The Nature Trail Rabbitry BLOG
Friday, April 28, 2006
Win-Win
Several years ago I had a coworker friend who was teaching his son to play chess. While some people believe they should go easy on children and even lose on purpose, he believed that doing so would undermine his son's confidence in the long run. Instead, he chose to give his son Alex a second chance before making moves. When Alex indicated he was going to make a poor move, his father would talk with him about the move and explain the downside to him, giving him the choice of making another move instead.
Once Alex was able to beat his father from time to time, his dad made fewer comments. The idea was that once Alex could play as well as his dad, then they'd play strictly by the rules and Alex wouldn't have liberal do-over privileges.
I remember a time when a breeder with less than a years' experience was giving away some rabbits. A couple of breeders showed me a gorgeous junior doe that one of them had gotten for free. With the breeder's permission, I went back to the new breeder and told her that she should keep that doe - she was one of the best she had produced to date. I considered her to be like Alex - new to the game and in need of a full explanation before she made her move.
I feel that most youth breeders are also like Alex. Even though many of them have more experience at rabbits than I do, they just do not have as much life experience as an adult. If a youth offered me a very nice rabbit for $10, I could say, "Thank you very much and here's your $10." But that would not be ethical for me to do. If the rabbit is nice enough to be part of my herd then I really have two choices. First, I should explain to the youth why this rabbit is so nice and tell him or her to keep it as part of their own herd. Or, second, if the youth really has too many of these really nice rabbits to keep, then I should pay the true value of the rabbit. Anything else would be taking advantage of a youth.
Of course, youth are not the only ones taken advantage of.
I talked recently with a relatively new breeder who purchased a nice doe from an experienced breeder. She kills her litters; the doe, not the breeder, that is. She was purchased as a proven doe. It is possible that she just picked up the habit of killing her kits when she was purchased. Perhaps she had live litters for the original breeder. But I doubt it. My guess, and the guess of the newer breeder, is that the doe has always done this. There was no full disclosure at the time of the sale.
And this story could have involved a seasoned breeder as well. We rely on each other for full disclosure at the time of a sale. If a doe has babies on the wire, that should be disclosed. If a doe has only had dead litters, that should be disclosed. If a rabbit has had a broken bone, dislocated hip, or other injury, that should be disclosed. If a breeder feels that they cannot sell the rabbit if they tell the truth, then the rabbit should not be sold, but rather culled in another way.
Stephen Covey, the author who became popular for his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, believes that effective businesses seek win-win solutions with their customers. His opponents respond that the win-win solution is not workable. His answer: a win-lose arrangement with your customers will certainly not work. Customers who lose in a deal not only refuse to do further business with you, but they share their dissatisfaction with others.
I believe that full disclosure or a full explanation of the situation is required for the win-win outcome in a rabbit sale. That means not taking advantage of new people and youth. That means revealing hidden characteristics in rabbits. That means not selling rabbits who have no real value, even though they appear to.
Sure, you can do better in the short run by overselling a rabbit, hiding a problem, or taking advantage of naiveté. But in the long run, you will do better by seeking the win-win outcome with your customers.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 9:37 AM 1 comments links to this post
Once Alex was able to beat his father from time to time, his dad made fewer comments. The idea was that once Alex could play as well as his dad, then they'd play strictly by the rules and Alex wouldn't have liberal do-over privileges.
I remember a time when a breeder with less than a years' experience was giving away some rabbits. A couple of breeders showed me a gorgeous junior doe that one of them had gotten for free. With the breeder's permission, I went back to the new breeder and told her that she should keep that doe - she was one of the best she had produced to date. I considered her to be like Alex - new to the game and in need of a full explanation before she made her move.
I feel that most youth breeders are also like Alex. Even though many of them have more experience at rabbits than I do, they just do not have as much life experience as an adult. If a youth offered me a very nice rabbit for $10, I could say, "Thank you very much and here's your $10." But that would not be ethical for me to do. If the rabbit is nice enough to be part of my herd then I really have two choices. First, I should explain to the youth why this rabbit is so nice and tell him or her to keep it as part of their own herd. Or, second, if the youth really has too many of these really nice rabbits to keep, then I should pay the true value of the rabbit. Anything else would be taking advantage of a youth.
Of course, youth are not the only ones taken advantage of.
I talked recently with a relatively new breeder who purchased a nice doe from an experienced breeder. She kills her litters; the doe, not the breeder, that is. She was purchased as a proven doe. It is possible that she just picked up the habit of killing her kits when she was purchased. Perhaps she had live litters for the original breeder. But I doubt it. My guess, and the guess of the newer breeder, is that the doe has always done this. There was no full disclosure at the time of the sale.
And this story could have involved a seasoned breeder as well. We rely on each other for full disclosure at the time of a sale. If a doe has babies on the wire, that should be disclosed. If a doe has only had dead litters, that should be disclosed. If a rabbit has had a broken bone, dislocated hip, or other injury, that should be disclosed. If a breeder feels that they cannot sell the rabbit if they tell the truth, then the rabbit should not be sold, but rather culled in another way.
Stephen Covey, the author who became popular for his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, believes that effective businesses seek win-win solutions with their customers. His opponents respond that the win-win solution is not workable. His answer: a win-lose arrangement with your customers will certainly not work. Customers who lose in a deal not only refuse to do further business with you, but they share their dissatisfaction with others.
I believe that full disclosure or a full explanation of the situation is required for the win-win outcome in a rabbit sale. That means not taking advantage of new people and youth. That means revealing hidden characteristics in rabbits. That means not selling rabbits who have no real value, even though they appear to.
Sure, you can do better in the short run by overselling a rabbit, hiding a problem, or taking advantage of naiveté. But in the long run, you will do better by seeking the win-win outcome with your customers.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 9:37 AM 1 comments links to this post
Thursday, April 27, 2006
I Have A Life
You've heard people say, "Get a life!" Sometimes I am tempted to think that rabbits are my life. I think about them when I wake up, I plan my day around feeding time, my calendar is full of rabbit notes, and I plan my weekends around rabbit shows. Probably 90% of my computer time is rabbit-related in some way.
But I actually do have a life. I have a wonderful husband (I'm sure some of my friends are sick of hearing about how wonderful he is). I spend a great deal of time with my children. For example, Tuesday night is family night. We always have pizza on family night. Last Tuesday, we made smores and watched Dr. Doolittle 3. The Tuesday before, we played baseball (or a very pale imitation of baseball) and then watched The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, a movie Andrew and I loved to watch as children (it's a Don Knots movie).
Okay, I'll admit it. I spent part of the afternoon yesterday trading Pokemon cards with my kids. I really wanted to complete some stage 2 evolution sets in my deck, and my son had what I needed. But he's a tough trader! I think that Anna made a sweet deal or two with me. I'm not sure. I'm not quite as familiar with all of these cards as the kids are. I did hear Andrew warning her not to take advantage of me!
And now we've reserved Thursday night as date night. Andrew and I used to take dancing lessons and I'd like to revive that as well.
Now I know that the puppies are not a lot different from rabbits, but at least I am branching out a little bit there, too. There's no competition involved in the way we are raising our puppies, so I can enjoy them in a totally different way.
And you won't believe this: I've decided to skip the Ohio show. I have a friend from Atlanta who is coming to spend the weekend with us. Yes, we'll definitely spend some time in the rabbitry and play with puppies, but we'll also do some decidedly non-animal things as well.
There is such thing as too much of a good thing, I think. Time away from rabbits and time away from shows can help to increase the enjoyment when I next go to a show or have some time to really spend in the rabbitry.
It all goes back to balance. Intellectually, I have a good grip on the concept of balance. In reality, I'm totally out of balance. But I continue to strive for it.
So I may have a light show schedule for the summer; we'll see if I can really do that. If so, it will make the fall all the more pleasurable. Plus, I will enjoy the experience of anticipation. That's a joy all of its own.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 12:05 PM 1 comments links to this post
But I actually do have a life. I have a wonderful husband (I'm sure some of my friends are sick of hearing about how wonderful he is). I spend a great deal of time with my children. For example, Tuesday night is family night. We always have pizza on family night. Last Tuesday, we made smores and watched Dr. Doolittle 3. The Tuesday before, we played baseball (or a very pale imitation of baseball) and then watched The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, a movie Andrew and I loved to watch as children (it's a Don Knots movie).
Okay, I'll admit it. I spent part of the afternoon yesterday trading Pokemon cards with my kids. I really wanted to complete some stage 2 evolution sets in my deck, and my son had what I needed. But he's a tough trader! I think that Anna made a sweet deal or two with me. I'm not sure. I'm not quite as familiar with all of these cards as the kids are. I did hear Andrew warning her not to take advantage of me!
And now we've reserved Thursday night as date night. Andrew and I used to take dancing lessons and I'd like to revive that as well.
Now I know that the puppies are not a lot different from rabbits, but at least I am branching out a little bit there, too. There's no competition involved in the way we are raising our puppies, so I can enjoy them in a totally different way.
And you won't believe this: I've decided to skip the Ohio show. I have a friend from Atlanta who is coming to spend the weekend with us. Yes, we'll definitely spend some time in the rabbitry and play with puppies, but we'll also do some decidedly non-animal things as well.
There is such thing as too much of a good thing, I think. Time away from rabbits and time away from shows can help to increase the enjoyment when I next go to a show or have some time to really spend in the rabbitry.
It all goes back to balance. Intellectually, I have a good grip on the concept of balance. In reality, I'm totally out of balance. But I continue to strive for it.
So I may have a light show schedule for the summer; we'll see if I can really do that. If so, it will make the fall all the more pleasurable. Plus, I will enjoy the experience of anticipation. That's a joy all of its own.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 12:05 PM 1 comments links to this post
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
How To Have A Lousy Rabbit Show
I don't ever want to have a lousy rabbit show. I am talking about from the participants point of view, by the way, not putting on a lousy show. But I may write about that soon, too!
I think that if I analyze what makes a show lousy for me, I might learn how to have happier, more satisfying shows. I'm going to try this experiment and see how it pans out.
The first thing to do to make sure the show is lousy is to make up my mind at the last minute that I'm going and forget to make room arrangements. That ensures that I'll spend a lot of time calling motels that are booked up or only have smoking rooms left or only have expensive rooms left.
The second thing to do is send in my entries without even looking at my rabbits. That way, I won't find broken toenails, overweight rabbits, or recent molting until it's time to pack them.
After that, I won't print out directions to the show room, especially from the starting point of my motel room. And let's forget to bring any important phone numbers, too. Why not. This is suppose to be the anatomy of a lousy show.
I'll leave home late, made even later by the fact that I didn't fill up the tank the day before, and I'll get to the motel much later than I wanted to. I'll forget to arrange for a wake-up call and also arrive late at the showroom.
Now I'm rushed to tattoo (my least favorite task) and groom. And, since I didn't do any preparation at home, I'll have nails to clip, knotted fur to unravel, and stains to remove - not that I can do a lot about that now.
The first class is called before I'm ready, so I start the show in a rush. I brought too many rabbits, too, so I'm putting up rabbits and taking down rabbits almost without rest.
I've spent too much money and worked so hard to get here and now I'm exhausted and the @#$# judge is obviously no good. How could he pick that rabbit over mine? This was a waste of my money and time.
Of course, I forgot to pack any snacks or even water. So I'm hungry and there's no food (or only expensive food or unappealing food). I can't wait for the lunch break so that I can have yet another fast food meal. Big whoop.
Now the show is over. Maybe a few rabbits did well, but for some reason I wasn't in the mood to enjoy it. Some friends want to go out for a quick dinner, but I'm in no mood. I'm so exhausted and feel so harried that all I want to do is get home to some peace and quiet.
Why do I even think I like this stuff?
Boy, I can really get caught up in this pretend stuff, huh? But do you think that you have ever seen someone having that kind of day at a rabbit show? I'm going to do my best to avoid that sort of day.
I'm planning to go to a show the first weekend in May. It's time to start making a preliminary list of rabbits to take. I will get those rabbits out tomorrow and note the ones that need their tattoos retouched (yes, I do know how it feels to have to retouch tattoos at lunchtime - don't want to do that again!) Because the entries must be postmarked by Friday, I will refine my list tomorrow and send it on Thursday.
I guess I'd better get on the horn and get a room reserved, too. I'm looking forward to this show and don't want to have a lousy one.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 11:00 AM 1 comments links to this post
I think that if I analyze what makes a show lousy for me, I might learn how to have happier, more satisfying shows. I'm going to try this experiment and see how it pans out.
The first thing to do to make sure the show is lousy is to make up my mind at the last minute that I'm going and forget to make room arrangements. That ensures that I'll spend a lot of time calling motels that are booked up or only have smoking rooms left or only have expensive rooms left.
The second thing to do is send in my entries without even looking at my rabbits. That way, I won't find broken toenails, overweight rabbits, or recent molting until it's time to pack them.
After that, I won't print out directions to the show room, especially from the starting point of my motel room. And let's forget to bring any important phone numbers, too. Why not. This is suppose to be the anatomy of a lousy show.
I'll leave home late, made even later by the fact that I didn't fill up the tank the day before, and I'll get to the motel much later than I wanted to. I'll forget to arrange for a wake-up call and also arrive late at the showroom.
Now I'm rushed to tattoo (my least favorite task) and groom. And, since I didn't do any preparation at home, I'll have nails to clip, knotted fur to unravel, and stains to remove - not that I can do a lot about that now.
The first class is called before I'm ready, so I start the show in a rush. I brought too many rabbits, too, so I'm putting up rabbits and taking down rabbits almost without rest.
I've spent too much money and worked so hard to get here and now I'm exhausted and the @#$# judge is obviously no good. How could he pick that rabbit over mine? This was a waste of my money and time.
Of course, I forgot to pack any snacks or even water. So I'm hungry and there's no food (or only expensive food or unappealing food). I can't wait for the lunch break so that I can have yet another fast food meal. Big whoop.
Now the show is over. Maybe a few rabbits did well, but for some reason I wasn't in the mood to enjoy it. Some friends want to go out for a quick dinner, but I'm in no mood. I'm so exhausted and feel so harried that all I want to do is get home to some peace and quiet.
Why do I even think I like this stuff?
Boy, I can really get caught up in this pretend stuff, huh? But do you think that you have ever seen someone having that kind of day at a rabbit show? I'm going to do my best to avoid that sort of day.
I'm planning to go to a show the first weekend in May. It's time to start making a preliminary list of rabbits to take. I will get those rabbits out tomorrow and note the ones that need their tattoos retouched (yes, I do know how it feels to have to retouch tattoos at lunchtime - don't want to do that again!) Because the entries must be postmarked by Friday, I will refine my list tomorrow and send it on Thursday.
I guess I'd better get on the horn and get a room reserved, too. I'm looking forward to this show and don't want to have a lousy one.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 11:00 AM 1 comments links to this post
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
This N That
I have started incorporating links to favorite BLOG posts into my website. Over the next few weeks you will see a button that says, "Favorite BLOG Post" on it sprinkled throughout the site. You can see an example of one in this page: If you haven't sent me your suggestions for favorite BLOG posts, it's not too late.
I'm looking for web pages in my site that relate at least somewhat to the post. The post on the breeding page above is "Size DOES Matter," a post about matching up the size of the buck and doe, taking the false dwarf gene into consideration.
And the winner is: Lena Paille of West Virginia. As some of you already know, I have sold GC The Nature Trail's Bear, 9 Legs, 3 BOBs, 1 BRIS. It was a very hard decision. Very hard. He is such a love of mine and was the first BOB and only BRIS rabbit I've had so far. Bear was sold to my waiting list, which Lena got on several months ago. Lena promises to baby him, which was the one requirement of the sale.
If you want to get on my waiting list, just email me and tell me specifically what you are looking for. You can ask for a particular rabbit. Hilary, for example, already has a waiting list. I haven't forgotten you, Renee! Or, you can ask for a certain type of rabbit (a broken herd buck, for example). Or, you can ask for brood or show quality buck or doe out of a particular line (e.g., brood doe out of Merlin). Please limit your request to three. I did get a request for 17 rabbits the other day - all of my best stock. I'm pretty sure that is not going to work. I'm going to have to ask that person to limit their request to three, too! Everyone wants a chance at the best rabbits.
Please be aware that if I get a show quality doe, I am not likely to sell her as a junior. I do sell brood quality does as juniors from the same lines from time to time. I have had more show quality junior bucks at one time than I could use. In fact, one buck I sold in December recently won a Best In Show for Stephanie Sweitzer. I also sold the brother to Java (my recent BIS buck) and Leo (3rd at Nationals, 2nd day after). Most often, it is easiest to get young senior show bucks, junior brood stock, and proven brood does from me. I will also try to make myself sell my grand champion does by the time they are 2 1/2 years old. Let's see if I can do it.
I lost two kits a couple of days ago. No, they didn't die. I lost them. I found one on the ground under the cage. The next day, I found the other one down the aisle. Now the funny thing is that there is baby wire in that cage and these are very young kits. My theory is that the doe was lying down next to the box, creating a bridge for them to crawl over. This was very puzzling.
My GC Camelot's Merlin x Saynora's Katee fuzzy is a doe and I believe a Charlie. I will be selling her in about four weeks. She's pretty cute, from what little I know about fuzzies.
I am now working with Craig Hardee of A Craig Hardee Enterprises to provide web hosting for the sites that I design. He is very reasonable ($65 per year or $17.85 per quarter), easy to work with, and provides very good service. He can also register domain names for $15 ($12 if you are also getting your web hosting through him). He, of course, would be happy to provide services for you even if you are not having your site designed by me. Just tell him I sent you to get these great prices.
- Craig Hardee chardee@nc.rr.com
I'm currently working on three new websites for rabbit breeders. One is a mother-daughter double site, so it is like working on four. I can't wait for their debuts. They are all very different from each other (of course, they all show my style of designing). I hope you will enjoy visiting them when they are ready. Here's a hint - one has diamonds, one pines, one willow & Jewel, and one berries.
The puppies are three weeks old today. I know, I need to get new pictures up. They are starting to walk just a bit and beginning to play. I wish you could hear their teeny, tiny barks. We will be selling them for $300 each. They will have their first shots and be wormed. They can be CKC registered. I am now taking deposits ($150 to hold). The blond is a male. The other two are black with white and tan markings. There is one male and one female. The female is the smallest in the litter. They will be ready to go home between 8 and 10 weeks of age, depending on how well they do eating and so forth. Chihuahuas have issues with low blood sugar, so making sure that they are eating regularly before they go to their new homes is an important issue. Angel is 5 lbs. and Scamp is 9lbs.! He's big for a Chihuahua. All four grandparents weighed between four and five pounds, however.
I think that's all of the news for now. I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
Monday, April 24, 2006
Everybody Has A Bad Day
Now and then, everybody has a bad day. Even my saintly grandmother must have had a bad day once in a while. I bet even Mother Theresa felt cross sometimes. It happens to everyone.
This past week, I got an email from someone that just rubbed me the wrong way. I let the writer know that I would have responded much better to a gentle reminder rather than a subtle threat. She was apparently offended by my response.
That interchange was not typical. I answer literally hundreds of emails per month (my rabbit is pregnant, my bunny won't eat, I bought a pet at the flea market, there's only one kit in the litter, etc.) and I try to be friendly and helpful whether the request for information is from a customer or friend, or whether it's from Singapore or Israel, from a pet owner or someone interested in showing.
But that one email rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I was having a bad day.
Last summer, I had a bad day that landed on a rabbit show day. I'm sure people wondered why the things that bothered me did so. But it's not my typical way of spending a day at a rabbit show. Chalk it up to a bad day. We should all be entitled to go south every now and then without permanent repercussions.
A friend of mine ran into someone apparently having a bad day at the recent rabbit show. At least I hope we can chalk it up to a bad day. The thing is, only time will tell. Unless we have a history with someone, we really don't know whether this is atypical behavior - that is, just a bad day, or whether this person really acts like this on a consistent basis.
The best thing to do is act as if it is just a bad day and let it go. If you see the same sort of behavior on a consistent basis, then it may be best to avoid run-ins with that person.
Rabbit shows are wonderful things. I love them. They provide an opportunity to visit with friends, get away from your regular routine, play with bunnies all day, and perhaps experience the pride and pleasure of having your rabbits do well on the table.
But it's also a collection of people at various levels of rest, tolerance, stress, grace, excitement, competition, protectiveness, helpfulness, demanding attitudes, and so forth. And usually, we are crammed into a small area with conflicting expectations. Things are unfortunately ripe for an explosion.
I remember hearing people yelling at each other in the aisles at Convention last fall. Things really do erupt in a big way from time to time. When you are involved in such a situation, what can you do?
This past week, I got an email from someone that just rubbed me the wrong way. I let the writer know that I would have responded much better to a gentle reminder rather than a subtle threat. She was apparently offended by my response.
That interchange was not typical. I answer literally hundreds of emails per month (my rabbit is pregnant, my bunny won't eat, I bought a pet at the flea market, there's only one kit in the litter, etc.) and I try to be friendly and helpful whether the request for information is from a customer or friend, or whether it's from Singapore or Israel, from a pet owner or someone interested in showing.
But that one email rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I was having a bad day.
Last summer, I had a bad day that landed on a rabbit show day. I'm sure people wondered why the things that bothered me did so. But it's not my typical way of spending a day at a rabbit show. Chalk it up to a bad day. We should all be entitled to go south every now and then without permanent repercussions.
A friend of mine ran into someone apparently having a bad day at the recent rabbit show. At least I hope we can chalk it up to a bad day. The thing is, only time will tell. Unless we have a history with someone, we really don't know whether this is atypical behavior - that is, just a bad day, or whether this person really acts like this on a consistent basis.
The best thing to do is act as if it is just a bad day and let it go. If you see the same sort of behavior on a consistent basis, then it may be best to avoid run-ins with that person.
Rabbit shows are wonderful things. I love them. They provide an opportunity to visit with friends, get away from your regular routine, play with bunnies all day, and perhaps experience the pride and pleasure of having your rabbits do well on the table.
But it's also a collection of people at various levels of rest, tolerance, stress, grace, excitement, competition, protectiveness, helpfulness, demanding attitudes, and so forth. And usually, we are crammed into a small area with conflicting expectations. Things are unfortunately ripe for an explosion.
I remember hearing people yelling at each other in the aisles at Convention last fall. Things really do erupt in a big way from time to time. When you are involved in such a situation, what can you do?
- Give up your right to have the last word. Even if you are the injured party, staying in the fight for the last word is never worth it.
- Ask yourself whether the person is really part of your life. It is important to resolve issues with people who are truly in your world. It is not nearly so important to resolve issues with people you have just casual contact with.
- Apologize for whatever you can honestly apologize for. "I'm sorry that this situation has upset you. It was never my intention to hurt anyone."
- Remember that not everything is really about what it seems to be about. Therapists talk about "presenting" issues. Those are the things that people think the conflict is about. That's the "he said, she did" stuff. But the real issues are usually something else. Sorting out the presenting issues usually really doesn't matter. If a person is a high-controller, too competitive, or unforgiving, pointing out how they were wrong in the situation probably won't make a difference.
- Think about the children who are watching the situation and remind yourself to make the best of things for their sake. You probably care more about the children than you do about winning this argument anyway.
- Say out loud, "We are not going to agree on this."
- Ask, "What is it that you want?" Often people just want to gripe and complain. If you ask them what will make it right, they don't have an answer.
- Don't be too hard on yourself when you don't remember any of the above. Situations like these come out of the blue and you do not have time to prepare.
So the bottom line is this: we are all just people, imperfect and bound to disappoint each other from time to time. Unless someone has made it a habit to cause problems, be sure to allow for a bad day, minimize the situation, and be willing to move on.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Columbia, SC, Show
Once again, going out to eat after the show was one of the best parts of the weekend. My friends Lisa and Cindy, plus Cindy's mother-in-law, and our collective four children went to Ci-Ci's pizza and enjoyed at least an hour of relaxation after the show. All three families had had a good day at table and we enjoyed reliving the day.
I am particularly pleased that The Nature Trail's Nino (The Nature Trail's Geordi x The Nature Trail's Nina) actually beat BBF's Yankee Doodle Dandy for his first leg. He'd been coming in second to him. It was nice that he landed on top for a change. I'm not sure who was more excited: Cindy, her girls, or me!
I'm a bit worried about Fayth, however. She's due for a big letdown soon. She's riding really high right now. Last weekend, she won double BIS with her fuzzy Pepsi. She had a great Nationals, winning BOSG with Dandy. In SC, Dandy was BRIS in Show A, and she won BIS with her homegrown cutie Sugar's Stack House, a broken junior buck out of Sugar's Teacup. That's a double delight. I just hope when she lands back on solid ground that it's a gentle landing!!
One thing that did bring our meal down was the fact that there had been an incident at the youth table. Apparently some child or children did not show their rabbits. It would have been a good time for the parent of the children to model some really good behavior for her children, but she decided to make a scene instead, from what I witnessed.
We had the same situation at the open table. A rabbit did not make it to the table before the first place rabbit was judged. Sometimes with smaller classes, things can go quickly and get confused, even if everyone is trying to do a good job. Luckily at our table, everyone acted like an adult and things were resolved amicably.
Congratulations to Mike & Tiffany Harris who won their first BOB in show A. They were also one of six rabbits that the BIS judge asked to stay on the table while all others were removed. Even though they didn't get the BIS, it's a great accomplishment to be one of six rabbits seriously considered for the BIS and BRIS! They won with a solid senior buck "BIL."
I was especially pleased with the judges we had at this show. I've noticed that the Southern Pride Rabbit & Cavy Club makes a special effort to provide a wide variety of judges. They do that by getting input from the various breeds and then scheduling judges for their first available show, even if it is 18 to 24 months in the future. After all, it's often the judges who are booked up - not the ones that are perpetually available - that we really want to see!
Show A was judged by Bob Shaftoe. He's from Canada, but learned his skills originally in England. I found him to take notice of the underlying structure of the rabbit more than other judges I have observed. He found that one of my young bucks had had a dislocated hip at one time. It went back in, but has left him with slightly uneven hips. It was amazing that he found that. I'm just glad that I have a better brother in that litter to show! He did say it was unlikely to be genetic, so I haven't lost him as a producer. And, he says it's a fault and not a DQ.
Bob gave ample and useful comments. He's also a teaching judge. Several times he invited exhibitors to come behind the table and feel what he was talking about. I got to feel of a hollow spot in the sternum of an English Lop. Of course, the schedule was not tight and that allowed him the luxury. But many judges wouldn't do that if they only had 50 rabbits to judge all day!
I felt that, for the most part, he lined my own rabbits up correctly compared to each other. That is, he put the solid junior buck that I think is better higher than my other solid junior buck that I like, but do not feel is quite as strong. I didn't get to feel the other rabbits, so I can't say whether I'd agree with every placement. But for the rabbits I do know very well, I could tell that he could tell the difference.
Our second judge was David Kroenke from KS. Although he doesn't get the Hollands way up on their front feet, his method of evaluating them still managed to get the right rabbits to the right places. He and Bob were very close or identical in their choices. First and second might flip flop, but that was about it. One long-time Holland breeder asked if he raised Hollands, noting that he had a really good eye for them. He replied that he did not, but had judged quite a few of them.
He tended to like the balanced Holland (as did Bob) rather than looking for the biggest rabbit that didn't go over 4.00. It's a breath of fresh air to have something besides a headhunter or a judge looking for a huge Holland. We're a dwarf breed and we should value the smaller rabbits who are massive for their size, balanced, well-built, and have a real Holland look to them.
I'm sure some of you are saying, "But what about Rio?" I love him and he has some exceptional qualities, but I'd prefer him to be 3.08 or less. I like some of my 3.02 and 3.04 bucks better.
Overall, my rabbits did very well on the table. It was a small show due to recent Nationals, current Nationals, and upcoming Nationals! Add to that the rising gasoline prices and bad weather, and we had a very relaxed, laid back show that finished at a reasonable hour.
In the first show, Panache was BOS. She was my 6th place broken junior doe from Nationals. I picked up four legs, 1 quality, and 1 herdsman point. Not bad.
In the second show, Panache was also the BOS. Java, the solid junior buck who was first place at Nationals, has since turned senior. At just 6 months old, he took the class and was the best solid. I was very pleased he was also named Best of Breed. As a funny side note, I was writing, so I didn't have my own notes in front of me. I thought it was Wizard still on the table (I haven't memorized their ear numbers yet). Mike Harris said that he thought it was Boris still on the table. I didn't realize that Java was the one who got the BOB until I went to put him back into his carrier.
In that show, I picked up four legs, 3 quality points, and another herdsman point.
Then I got busy going over a buck that I had brought for Mike & Tiffany. I just happened to look over their shoulders to see more than one breed on the table. I never heard the BIS call!. Luckily, I got Java to the table in time - they were still checking ear numbers.
Java was Best In Show!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 9:11 AM 2 comments links to this post
I am particularly pleased that The Nature Trail's Nino (The Nature Trail's Geordi x The Nature Trail's Nina) actually beat BBF's Yankee Doodle Dandy for his first leg. He'd been coming in second to him. It was nice that he landed on top for a change. I'm not sure who was more excited: Cindy, her girls, or me!
I'm a bit worried about Fayth, however. She's due for a big letdown soon. She's riding really high right now. Last weekend, she won double BIS with her fuzzy Pepsi. She had a great Nationals, winning BOSG with Dandy. In SC, Dandy was BRIS in Show A, and she won BIS with her homegrown cutie Sugar's Stack House, a broken junior buck out of Sugar's Teacup. That's a double delight. I just hope when she lands back on solid ground that it's a gentle landing!!
One thing that did bring our meal down was the fact that there had been an incident at the youth table. Apparently some child or children did not show their rabbits. It would have been a good time for the parent of the children to model some really good behavior for her children, but she decided to make a scene instead, from what I witnessed.
We had the same situation at the open table. A rabbit did not make it to the table before the first place rabbit was judged. Sometimes with smaller classes, things can go quickly and get confused, even if everyone is trying to do a good job. Luckily at our table, everyone acted like an adult and things were resolved amicably.
Congratulations to Mike & Tiffany Harris who won their first BOB in show A. They were also one of six rabbits that the BIS judge asked to stay on the table while all others were removed. Even though they didn't get the BIS, it's a great accomplishment to be one of six rabbits seriously considered for the BIS and BRIS! They won with a solid senior buck "BIL."
I was especially pleased with the judges we had at this show. I've noticed that the Southern Pride Rabbit & Cavy Club makes a special effort to provide a wide variety of judges. They do that by getting input from the various breeds and then scheduling judges for their first available show, even if it is 18 to 24 months in the future. After all, it's often the judges who are booked up - not the ones that are perpetually available - that we really want to see!
Show A was judged by Bob Shaftoe. He's from Canada, but learned his skills originally in England. I found him to take notice of the underlying structure of the rabbit more than other judges I have observed. He found that one of my young bucks had had a dislocated hip at one time. It went back in, but has left him with slightly uneven hips. It was amazing that he found that. I'm just glad that I have a better brother in that litter to show! He did say it was unlikely to be genetic, so I haven't lost him as a producer. And, he says it's a fault and not a DQ.
Bob gave ample and useful comments. He's also a teaching judge. Several times he invited exhibitors to come behind the table and feel what he was talking about. I got to feel of a hollow spot in the sternum of an English Lop. Of course, the schedule was not tight and that allowed him the luxury. But many judges wouldn't do that if they only had 50 rabbits to judge all day!
I felt that, for the most part, he lined my own rabbits up correctly compared to each other. That is, he put the solid junior buck that I think is better higher than my other solid junior buck that I like, but do not feel is quite as strong. I didn't get to feel the other rabbits, so I can't say whether I'd agree with every placement. But for the rabbits I do know very well, I could tell that he could tell the difference.
Our second judge was David Kroenke from KS. Although he doesn't get the Hollands way up on their front feet, his method of evaluating them still managed to get the right rabbits to the right places. He and Bob were very close or identical in their choices. First and second might flip flop, but that was about it. One long-time Holland breeder asked if he raised Hollands, noting that he had a really good eye for them. He replied that he did not, but had judged quite a few of them.
He tended to like the balanced Holland (as did Bob) rather than looking for the biggest rabbit that didn't go over 4.00. It's a breath of fresh air to have something besides a headhunter or a judge looking for a huge Holland. We're a dwarf breed and we should value the smaller rabbits who are massive for their size, balanced, well-built, and have a real Holland look to them.
I'm sure some of you are saying, "But what about Rio?" I love him and he has some exceptional qualities, but I'd prefer him to be 3.08 or less. I like some of my 3.02 and 3.04 bucks better.
Overall, my rabbits did very well on the table. It was a small show due to recent Nationals, current Nationals, and upcoming Nationals! Add to that the rising gasoline prices and bad weather, and we had a very relaxed, laid back show that finished at a reasonable hour.
In the first show, Panache was BOS. She was my 6th place broken junior doe from Nationals. I picked up four legs, 1 quality, and 1 herdsman point. Not bad.
In the second show, Panache was also the BOS. Java, the solid junior buck who was first place at Nationals, has since turned senior. At just 6 months old, he took the class and was the best solid. I was very pleased he was also named Best of Breed. As a funny side note, I was writing, so I didn't have my own notes in front of me. I thought it was Wizard still on the table (I haven't memorized their ear numbers yet). Mike Harris said that he thought it was Boris still on the table. I didn't realize that Java was the one who got the BOB until I went to put him back into his carrier.
In that show, I picked up four legs, 3 quality points, and another herdsman point.
Then I got busy going over a buck that I had brought for Mike & Tiffany. I just happened to look over their shoulders to see more than one breed on the table. I never heard the BIS call!. Luckily, I got Java to the table in time - they were still checking ear numbers.
Java was Best In Show!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 9:11 AM 2 comments links to this post
Friday, April 21, 2006
After Easter Fallout
In the spring, almost everyone is a rabbit person, if temporarily. Some people are caught up in the moment and decide to purchase a pet rabbit. But the season changes and there are different distractions and enticements that come along. For those not truly dedicated to having a rabbit, the glow begins to fade. And then you get an email that starts, "My daughter got a pet rabbit for Easters, but recently . . . . "
I hope that you have a policy of taking back pet rabbits that you sell. Of course, this email may or may not be from one of your customers. Either way, you can give him or her some sound advice:
I hope that you have a policy of taking back pet rabbits that you sell. Of course, this email may or may not be from one of your customers. Either way, you can give him or her some sound advice:
- Post a note at the nearby vet offices. Most have a bulletin board. And people who take their animals to the vet might make good families for the rabbit.
- Place an ad in a free advertising newspaper.
- Post a note at pet supply stores that do not sell pets.
- Note that the cage and supplies are included with the rabbit.
- Do not release the rabbit. It has a poor chance of survival.
- Donate the rabbit to a zoo or raptor center. Make sure they know that the zoo will most likely use it for food. (Use this advice sparingly - some people cannot handle it.)
If you decide to accept the rabbit (whether or not you are the one that sold it), tell the family that you will have an easier time finding a new home for the rabbit if it comes with the cage and supplies. They have no need of them anyway and will probably donate them.
Quarantine the rabbit. Don't let a good deed ruin your herd.
I have had three Hollands that I sold come back to me. One was after a year and a half. She had turned out to be a very nice doe with an excellent head, so I bred her and she produced some nice kits for me. The next time it happened, I found a home for him the very next day. On the third occasion, I believe he was with me for a week or two, but is now producing babies for a breeder. He's a real sweetie.
So having rabbits come back to you isn't always a bad thing. In all cases, the rabbits were well socialized, having been in a herd of one with lots of attention, at least in the beginning.
Unfortunately breeders, rather than non-committed pet owners, are blamed for any rabbit that ends up in a shelter. You might consider the local political situation when you decide whether or not to accept rabbits that need a home, or whether or not to respond to such emails and phone calls at all.
I personally do not accept rabbits that did not originate in my herd. Rather, I try to advise the owners as much as possible about their options. I will accept any rabbit back that I've sold. I do not give refunds for rabbits that are returned.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Genetic Surprises
Would you believe after all of those non-fuzzy kits that Katee produced for me, on the very last litter, I have a fuzzy from her! Yes, it was Katee all along passing down the wool gene to my rabbits. If you have a Katee offspring, it has a 50% chance of being a wool carrier!
A friend wrote about a rabbit I used to own. He's a blue tort. Every rabbit in his pedigree is tort. That dilute gene was hidden for generations - at least the line that led to this boy. It's really a surprise; you can't see where it came from.
And I've produced some rabbits myself that show dilute or the sable gene when it was a total surprise. Sometimes I can ferret out where it came from and other times, I have no clue.
May recently threw a sable point, which was a surprise. Her parents, grandparents and great grandparents are all either tort or black. I'm guessing that she inherited the REW gene from her father. I learned about that genetic surprise on a previous litter.
I suppose a line breeding might prove out the theory, if I'm lucky. If May bred to Merlin produced a REW, it would be certain. But they could have a nice-sized litter of torts and it would prove nothing. She was bred to Anthony who is out of GC LL Brendan. I know for certain that Brendan carries dilute and I the sable gene. So I learned something about Anthony with this breeding, too.
Although I have an almost all-tort barn, my rabbits still do hold a few color surprises.
I think I wrote to someone once that chestnut was a very dominant color. I meant that, a homogenous chestnut will throw chestnuts with anything except a steel or BEW (it throws a sport with a BEW).
Then I got a note one day saying that a certain gene was "very dominant." I really couldn't complain because I had used that concept myself. But in reality, genes are subject to the laws of probability. They aren't more stubborn or flimsy or even more dominant than dominant (though some are incompletely dominant). And when you have very large samples, they behave in a very predictable way. But in small samples, we can be very easily surprised.
Color genetics are very simple.
Raise your hand if you disagree with that statement. I'm sure there are a lot of hands up (even though there is no one there to see you, I know your hand is up).
But compared to the other rabbit genes, the color genes are quite simple. There are just a few basic genes. Yes, it gets more complicated when you start talking modifiers. But you can see the results and figure out where the components came from if you have access to the appropriate records.
The other genes are much more complex. How many genes does it take to make a huge head with good teeth, a bold eye, and proper ear carriage? How many different genes reside in the same location? That is, we know there are five different c-series genes for color. How many ear placement genes are there? And in which order are they dominant?
It's no wonder we get surprises in our litters. I'm sure that many of the really great rabbits in any given breed were surprises. The real trick is to try to line those good genes up and produce those good rabbits on a regular basis.
But if you can't really figure out for sure where the pair of dilute genes came from in a line, how in the world can we figure out all of the other parts of the rabbit?
Our best tools, in my opinion, are working with a small gene pool and breeding large enough numbers from the same gene pool to start seeing patterns. To me, becoming very familiar with a small gene pool is better than having all of the very best rabbit genes in the country represented in my barn. That would be like having a grand library full of books written in languages I don't understand.
Sure, even working with a smaller gene pool we will have lots of surprises. But instead of breeding with the hope of lucking up on a really great surprise, we will be working with our herd to the point that we don't have to count on a lucky surprise for good results. In fact, it would be nice to get to the point that we are surprised if there is no nice show rabbit in each litter!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 9:02 AM 0 comments links to this post
A friend wrote about a rabbit I used to own. He's a blue tort. Every rabbit in his pedigree is tort. That dilute gene was hidden for generations - at least the line that led to this boy. It's really a surprise; you can't see where it came from.
And I've produced some rabbits myself that show dilute or the sable gene when it was a total surprise. Sometimes I can ferret out where it came from and other times, I have no clue.
May recently threw a sable point, which was a surprise. Her parents, grandparents and great grandparents are all either tort or black. I'm guessing that she inherited the REW gene from her father. I learned about that genetic surprise on a previous litter.
I suppose a line breeding might prove out the theory, if I'm lucky. If May bred to Merlin produced a REW, it would be certain. But they could have a nice-sized litter of torts and it would prove nothing. She was bred to Anthony who is out of GC LL Brendan. I know for certain that Brendan carries dilute and I the sable gene. So I learned something about Anthony with this breeding, too.
Although I have an almost all-tort barn, my rabbits still do hold a few color surprises.
I think I wrote to someone once that chestnut was a very dominant color. I meant that, a homogenous chestnut will throw chestnuts with anything except a steel or BEW (it throws a sport with a BEW).
Then I got a note one day saying that a certain gene was "very dominant." I really couldn't complain because I had used that concept myself. But in reality, genes are subject to the laws of probability. They aren't more stubborn or flimsy or even more dominant than dominant (though some are incompletely dominant). And when you have very large samples, they behave in a very predictable way. But in small samples, we can be very easily surprised.
Color genetics are very simple.
Raise your hand if you disagree with that statement. I'm sure there are a lot of hands up (even though there is no one there to see you, I know your hand is up).
But compared to the other rabbit genes, the color genes are quite simple. There are just a few basic genes. Yes, it gets more complicated when you start talking modifiers. But you can see the results and figure out where the components came from if you have access to the appropriate records.
The other genes are much more complex. How many genes does it take to make a huge head with good teeth, a bold eye, and proper ear carriage? How many different genes reside in the same location? That is, we know there are five different c-series genes for color. How many ear placement genes are there? And in which order are they dominant?
It's no wonder we get surprises in our litters. I'm sure that many of the really great rabbits in any given breed were surprises. The real trick is to try to line those good genes up and produce those good rabbits on a regular basis.
But if you can't really figure out for sure where the pair of dilute genes came from in a line, how in the world can we figure out all of the other parts of the rabbit?
Our best tools, in my opinion, are working with a small gene pool and breeding large enough numbers from the same gene pool to start seeing patterns. To me, becoming very familiar with a small gene pool is better than having all of the very best rabbit genes in the country represented in my barn. That would be like having a grand library full of books written in languages I don't understand.
Sure, even working with a smaller gene pool we will have lots of surprises. But instead of breeding with the hope of lucking up on a really great surprise, we will be working with our herd to the point that we don't have to count on a lucky surprise for good results. In fact, it would be nice to get to the point that we are surprised if there is no nice show rabbit in each litter!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 9:02 AM 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Spring Maintenance
We had a very hot day this past weekend. It was a rude reminder that hot weather is just around the corner. And it's time to get ready for it.
Andrew took the grills off of my barn fans and cleaned each fan very well. He also oiled the moving part in the middle. It's a great time to check for frayed cords, both on your fan and on any extension cords you must use.
It's time for me to purchase one more fan. I'll probably have to wait for them to show up at my local feed store. I would love to find one that can be wall-mounted. Mine are all on the ground and they really get in the way.
I've already had to stock up on fly strips. It's time to keep the manure removed from the barn on a more aggressive basis. In the cold of the winter, both flies and ammonia are kept at bay. But each time I remove manure from the barn, I also remove insect eggs and larva, as well as reduce the ammonia, which loves to be active in hot weather.
I also will begin collecting containers so that I can freeze water as the weather gets really hot. It may be late July and August before I need them on a regular basis, but we can have freakishly hot days in June as well.
Warmer weather also means warmer shows. I need to get my show fans out to check for wear and tear. A couple of mine are totally new, but some went to a few shows last summer.
I also want to get serious about a misting system for my barn. It may be something that I'll say again next spring, but now is the time to do it. Then I'll be pleased that I did when July comes along.
I'd like to find some plastic ice packs that will fit into the hay racks of my carriers. I think it would be literally cool to pack my rabbits on ice for the hotter shows of summer.
I'm about ready to switch my kits to a two-week nest box schedule. The last groups were in for 2 1/2 weeks. Our last frost date here is May 2, but we're having milder than usual weather already, so I think I can bump up my schedule some.
I've already noticed a reduction in feed consumption. I want to make doubly sure that old feed is removed from feeders before adding new. Although it's a good idea to keep feed fresh every day in the winter, it's a lifesaver in the summer. Here in Virginia, where we don't have the benefit of dry heat, feed is subjected to both moisture and heat - prime for growing bacteria and mold.
We're experiencing a hay shortage in our area. Because of the drought we are experiencing, even May cuttings are in doubt. So another task for me is to find additional sources of good hay.
In the winter, I can stuff the hay racks between my show rabbit cages with hay to cut down on air movement and make them more comfortable in the cold weather. In warm weather, I just put a handful in between each set of cages to allow more air movement.
Although I have an automatic watering system, I will be more liberal about which rabbits also get a crock. Nursing mothers, litters, juniors (especially with a roommate), and any rabbit that could benefit from gaining a few ounces will be on crocks. Rabbits won't eat well if they don't drink well. And these rabbits need to eat and drink especially well.
We do have a couple of special projects that we need to attend to. We want to remove a panel of siding and replace it with a "window." My windows are openings covered with hardware cloth and mosquito screen. That should cool down our one extra hot corner. And, although we've made some repairs to the door, we still have some work to do on that as well.
Okay, I'm tired now just listing everything that needs to be done! But it's better to tackle them now, in the relative cool of April, then to be forced to deal with them in the scorching heat of July!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 9:27 AM 0 comments links to this post
Andrew took the grills off of my barn fans and cleaned each fan very well. He also oiled the moving part in the middle. It's a great time to check for frayed cords, both on your fan and on any extension cords you must use.
It's time for me to purchase one more fan. I'll probably have to wait for them to show up at my local feed store. I would love to find one that can be wall-mounted. Mine are all on the ground and they really get in the way.
I've already had to stock up on fly strips. It's time to keep the manure removed from the barn on a more aggressive basis. In the cold of the winter, both flies and ammonia are kept at bay. But each time I remove manure from the barn, I also remove insect eggs and larva, as well as reduce the ammonia, which loves to be active in hot weather.
I also will begin collecting containers so that I can freeze water as the weather gets really hot. It may be late July and August before I need them on a regular basis, but we can have freakishly hot days in June as well.
Warmer weather also means warmer shows. I need to get my show fans out to check for wear and tear. A couple of mine are totally new, but some went to a few shows last summer.
I also want to get serious about a misting system for my barn. It may be something that I'll say again next spring, but now is the time to do it. Then I'll be pleased that I did when July comes along.
I'd like to find some plastic ice packs that will fit into the hay racks of my carriers. I think it would be literally cool to pack my rabbits on ice for the hotter shows of summer.
I'm about ready to switch my kits to a two-week nest box schedule. The last groups were in for 2 1/2 weeks. Our last frost date here is May 2, but we're having milder than usual weather already, so I think I can bump up my schedule some.
I've already noticed a reduction in feed consumption. I want to make doubly sure that old feed is removed from feeders before adding new. Although it's a good idea to keep feed fresh every day in the winter, it's a lifesaver in the summer. Here in Virginia, where we don't have the benefit of dry heat, feed is subjected to both moisture and heat - prime for growing bacteria and mold.
We're experiencing a hay shortage in our area. Because of the drought we are experiencing, even May cuttings are in doubt. So another task for me is to find additional sources of good hay.
In the winter, I can stuff the hay racks between my show rabbit cages with hay to cut down on air movement and make them more comfortable in the cold weather. In warm weather, I just put a handful in between each set of cages to allow more air movement.
Although I have an automatic watering system, I will be more liberal about which rabbits also get a crock. Nursing mothers, litters, juniors (especially with a roommate), and any rabbit that could benefit from gaining a few ounces will be on crocks. Rabbits won't eat well if they don't drink well. And these rabbits need to eat and drink especially well.
We do have a couple of special projects that we need to attend to. We want to remove a panel of siding and replace it with a "window." My windows are openings covered with hardware cloth and mosquito screen. That should cool down our one extra hot corner. And, although we've made some repairs to the door, we still have some work to do on that as well.
Okay, I'm tired now just listing everything that needs to be done! But it's better to tackle them now, in the relative cool of April, then to be forced to deal with them in the scorching heat of July!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 9:27 AM 0 comments links to this post
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Evacuation
There's a wildfire burning in our county. About 2000 acres had burned as of yesterday evening. A fire break was being created around 4000 acres. Sarah is out of school today because families were evacuated to the high school gymnasium.
I had awaken early in the morning on Monday to the smell of wood smoke. Andrew assured me it was nothing, and I went back to sleep but with an uneasy feeling. Now please be assured that the fire is still half a county away from me. What I smelled had simply been carried on the wind. But it is close enough to me to make me sit up and take notice.
I was checking on the internet to see where the fire is compared to our house. I found a map that shows that we are in a high risk area for wild fires. That was a wake-up call. I had recently told a friend that I live in a pretty safe area. Mountainous areas tend to break up tornadoes. We're far enough inland not to have huge problems with hurricanes. We're not in an earthquake zone (actually we have them, but they are so light no one notices, I've been told). We live on the top of a ridge, so you know we have zero concerns about flooding. I've always said that if we get flooded up here, it's all over for everyone!
So all of a sudden, I am awake to the possibility that one day there may be knock on the door from the National Guard saying that we have one hour to evacuate.
And no matter where you are or how safe you think you are, something could happen in your neighborhood, too.
I'd like to think that I'd be level-headed should such occur here. My first priority would be inside the house. Family members, prescription medication, our indoor dogs, and financial information. I've probably ignored those prompts to backup my financial information and my rabbitry data once too many. But my memory stick from my computer would definitely be one of the things to collect. Would you like to re-enter every rabbit that is now in your database? I surely wouldn't!
The last thing from the house that I would definitely take is my pedigree book. That may sound silly to you, but my whole rabbit life is organized in there. Hey, I can reorder birth certificates for my kids, but I wouldn't even know where to begin in reassembling that book!
Now we come to the really difficult part. Even with my rabbitry down to its smallest size in quite some time, I still have more rabbits than I have carriers. Sure, some can double up. Even rabbits that would normally fight, probably won't do so while riding in the car. It's not optimal, but better than dying from smoke inhalation or dying from the fumes from a chemical spill.
I generally keep tags on my cages that could easily be transferred to my carriers. That would help me keep animals straight. My concern, of course, is for those that I have not yet tattooed. I could wipe out 4 months of work by confusing all of my tort juniors!
So I guess I'd better start tattooing my juniors at a little younger age. That would eliminate a lot of problems.
Also, I need to buy more carriers. I should calculate what it would take to evacuate my barn, doubling up juniors, and make sure I have that many on hand. Of course, there's the limitation of the vehicle to be considered. I can't exactly leave two children behind to add more carriers! So I guess now would be a good time to coordinate with my parents who live next door and have a full sized van. It wouldn't be a bad idea to talk with both them and my sister next door to them to determine where the family would meet up in case of evacuation.
Andrew has a habit of leaving me with next to no gasoline in the van. I suppose it would be a good idea to keep at least half a tank in there, in case we do need to leave the area.
I don't want to live my life on the edge all of the time, waiting for a disaster. But by taking a few minutes to go over our plan, say once a year, I can make whatever preparations are necessary and then not worry about it the rest of the time.
I took the time to research the appropriate fire extinguisher for my barn (pressurized water) and to track one down. Now I need to spend some time making evacuation plans. And then hope that I never need them.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 10:18 AM 2 comments links to this post
I had awaken early in the morning on Monday to the smell of wood smoke. Andrew assured me it was nothing, and I went back to sleep but with an uneasy feeling. Now please be assured that the fire is still half a county away from me. What I smelled had simply been carried on the wind. But it is close enough to me to make me sit up and take notice.
I was checking on the internet to see where the fire is compared to our house. I found a map that shows that we are in a high risk area for wild fires. That was a wake-up call. I had recently told a friend that I live in a pretty safe area. Mountainous areas tend to break up tornadoes. We're far enough inland not to have huge problems with hurricanes. We're not in an earthquake zone (actually we have them, but they are so light no one notices, I've been told). We live on the top of a ridge, so you know we have zero concerns about flooding. I've always said that if we get flooded up here, it's all over for everyone!
So all of a sudden, I am awake to the possibility that one day there may be knock on the door from the National Guard saying that we have one hour to evacuate.
And no matter where you are or how safe you think you are, something could happen in your neighborhood, too.
I'd like to think that I'd be level-headed should such occur here. My first priority would be inside the house. Family members, prescription medication, our indoor dogs, and financial information. I've probably ignored those prompts to backup my financial information and my rabbitry data once too many. But my memory stick from my computer would definitely be one of the things to collect. Would you like to re-enter every rabbit that is now in your database? I surely wouldn't!
The last thing from the house that I would definitely take is my pedigree book. That may sound silly to you, but my whole rabbit life is organized in there. Hey, I can reorder birth certificates for my kids, but I wouldn't even know where to begin in reassembling that book!
Now we come to the really difficult part. Even with my rabbitry down to its smallest size in quite some time, I still have more rabbits than I have carriers. Sure, some can double up. Even rabbits that would normally fight, probably won't do so while riding in the car. It's not optimal, but better than dying from smoke inhalation or dying from the fumes from a chemical spill.
I generally keep tags on my cages that could easily be transferred to my carriers. That would help me keep animals straight. My concern, of course, is for those that I have not yet tattooed. I could wipe out 4 months of work by confusing all of my tort juniors!
So I guess I'd better start tattooing my juniors at a little younger age. That would eliminate a lot of problems.
Also, I need to buy more carriers. I should calculate what it would take to evacuate my barn, doubling up juniors, and make sure I have that many on hand. Of course, there's the limitation of the vehicle to be considered. I can't exactly leave two children behind to add more carriers! So I guess now would be a good time to coordinate with my parents who live next door and have a full sized van. It wouldn't be a bad idea to talk with both them and my sister next door to them to determine where the family would meet up in case of evacuation.
Andrew has a habit of leaving me with next to no gasoline in the van. I suppose it would be a good idea to keep at least half a tank in there, in case we do need to leave the area.
I don't want to live my life on the edge all of the time, waiting for a disaster. But by taking a few minutes to go over our plan, say once a year, I can make whatever preparations are necessary and then not worry about it the rest of the time.
I took the time to research the appropriate fire extinguisher for my barn (pressurized water) and to track one down. Now I need to spend some time making evacuation plans. And then hope that I never need them.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 10:18 AM 2 comments links to this post
Monday, April 17, 2006
One Empty Hole
I have an empty hole in my barn. And it has been empty for a week. That's amazing! I am so pleased with my empty hole. Every time I pass it and don't have to put feed it in, I am pleased all over again. It is a grand accomplishment for me.
I don't know how long the hole can stay empty. I do have a few young brothers sharing cages, so the hole may have an occupant at any time. But I actually have fewer roommates than usual. My rabbitry feels light and open. I love it.
Travel back with me about a year and you will know more about why I am so thrilled with my one open hole. I had purchased 36 rabbits from Valerie Harrell as she was getting out of rabbits.
When I purchased them, my rabbitry was full. So I ended up hanging about a dozen cages at the ends of rows. They overlapped my other cages, so I had to protect my lower rabbits from waste. I would have to duck under cages to feed the last bunnies on the original rows. Believe me, that is risky business.
I also placed a number of cages with trays (I hate trays!) on top of my hanging cages. And, in the very beginning, I even had some rabbits living temporarily in carriers.
I was working in the middle of a population explosion. Things were so confusing and hectic. I even sold a rabbit in the middle of trying to settle all of the rabbits in. I thought I had lost her or she had escaped. Then I saw my friend Linda Norris showing her. She reminded me that she had bought her. I was so relieved. I had imagined the bunny trying to survive somewhere on our property. That's just how crazy things were.
And then I continued to breed aggressively. I wanted to know what all of the new rabbits could do just at a time that the rabbit I already had were starting to click. I planned to enlarge my barn and even to double up my rows (remember, I hate trays!).
But then one day last fall, I asked myself, "Where does this all end?" With 300 holes and my life consumed with rabbits?
So I did an about-face, decided not to add to the barn again, not to add a layer of cages, and to reduce my herd to a size that comfortably fits into the number of cages I had.
That's when I decided to sell Dandy and his entire line (almost entire - I kept some crossover rabbits). It was a hard decision to make; I sold a lot of nice rabbits. Gradually, I sold rabbits and gradually, I removed cages from my rabbitry. Occasionally, I had to bring those cages back in. Andrew laughed at me many times as I tried to remove cages, but had to refill them as litters needed to be separated.
But before Nationals, I removed the last of the overflow cages. And now I have an empty hole. I am so proud of that hole.
I suppose it's not really any feat to reduce the number of rabbits in a rabbitry. You just sell more than you produce. But what makes it so sweet is that I both reduced the size of my rabbitry and had the best show of my life at Nationals. I have managed so far to reduce the number of rabbits and increase the number of keepers that I am producing.
The real proof to my success, however, will be to see if I can maintain my rabbitry size and continue to produce rabbits I am pleased with, generation after generation.
But for now, I am just enjoying my one empty hole.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 10:35 AM 1 comments links to this post
I don't know how long the hole can stay empty. I do have a few young brothers sharing cages, so the hole may have an occupant at any time. But I actually have fewer roommates than usual. My rabbitry feels light and open. I love it.
Travel back with me about a year and you will know more about why I am so thrilled with my one open hole. I had purchased 36 rabbits from Valerie Harrell as she was getting out of rabbits.
When I purchased them, my rabbitry was full. So I ended up hanging about a dozen cages at the ends of rows. They overlapped my other cages, so I had to protect my lower rabbits from waste. I would have to duck under cages to feed the last bunnies on the original rows. Believe me, that is risky business.
I also placed a number of cages with trays (I hate trays!) on top of my hanging cages. And, in the very beginning, I even had some rabbits living temporarily in carriers.
I was working in the middle of a population explosion. Things were so confusing and hectic. I even sold a rabbit in the middle of trying to settle all of the rabbits in. I thought I had lost her or she had escaped. Then I saw my friend Linda Norris showing her. She reminded me that she had bought her. I was so relieved. I had imagined the bunny trying to survive somewhere on our property. That's just how crazy things were.
And then I continued to breed aggressively. I wanted to know what all of the new rabbits could do just at a time that the rabbit I already had were starting to click. I planned to enlarge my barn and even to double up my rows (remember, I hate trays!).
But then one day last fall, I asked myself, "Where does this all end?" With 300 holes and my life consumed with rabbits?
So I did an about-face, decided not to add to the barn again, not to add a layer of cages, and to reduce my herd to a size that comfortably fits into the number of cages I had.
That's when I decided to sell Dandy and his entire line (almost entire - I kept some crossover rabbits). It was a hard decision to make; I sold a lot of nice rabbits. Gradually, I sold rabbits and gradually, I removed cages from my rabbitry. Occasionally, I had to bring those cages back in. Andrew laughed at me many times as I tried to remove cages, but had to refill them as litters needed to be separated.
But before Nationals, I removed the last of the overflow cages. And now I have an empty hole. I am so proud of that hole.
I suppose it's not really any feat to reduce the number of rabbits in a rabbitry. You just sell more than you produce. But what makes it so sweet is that I both reduced the size of my rabbitry and had the best show of my life at Nationals. I have managed so far to reduce the number of rabbits and increase the number of keepers that I am producing.
The real proof to my success, however, will be to see if I can maintain my rabbitry size and continue to produce rabbits I am pleased with, generation after generation.
But for now, I am just enjoying my one empty hole.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 10:35 AM 1 comments links to this post
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Saturday BLOGs
I actually stayed home from a rabbit show on purpose today. It's weird. I've been one of the most active exhibitors in the country for the last couple of years and I've enjoyed it. But I'm getting to the point that I do not enjoy having the same judges show after show, especially those not particularly skilled in Hollands. Last summer especially, it seemed like we were having the same judges, exhibitors, and rabbits every two weeks.
So I'm going to be a little more picky about where and when I show. When I told my husband that I was going to cut down my show schedule, he just laughed. That's the same response I got from friends. No one seems to think that I can do it. They may be right, but then again, I just might do it.
I can see the toll that my show schedule has taken on my garden. It's almost unrecognizable. So I hope to take some of these weekends off to revive that hobby. To that end, I have decided to discontinue Saturday BLOGs. I will also skip Sunday BLOGs unless I go to a Saturday show and get home in time to report on the show.
Readership is generally down on Saturday anyway, so I'm sure it won't be sorely missed. By the way, this is not an April Fool's Day joke. I do confine my big pranks to one day per year.
I do have some really good news to share. GC The Nature Trail's Brook had two live babies this week! She had had one dead litter previously and then missed two or three times. This was her last chance and I dreaded the thought of losing her without any babies. But now the ballgame has changed. She's a wonderful doe out of GC LL Brendan and Saynora's Katee. Her full sister, later litter, Triss, also had two live babies on the same day. They are with Rio. Unfortunately, they look tiny and may be peanuts. But at least she did everything right!
I'm working on my for sale list. I will be selling some surprising rabbits due to my enthusiasm over my latest crop of Hollands. Currently, I'm in the process of contacting my waiting list on particular rabbits, but after that, I'll get the photos posted on my for sale page. These rabbits can be delivered to the Ohio Mini Convention. Keep your eyes peeled.
No, I'm not selling May, Rio, Merlin, or Wizard. Sorry.
I'll talk to you on Monday.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 9:51 AM 0 comments links to this post
So I'm going to be a little more picky about where and when I show. When I told my husband that I was going to cut down my show schedule, he just laughed. That's the same response I got from friends. No one seems to think that I can do it. They may be right, but then again, I just might do it.
I can see the toll that my show schedule has taken on my garden. It's almost unrecognizable. So I hope to take some of these weekends off to revive that hobby. To that end, I have decided to discontinue Saturday BLOGs. I will also skip Sunday BLOGs unless I go to a Saturday show and get home in time to report on the show.
Readership is generally down on Saturday anyway, so I'm sure it won't be sorely missed. By the way, this is not an April Fool's Day joke. I do confine my big pranks to one day per year.
I do have some really good news to share. GC The Nature Trail's Brook had two live babies this week! She had had one dead litter previously and then missed two or three times. This was her last chance and I dreaded the thought of losing her without any babies. But now the ballgame has changed. She's a wonderful doe out of GC LL Brendan and Saynora's Katee. Her full sister, later litter, Triss, also had two live babies on the same day. They are with Rio. Unfortunately, they look tiny and may be peanuts. But at least she did everything right!
I'm working on my for sale list. I will be selling some surprising rabbits due to my enthusiasm over my latest crop of Hollands. Currently, I'm in the process of contacting my waiting list on particular rabbits, but after that, I'll get the photos posted on my for sale page. These rabbits can be delivered to the Ohio Mini Convention. Keep your eyes peeled.
No, I'm not selling May, Rio, Merlin, or Wizard. Sorry.
I'll talk to you on Monday.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 9:51 AM 0 comments links to this post
Friday, April 14, 2006
Rabbit For Stud
Now don't get all excited. I'm not making Rio or Merlin available for stud. I just want to talk about the issues involved in breeding outside your own herd. It may sound simple enough at first blush, but it is deceptive. And I'm afraid too many friendships have been damaged by a joint breeding or a stud situation gone sour.
Stud For Fee
You breed your buck to someone else's doe and you get money. We're done. Right? Well, not exactly. Let's back up quite a bit and start at the beginning.
First, you have to decide what to charge for your stud fee. There are many different philosophies out there, I'm sure. I am governed by a strong desire that people are satisfied with their purchases from me. So I get a little crazy when I breed a doe for a fee. I worry that the buyer will not get something worthwhile for their money. I know they are taking a risk - and they should know it, too. But even with this knowledge upfront, they could go away feeling dissatisfied.
I no longer breed does for other people for fees - just because I worry myself to death over it. I used to charge $50 per breeding by my grand champion bucks, but only to does I sold. But I charged only $20 if there was but one kit and $40 for two kits. So I shared some of the risk that way.
There's also the question of when you collect your fee. If your motivation is strictly monetary and business, then you collect it when the breeding occurs and let fate take over from there. You might choose to wait until the doe has a live litter from the breeding. I collected my fee when the kits were a few weeks old. I didn't want someone paying for babies that only lived a few days.
Another option is to guarantee a rebreeding, should the doe miss. You should discuss ahead of time whether that includes the doe having a dead litter or a litter full of peanuts.
Joint Breeding Projects
I have participated in several joint breeding projects with friends. These have all turned out to be just fine. We've had no problems that I'm aware of. I think that the main reason is that we're very clear upfront about who gets what in the litter - before the breeding takes place.
I recently agreed to a breeding but did not clarify who got what. The doe wasn't interested, but I realized later that I hadn't followed my own rules. Of course, I don't enter into these types of agreements with people I don't trust, so I'm sure we would have worked things out well and done so before any kits were born, but it just shows how easy it is to get busy and forget this important step.
There's no one way to do a joint breeding. One approach is to give the first pick of the litter to the owner of the most outstanding rabbit. For example, if I got to breed one of my does to a BOB from a Convention or Nationals, I would expect to give the first pick of the litter back to the owner of the BOB. I would just count myself lucky to get those genes in my barn.
Another approach is to give the first pick to the owner of the doe. That person does much more work and takes a bigger risk. I've never heard of a buck to die from breeding, but does can.
Occasionally, I've agreed to give the owner of the buck the best doe (whether it is the best of the litter or not) and I would take the best buck. That's a nice way to go since, if I already have the doe in the deal, I might be in the market for a buck, and vice versa. Of course, there's a risk that there will be no does or no bucks. Make sure you have a back-up plan that you have discussed.
Also, think ahead of time about what you will do if there is only one kit. When that happens with me, I always say the single kit goes to the owner of the doe.
Multiple Joint Breeding Plans
Although I have had a few litters with more than one show rabbit in it, usually getting more than one really good rabbit in a litter is the exception. And you both want a really good rabbit out of the deal, right?
So one solution is to have a multiple breeding plan. My friend Alison and I have done this in the past. We agree that the owner of the doe gets the pick of the litter the first time. Then we rebreed and the owner of the buck gets the pick of the litter the second time.
Also talk about when you will pick your rabbits. I don't like to even look at a Holland until they are 12 to 14 weeks old. Others want their rabbits sorted out by 8 weeks. You don't want to think that everything is going smoothly only to find that the other person wants to drag their feet about making a selection or pressure you into choosing before you think the rabbits are ready to be sorted.
Pedigrees
Whose name goes on the pedigree? You can do the joint name method. It can be long and cumbersome, depending on the prefixes involved, but it does give credit where it is due.
If you buy a doe from a breeder that is bred to a buck of his/her choosing, then that breeder has the right to pedigree the resulting rabbits. They may give up that right, but you should ask and find out their preference. When I used to sell rabbits bred, I would allow the new owners to pedigree the kits. It wasn't being nice. They might pedigree an ugly rabbit, and I didn't want my name on it!!!!
I did recently sell a bred doe to a youth friend of mine. I didn't do the breeding for him, but rather, had bred the doe for myself but decided to sell her. I gave him the option of pedigreeing them or of my pedigreeing them for him. I hope he doesn't want to keep any ugly rabbits!!!
With joint breedings, I generally pedigree the rabbits I keep and my friend will pedigree the rabbits she keeps.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are collecting stud fees or working together in joint breedings, it is very important that you have a clear agreement with the owner of the other rabbit. It's a great idea to have the agreement in writing. A month or two or three down the road, it may be difficult for even you to remember what you said.
Never enter into an agreement with someone you do not trust. Always be totally honest about what is born out of a joint litter or from a stud situation if the fee is not collected upfront. Follow your agreements for pedigreeing the resulting rabbits.
Health is a huge issue. Do not be shy about checking the other person's rabbit and insist that they check yours. Be very picky about who you enter into joint projects with.
Be willing to accept that the deal may work out better for the other person than it does for you. I try to forget about breedings from my bucks. Then when friends bring me bunnies back, it's like a surprise present.
So, to sum up, agree on the fee, if any, and when it is paid. Know who gets what before the kits are born. Discuss how the kits will be pedigreed. Make health inspections part of the breeding and insist that the other person inspect your rabbit. Be honest about what is born and stick to your end of the bargain. Be willing to accept that the other person may get more out of this than you. Enter into your agreements with a spirit of generosity And have fun.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 9:03 AM 1 comments links to this post
Stud For Fee
You breed your buck to someone else's doe and you get money. We're done. Right? Well, not exactly. Let's back up quite a bit and start at the beginning.
First, you have to decide what to charge for your stud fee. There are many different philosophies out there, I'm sure. I am governed by a strong desire that people are satisfied with their purchases from me. So I get a little crazy when I breed a doe for a fee. I worry that the buyer will not get something worthwhile for their money. I know they are taking a risk - and they should know it, too. But even with this knowledge upfront, they could go away feeling dissatisfied.
I no longer breed does for other people for fees - just because I worry myself to death over it. I used to charge $50 per breeding by my grand champion bucks, but only to does I sold. But I charged only $20 if there was but one kit and $40 for two kits. So I shared some of the risk that way.
There's also the question of when you collect your fee. If your motivation is strictly monetary and business, then you collect it when the breeding occurs and let fate take over from there. You might choose to wait until the doe has a live litter from the breeding. I collected my fee when the kits were a few weeks old. I didn't want someone paying for babies that only lived a few days.
Another option is to guarantee a rebreeding, should the doe miss. You should discuss ahead of time whether that includes the doe having a dead litter or a litter full of peanuts.
Joint Breeding Projects
I have participated in several joint breeding projects with friends. These have all turned out to be just fine. We've had no problems that I'm aware of. I think that the main reason is that we're very clear upfront about who gets what in the litter - before the breeding takes place.
I recently agreed to a breeding but did not clarify who got what. The doe wasn't interested, but I realized later that I hadn't followed my own rules. Of course, I don't enter into these types of agreements with people I don't trust, so I'm sure we would have worked things out well and done so before any kits were born, but it just shows how easy it is to get busy and forget this important step.
There's no one way to do a joint breeding. One approach is to give the first pick of the litter to the owner of the most outstanding rabbit. For example, if I got to breed one of my does to a BOB from a Convention or Nationals, I would expect to give the first pick of the litter back to the owner of the BOB. I would just count myself lucky to get those genes in my barn.
Another approach is to give the first pick to the owner of the doe. That person does much more work and takes a bigger risk. I've never heard of a buck to die from breeding, but does can.
Occasionally, I've agreed to give the owner of the buck the best doe (whether it is the best of the litter or not) and I would take the best buck. That's a nice way to go since, if I already have the doe in the deal, I might be in the market for a buck, and vice versa. Of course, there's a risk that there will be no does or no bucks. Make sure you have a back-up plan that you have discussed.
Also, think ahead of time about what you will do if there is only one kit. When that happens with me, I always say the single kit goes to the owner of the doe.
Multiple Joint Breeding Plans
Although I have had a few litters with more than one show rabbit in it, usually getting more than one really good rabbit in a litter is the exception. And you both want a really good rabbit out of the deal, right?
So one solution is to have a multiple breeding plan. My friend Alison and I have done this in the past. We agree that the owner of the doe gets the pick of the litter the first time. Then we rebreed and the owner of the buck gets the pick of the litter the second time.
Also talk about when you will pick your rabbits. I don't like to even look at a Holland until they are 12 to 14 weeks old. Others want their rabbits sorted out by 8 weeks. You don't want to think that everything is going smoothly only to find that the other person wants to drag their feet about making a selection or pressure you into choosing before you think the rabbits are ready to be sorted.
Pedigrees
Whose name goes on the pedigree? You can do the joint name method. It can be long and cumbersome, depending on the prefixes involved, but it does give credit where it is due.
If you buy a doe from a breeder that is bred to a buck of his/her choosing, then that breeder has the right to pedigree the resulting rabbits. They may give up that right, but you should ask and find out their preference. When I used to sell rabbits bred, I would allow the new owners to pedigree the kits. It wasn't being nice. They might pedigree an ugly rabbit, and I didn't want my name on it!!!!
I did recently sell a bred doe to a youth friend of mine. I didn't do the breeding for him, but rather, had bred the doe for myself but decided to sell her. I gave him the option of pedigreeing them or of my pedigreeing them for him. I hope he doesn't want to keep any ugly rabbits!!!
With joint breedings, I generally pedigree the rabbits I keep and my friend will pedigree the rabbits she keeps.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are collecting stud fees or working together in joint breedings, it is very important that you have a clear agreement with the owner of the other rabbit. It's a great idea to have the agreement in writing. A month or two or three down the road, it may be difficult for even you to remember what you said.
Never enter into an agreement with someone you do not trust. Always be totally honest about what is born out of a joint litter or from a stud situation if the fee is not collected upfront. Follow your agreements for pedigreeing the resulting rabbits.
Health is a huge issue. Do not be shy about checking the other person's rabbit and insist that they check yours. Be very picky about who you enter into joint projects with.
Be willing to accept that the deal may work out better for the other person than it does for you. I try to forget about breedings from my bucks. Then when friends bring me bunnies back, it's like a surprise present.
So, to sum up, agree on the fee, if any, and when it is paid. Know who gets what before the kits are born. Discuss how the kits will be pedigreed. Make health inspections part of the breeding and insist that the other person inspect your rabbit. Be honest about what is born and stick to your end of the bargain. Be willing to accept that the other person may get more out of this than you. Enter into your agreements with a spirit of generosity And have fun.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 9:03 AM 1 comments links to this post
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Website Updates
I finally have new pictures on my website. I really wish I had taken pictures of my juniors before Nationals. They are worse for the wear! I got pretty good cooperation from all but Leo. He LOVED being outdoors and was in constant motion. He's started into a molt anyway, so I wasn't likely to get great pictures and will have to try him again later.
To find pictures of my individual Hollands, click "My Hollands" at the top of any page. Then click the "Holland Lop Bucks" link on the left side. You will then see a list of my bucks on the right side. From any buck page, you can click "Holland Lop Does" in the left hand column. Then my does will be listed in the right hand column.
I also took pictures of our puppies. They are so cute at eight days old. You can find a link to those pictures on my main page. By the way, there is a "Home" link on the bottom of each page, before you get to the mini site map, just above the copyright information.
I haven't yet added my new breedings, but I'll try to get those listed this morning. I bred Stella with Merlin (a repeat of May, Hilary, Wizard, etc.).
I chose a full sibling breeding for Celeste. With a brother like Rio, why not give it a try? It's a risky move, but if it pays off, it could pay off in a big way.
I bred Java, my little first place buck from Nationals to Pandora. I usually steer clear of virgin to virgin breedings, so I delayed this one until after I had bred Java to Mercedes last week. He did a good job. Java and Pandora are both out of Boris. Their mothers are Katee and May. Now I can't wait to see how this turns out. Too bad they are both solids, though.
I have a six month old named Autumn who is out of Franz. She's being line bred. I want to learn a bit more about what he will be throwing and I should learn a lot from this breeding. Lisa pointed this doe out when she was ten weeks old and asked for her should I ever sell her. She's a cutie.
The last breeding from yesterday was Charade, who is another Merlin x Stella daughter, linebred to Merlin. Charade is a solid, so at least I don't have Charlies in the mix like I do with May, Hilary, and Purdy. The jury is out as to whether Charade is a fuzzy carrier like her dad. She's got a fantastic body and he has a wonderful head. I've got my fingers crossed. Of course, she's just getting started, so the odds are something around 50% for even getting a live kit. It's too soon to get excited yet.
I attempted to breed Kathryn, Java and Leo's sister. She has perhaps the best body in the barn. But she was having absolutely none of that. I'll try her again in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking of pairing her with Ox. He's got a really nice head. They are half-siblings through Katee. It may not work out, though, because Ox is not the most aggressive buck in the barn. He will easily breed a cooperative doe, but he's not one to convince the reluctant. I may have to bring in Rio for the job. He will generally breed anything, anywhere. And he has a nice head, too. He would just be more of an outcross.
Since there's so much new on my website to read, I'll keep this short. Talk to you tomorrow!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 9:43 AM 0 comments links to this post
To find pictures of my individual Hollands, click "My Hollands" at the top of any page. Then click the "Holland Lop Bucks" link on the left side. You will then see a list of my bucks on the right side. From any buck page, you can click "Holland Lop Does" in the left hand column. Then my does will be listed in the right hand column.
I also took pictures of our puppies. They are so cute at eight days old. You can find a link to those pictures on my main page. By the way, there is a "Home" link on the bottom of each page, before you get to the mini site map, just above the copyright information.
I haven't yet added my new breedings, but I'll try to get those listed this morning. I bred Stella with Merlin (a repeat of May, Hilary, Wizard, etc.).
I chose a full sibling breeding for Celeste. With a brother like Rio, why not give it a try? It's a risky move, but if it pays off, it could pay off in a big way.
I bred Java, my little first place buck from Nationals to Pandora. I usually steer clear of virgin to virgin breedings, so I delayed this one until after I had bred Java to Mercedes last week. He did a good job. Java and Pandora are both out of Boris. Their mothers are Katee and May. Now I can't wait to see how this turns out. Too bad they are both solids, though.
I have a six month old named Autumn who is out of Franz. She's being line bred. I want to learn a bit more about what he will be throwing and I should learn a lot from this breeding. Lisa pointed this doe out when she was ten weeks old and asked for her should I ever sell her. She's a cutie.
The last breeding from yesterday was Charade, who is another Merlin x Stella daughter, linebred to Merlin. Charade is a solid, so at least I don't have Charlies in the mix like I do with May, Hilary, and Purdy. The jury is out as to whether Charade is a fuzzy carrier like her dad. She's got a fantastic body and he has a wonderful head. I've got my fingers crossed. Of course, she's just getting started, so the odds are something around 50% for even getting a live kit. It's too soon to get excited yet.
I attempted to breed Kathryn, Java and Leo's sister. She has perhaps the best body in the barn. But she was having absolutely none of that. I'll try her again in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking of pairing her with Ox. He's got a really nice head. They are half-siblings through Katee. It may not work out, though, because Ox is not the most aggressive buck in the barn. He will easily breed a cooperative doe, but he's not one to convince the reluctant. I may have to bring in Rio for the job. He will generally breed anything, anywhere. And he has a nice head, too. He would just be more of an outcross.
Since there's so much new on my website to read, I'll keep this short. Talk to you tomorrow!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 9:43 AM 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Moving Down The Line
It is extremely exciting to get your hands on good stock. There's no doubt about that. Many people went home from Nationals with new goodies in their carriers. Gary Smith made a particularly good selection and took home this year's BOS winner. I know he can't wait for babies out of her!
The first time I went to a national-level show I took BBF's Yankee Doodle Dandy. I was thrilled and walking on air when he was fourth place under Joe Lugo in a huge class. But someone said, "Just wait until it is a rabbit you bred yourself." I thought that would be about a decade off, at that time.
But at the very next Nationals (2005), The Nature Trail's Mercedes (Saynora's Legolas x The Nature Trail's Alexis) was fourth place. She was my very own girl and it was indeed very exciting. It was so exciting, in fact, that I couldn't watch the table as she got closer to the top. I stood with my back to the table while my friend Peter told me whether she was still there or not. I didn't have enough Rolaids in my pocket to watch myself (I went through two packs when Dandy was on the table).
Fast forward to Convention 2006. I placed three rabbits in the top ten. I was blown away when one of mine took a class. But all three rabbits were first generation The Nature Trail's bunnies. That's far more exciting than showing someone else's stock.
Now I'm wanting to produce winning stock out of my own stock. That's where this past weekend comes in. My two seniors were first generation The Nature Trail's rabbits. Hilary is the sister to May who did well at Convention. She's out of Camelot's Merlin and Styles Stella. Jo-Jo is out of Saynora's Dan (a Laz/Pitney cross) and Mtn's Chai. They are still my rabbits, but the ingredients came from elsewhere.
Two of my juniors had The Nature Trail's sires. That's progress. I'm pleased to see that Boris is producing even better offspring than himself already. Three of my juniors that placed in the top ten have two The Nature Trail's parents. Now we're talking!! LaForge has produced some very nice juniors for me this year.
It was very scary to sell Dandy, Dan, and Brendan, especially after losing Celtus. I know that many of you thought I was crazy to do so. But I'm dedicated to producing my own line of winning rabbits. And I had to take the training wheels off at some point.
In fact, I'm down to two rabbits in my barn that were not born here: GC Camelot's Merlin and Style Stella. That's the combination that created May, Jewel, Hilary, Purdy, Wizard, Piazza, and a couple of up-and-coming juniors. I'd like to get one more litter from Stella and then retire her. Don't get excited; I'm pretty sure that Merlin has a home here for life. Even if he didn't produce some of the best babies in the barn, he's a lover who hums to me. I don't think I could ever give him up.
Looking at my breedings for Convention, I see I have 13 The Nature Trail's does bred to The Nature Trail's bucks. So far, there is only one The Nature Trail's doe bred to Merlin. I'm sure he'll get more girls before the Convention breeding period of over, though.
I'll also be breeding some second generation rabbits, so it is possible that I will be showing some third generation rabbits at Convention. At least, I have my fingers crossed and hope so.
So I'm seeing some progress and working toward another goal. One day, you will look at my pedigrees and see nothing but The Nature Trail's rabbits - and maybe Merlin.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 8:01 AM 0 comments links to this post
The first time I went to a national-level show I took BBF's Yankee Doodle Dandy. I was thrilled and walking on air when he was fourth place under Joe Lugo in a huge class. But someone said, "Just wait until it is a rabbit you bred yourself." I thought that would be about a decade off, at that time.
But at the very next Nationals (2005), The Nature Trail's Mercedes (Saynora's Legolas x The Nature Trail's Alexis) was fourth place. She was my very own girl and it was indeed very exciting. It was so exciting, in fact, that I couldn't watch the table as she got closer to the top. I stood with my back to the table while my friend Peter told me whether she was still there or not. I didn't have enough Rolaids in my pocket to watch myself (I went through two packs when Dandy was on the table).
Fast forward to Convention 2006. I placed three rabbits in the top ten. I was blown away when one of mine took a class. But all three rabbits were first generation The Nature Trail's bunnies. That's far more exciting than showing someone else's stock.
Now I'm wanting to produce winning stock out of my own stock. That's where this past weekend comes in. My two seniors were first generation The Nature Trail's rabbits. Hilary is the sister to May who did well at Convention. She's out of Camelot's Merlin and Styles Stella. Jo-Jo is out of Saynora's Dan (a Laz/Pitney cross) and Mtn's Chai. They are still my rabbits, but the ingredients came from elsewhere.
Two of my juniors had The Nature Trail's sires. That's progress. I'm pleased to see that Boris is producing even better offspring than himself already. Three of my juniors that placed in the top ten have two The Nature Trail's parents. Now we're talking!! LaForge has produced some very nice juniors for me this year.
It was very scary to sell Dandy, Dan, and Brendan, especially after losing Celtus. I know that many of you thought I was crazy to do so. But I'm dedicated to producing my own line of winning rabbits. And I had to take the training wheels off at some point.
In fact, I'm down to two rabbits in my barn that were not born here: GC Camelot's Merlin and Style Stella. That's the combination that created May, Jewel, Hilary, Purdy, Wizard, Piazza, and a couple of up-and-coming juniors. I'd like to get one more litter from Stella and then retire her. Don't get excited; I'm pretty sure that Merlin has a home here for life. Even if he didn't produce some of the best babies in the barn, he's a lover who hums to me. I don't think I could ever give him up.
Looking at my breedings for Convention, I see I have 13 The Nature Trail's does bred to The Nature Trail's bucks. So far, there is only one The Nature Trail's doe bred to Merlin. I'm sure he'll get more girls before the Convention breeding period of over, though.
I'll also be breeding some second generation rabbits, so it is possible that I will be showing some third generation rabbits at Convention. At least, I have my fingers crossed and hope so.
So I'm seeing some progress and working toward another goal. One day, you will look at my pedigrees and see nothing but The Nature Trail's rabbits - and maybe Merlin.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 8:01 AM 0 comments links to this post
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Payback Is Hell
By now I am sure that at least most of you are familiar with my little April Fool's Day prank. I got a number of emails in response telling me I was an "evil woman," "bad to the bone," and that I had really gotten them with my joke. But one person said simply, "payback is hell."
You will be happy to know that many people let me know about their reactions to it this weekend. But one person did a better job than others.
My friend Laura came up to me and said that she had brought a little gift for Anna, my nine-year old. "How sweet," I thought. Then she said that it was two rabbits. My first thought was that I am a rabbit breeder and could give her Hollands if I wanted her to have them. Then Laura says that I should let her know if they have babies for Anna. Now I'm thinking, "Great, I just got four empty cages and now I have to give two of them to Anna - this is supposed to be my hobby!" But I'm saying (while smiling, I hope), "I'm sure she will be thrilled." Anna has Netherland Dwarfs and she hasn't bred them yet. Now she's getting into Hollands, which I hadn't planned on. But I know Laura has a generous spirit and I wouldn't hurt her feelings with a "no thank you" for anything.
So about 45 minutes later, Laura walks back into the showroom with Anna's rabbits. They are stuffed! She got me. I have a feeling she's been thinking about her revenge since April 1!
As I mentioned yesterday, I was at the raffle table during the show. About mid-morning, I think it was, someone came to the table to tell me that my solid junior buck had taken the class. My response? "Is this a joke?" Is someone trying to get me again?
I have to say that I really didn't believe my buck had won until I saw the comment card.
So I had my fun on April first. But now I'm paying the price. I will spend this year looking out for my payback, whether it comes or not.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 10:03 AM 0 comments links to this post
You will be happy to know that many people let me know about their reactions to it this weekend. But one person did a better job than others.
My friend Laura came up to me and said that she had brought a little gift for Anna, my nine-year old. "How sweet," I thought. Then she said that it was two rabbits. My first thought was that I am a rabbit breeder and could give her Hollands if I wanted her to have them. Then Laura says that I should let her know if they have babies for Anna. Now I'm thinking, "Great, I just got four empty cages and now I have to give two of them to Anna - this is supposed to be my hobby!" But I'm saying (while smiling, I hope), "I'm sure she will be thrilled." Anna has Netherland Dwarfs and she hasn't bred them yet. Now she's getting into Hollands, which I hadn't planned on. But I know Laura has a generous spirit and I wouldn't hurt her feelings with a "no thank you" for anything.
So about 45 minutes later, Laura walks back into the showroom with Anna's rabbits. They are stuffed! She got me. I have a feeling she's been thinking about her revenge since April 1!
As I mentioned yesterday, I was at the raffle table during the show. About mid-morning, I think it was, someone came to the table to tell me that my solid junior buck had taken the class. My response? "Is this a joke?" Is someone trying to get me again?
I have to say that I really didn't believe my buck had won until I saw the comment card.
So I had my fun on April first. But now I'm paying the price. I will spend this year looking out for my payback, whether it comes or not.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 10:03 AM 0 comments links to this post
Monday, April 10, 2006
Holland Lop Nationals
WOW! Where do I even begin? How do I describe this weekend? I have no idea.
I guess I could start at the end. Boy, am I exhausted! I got home after midnight last night. Two Holland friends, Laura and Peter, came home with me. We spent most of the day in the barn looking at bunnies and having a great time. They hit the road in the middle of the afternoon and I took a nap. My apologies to the 100+ visitors to my BLOG today who were disappointed that my Nationals report wasn't up yet.
Maybe I could start at the very beginning instead.
Bright and early Thursday morning, I got up at 4:45 a.m. and hit the road just after 6:00 a.m. I made it to Atlanta just a little after 1:00 p.m. My daughter Anna and I had lunch with long-time friend Deb Troxtel at Underground Atlanta. She's the kind of friend that you feel like you just saw last week, even if it has been 1 1/2 years. We had a great time. She even walked several blocks to see my bunnies (that's my kind of gal!). Then we headed over to the GDOT, where my wonderful friend Doug works, to visit him. I also got to see Tony, a person I worked with at a different company. Now my two former co-workers from separate places work together. Small world.
I left too late and hit 5:00 traffic and a huge traffic jam due to a fatal accident. Anna asked me if this was why we left Atlanta. She said so sincerely, "Mom, I would have done that, too." I am definitely no longer a city person.
We roomed with our buddies Lisa and Fayth Young. We'd really been looking forward to spending some time together. The weekend was so hectic that I still didn't get to spend enough time with them. I showed the girls how to play Whoonu and it was a hit with them this weekend.
Bright and early the next morning, we headed over to the showroom to set up. It was a long, hard day, but truly, if I had gone home on Friday night, I would have had to report that I had a blast. The members of the Classy Country Hollanders really congealed into a tight group putting on this show. As far as I know, every member contributed and kept their cool. I started my day putting shavings into cages, followed up helping with cage tags, began getting my raffle table in order, cooped my bunnies, and ended by helping to get ear number changes done.
The youth ice cream social was delicious. Ice cream, being my favorite food in the world, was not to be missed. Thanks Kylee for scooping. I know it was hard work. But we surely enjoyed it. I got chocolate, no sprinkles, whipped cream, and 3 cherries. Yum.
Bright and early the next morning, it was time to head to the showroom. I got my bunnies somewhat groomed and then went to my station behind the raffle table. I really missed being a runner and hearing the judging, but it was very nice to have so many people come back and visit with me. Several kind exhibitors came back to report on my bunnies as they were placed. But I didn't really know how they had all done until I sorted through the comment cards. I'm still not sure which judges judged which classes.
The auction was a sad time for me because I had to say good-bye to Saynora's Katee who has been such a steady performer for me. She was purchased for $320, I believe, by Tracy Lukeman of THF-Saynora. I must say that I am very disappointed that she did not go to a rabbitry where she could have really made the difference to someone looking to make their first real breakthrough. Katee did that for me and I had hoped she would do that for someone else.
The number of judges was good and the number of entries reasonable, so we actually finished in time to get back to the hotel and get ready without undue pressure.
The banquet was the most laid back and fun of the four I've attended so far. There was a bit of a quality of a roast going on, with fun jabs between the two co-superintendents, Gary Smith and Tim Nix. I enjoyed the exhibitor choice awards. The judges were judged, being found to have slipped crowns, scattered white hairs, loose flesh, and a few other qualities. Did they mention pinched in the hindquarters?
Dwayne Scott did a great job as usual with the auction. He also did a lovely job presenting Margie Brewer, who worked so long and hard to make this Nationals happen, with a remembrance for her favorite rabbit Leroy which included the poem "The Rainbow Bridge." I don't think there were many dry eyes after that one.
The most disappointing part of the banquet is that there are so many people I would have loved to sit with. I very much enjoyed the company of the folks at my table - Dawn Plokhoy to my left, my friend Beth to my right. Our whole table was delightful and I was fortunate. But I could also look around the room and see a couple dozen people that I really didn't get to visit with as much as I would have loved to.
Cindy Pail, who by the way looked absolutely stunning at the banquet, was the banquet chair and did a beautiful job with the decorations. There was a gift basket for a centerpiece on each table and I won the one at our table. I tried to share the contents with the members of my table, but they wouldn't take anything. I got peach cider, preserves and jelly, spiced pecans, tea, peach mints, Vidalia onion dressing, peach barbecue sauce, and more - all in a delightful basket. Good job, Cindy.
Anna's favorite part is the auction. She eyed a stuffed bunny and decided that's what she wanted to bid on this year. We were sitting back to back with Joann Snodgrass, who was also bidding on the bunny. When Joann got up to $45, I tapped her on the back and said, "Do you know you are bidding against a 9-year old child?" That got a good laugh. Now I know what Joann looks like when she's embarrassed! Sorry Joann. Anna got her rabbit for $50 and we all had some extra fun out of it. Anna likes to bid, so it was more fun for her. And the donation is for a good cause.
One of my favorite parts of the day was when BBF's Yankee Doodle Dandy, one of my favorite rabbits of all time, won BOSG for his new owner Fayth Young and partner Taylor Brashear (for those of you new to my rabbitry, Dandy was a member of my barn and placed 4th for me at my first Convention). I knew that Dandy was one of Fayth's two favorite rabbits, but she came to give me a hug and beamed, "Dandy's my favorite rabbit!" (Dandy was BOS on Sunday, by the way.) Congratulations to Debbie Vigue for producing that wonderful rabbit that both Fayth and I enjoyed owning so much. I also heard that one of Dandy's sons did well in the show for Fayth and Taylor. That's even better.
Many of our District 9 friends did extremely well in the youth show. I'm so proud of you all. DJ, I hope you get some nice babies out of Narada!
The awards were hand-crafted feeding crocks by Charlotte Ford. They feature a Holland on the front and the placement and show information on the back. I haven't decided whether to display mine with my trophies or try to be pretentious at the next cooped show I attend!! They are too gorgeous to just use daily. I'll have to try to decide.
Speaking of awards, yes, I got to bring some home. Seven in fact. I missed best display by a couple hundred points. Saturday was the best show of my life. Here are my results:
I guess I could start at the end. Boy, am I exhausted! I got home after midnight last night. Two Holland friends, Laura and Peter, came home with me. We spent most of the day in the barn looking at bunnies and having a great time. They hit the road in the middle of the afternoon and I took a nap. My apologies to the 100+ visitors to my BLOG today who were disappointed that my Nationals report wasn't up yet.
Maybe I could start at the very beginning instead.
Bright and early Thursday morning, I got up at 4:45 a.m. and hit the road just after 6:00 a.m. I made it to Atlanta just a little after 1:00 p.m. My daughter Anna and I had lunch with long-time friend Deb Troxtel at Underground Atlanta. She's the kind of friend that you feel like you just saw last week, even if it has been 1 1/2 years. We had a great time. She even walked several blocks to see my bunnies (that's my kind of gal!). Then we headed over to the GDOT, where my wonderful friend Doug works, to visit him. I also got to see Tony, a person I worked with at a different company. Now my two former co-workers from separate places work together. Small world.
I left too late and hit 5:00 traffic and a huge traffic jam due to a fatal accident. Anna asked me if this was why we left Atlanta. She said so sincerely, "Mom, I would have done that, too." I am definitely no longer a city person.
We roomed with our buddies Lisa and Fayth Young. We'd really been looking forward to spending some time together. The weekend was so hectic that I still didn't get to spend enough time with them. I showed the girls how to play Whoonu and it was a hit with them this weekend.
Bright and early the next morning, we headed over to the showroom to set up. It was a long, hard day, but truly, if I had gone home on Friday night, I would have had to report that I had a blast. The members of the Classy Country Hollanders really congealed into a tight group putting on this show. As far as I know, every member contributed and kept their cool. I started my day putting shavings into cages, followed up helping with cage tags, began getting my raffle table in order, cooped my bunnies, and ended by helping to get ear number changes done.
The youth ice cream social was delicious. Ice cream, being my favorite food in the world, was not to be missed. Thanks Kylee for scooping. I know it was hard work. But we surely enjoyed it. I got chocolate, no sprinkles, whipped cream, and 3 cherries. Yum.
Bright and early the next morning, it was time to head to the showroom. I got my bunnies somewhat groomed and then went to my station behind the raffle table. I really missed being a runner and hearing the judging, but it was very nice to have so many people come back and visit with me. Several kind exhibitors came back to report on my bunnies as they were placed. But I didn't really know how they had all done until I sorted through the comment cards. I'm still not sure which judges judged which classes.
The auction was a sad time for me because I had to say good-bye to Saynora's Katee who has been such a steady performer for me. She was purchased for $320, I believe, by Tracy Lukeman of THF-Saynora. I must say that I am very disappointed that she did not go to a rabbitry where she could have really made the difference to someone looking to make their first real breakthrough. Katee did that for me and I had hoped she would do that for someone else.
The number of judges was good and the number of entries reasonable, so we actually finished in time to get back to the hotel and get ready without undue pressure.
The banquet was the most laid back and fun of the four I've attended so far. There was a bit of a quality of a roast going on, with fun jabs between the two co-superintendents, Gary Smith and Tim Nix. I enjoyed the exhibitor choice awards. The judges were judged, being found to have slipped crowns, scattered white hairs, loose flesh, and a few other qualities. Did they mention pinched in the hindquarters?
Dwayne Scott did a great job as usual with the auction. He also did a lovely job presenting Margie Brewer, who worked so long and hard to make this Nationals happen, with a remembrance for her favorite rabbit Leroy which included the poem "The Rainbow Bridge." I don't think there were many dry eyes after that one.
The most disappointing part of the banquet is that there are so many people I would have loved to sit with. I very much enjoyed the company of the folks at my table - Dawn Plokhoy to my left, my friend Beth to my right. Our whole table was delightful and I was fortunate. But I could also look around the room and see a couple dozen people that I really didn't get to visit with as much as I would have loved to.
Cindy Pail, who by the way looked absolutely stunning at the banquet, was the banquet chair and did a beautiful job with the decorations. There was a gift basket for a centerpiece on each table and I won the one at our table. I tried to share the contents with the members of my table, but they wouldn't take anything. I got peach cider, preserves and jelly, spiced pecans, tea, peach mints, Vidalia onion dressing, peach barbecue sauce, and more - all in a delightful basket. Good job, Cindy.
Anna's favorite part is the auction. She eyed a stuffed bunny and decided that's what she wanted to bid on this year. We were sitting back to back with Joann Snodgrass, who was also bidding on the bunny. When Joann got up to $45, I tapped her on the back and said, "Do you know you are bidding against a 9-year old child?" That got a good laugh. Now I know what Joann looks like when she's embarrassed! Sorry Joann. Anna got her rabbit for $50 and we all had some extra fun out of it. Anna likes to bid, so it was more fun for her. And the donation is for a good cause.
One of my favorite parts of the day was when BBF's Yankee Doodle Dandy, one of my favorite rabbits of all time, won BOSG for his new owner Fayth Young and partner Taylor Brashear (for those of you new to my rabbitry, Dandy was a member of my barn and placed 4th for me at my first Convention). I knew that Dandy was one of Fayth's two favorite rabbits, but she came to give me a hug and beamed, "Dandy's my favorite rabbit!" (Dandy was BOS on Sunday, by the way.) Congratulations to Debbie Vigue for producing that wonderful rabbit that both Fayth and I enjoyed owning so much. I also heard that one of Dandy's sons did well in the show for Fayth and Taylor. That's even better.
Many of our District 9 friends did extremely well in the youth show. I'm so proud of you all. DJ, I hope you get some nice babies out of Narada!
The awards were hand-crafted feeding crocks by Charlotte Ford. They feature a Holland on the front and the placement and show information on the back. I haven't decided whether to display mine with my trophies or try to be pretentious at the next cooped show I attend!! They are too gorgeous to just use daily. I'll have to try to decide.
Speaking of awards, yes, I got to bring some home. Seven in fact. I missed best display by a couple hundred points. Saturday was the best show of my life. Here are my results:
- 1st Place Solid Junior Buck - The Nature Trail's Java (109 entered)
- 2nd Place Broken Junior Doe - The Nature Trail's Sakata (71 entered)
- 3rd Place Solid Junior Buck - The Nature Trail's Leo (109 entered)
- 5th Place Solid Senior Doe - GC The Nature Trail's Jo-Jo (53 entered)
- 6th Place Broken Senior Doe - GC The Nature Trail's Hilary (42 entered)
- 6th Place Broken Junior Doe - The Nature Trail's Panache (71 entered)
- 9th Place Solid Junior Buck - The Nature Trail's Lord (109 entered)
- 12th Place Broken Senior Buck - GC Camelot's Merlin (46 entered)
- 17th Place Solid Junior Buck - The Nature Trail's Quincy (109 entered)
Rio was DQ'd for weight on Saturday. He dropped the ounce for Sunday and was 4th place. Darn that ounce! I might have gotten best display if not for that! I am pleased with Merlin's placement considering he's in terrible shape. Taking him to the NC Convention took it out of him - he does not travel well. And he's about to molt. He's one of those rabbits that acts like he's going to die when he molts. I'm glad he kept it together enough to get 12th!
I'm also particularly pleased with Quincy's placement. He is just 3 1/2 months old and decided to molt out his baby fur - on Friday. This was his first show. He has two cute sisters, too. I'm pleased with the whole litter. They are out of The Nature Trail's Q and The Nature Trail's Spice. I'm sure that makes Candace Weaver, Q's new owner, pretty happy.
One last placement that I'm very happy wi