with. This in my opinion makes it a little easier, but by no means less time consuming.
For example: I bred a doe with one of our herd bucks. Her kits are now almost 4 months old. They are still growing and changing. I have one that hasn't even molted yet. Very slow growing line. I can not yet determine if it is a dominant doe or buck line. I can't determine any strengths or weaknesses yet as the growth is so slow. I plan on growing them for another month or two. That will be about 6 mths total. That is just one litter, with one buck. She is now bred with our other herd buck. That litter I will also monitor for 6 months or so. All in all, that is a years worth of time and food and cleaning and trimming just so I can learn my lines. And that is only with one doe.
I must mention also that just learning type in the torts has been a challenge for me. I am still trying to fully understand the crown. I want to strive for massive crowns. This doesn't just magically happen by putting two rabbits together. More work goes into then the average person would understand.
From studying my animals I have been able to figure some things out. I started with a buck that was pinched in the hind quarters. I bred him to a doe with full hind quarters, however she was slightly long in body. Well, from there I have bred a perfectly compact doe that has great bone and hindquarters along with h/e/c. However in that same litter I passed on the long body trait. In another litter I had a tight crown doe with a very typey body. When bred to the same buck, I produced a doe with a better crown, but a longer body type even though neither of the parents appeared long. So I am able to document this as genetics in one of the parents, or both. However for the time being I am unable to tell. In a similar breeding I had 2 parents, with good h/e/c and somehow the 2 kits were both born with very tight crowns. Meaning one of the parents carry this in their genetic make up. I have a doe that is producing some massive bone but smaller head types than I would like.
I could go on and on about what I have learned over the course of a year. I didn't do it by breeding constantly. I did it by observing and being selective and planning my breedings accordingly so that I have the time to monitor and study. This spring will be our first round of Line breeding. Once we have learned what we feel we need from this we will be doing our research and plan on learning Outcrosses.
I have my own opinions in breeding and I feel the more work you put into a certain line, the stronger the defense mechanisms are for that line. Making it in the end a stronger animal, not just in type, but also in health. I think when you breed any animal you randomly buy, to whoever you decide to match up for it, and continue doing so, you lose something along the way.
So we may be a slow growing rabbitry. We may not produce many animals for sale. But I hope by learning and studying, years from now we will have something to be very proud of.

Everything for a Reason

3/27/2014

Years ago... and yes here I go again on a rant about my dogs. But it relates to my current hobby of rabbits so be patient. So years ago, I decided to learn the breed of Staffordshire Bull Terriers. They are very rare in the US. This made them difficult to find and when you did, the breeder was usually a Backyard Breeder/ Pet Breeder. Dealing with any bully breed I knew I had to find someone who was dedicated to the breed and found an incredible woman who had been raising them for 25 years. Hers were the top lines year after year in the AKC Westminster. If there was one thing I took from that entire experience was learning about good breeders and building a reputation on Standard. She took no chances. She did not allow for weakness. No matter how cute a puppy was, never mattered. She warned me of the ignorance once I owned the breed and that I would become very tired of such idiocy. She was very right. I became so tired of it I finallly quit taking my dog to Petsmart because I was sick of people claiming they had a "Staffy". Not that rabbit people will care, but a Staffy weighs about 30-35 pounds. They are usually below your knees and have huge heads. They only have black eyes. And yet time and time again people with pit bull mutts would come up to me and refer to my dog as pittbull... or even worse, suggest their dog was also a Staffy. I will post examples.

If you look at the two dogs you may think they are similar. But once you know the breed you will quickly notice that it's ears are way too long and not set accordingly. This is a head breed and the white dog has a very weak head. The red dog has a very well formed body, where the white dog is clearly long and tall and not proportionate at all.
So the first year or so I stood my ground and tried so hard when people came to me saying they had a Staffy. I would patiently explain the standard to them. I would say how Staffies don't get that big, and their eyes aren't blue and so on. But year after year of people not caring to learn wore on me and I finally just grew numb to them. Now when people tell me they have a Staffy I just smile and agree and think in my head how clueless they are.
So this brings me onto Hollands. Who knew that I would end up falling in love with a rabbit, come to find out it too is a head breed! And not only a head breed but also a very similar set of breeders. I watch posts of people who post pictures asking for critique. Knowing full and well these people have full access online or in books to see what Standard Hollands should look like. And I see many rabbitries boasting of beautiful Holland lops, and when I look at them... well, I see that white dog. And I suppose if I hadn't had the dog experience I would fight hard to educate people and help them see the light. But I have come to learn, people only see what they want to see. Some people have no problems having a horrible narrow faced long eared scrawny boned rabbit and calling it a Holland.
In the end we all live and learn our own way. As for me I will stick to the Standard that has been laid out. I refuse to be a backyard breeder because I am setting standards for myself as well. I refuse to ever take the road of thinking I am to profit from my rabbits. The only thing I hope to earn from them is knowledge of the breed and respect amongst other like minded Breeders.

Floral Bunnies

3/27/2014

I have wanted to bring the rabbits out for some flower pictures but have been hesitant due to the fact it is in my front yard and I know how quick they can run if they choose. So I opted to bring out 2 of my very sweetest rabbits and of course they were adorable and didn't run at all. Karamel is by far the sweetest baby we have had so far. She is just over 3 months old and her head is just huge. Raybans is such a little ball that I have nicknamed her my little potato. She is so compact and cute.

The Waiting Game

3/19/2014

At this point in our rabbitry, we have so few litters that they are still something we really look forward too. We count down the moments. This is the first time we have been in the situation to breed 2 does and Thank Goodness we did. We had a first time mom and we all know how that can sometimes turn. Well I was feeling content when she made a great nest. Then she pulled fur. Then she kindled. Then she hunkered down and would not leave her nest box for almost an hour. By the time I was able to check the kits they were very cold. I brought them in to warm them. I had never had a doe stay in her nest box that long. I felt helpless as I didn't want to disturb her in case she was having a long labor. So after that moment of anxiety, our next doe started pulling fur. She continued to do this for almost 8 solid hours! She had so much fur that you could not see her inside the nest box. She too stayed in her nest box for a very long time. Lucky for her kits she had so much fur they were plenty toasty. Being that each doe only had 1 viable kit we chose to do our first Foster! So far so good and it's my favorite size litter.

Websites

3/17/2014

So I was thinking the other day about websites. About how I used to look at them vs. how I look at them now. Back when we first started looking for breeders we were of course enchanted with cute little babies. We were in love with rabbits in blankets and everything adorable. Now when I look at them certain things are Red Flags to me. And granted this is not how everyone feels, but this is most certainly how I feel. Now when I look at a website, the very first thing I click on is The Bucks. I want to know what the breeder is using in their program. I want to see a picture of a buck posed as it is supposed to be posed. I don't care if it is cute and likes to play in flowers. I'm sure that makes a great photo for a blog though. Next I like to observe the does and then of course the Jr.s Do I care about nestboxes? NO. I don't even like having to look at my own babies for months while they grow out let alone see everyone elses that should be growing out for several months. In most cases, possibly all, the sites that have loads of babies posted are definitely the breeders I will work to avoid. The reputable breeders have stock that speaks for themselves. You can take one look at their herd buck and decide if you would like to be on a waiting list for them without ever having to see any of their little naked babies. It is however interesting to observe how many people just love those photos. Of course I still take my share of photos being that photography is probably just above the hobby of rabbits for me. This being the case I truly take pictures of our stock on a weekly basis. Sometimes every rabbit, sometimes just a few. Thank me now for not posting every single picture and sorry for the lucky ones who get bombarded with my emails of them. LOL. By doing this, I have come to learn a few things.
1. Some Rabbits Hate to pose.
2. It is a very difficult task to do by yourself, especially with juniors.
3. I know, exactly how to take a shot to make an animal appear nicer than it is. This means I can also tell when other breeders are taking that shot.
4. I know that if a Holland isn't in perfect proportion it can not pose accurately. I know from experience. I have a brood doe who I absolutely can not get a great shot of. When I see rabbits that are not posed, I can usually assume it is not as typey as it could be.
5. I have learned that the less Typey stock can sometimes appear typey if you take a front shot instead of a side shot.
6. I have learned I should have started out with a standard background because now I have pics with all sorts of backgrounds and it drives me nuts.
7. I have learned that by studying photos I can get a general idea of H/E/C. I can usually pick out a slipped crown that is not worth working with. I can see the dip in shoulders and determine if the rabbit seems long in bone. I can't however feel it to evaluate hind quarters and bone. So although you can learn to look for some traits, feeling the animal for evaluation is the best tool of all.
8. And last but not least, I have learned that no matter how great a 5 week old baby can pose and how cute it looks, that same rabbit can turn into something quite different over the next couple months therefore making baby photos a completely unreliable source as to what your future rabbit will be like.

Reading Pedigrees

3/11/2014

This is probably a boring post for some but I wanted to elaborate a bit on Pedigrees. Years and years ago we decided we wanted to show dogs. We spent a solid year researching the breed we wanted. We contacted breeders all over the country. Some were gung ho to sell with breeding rights, some would hardly talk to you and some had restrictions. I was fortunate enough to speak with a lady in Utah who was quick to tell me she had nothing for at least 2 years. Just the same I wanted to meet her and learn more about the breed and see for myself. Once we met we talked more and she was able to realize I was seriously dedicated to the breed. This helped in her decision to sell to me. She then taught me how to read pedigrees. For some of you, you get a piece of paper and are happy to call your animal pedigreed. If however the breeders never did their homework, never worked hard to obtain strong lines, then your piece of paper is really pointless. Now I can usually pick up any pedigree from any animal and tell if the breeder is dedicated, or just taking advantage of people. In our dogs Pedigree we will usually see perhaps 2 or 3 different Kennels at the most. Those kennels have dedicated their lives to producing the top animals in the country. Believe me these people know what they are doing. In learning rabbit pedigrees I was pleasantly surprised to find it very similar.
So when it comes to purchasing a rabbit, I have done my homework. I know who is winning at Nationals. I know who has the top lines. I have studied their stock to the best of my ability. I can guarantee if you get a rabbit from them there are only a few names on their pedigrees. I feel safe buying from them because of this. They have worked hard to earn their reputation.
Where we are just starting out it isn't as easy. Not only do I study where I get my stock from, I study where my stock will go. Do I want our rabbitry name mixed up with pet breeders? Definitely not. It can take a lot of time to build your reputation and yet just a few bad sales to ruin it. When I look at possible buyers I look at their pedigrees. I envision a long row of mix matched rabbitries with lots of cute names. I feel it devalues the lines that we have and can even effect us from purchasing rabbits from respectable breeders in the future. I respect the breeders that have sold us such beautiful incredible lines and feel I owe it to them, to protect their lines and do them Justice. At the same time I want to help people create nice lines and strong rabbitries. Over time I am hoping to find balance as we continue to establish our rabbitry.
Utah is a very competitive state with some fantastic breeders. I often think that makes people mad but to me I see it as a great way to challenge myself. We are not out to be the best in the nation (yet) but that doesn't mean we are willing to settle for average.

Show News

3/9/2014

Well I brought my camera and had plans on taking photos as the girls won. However they didn't give out ribbons. Toward the end of the show those who wanted some could go ask but by then our rabbits were packed up. So with no ribbon to show for it we have our first Grand Champion home bred! Hooray! We had held of on breeding Zilla because we wanted to make sure we could grand her. Mission accomplished. She also won first of class in all 3 shows. Our other hopeful, "Honey" took a best of opposite in breed. I think that is a great sign when a jr is beating out the senior to win. We are excited to show her again in June and see how she does. There really wasn't enough competition to earn much in any of the shows but we enjoyed the feedback from the judges. All of our rabbits got high complements on bone and hind quarters and our jrs were said to be very promising. More than just the placing and the actual wins is the pride we took in the fact we were the only ones showing home breds! So other people may have placed higher, but not with their own rabbit! In the show world that may not mean much to some, but to my girls, it means eveyrthing.

Still struggling with ear control but her excellent type earned her her first leg!

Cute little Zilla is our first Grand Champion I just wish she had a better coat to show off!

Behold the Uglies

3/6/2014

When we first started learning about Holland lops and breeding, one term always struck us funny. "The Uglies". How can a bunny be ugly? A common thing is to put your jrs in cage and ignore them during uglies. I thought that was just insane. How could our adorable fat headed babies turn ugly. Impossible. Well now we are a year into it. And it is true. Around 2 months of age your cute little baby begins to change. That fat head starts to transform. Their shoulders and legs become out of proportion. It reminds me of the old shows of Jekyll and Hyde. So as a breeder you sit back and cross your fingers that your rabbit comes out of the uglies and turns out to be a gem. I can't stress enough the importance of not buying show rabbits at a young age. A reputable breeder wouldn't consider selling you show stock that young. But sadly there are many breeders that know they have to hurry and sell their stuff young because it won't come out of the uglies. Below is a buck that we were very excited about. As a baby he had a huge fat head. Great bone. We couldn't wait to see him mature. Well now we want to turn back time. He is in his uglies and egads. We can only hope for a happy outcome. I just wanted to demonstrate this crazy transformation for any readers who may be like we once were and didn't understand "The Uglies."