Monday, July 25, 2005
Thirty Hours in the Life of a Rabbit Breeder
I recently had a 30-hour period that was so jam-packed, it is worth writing about. But, like any other period of time, there were a few things before the beginning also worth mentioning.
During the week or so before the beginning, I had made various arrangements for the show over the weekend. I had arranged sales or two pet rabbits and two pedigreed bunnies, donation of bunnies to a 4-H group, and for my friend Dani to come to my house and travel down to the show with me. Dani and I also arranged a joint breeding project beforehand.
As usual, Andrew had cleaned my carriers for me. I had washed my travel water bottles, feed dishes, aprons and grooming towels. I evaluated my bunnies, determined who to show and sent in my entries. I checked tattoos and marked several for touch-ups. I printed pedigrees, carrier labels, a list of bunnies to pack, a form to record judge's comments, and directions to the show.
I brought the carriers into the barn, placed fresh puppy pads on the trays, snapped in clean feed dishes, and put the labels in the holders. In the house, I filled the travel water bottles and placed them in the refrigerator for the next day.
My girls picked out their clothes, cleaned out the van, and selected the toys they would tote along. (Yes, I had to bribe them to get them to clean out the van.)
I had the oil changed in the van, my front brakes worked on, and two new tires for the front. I put a lot of bunny miles on that vehicle. And I filled up the tank with gas, so we'd be ready to rolll.
Now remember, all of this happened before the 30 hours I'm reporting here. I have to admit, I started out just a little bit tired.
I woke up on Saturday around 8:00 a.m. Andrew and I went to the barn. I fed and watered the rabbits while Andew put the water bottles into the carriers (I really hate that job for some reason). I was packing 25 rabbits to take to the show. I put the feed in and then Andrew followed up with the hay. He was excused from the barn while I checked out each rabbit (teeth, gender, tattoo,etc.), clipping nails as I went. It takes awhile to load up 25 rabbits that way. Then I filled bags for transitional feed and was ready for the next task.
Andrew had been on a 10-day business trip, arriving home after midnight the previous night, so we had to take the rental car back to town to turn it in. By the time I got back, I just had time to jump into the shower before my friend Dani arrived.
We brought her bunnies into the house (it was too hot for them to stay in the car). We made a simple lunch. Andrew grilled chicken for us (his specialty). After we ate, I brought in Nina and we tried to breed her to Breezy. No go. Luckily, I had planned to go to another show the next weekend and will see Dani again. So we agreed that I could keep Breezy for the week.
I took Dani to the barn and made her ooo and ahhh over my bunnies, one by one. She was gracious and obliged. She must have read the rule that all visitors have to be complimentary of my bunnies, in one of my previous articles!
After that, it was time to pack up. Luckily Andrew had set out the tent (did I mention this was a camping weekend?), my air bed, the cart, carriers, coolers, chairs, and various bags and containers I had lined up. The van was so full that I could barely close the doors.
The next stop was the neighborhood store where I stocked up on ice. The youth were having a camp out and we were bringing supplies to make sno-cones.
The next 2 hours and 40 minutes were spent in the car, driving to Shelby. The Shelby show is one of the closer ones to my house. Dani had already driven over 4 hours, so it was a bit of a trip for her.
Luckily my girls entertained themselves well and then took a long nap. On second thought, I probably regretted that nap later in the night.
Of course, I missed the turn onto hwy 180. I am the queen of turn around. But, otherwise, we made it just fine.
After chatting with Janice Jones a bit, we scoped out a location and began to set up. Then I learned one of Dani's hidden talents: she can find a breeze if there is one. So we moved our stuff and set up for real this time.
Believe it or not, it was time to eat again. The girls got hotdogs. I stayed on my diet and had turkey and fruit. Then it was time to check in, pay fees, and make ear # changes.
My first pet customer arrived and loved the buck I had picked out for them. They were smart about things and knew that personality was the number one quality to look for. All of the Hollands make cute pets, but some just have that little something extra in the personality department.
My second pet customers arrived shortly thereafter. They had picked out their rabbit already and still liked him after seeing him in person. To each I gave transitional feed and advice.
Now remember, all of these things have happened, and the show hasn't even started yet!
I greeted more friends and had things to talk to different people about. Then it was time to get the tattoos touched up. I waited in line, PJ did a great job on the touch-ups, and then I could mark one more thing off the list.
Finally the show started at 8:00 p.m., but Hollands were not on the table. I took a few minutes to relax and talk to some friends who had children showing in youth. Then I heard, "Holland Lop Solid Senior Buck, Final Call." I hadn't heard a thing until that very moment.
So I scurried around and got my bucks on the table. LL Brendan took the first class, so I figured that if nothing else happened, it had been worth the trip.
About halfway through the first show, my friend Lynda, who was buying one bunny and collecting several others for her 4-H group arrived. After Brendan got BOS, we took advantage of the break and went over 7 bunnies and their pedigrees.
Another breeder asked me to take a look at her bunnies, to evaluate which to keep and which to sell. I remember making the same request when I was starting out, so I was happy to lend a hand. I gave her the same advice that was given to me: keep your Hollands until they are a minimum of 4 months old, older is better, before you evaluate them. And if you don't have experience with the line, keep the first litter into adulthood.
The girls wanted to start making sno-cones and I discovered that I had forgotten the most important thing on the trip. No, not a bunny. The sno-cone syrup. Luckily Lisa & Fayth had remembered theirs, so not all was lost.
I remember to give my other sold bunny to her new owner. I almost forgot that one.
The second show began and we were past midnight when it was over. It was worth the late night when both Merlin and May granded.
But the last thing in the world I wanted to do was pitch a tent. I had been up for 17 long hours (and remember, I was tired when the day started) and it was time for bed. But I knew it was important to the girls, who were somehow miraculously awake. So pitch the tent, we did. I got help from a white knight/former Eagle Scout, so the tent was up in less than 20 minutes.
Then I pumped up my bed. Actually, my girls, their friends, and I took turns pumping up my bed and my arms still were wobbly by the time it was done.
I have no idea what time it was, but I'm sure it was near 2:00 a.m. or after by the time I had sat around and talked with the other moms and the girls had played for another hour to hour and a half or so. I crawled onto my bed (after a not-so-satisfying sponge bath in the lady's room) and fell asleep. Miraculously, I slept more than not until 8:00 a.m.
Then I had to get up fairly rapidly and get the bunnies and all of that paraphenalia packed. It was getting hot quickly. The tent came down and the same white knight helped me get it packed up (we actually got it back into it's bag--a minor miracle in itself). By 9:00 a.m., we were on the road home.
The girls were hungry, but we somehow passed the only fast food joint out of town. Lydia wanted to go to Hardees, but we finally settled on the 3rd MacDonalds we saw, which was a mistake, because all of their breakfast meat is pork, and Lydia doesn't eat pork. Sooooooo, we were back to looking for Hardees.
Then we got behind some construction. My eyes were heavy and I resorted to a caffeine pill to help me stay away. We finally got home half past noon. By the time the rabbits were unloaded and settled in, it was nearly 2:00.
I jumped into the shower, grateful for a real bath. And then slipped in my bed, grateful for a real bed, for a well-appreciated nap.
It's just 5 days until the next show. Yeah!!!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
"Holland Lops of Distinction"
www.thenaturetrail.com
www.thenaturetrail.com/blog/BLOG
¶ 1:48 PM
During the week or so before the beginning, I had made various arrangements for the show over the weekend. I had arranged sales or two pet rabbits and two pedigreed bunnies, donation of bunnies to a 4-H group, and for my friend Dani to come to my house and travel down to the show with me. Dani and I also arranged a joint breeding project beforehand.
As usual, Andrew had cleaned my carriers for me. I had washed my travel water bottles, feed dishes, aprons and grooming towels. I evaluated my bunnies, determined who to show and sent in my entries. I checked tattoos and marked several for touch-ups. I printed pedigrees, carrier labels, a list of bunnies to pack, a form to record judge's comments, and directions to the show.
I brought the carriers into the barn, placed fresh puppy pads on the trays, snapped in clean feed dishes, and put the labels in the holders. In the house, I filled the travel water bottles and placed them in the refrigerator for the next day.
My girls picked out their clothes, cleaned out the van, and selected the toys they would tote along. (Yes, I had to bribe them to get them to clean out the van.)
I had the oil changed in the van, my front brakes worked on, and two new tires for the front. I put a lot of bunny miles on that vehicle. And I filled up the tank with gas, so we'd be ready to rolll.
Now remember, all of this happened before the 30 hours I'm reporting here. I have to admit, I started out just a little bit tired.
I woke up on Saturday around 8:00 a.m. Andrew and I went to the barn. I fed and watered the rabbits while Andew put the water bottles into the carriers (I really hate that job for some reason). I was packing 25 rabbits to take to the show. I put the feed in and then Andrew followed up with the hay. He was excused from the barn while I checked out each rabbit (teeth, gender, tattoo,etc.), clipping nails as I went. It takes awhile to load up 25 rabbits that way. Then I filled bags for transitional feed and was ready for the next task.
Andrew had been on a 10-day business trip, arriving home after midnight the previous night, so we had to take the rental car back to town to turn it in. By the time I got back, I just had time to jump into the shower before my friend Dani arrived.
We brought her bunnies into the house (it was too hot for them to stay in the car). We made a simple lunch. Andrew grilled chicken for us (his specialty). After we ate, I brought in Nina and we tried to breed her to Breezy. No go. Luckily, I had planned to go to another show the next weekend and will see Dani again. So we agreed that I could keep Breezy for the week.
I took Dani to the barn and made her ooo and ahhh over my bunnies, one by one. She was gracious and obliged. She must have read the rule that all visitors have to be complimentary of my bunnies, in one of my previous articles!
After that, it was time to pack up. Luckily Andrew had set out the tent (did I mention this was a camping weekend?), my air bed, the cart, carriers, coolers, chairs, and various bags and containers I had lined up. The van was so full that I could barely close the doors.
The next stop was the neighborhood store where I stocked up on ice. The youth were having a camp out and we were bringing supplies to make sno-cones.
The next 2 hours and 40 minutes were spent in the car, driving to Shelby. The Shelby show is one of the closer ones to my house. Dani had already driven over 4 hours, so it was a bit of a trip for her.
Luckily my girls entertained themselves well and then took a long nap. On second thought, I probably regretted that nap later in the night.
Of course, I missed the turn onto hwy 180. I am the queen of turn around. But, otherwise, we made it just fine.
After chatting with Janice Jones a bit, we scoped out a location and began to set up. Then I learned one of Dani's hidden talents: she can find a breeze if there is one. So we moved our stuff and set up for real this time.
Believe it or not, it was time to eat again. The girls got hotdogs. I stayed on my diet and had turkey and fruit. Then it was time to check in, pay fees, and make ear # changes.
My first pet customer arrived and loved the buck I had picked out for them. They were smart about things and knew that personality was the number one quality to look for. All of the Hollands make cute pets, but some just have that little something extra in the personality department.
My second pet customers arrived shortly thereafter. They had picked out their rabbit already and still liked him after seeing him in person. To each I gave transitional feed and advice.
Now remember, all of these things have happened, and the show hasn't even started yet!
I greeted more friends and had things to talk to different people about. Then it was time to get the tattoos touched up. I waited in line, PJ did a great job on the touch-ups, and then I could mark one more thing off the list.
Finally the show started at 8:00 p.m., but Hollands were not on the table. I took a few minutes to relax and talk to some friends who had children showing in youth. Then I heard, "Holland Lop Solid Senior Buck, Final Call." I hadn't heard a thing until that very moment.
So I scurried around and got my bucks on the table. LL Brendan took the first class, so I figured that if nothing else happened, it had been worth the trip.
About halfway through the first show, my friend Lynda, who was buying one bunny and collecting several others for her 4-H group arrived. After Brendan got BOS, we took advantage of the break and went over 7 bunnies and their pedigrees.
Another breeder asked me to take a look at her bunnies, to evaluate which to keep and which to sell. I remember making the same request when I was starting out, so I was happy to lend a hand. I gave her the same advice that was given to me: keep your Hollands until they are a minimum of 4 months old, older is better, before you evaluate them. And if you don't have experience with the line, keep the first litter into adulthood.
The girls wanted to start making sno-cones and I discovered that I had forgotten the most important thing on the trip. No, not a bunny. The sno-cone syrup. Luckily Lisa & Fayth had remembered theirs, so not all was lost.
I remember to give my other sold bunny to her new owner. I almost forgot that one.
The second show began and we were past midnight when it was over. It was worth the late night when both Merlin and May granded.
But the last thing in the world I wanted to do was pitch a tent. I had been up for 17 long hours (and remember, I was tired when the day started) and it was time for bed. But I knew it was important to the girls, who were somehow miraculously awake. So pitch the tent, we did. I got help from a white knight/former Eagle Scout, so the tent was up in less than 20 minutes.
Then I pumped up my bed. Actually, my girls, their friends, and I took turns pumping up my bed and my arms still were wobbly by the time it was done.
I have no idea what time it was, but I'm sure it was near 2:00 a.m. or after by the time I had sat around and talked with the other moms and the girls had played for another hour to hour and a half or so. I crawled onto my bed (after a not-so-satisfying sponge bath in the lady's room) and fell asleep. Miraculously, I slept more than not until 8:00 a.m.
Then I had to get up fairly rapidly and get the bunnies and all of that paraphenalia packed. It was getting hot quickly. The tent came down and the same white knight helped me get it packed up (we actually got it back into it's bag--a minor miracle in itself). By 9:00 a.m., we were on the road home.
The girls were hungry, but we somehow passed the only fast food joint out of town. Lydia wanted to go to Hardees, but we finally settled on the 3rd MacDonalds we saw, which was a mistake, because all of their breakfast meat is pork, and Lydia doesn't eat pork. Sooooooo, we were back to looking for Hardees.
Then we got behind some construction. My eyes were heavy and I resorted to a caffeine pill to help me stay away. We finally got home half past noon. By the time the rabbits were unloaded and settled in, it was nearly 2:00.
I jumped into the shower, grateful for a real bath. And then slipped in my bed, grateful for a real bed, for a well-appreciated nap.
It's just 5 days until the next show. Yeah!!!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
"Holland Lops of Distinction"
www.thenaturetrail.com
www.thenaturetrail.com/blog/BLOG
¶ 1:48 PM
