So cold

It's been very cold here the past week- well perhaps folks to the far North wouldn't think it was cold, but to us hot-house flowers here in the South, it was very cold.

Yesterday, despite the insulation and the closed off conditions of the rabbitry, all the water bottles froze- all but one that is.  It was very odd.   We ended up tossing all the bottles in to a big rubbermaid container and bringing them in the house to thaw for a few hours.   The upside is we were able to fill them up in the house, and just run quickly outside, toss the bottles on the cages and run back inside.

I did take advantage of having the bottles in the house to clean them up a bit. 

Thankfully, none of the girls are due to have babies for another two weeks.  All our current babies are right around weaning age and are either still with their mothers or have a lot of siblings to snuggle with.

It looks like the temperatures are rapidly going to warm back up over the next few days.  This is probably going to wreak havoc with their coats, but I'll take molty woolies over freezing water bottles any day :).

-Kristen

PTRB Show

We had the Piedmont Triad Rabbit Breeders yearly show yesterday.  This one is so much closer to my house- it was nice to get to sleep in a little while longer.

The show was great, even though Tim left the legs of my grooming table sitting in the driveway.  Luckily he didn't back over them as we were leaving and my friends let me mooch off their tables.

Keep's Poplar took a Best of Breed in Show A!   I was thrilled, and I was especially happy that Keep's Troublemaker earned his granding leg today in his class.  I had some nice placements in the first show and I won't bore you with all of them, but my bucks did me proud (I had only two does to show, both barely seniors lol).

In Show B, Keep's Tribute took Best Opposite Sex of Breed!  Keep's Catching Fire took BOSG for her senior leg- meaning she is now able to be granded as well!  Again, we had some excellent placements in Show B and I was very happy with how my herd competed against my friends and fellow exhibitors.

One thing I found funny- Keep's Mind Games and Keep's Baffle flip flopped in both shows, just like they did 2 weeks ago.  They are both so close in type, I don't know how I'll ever choose between them.

I managed to pare down my litter of five from Epiphany to only two to grow out.  Both pointed whites and a siamese sable brood buck made their way to their new homes yesterday.  Joni was teasing me about never selling young babies and truth be told, if we had had another show sooner than a month away, I probably would have held on to all five longer.  It's not that I worry about selling something that turns "too nice", but that I worry about selling something young and it goes the opposite way!

Overall, it was a wonderful show.  Now the bunnies get a break until the Youth-sponsored show in February!

-Kristen

Baby Buck Blues

It's becoming almost a joke around here- and a reoccurring blog topic as well.

I went out to sex my baby woolies yesterday.

Indiana: 4 Bucks, 2 Does
Fiona: Doe
Puzzle: Buck
Rumor: 2 Bucks
Epiphany: 4 Bucks, 1 Doe

11 Bucks, 4 Does.  Terrible odds again!  I am hoping the two broken bucks out of Rumor do a switch on me- or at least one of them does.  It was hard to get an accurate read on them.

The good news is that the two does in Indiana's litter are both showable (a black and a siamese sable) and they are out of Panda! He's given me mostly bucks in all the litters I've gotten from him- in fact, these two little girls will double the number of does he's produced.

Of the 11 bucks, one is a pointed white and will be sold.  One is a broken black with no mustache who will go as a pet.  The rest will have to be typed and considered, but I know I won't grow out more than one buck from Indiana's litter (since there are two does I'll be growing out) or two bucks from Epiphany's litter (the doe is already sold, she is a pointed white).

Oh well, I rebred 6 wooly does yesterday- here is hoping I get a few more ladies next round!

-Kristen

NC State ARBA Representative

I realized I never posted the official news here on the blog!

A few weeks ago I got a message from our current District 9 Director, Dr. Jay Hreiz.  He let me know that I had been nominated to be a representative to ARBA from the state of North Carolina.  I was absolutely shocked by the unexpected honor and of course I accepted the responsibility.

As a representative, I will keep in close contact with our D9 Director.  Part of this correspondence includes keeping him informed of legislation here in North Carolina that could impact our hobby, as well as sharing with him accolades breeders have won, youth contest results, Breed or Opposite wins on a National level, deaths of ARBA members here in North Carolina, etc. 

I look forward to taking on this new role and I hope that those of you reading this who are located in North Carolina will support me with sharing any concerns you have, as well as information such as I have listed above.

-Kristen

A Fond Farewell

We bid a fond farewell to Keep's Chapel Hill today!

Chapel Hill was a successful mother and show rabbit for me and she's been living in retirement for the past year. 

I am so happy to report that I found a wonderful pet home for her, where she will get to be a spoiled rotten lap bunny.  It's not often I find good pet homes, but this opportunity was perfect! The lady was looking for an older, female, black Jersey Wooly.  I think it was love at first sight and I'm sure they will both be very happy.

-Kristen

Sad Start

It's been a sad start to the year.  All the litters born on New Years day were either scattered on the wire or born dead.  I'm just waiting now on one last first-timer and I don't hold out much hope that her litter will go smoothly.

I won't be rebreeding right away because the timing of the litters would be bad.  It will have to be mid-January before I even consider trying again.

Hopefully the show this weekend will go a little better! I'm taking out some of my favorite juniors and newly-turned seniors.  Some, like Tequila Mockingbird, Coalminer and Catching Fire, only need a single senior leg to grand out.  Since Mockingbird and Fire are both in the same class, this should be interesting!

I'm looking forward to seeing my bunnies friends.  It's been entirely too long!  However, I am most definitely not looking forward to getting up at the crack of dawn.  The things we do for rabbits.

I'm going through the herd now to figure out what I'll be bringing for sale.  With so many babies running around, I need to make some space.

-Kristen

2013 Rabbitry Goals

I've had a really hard time with getting down my goals this year.  I guess because I am not really looking to do much specifically- it's all related to things I can't control, like Best In Show and BOB at ARBA Convention.

Still- I always do goals and this year will be no different!

Get dilute back in to the herd- I have somehow managed to cull all my dilute and dilute carriers.  Way to go me. I'd like to get that back in.

Get REW back in to the herd- Pretty much the same as with dilute- without meaning to, I let REW go.  I miss REW babies!

Get Pictures on the site- No ifs, ands or buts, this year I really am planning on getting some herd pictures up!

That's what I've got this year! It's not much, but I am pretty happy with my herd overall right now.  I look forward to seeing what 2013 holds!

-Kristen