2011 Goals

Hmmm. It's that annual time of year where I sit down and think of what I'd like to accomplish this year. I always really enjoy this, but it's difficult sometimes to put what I want to do in words. After all, I can't exactly say I want to make the perfect rabbit because yes- that's what we are all trying to do! Every year, I up the ante just a little. If I don't hit these goals, it's ok, but I want to always push myself harder to reach the higher goals!

Top 20 in Sweeps- with reduced shows! I may be cutting down on the number of shows I go to, but I'd still like to secure a place in the Top 20.

BIS/BRIS with a Homebred- You know the deal on this one :D. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride! I'm hoping for it in 2011!

Win a class at Convention- I won a class and BOSG at Nationals, I'd really like to take the honor at Convention this year!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Lights

I bought some supplementary lights for the rabbitry! Yay! I'm excited to get them put up, some of the corners of the rabbitry get kind of dark.

The first show of the New Year is coming up and I can't wait! I've got several rabbits to move out no matter what! When I get home, at least it will mean I've got some cage space! I need to decide who my show team is going to be. While several have chewed up their wool because of a feed issue, I've got some that are looking mighty good! I'll get out there tomorrow and brush everyone and make my final decisions.

I got a power washer and a wet/dry shop vac for Christmas. Bunny cage cleaning is going to be a BREEZE from here on out! I can't wait to get in there and give it a good scrub down.

Come this spring, I'm going to do a permanent reduction down to 40 rabbits. That means at least 5 adults are going to have to go and I'm going to be probably selling the cages so I don't fill them up again immediately. Tim will be thrilled for me to get the overflow out of the garage, so he can actually park the car in there!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, from my Rabbitry to yours!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Looking Back at 2010's Resolutions

I'm revisiting my 2010 Rabbitry Resolutions today, so that I can concentrate on looking forward and making new ones before January 1!

In 2010 I wanted to:

Make a Final Decision on the Hollands-accomplished
Grand a Keep's Doe.- accomplished
Top 20 in JW Sweeps- accomplished
BIS or BRIS with a Homebred- failed

Read the whole post here.

Wow, I am surprised to see I didn't have "Win a class at nationals" on that list- I was second for SO LONG and this year I finally did win a class, and actually went on to take BOSG! HUGE thrill, by the way.

I did make a final decision on the hollands- unfortunately, that was to sell them all out to concentrate on the woolies. I don't regret it at all, but I do miss a few of them.

Grand a Keep's Doe! I did this several times, but I got cheated out of one of the legs when the show secretary decided to not send out ANY legs, ANY reports, etc. Yeahhhhhh. BUT, the mission was accomplished by several ladies. So yay!

Top 20 in Sweeps- I was blown away when I placed 10th. BLOWN-AWAY. It made me so happy, because we're a small rabbitry and I don't do a ton of shows.

BIS or BRIS with a homebred- Haven't made this one yet! I've had some looks. I've beaten rabbits in one show that take BIS in the next... but the stars just haven't aligned yet! We have such a beautiful set of rabbits down here all across the breeds that competition is always stiff- it'll happen one day though, I hope anyway!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Finally making some progress!

I've finally made some progress! Though, I'm suspecting you've guessed that by the title.

I've finally made a few more cuts to the herd!

WWR's Rice Ball- Broken Opal Sr. doe
Keep's Sumac- REW Jr. buck
Keep's ?- Seal Jr. buck
BL's ?- Black Sr. buck
Keep's Cart Wheel- Black Otter Sr. doe

I still need to go through and find a few more animals to let go. I'm wanting to reduce my numbers farther. In fact, I'll have to if I ever want babies born in my rabbitry again! I've got no where to put them as it is lol.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Misused Terminology

I've seen some terminology that is being misused, so I wanted to take a quick minute and do some general explanations.


Sell Out: This means you are selling out of x breed, x color, whatever. Selling them all. Not keeping a few for breeding purposes, not keeping over half of them, etc. If you plan to keep some or half, use the term "Herd Reduction".

Herd Reduction: Herd Reduction indicates you are selling more than just a few animals and is generally used to indicate a large cut in your overall numbers in the breed, color or general herd.

Carries: This is genes that the animal is proven to carry and produce. An animal can not carry for Agouti. It can not carry shaded and REW and pointed. Every color in the animal's background are simply "background colors", not an indication that the animal does, in fact, carry all those colors.

These are just a quick three I've been seeing a lot. Hope it's helpful to some folks.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Breeding isn't going so well

Ugh, the breeding side of things isn't going so well!

Dream I think I told you guys about- she's the one that ate all the hay out of her nestbox and was found eating one of the babies. Joy.

Flirt, a doe I brought home from Minnesota, decided to tank her litter in a big way. She pulled her belly BALD and built a beautiful nest- just beside her nestbox. She also kindled (early), in her fantastic nest, two beautiful little babies. When I walked outside, her two babies had frozen and she was snuggled up in the box giving me the evil eye.

So far my other two does haven't kindled. They are a day late. I have three more does due on the 18th. I'm hoping for SOME babies!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

I forgot to say-

Sweeps awards were handed out at the Jersey Wooly Banquet at Convention this year. Since I didn't attend the banquet, my friend Amber over at Wonder Woolies was kind enough to pick up my prize!

I am THRILLED to death with my 10th place towel! It was my first full sweeps year, I never dreamed I would place so high!

Thanks again for picking up my towel Amber!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

It's there!

A major piece of the puzzle I've been working on in my herd is ear thickness. I have several animals that have nice thickness, but they could use just a *tad* more. I don't have any animals that have ears that flop at the tips, no matter WHAT their ear thickness, but I really could use a little more substance.

It's just popped up in my barn!

I'm so excited, a little smoke pearl point (unshowable) that I've been growing out is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel that is uglies. And there, sitting on top of his widening head, are these thick, beautiful ears.

I'm so happy! This little guy has a beautiful body too and I expect he's going to be a little on the smaller side, so he can work with any of the does!

I'm pretty excited about this little guy growing up and breeding him around to my ladies!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

WHAT!

As most of you know, I had to get a new barn this summer when we moved from the mountains of NC to the piedmont.

We had snow recently and it's been sitting on the barn and on our deck, not really melting. Well, that's not exactly right, we discovered it IS melting- and leaking through the roof to hit the floor in the rabbitry!

I am extremely not happy with this. Thankfully I *believe* it missed most of the rabbit cages, though I suspect that two cages did get hit with dropping water.

We have a work order in to have it fixed, but hooray, I have how many cages full of rabbits in there? I really need someone to be banging around to fix a problem that shouldn't have happened.

Grrr!! It's always something!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Cold Temps

The temperature has PLUMMETED here in North Carolina. I despise this time of year. Frozen water bottles, bone-chilling winds, kitcicles- blah.

What I most hate are those frozen water bottles though.

I have 9 overflow cages in the garage. These are the crappiest cages I own, and yet the garage bottles don't freeze!

I am thinking of moving some does in to the garage to kindle. At least it's ever so slightly warmer in there, at least for now, and I can check on does and kits without having to brave the freezing winter nights.

I swear, I don't know how people up north live in these kinds of constant temperatures, I really don't. Brrr!

My next litters are due on the 14th and the 18th. Since I've been seeing that next week the temperatures are going to reach the mid-40s to very low 50s, I am thinking that will be the target breeding date for anyone that missed on the last round. I also have a few newly senior does that need to be bred.

I have one little buck who I am going to have to put down. It breaks my heart, but we've been fighting his wry neck for over 3 months now. He simply can NOT recover from it, and while no one else has had any problems, not even his littermates, I just can't continue to deal with it. I also do not want to breed in weaker immune systems. He's so gorgeous, it's going to be a hard thing to do, but it's best for everyone all around, I feel.

The silver lining is that culling him will open up a hole, which is always helpful.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Not many updates

I don't have a lot going on right now.

I hope everyone who went to Richmond, Va or Columbia, SC had a good time! It ended up snowing here like crazy, so I'm glad I didn't go to Richmond- I prefer not to drive in the snow if at all possible!

I did get a show report in the mail with a few legs in it. That always makes me happy, especially when the legs are on juniors!

It won't be too much longer until I revisit my rabbitry resolutions and make the new ones for 2011! I always look forward to that. It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by again already!!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry