I can recall our first rabbit show and how unprepared and nervous we felt.  Our animals didn't place well but that didnt' matter as we were just getting used to everything.  One judge even suggested petting out our nice doe.  Had we listened to him, we wouldn't have the stock we have today.  She went on to produce my favorite doe in our barn, who has consistently produced amazing show quality stock.  
Judges aren't there to tell you what to do with your animals, they are merely comparing them with what is on the table and making comments.  All too often I see breeders mention to take the animals to the show and let the judge critique them.  That is nice advice, but I feel you also have to know what you like in that animal despite what the judge has to say.  
For instance in our herd, I like the big beefy does.  I love the mass when they pose up nice.  At our last show my favorite doe was placed very low.  They didn't care for her at all.  I was unphased because I saw her value in our herd.  She lost to another doe in our herd who took BOB.  That doe is far more refined and from my experience may not produce quite as well.   So now that several months have gone by I have pondered over letting go of the doe that placed so low.  So I took her out to evaluate and I am instantly reminded of why I love her so much!  Getting your hands on her makes all the difference.  She is a solid tank at just under 4 pounds.  I love the width of her shoulder and hq and feel she will be a huge asset to our goal.  

Boy it's been awhile since I have posted anything about our herd.  Sometimes I get the impression the general populatiion only cares about cute fluffy babies.  And since that is the last thing I care about, I rarely have little fluff balls to post.  Yes they are adorable and I enjoy them so much, however at our rabbitry we are very very committed to growing ours sometimes into their senior months before making any decisions.  During that time there are so many times I think, yep your going to go and then a week or so later I get the same rabbit out only to realize it has potential. Besides that, being a Holland Lop Breeder in Utah is almost sickening if you look on KSL.  Thanks to all the people who don't care about the breed, there are oodles and oodles of 6 week old babies on ksl.  It truly makes me cringe.  I wish there were penalties for these people who promote breeding and selling babies for money.  Ugh.
On that note, we have had only 2 litters in the past 5 months.  One included 3 bucks out of my favorite doe, Clover.  They other was a single doe.  Needless to say, they are all looking really nice.  The doe was a line breeding project so has replaced her dam.  I really didn't want to hang on to all 3 bucks, but it looks like I may have to.  The little broken seemed so scrawny as a kit I kind of wrote him off from the get go, and now he is my favorite one.  They are from our slow growing line so it's taking them awhile to mature through their uglies.  The solid tort and the broken tort have almost finished up their molt and I am in love with both of them.  The black buck is still working on his molt but looks really nice and has huge bone.

Well if you've been in the rabbit world for very long at all you have probably heard about the use of Apple Cider Vinegar for your rabbits.  Many put it in the water.  I have tried this and my rabbits refuse to drink the water.  I have tried several different times until I finally concluded this just won't work for me.  
However, I decided to use it as a preventative and general cleanse in our barn.  I figured what could it hurt.  So once a month I mix water and vinegar into a spray bottle.  And also another into a dish.  I spray coats down lightly and massage it in.  I have heard that ACV is a deterrent for those nasty mites.  Being that I let my rabbits play in the yard, where lots of mite carrying birds play, I figured this was worth a try.  I also wipe down the genital area which is also an opportunity for a general health check up for your rabbit.  I'm not saying this is a for sure thing, but I must say I have gone a couple years with no vent.  
I have read several posts where people advise it could hurt the rabbits skin.  I would never put straight vinegar on our rabbits, I dilute it , 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar.  I also only use Braggs Organic Raw vinegar.  I feel the ones that are heavily processed kind of lose their value.  
I also treat our herd twice yearly with Ivermectin as a preventative for mites and worms.  We have been fortunate enough not to have any side effects with our routine.
I felt perhaps I would share, in the event anyone is struggling with any of the above issues.  ACV is also a great cleaner to wipe down cages.  

​