• Rise between 6:45 and 7:15 (it's a process folks; it doesn't happen all at once!)
• Breakfast and chores between 7:30 and 8:30 (I'm already messing up my schedule for today by writing this BLOG)
• Home education between 8:30 and 12:30
• Lunch between 12:30 and 1:00
• Quiet time from 1:00 to 2:00. Okay, okay. The kids have quiet time and I watch the soap opera I've been addicted to for 32 years. My mom got me hooked.
• 2:00 to 3:00 or 4:00 or whenever - bunny time
• 3:00 or so to dinnertime - check on websites, update or create websites, answer emails, fill out entries, write BLOG (I hate this afternoon schedule and need to figure out how to go back to morning - but the upcoming daylight savings time conspires against me!)
• Dinner with the family comes at any time after 6:00. Andrew often cooks, I sometimes cook, and now the children are starting to get into the act. Thank you God for giving me a household with two men who will cook.
• The evening is generally filled with more computer work unless it's time for Dancing With The Stars, Lost, Desperate Housewives, or Boston Legal (have started taping it to watch earlier in the day - I've got to get some sleep!)

You see, except for that one hour (which, as I said, I'm stealing as I type), there's not much time to get things done around here. I do know that I'm going to have to stay home a few more weekends per year to whip things into shape. I look forward to that.

So, when you look at the progress of my herd or see one of my rabbits doing well at a show, you can just say quietly to yourself, "Yea, sure, her rabbits are doing well today, but her house is a mess."

¶ 7:41 AM 4 comments links to this post

I placed ten nest boxes with does today. It was very exciting to see most of the does show interest in the boxes. I had a nice group of kits in December, but since then, I haven't had many. Part of that was because I'm trying to cut down. But I also had some bad luck with does that missed and dead litters.

I have two types of nest boxes. The first type is made from plywood with a hardware cloth bottom. There were made according to the nest box plans available on my website. The second type is made from dimensional lumber (1 x 8 and 1 x 4). This second type also has a hardware cloth bottom.

Here are the advantages of the plywood nest boxes:

1. They are very inexpensive to build - less than $3 each
2. They resist cracking
3. They withstand gnawing pretty well
4. They withstand being soaked in disinfectant

Here are some disadvantages to the plywood nest boxes:

1. It is more difficult to cut up a sheet of plywood than to cut dimensional lumber
2. The plywood nest boxes are heavy

Below are some advantages of the lumber nest boxes:

1. They are more attractive than plywood nest boxes (important if they are given as awards)
2. They are lightweight
3. They clean easily because of the smoother surface

Some disadvantages of lumber nest boxes include:

1. They cost almost twice as much to build as the plywood nest boxes
2. They float when soaked in a disinfectant solution
3. The pieces crack more easily both while being built (pre-drilling is beneficial) and after
4. The does can do more damage more easily if they decide to gnaw on them

Both types of nest box are serviceable. I am adding dimensional lumber boxes to my collection because the weight of the boxes is a big issue to me. I am a bit of a "hover mother" when it comes to my babies, so that means a lot of taking boxes in and out of the cages. Having lighter boxes, even if they don't last as many years, will mean a lot to me in terms of the energy it takes to raise my babies the way I like to. If I had just a litter or two at a time, it probably wouldn't make as much difference, but it is not unusual for me to breed a dozen does at one time.

Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

  ¶ 5:41 PM 0 comments links to this post

1. Work with a narrow gene pool
2. Learn all of its secrets
3. Develop everything you have to it's potential
4. Only add the pieces from outside that you really need - because when you add something to your herd, you are back to square one in understanding the genetic make-up of that piece

Of course this advice is given assuming that you are in Hollands for the long haul, that you can wait for the results to come in. And it is definitely possible that my theories on breeding rabbits are totally wrong. But I believe them to be sound and I find that my own percentage of keepers continues to rise. There just might be something to it.

Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

¶ 9:00 AM 1 comments links to this post

1. Is showing rabbits something I would really enjoy?
2. Are Holland Lops the best breed for me?

Now it is hard for me to believe that anyone would pick any other breed than a Holland Lop, but there are some considerations. First, Hollands aren't the most docile breed. Look to Dutch or Himalayan for that. But neither are they known for biting or being overly problematic. Hollands are best for people who want a more curious, affectionate, but sometimes animated rabbit.

Also consider this: there is generally a lot of competition in Hollands. Choose this breed only if you are willing to invest a good deal of time (and/or money) before you see a lot of success on the show table. It took me almost two years to grand my first homegrown Holland and I have an aggressive breeding program. [But once things began to click, they continued to click.]

Speaking of money, Hollands do cost more than many other breeds. That's something to consider up front. If your budget is $25 per rabbit, choose another breed. I should note here, though, that Hollands have a long show career compared to other breeds. While some breeds show best for a matter of months, a good Holland buck may be competing well for five years. I know a buck that got his first Best of Breed at 7 months, and took a BRIS last weekend at almost 6 years of age. You can get your money's worth out of a Holland.

Step Two: Now that you've decided that you do like showing rabbits as a hobby and Holland Lops as your breed, you should join the American Rabbit Breeders' Association at www.arba.net. You will receive a manual on raising rabbits that is worth the small cost of joining. Also, once you have joined, you will be able to obtain registration certificates on your qualified Hollands. Read more about registering rabbits here.

Likewise, you should also join the Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club, a national specialty club for our breed. You can contact them through www.hlrsc.com. Again, you will receive a manual, but this one is specific to Hollands. Read all you can, both from these manuals and on the internet.

Step Three: Plan your rabbit housing and either purchase or build cages. You will like the result better if you plan ahead instead of purchasing cages on a reactive, gotta-have-it-now basis. Rather than having a collection of mismatched cages that do not fit your space well, think about how you really want to operate even before you purchase your first rabbits. I'm a hanging cage fan. I built my barn with just one layer of cages in mind. But if you are using a small shed and need to stack cages with trays, think about that now. It would be a waste of money to start in one direction and then have to change strategies. Remember, you will need more cages than you think because it takes cages to grow out babies. Plan to fill 1/3 of your cages at first and leave the rest for future growth (and it won't be that far in the future!)

Step Four: Purchase a very few good quality rabbits from at least somewhat related lines. Get help from someone who has been successfully showing Hollands for awhile. Most of us purchased whatever rabbits were available because we were so excited we wanted to get started yesterday. We might luck up with some good stuff, but by and large, we will buy a lot of rabbits that we will re-sell in the not-too-distant future. Chances are, you will ignore this advice. Or think you are following it until the next nicer Holland becomes available. If you buy too much from too many lines and end up having to pare it down, don't feel bad. That's how most of us did it.

Note: I think that purchasing colors in the beginning can be a very good idea. Colors (otters, agoutis, dilutes, sable points, etc.) sell better to breeders and pet customers. You will have a lot to learn, if you are not just switching breeds, and you can learn those things with colors that sell, as well as you can learn them with torts that generally only sell if they are well advertised and above average. I started with colors and gradually migrated to torts as I aimed at better conformation to standards.

Step Five: Show your foundation stock. I waited until I had my first The Nature Trail's rabbit before going to a show. I should have gone earlier and shown my brood stock. I would have learned more about what I was dealing with earlier on. Learning is the biggest goal in the beginning - even more important than producing winning rabbits.

Steps Six, Seven, Eight, and so forth: Now you are ready to breed rabbits, learn more about the details of conditioning, culling, dealing with problems, etc. You may want to join a local or regional club. You will learn how frequently you are able to show, budgeting your time and energy, and balancing your other responsibilities. You can start to make goals for yourself - earning your first leg, earning your first leg with a rabbit you produced, earning a senior leg, granding a rabbit, etc.

The biggest lesson to learn in this stage is to lose your fear of being stuck with rabbits. You will want to keep your bunnies for several months before deciding which to cull. It is great advice to keep your first litter from a particular line until adulthood. Becoming very familiar with what you are working with, and especially how it matures, should be one of your goals.

For The Experienced: Probably the majority of you who are reading this have already been through these steps. Perhaps it was a walk down memory lane. Perhaps you wish someone had told you these things when you got started. If you have advice to add, don't hesitate to add a comment. You can help me help those who are just getting started in the wonderful world of Holland Lops!

Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

¶ 9:32 AM 1 comments links to this post

1. Has the judge been asked to judge rabbits at Convention and/or Holland Lop Nationals? Generally, you just find the best of the best judging at these shows.
2. Is the judge regarded highly by the Holland community at large? Get the opinions of Holland breeders whose judgment you trust.
3. Does the judge handle and pose Hollands well? Not only does the judge pose the Holland lightly on the front feet, but does he or she use an alternate handling method if the rabbit doesn't respond to the first method? Does the judge give an excited rabbit a chance to relax? Does the rabbit get the chance to show what he's got?
4. Does the judge place too much emphasis on condition, fur, and ear control? These are sure signs that the judge is not familiar or comfortable with the breed or the standard.
5. Does the judge over-emphasize absolute massiveness as opposed to massiveness for the rabbit's size? It should not be a contest of who has the rabbit closest to 4.00 without going over. A 3-lb. rabbit that looks 3 1/2 lbs. is massive. A 4-lb rabbit that looks 4 lb. is not massive.
6. Can the judge comment on the details of the Holland? A judge that focuses on qualities common to all breeds may lack the detailed knowledge of our breed. Can the judge give accurate comments on crown placement, curvature, top line, and head mount (high, but not at the expense of long front legs or "daylight")?
7. Is the judge color blind, with the exception of identifying non-showable colors? A judge who is so focused on conformation to standards won't be distracted by rarer colors or prejudiced in favor of torts.
8. Bonus - is the judge knowledgeable in the rarer issues facing our breed, such as how to properly evaluate a white tail, find deviated spines, or make correct decisions in other rare situations?

I realize there are precious few judges as described above. Besides availability issues, there are costs involved in flying great Holland judges in for a show.

I personally would like to see more specialty clubs pumping their profits back in to subsidizing just these types of judges at the shows I attend. (I know, I know - new clubs are still hoping to see their first profits.)

Getting better Holland judges at shows is one of the best ways we can improve our showing experience and give us the information we need to take back to our breeding programs.

A breeder commented this weekend on one particular judge, "That's information you can take to the bank." Now that's what I'm talking about!

Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

¶ 11:01 AM 2 comments links to this post

Learning how to set prices for your sale rabbits can be very difficult, especially when you are starting out. There’s no substitute for experience, but I will share some of my philosophy to give you something to think about.

I don’t pick prices for my rabbits out of thin air. There’s an informal system I use to set my prices. I work best when things make some sense to me. And this way of thinking about pricing has worked for me.

First of all, think about the various categories of Hollands you sell:

• pet quality
• brood quality bucks (either true or false dwarf)
• brood quality does (either true or false dwarf)
• show quality bucks
• show quality does
• herd buck quality

I’ve placed them in the order that I value them from least to most, but you don’t have to agree with this arrangement. Nor do you need to have the same categories. You may have a 4-H show quality category, for example. Or you might think there’s no difference between a show quality buck and herd buck quality. Your list just needs to make sense to you.

Next to each type of rabbit that you sell, write down how much you think the typical example of that quality from the bloodlines you work with is worth. I’m going to use some outrageous amounts, just as examples:

• pet quality - $7 (remember, these are bogus amounts)
• brood quality bucks - $10
• brood quality does - $15
• show quality bucks - $25
• show quality does - $25
• herd buck quality - $40

By the way, if you actually ever see these prices anywhere, let me know!

Now I’m ready to evaluate my rabbit. First, I determine which category he or she falls in to get a starting price. Now I think of the things that might raise the price:

• from popular/exceptional bloodlines
• an especially nice example of that category
• good age (e.g., a brood doe old enough to produce is worth more than a 10 week old, or a buck in his prime showing years is worth more than a 6 year old that may stop breeding soon)
• legs or good placements at regional and/or national shows
• rare color
• for does, proven (not such a big deal for bucks)
• produced nice offspring
• is strong in a characteristic that is hard to get right
• broken pattern (small consideration, but still a consideration, especially for does)
• I am willing to deliver him or her to a wide range of locations (that means that I have a larger market)
• I am willing to wait for the right buyer

Of course, I also have to weigh any negatives:

• ancestors had uneventful show careers
• poorer than average example of the category (but still good enough for the category), considering faults, conditioning, lack of conformation
• getting older
• problematic litters (should be disclosed)
• health issues (should be disclosed)
• genetic risks (should be disclosed)
  too young to really evaluate potential
• disqualifications (for brood stock – cannot be show stock with DQs – should be disclosed)
• variety and type are very ordinary (an average quality solid tort senior buck is pretty common)
• Charlie
• time of the year – sales for me are dead, practically, in July and during the holidays
• I want to sell this rabbit very soon
• I will not be traveling to many shows where I can deliver the rabbit (smaller market)

So let’s say that we have a brood quality doe and we start her price off at $15. But she’s a sable point so we add a few dollars. She’s unproven, so that keeps the price the same. She’s too young to really evaluate her potential, so we knock a few dollars off for that. She has long ears, more dollars off. But she has wonderful shoulders – width, length, and depth, which is difficult to come by. So we add a few dollars more for the great shoulders.

Or perhaps we have a brood buck. He’s an exceptional rabbit except that he’s a false dwarf and weighs 4.04. So we start him at $10 but add a few dollars for his exceptional conformation. Then we consider that he’s proven and has sired several really nice bunnies. Add a few more dollars. Now we had to this that he carries dilute and the sable gene, and we might add another dollar or two. He’s 17 months old, so he’s in his prime, age wise. He’s a Charlie, so that might bring his price down just a tad, simply because there are fewer people who know how to make the most of a Charlie in their herd.

[Although, it is true that Charlies are more limited in functionality than brokens (it is difficult to line breed with Charlies because their offspring are all broken and a line breeding results in 50% Charlies), having a few Charlies in your herd will help you keep the production of brokens in line with the production of solids in your barn.]

As you can see, there’s still a lot of judgment in pricing a rabbit, even using a “system.” But having a starting place and a list of considerations does help me a great deal. I hope it will help you, too.

Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun

  ¶ 5:21 PM 0 comments links to this post

• Brief paragraphs
• Lots of bullets
• Descriptive phrases
• Lots of white space
• Forget transitions and laborious introductory material!

Just do me one favor. If you write a paragraph, please left-justify it. Keep your centered material to a minimum, saving it just for headings and short announcements. Centered text is very tiring to read, since your eye must find a new starting place for each line. It's a common mistake made by new website designers.

Trim Your Site

I just told you to add to your site and now I'm suggesting that you take away. What? Am I nuts? No.

What I would suggest that you take away are entry pages that don't do anything, music, flash and java script that takes a long time to load, and any other bells, whistles, and slow graphics that are not the main focus of your website. Internet users are spoiled. They (we) want everything to be quick and to give us easily just the information (or entertainment) we want, and nothing else.

Entry pages do nothing except delay us from getting to the meat of the matter. Ditch them.

Sitting around waiting for music to load - and then being startled or annoyed when it starts isn't worth it. I admit there are a couple of sites with music I like, but most of the time, I'd rather listen to my own or work in quiet. I definitely don't want it to delay the loading of the page.

Cutesy graphics, entertaining curser/pointer trails, and so forth, are a bad idea because they take a long time to load and aren't what visitors are at your site for. They are, I'm afraid, another common mistake made by first-time website designers.

In short, people don't come to your site to be wowed. They come to see your rabbits, check out your for sale page and show schedule, read your articles, if you have them, and generally keep up with what's going on with you and your rabbitry. But if it all takes too long to load, then they'll just skip it and they probably won't be coming back.

Another area to trim, but in this case not delete, is photos of your rabbits. That is, trim in terms of picture loading time, not in terms of the number of pictures. Your visitors come primarily to see your rabbits. So it's not likely that you have too many. It is likely that you have too many on a page, and/or that the individual loading time for your pictures is way too long.

The sad fact is that most of us still have dial-up. This is especially true of our particular visitor base, given that our hobby lends itself to rural living where high-speed is not as likely to be an option.

How do you speed up loading time? First, make sure you size your pictures outside of your website. That is, if you put a full-sized picture into your website and then scrunch it down, it's still the same size to the internet, even though you only see a small picture. All of the pixels are still there. If you want a 200 x 260 picture, then size it that way before you insert it into your website.

Save your pictures at 70% quality. You will get virtually no reduction in quality to the naked eye, but you will further reduce the loading time. In fact, you can save up to 85% of the loading time in that one step. And remember, you've already sped up the loading time greatly by sizing the photograph first.

Here's how dramatic the differences are. I took a picture at random from my files. It was 1800 x 1200 and the size was 355 kb . Then I resized it to 260 x 173, a size I often use on my website. That reduced the file size to 37 kb. When I saved it at 70% quality, the file size dropped to 7 kb. There is a huge amount of loading time difference between 355 kb and 7 kb. And that's just for one picture! Think about the difference if you have 6 pictures on a page. How about 12!

I use a free program to resize my photos and save them at 70% quality. You can get one at www.irfanview.com.

Remember, if you want visitors to come back, then you have to have pages that load in a reasonable period of time. So what is a reasonable period of time? I love for my pages to load in 8 seconds (we are a very impatient people), like them to load in 15 seconds, and will tolerate 30 seconds for some special pages like "for sale," where I know there is a lot of interest.

You can test the loading time for your website pages at http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/.

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