As much as I love this BLOG, it is mostly one way. I get occasional emails back or the occasional comment posted in response to a BLOG. That's true. And I enjoy hearing back from you (most of the time!) But it's not a true conversation. It's very one-sided.
I've participated in groups on the internet that had great discussion, but it seemed that there was never a summing up of what was said, no way to tell whether a majority of people agreed with the posters, and there was no follow up to any conclusions that were made. And far too often the conversations exploded in heated words, sniping, sarcasm, and one-ups-manship.
That doesn't mean that they aren't great places to exchange ideas, get publicity for sales, shows, and accomplishments, and put people in touch with each other. It is. But they are not necessarily good places to be sure that your voice is heard on important issues.
When I started The Nature Trail Rabbity Survey Group, I did have one major issue on my mind (rabbit sales at Convention), but I could immediately see that the format would be used to tackle other issues as well.
The group has evolved into a place for level-headed discussion. I struggle with the moderator job because I want people to express their opinions, but I can't allow disagreements to become disagreeable (one of our members recently reminded us that we don't have to be disagreeable to disagree - I love that). It's important that the group maintain its integrity and discuss issues rationally.
We've gone through several surveys so far (since November 2007). From those surveys, we've submitted a proposal to the Convention committee, shared results with the ARBA main office and district directors, written articles and submitted them to the DR, and have gotten an answer or two back from ARBA on smaller issues.
Our current survey concerns lobbying and legislation that could potentially negatively affect our hobby. Here are a couple of our questions:
Who should be primarily responsible for staying aware of pending legislation and rule changes that could potentially impact our hobby?
- ARBA
- Watch groups specifically set up for this purpose
Local or regional rabbit clubs - Individual ARBA members
If ARBA informed its members of pending legislation, are you willing to follow up as an individual to write, call, or otherwise attempt to influence legislators and rule makers?
- Absolutely
- Probably
- Maybe
- I’d like to think I would, but in reality, I probably wouldn’t
- No, it’s not my cup of tea
- No, I don’t think it should be my responsibility
I hope that every ARBA member who reads this BLOG will join the Rabbit Surveys Group if they haven't already. So far, we have 283 members. If you don't have time for all of the discussion, set your preferences to "special notices only," and then just pop in to vote.
All you need to join is your ARBA number. Just go to http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rabbit-surveys/. You will need to sign up with Yahoo! if you have not already. When asked to tell why you want to join the group, just put your ARBA number. I need no other explanation.
Please take the time to put your two cents' worth in. We need to know how each ARBA member feels about important issues. If you will take time to join and vote, I promise to follow-up on each poll to get the information into the appropriate hands and ask for the changes that we as a group feel are important.
Laurie
¶ 11:21 AM 0 comments links to this post
Anyway, it's a list of links to my favorite BLOG posts. Check it out! There's a link for the "BLOG Index" in the left hand corner of my home page. Plus, there's a link at the bottom of each page in the site map. If I left out your favorite post, let me know (laurie@thenaturetrail.com).
It was hard work scanning over all of the posts (573 of them). But at the same time, it was a walk through memory lane. I can see the themes of my writing. I can see some of my practices and beliefs developing as time went on. I took some time to look at my predictions and plans. That's pretty cool. I'm glad I wrote those things down.
I found a couple of mission statements I had written. They still seem germane today.
I can see my development from an exhibitor and competitor to a breeder to being active in many parts of our hobby.
One thing is clear. I've shared with all of your every thought, every piece of information, and my way of approaching things from linebreeding to disagreements to cheating. I can only hope that I can halfway live up to my expectations of myself.
Yesterday, I put nest boxes in the barn, wrote a BLOG post, moderated my rabbit surveys Yahoo! Group, updated my website, wrote ARBA, made arrangements to work with Eric Stewart at the Valentine's show, answered questions about pet rabbits and breeding problems, sold one of my LOV's bucks (the other is for sale as well), started helping someone learn to update their website, re-opened my website business, and more.
I meant to study the Standard and read some more about lobbying and non-profit organizations, but I lost track of time.
I'm pretty happy experiencing our hobby from so many different angles. I know I should put all of this energy into a paying job! But I get a lot of satisfaction from things just the way they are.
Laurie ¶ 12:08 PM 0 comments links to this post
For example, if I wanted to get a good grasp of what the E gene does compared to ee, then I looked at these pairs (the first is E-; the second, ee):
- black - tortoiseshell
- Siamese sable - sable point
- smoke pearl - blue point
- blue - blue tort
- chestnut - orange
- chinchilla - ermine
- black otter - fox
Hmmmm. No, not every combination shows the action of the E gene equally well, but by looking at all of the pairs, I can see the restriction of color. A tort just has black around the points while a black has, well, you know, black all over.
Smoke pearl and blue point also show the action pretty well. Again a blue point shows blue on just the points while the smoke pearl has blue over the back as well. Those colors have a combination color restriction from another gene as well, but when you compare the two, the only difference is the e-series gene.
I think that most people have a great grasp of the Dense-Dilute gene (D- or dd). We know that the dd gene combination turns black to blue, tort to blue tort, ermine to blue ermine, and so forth. Let's not ignore the chocolate family. It also turns chocolate to lilac and chocolate sable point to lilac sable point.
Although in Holland lops, the majority of us don't have the opportunity to work with the chocolate gene (bb), it turns black to chocolate and blue to lilac. A black, for example, is aa B- C- D- E. A chocolate is aa bb C- D- E.
The a-series gene is easy to tell, especially the aa. If you see no nose markings, if the back or flank color covers the belly, if there's no ear lacing or triangles, the rabbit is aa. Telling the difference between an A- (agouti gene) rabbit or an at- (tan gene) rabbit is a little harder. So I look at the pairs and see what happens (A- then at- in each pair):
- chestnut - black otter
- orange - fox
- opal - blue otter
- chinchilla - black silver marten
Rings on the agouti is a good thing to look for, though some varieties, such as orange, may have no rings or faint rings.
The c-series has the most options. I think of C as just plain color all over (that may be restricted by other genes). You have the chinchilla gene. Then the sable gene. Then the himalayan gene. Then the ruby-eyed white gene. The last two are pretty easy to spot. Look for pink eyes. That just leaves the chinchilla gene versus the sable gene. Sable genes are responsible for both sable-type colors and seal-type colors (seals have double sable genes - that's the difference).
Since agouti sables and self chins are generally not showable colors, when you are starting to learn the genes, you might use the a-series gene to give you a hint, unless you think the rabbit might be an unshowable color. Try not to breed sables with agouti colors or mix chinchillas with sables or sable points.
So, when someone brings me a rabbit and says, what color is this? I always ask first what the parents are. Unless one is a chestnut, you can often eliminate possibilities without even looking at the rabbit.
Then I look for evidence. Are there rings (A), tan markings (at), or is the rabbit self (belly color, no nose markings, etc. - aa). Then I check to see if the rabbit is in the black or chocolate family. Again, that's usually easy. Check the tips of the ears. Unless we're dealing with a REW, the tips of the ears will generally either be black, blue, chocolate, or lilac. That should actually help you determine both the b-series and the d-series genes. If you are not sure whether you are seeing black or blue, or chocolate or lilac, check the eyes next. Brown eyes belong with dense colors (except fawn). Gray-blue eyes (which can sometimes be dark) pair up with dilutes.
The next thing to check out is the e-series gene. If the color is the same all over, it's an E. If the color is restricted to the points, it's probably ee, especially if the back is covered in pearl.
The last thing to check out is the c-series gene. If the rabbit is REW or himi, we're not even having this discussion (except maybe to determine which color points are on the himi). By the time you've gotten here, you know the a, b, d, and e-series genes. You have the rabbit narrowed down to three possibilities (four, if you count seal).
So let's say that we determined that the rabbit was at- (tan gene, responsible for otters and martens), bb (chocolate family), dd (dilute), and E (full extension of color). We can look on the color chart to see what the three choices are. In this case, they are lilac otter, lilac silver marten, and lilac sable marten.
I'll admit that telling the difference between a lilac silver marten and a lilac sable marten would be difficult. That's where the parents would come in. There might be guidance there about whether it is the sable gene or chin gene. If the rabbit is a lilac otter, the difference would be easier to tell.
What's the difference between otters and martens? Otters have tan markings while martens have silver/whitish markings. Otters have the C-series gene while martens have the chin gene or sable gene.
This article probably got harder for some of us as we went along. It's okay to read it just until you have one "aha" moment and then save the rest for later. With color genetics, you might recall the advice on how to eat an elephant - one bite at a time!
Laurie
¶ 10:50 AM 0 comments links to this post
There's nothing much going on in my rabbitry right now. I still have no juniors. I have one false dwarf doe pre-junior I named Mama and one pre-junior doe that I named Baby. Mama is destined to be a brood doe. I hope that Baby is headed for the show table.
My eleven babies continue to grow, but they are entering the danger zone. I'll be glad to see them graduate from their mothers in a few weeks. I just hope they are all still here.
One seems to be a fuzzy. They are all cute. That's about all I can say about that. I'm playing a waiting game.
I have bunnies due in a few days. I've started emailing Andrew in advance when I need clean nestboxes. He uses bleach, which I can't be around. He's complained about me not giving him enough notice (especially important in the winter when there are few acceptable days for spraying and dunking). He's also said I didn't tell him. We'll not get into that. So, even though his desk is about 14 feet from mine, I find that emailing him works best.
Now mind, I'm not complaining about Andrew. Oh no. He spent all afternoon yesterday doing bunny stuff. After the nest boxes, which take about 20 minutes each, he had to repair my water system.
I came in to feed the other day to find icy water spraying ten feet down the first aisle. It's a fortunate thing for me that my rabbitry is half empty - or I would have rabbits dead and dying, I'm sure. As it was, Anna's Jersey woolies had to stay in the back of their cages to keep dry. But no bunny was injured.
Apparently there was one piece of low pressure PVC that had been used in the high pressure part of our system (the watering part is reduced pressure). That's the piece that burst.
The only good thing about the pipe freezing and bursting is that now Andrew has put a threaded spigot inside the barn, so I can use a waterhose without having to go outside to hook it up. I like that.
I did get some good news from breeder friends in Georgia. Tiffany Harris wrote to say that her junior Rainbow was Best Junior under Chris Zemny. Rainbow's parents are The Nature Trail's Baron and The Nature Trail's Oktober. Baron was Best Junior at one of the Triple Crown shows two years ago. It must run in the family! I appreciate Tiffany sharing the good news with me. I always like to hear that folks are able to get good things from rabbits they get from me. Good work, guys, and congratulations!
Other than that, there's not a lot going on. My next show will be in mid-February. Until then, I'll just keep plugging along!
Laurie
¶ 12:23 PM 0 comments links to this post
Laurie ¶ 12:19 PM 0 comments links to this post
I'm going to try to get pictures up on our Chihuahua page later today. http://www.thenaturetrail.com/chihuahua-puppies.htm.
Laurie ¶ 12:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
I think that's what has helped me take a more macro view of my breeding program. Each breeding is a step in a plan, not an end in itself.
But keeping the big picture in mind can help in many more ways than just breeding. Consider the following:
- Have you ever gotten so caught up with one rabbit that you were willing to bend your own rules on health? That's how rabbits blowing snot end up at shows. That's how rabbits with significant genetic problems get bred.
- Have you ever gotten so fixated on one aspect of our hobby that you failed to enjoy the rest? That's how people who regularly win get mad enough to give up their hobby. They get mad if they don't agree with the judges and can't gracefully let other breeders have their day.
- Have you ever gotten so engaged in winning points that you failed to consider your fellows? failed to consider quality over quantity? spent your family's food budget on entry fees? were afraid to sell nice rabbits in your own area?
- Have you ever let a valley, lull, or setback destroy your enjoyment of the hobby? Taking a long view of your hobby, it's probably going to be nothing more than a blip.
- Have you ever been tempted to use a marker to darken a toenail, to pull out an entire white spot, to trim teeth that you knew were bad, and so forth? If you have, you may have lost your perspective.
So what's your big picture? Some people might say, "What's Your Mission Statement?" Know what you are all about in rabbits, then you can ask yourself whether each step you take is in line with that.
I suppose I should take some time to write a statement for myself. I know it would involve breeding for consistency and health, sharing what I know, and enjoying relationships. Doing well on the table would just be a check to see if I'm heading in the right direction. Maybe that would help me keep my perspective and look at the big picture the next time my rabbits don't do as well as I expect.
I can't say that my mission statement today would be the same as when I first started. In the beginning, it was all just about delight. Then it was almost all about winning, but that really didn't suit me very much (still like to win, though). Now, I'm much more interested in knowledge, exploring, finding out, and creating. My biggest competition is with myself.
Take some time to think about it. The investment of time could be very useful. When individual situations come up, you can use your big picture to help guide you.
Laurie
¶ 11:02 AM 0 comments links to this post
Sure, there's a great manual that is produced. Have you read it? I mean since the first time? Is that the resource you think of referring to when you have a rabbit question? And there are pamphlets, too. Again, there are no answers to the questions I have in those pamphlets.
But there's the Domestic Rabbit Magazine, isn't there? Sure there is. How many information articles are there in there about rabbits? We get a great history lesson. There's information about how to operate in our hobby (shows, registrations, etc.), but do you feel that you know more about rabbits when you read an issue? Not so much.
I think it's a great idea to have Rabbits 101 in there. But we also need Rabbits 401.
That leaves us with the website. There's lots on there. But again, it's mainly shows, rules, judge and registrar contacts, specialty club links, and so forth.
I realize that there some planned changes already. Here's what I wish would be on that plan:
- The interface would change to address the public and help establish ARBA as THE resource for rabbit information - pet, fancy, fiber, fur, and meat - to every visitor.
- Information only of interest to members would be put in a section off the main page - sort of a secondary main page for the in-crowd.
- The site would include basic descriptions of all breeds - fur type, weight, varieties, etc. No, it's not giving away the Standard of Perfection. But it would help pet owners to pick their favorite. We are supposed to serve the pet population, too. And it would show that ARBA establishes what a rabbit breed in the USA is.
- The Domestic Rabbit would include information articles on diseases, breeding, care, physiology, and much more practical information that leaves members more educated about rabbits after reading it. There would be plenty of room if we removed everything that starts with "Well, we've had a hot summer here . . . . "
- The Domestic Rabbit would have a column dedicated to all legislation pending or even rumoured that might affect our hobby. That's another way that breeders need to be educated and stay informed.
- More indepth rabbit care information and standards should be written and published by ARBA. We're the ones with the rabbits and with the rabbit experience. The whole country should look to us for the right information.
There's probably a lot more, but I think you get the idea. ARBA should establish itself as the unequivocal expert on rabbits, and it should teach it's membership constantly and in different ways.
So how is this all going to happen? First of all, those who submit articles and information for the Domestic Rabbit need to have a change of attitude. Yes, we need to brag on winners, announce shows, and so forth. But everyone involved in the DR needs to see education as a priority.
Those of you who have expertise in rabbits should volunteer to write articles. Even if you are not a great writer (or hate writing), you can provide the information for someone else to write up.
If the DR has objectives and goals, educating the membership should be one of the main ones. I checked my recent copy of the DR, but I didn't see goals or objectives listed. Maybe that would be a good starting place.
There's so much good, reliable information in the ARBA membership. But it's a shame that so much of that information stays compartmentalized. So much of it is spread around without the chance for others to challenge or support it. Why should only some people know how to take care of a problem or the best way to handle a situation? And we need protection against misinformation, too. Misinformation won't stand the test of being published.
The first step is for the membership to decide that rabbit education is important. Let your directors know that you want more education on rabbits. Use your vote to choose leaders who believe in education, too. And be willing to do your part.
Laurie
¶ 11:07 AM 0 comments links to this post
Imagine that you are the only person in the world who raises rabbits. Would that be satisfying? Sure, in some ways it would be. But it would be limited to the interaction with the rabbits themselves for the most part (the appeal of the rabbits themselves is not to be underestimated - is there anything more precious than a three-week old rabbit?)
Now imagine that you sold your rabbits, but continued to be involved with your fellow breeders. Sure, it's not the whole enchilada, but it has a lot more to offer than rabbits with no people.
Rabbit breeders are, for me, a kind of extended family. They ask about the children, they encourage me on my diet, they keep me informed when someone in our rabbit community is hurting, they support me when I have a bad turn of events, and much more. And I care about their children, their diets, their trials, and their happinesses, too.
They are people I look forward to visiting with. Just stop one morning and count how many hugs you see as breeders meet and greet each other. Watch all of the chatting that goes on. See the smiles on people's faces that are not there for rabbits, but rather for rabbit breeders.
Even beyond the lovefest, other breeders are important to us. How does the admiration of one of your rabbits feel? I personally love it. How does sharing with someone else a rabbit that does well feel. That should feel good, too. How about getting advice or giving advice? How about encouraging someone?
And then there's competition. No, I haven't forgotten that. I love a good competition. And I prefer to win over losing. But I also know the disappointment of getting to the table with the only broken junior buck. Sure, he's first place, but first place of what? We need other breeders to make competition worthwhile, too.
I know that for me, breeders of my own breed are the closest to me. We do have more in common, but breeders of other types of rabbits also populate my bunny world and enrich it, as do judges, and club members that I work side by side with.
So, what's the bottom line of all of this? If you've forgotten that people are more important than rabbits, perhaps it's time to take a breather and give things some thought. If you are missing out on enjoying all of the people part of our hobby, it's not too late to readjust your priorities. Don't forget that to nurture our hobby and keep it healthy and vibrant, we need to nurture our breeders, not run them off. Give support to those who need it. Appreciate all of the volunteers who make things happen. Indulge in conversations, hugs, compliments, and encouragement.
If you appreciate the people part of our hobby, you are always a winner. And then if your rabbits do well, it's just the cherry on your sundae.
Laurie ¶ 10:47 AM 0 comments links to this post
Baby rabbits are quite unique in that they have no living microorganisms in their stomach or intestines. They start off life with a pH of 5-6 and are protected by the special milk oil in rabbit milk.
Rabbit milk oil has an anti-microbial property. No other animal's milk has this property. This is one reason why I've never bothered to feed babies a substitute milk (since my first litters when I was panicking because I never saw her feed the babies). Nothing can substitute for rabbit milk.
(That's not to say that orphans cannot be fed and live, it's just to say that the return on investment of time is poor.)
For the first three weeks, nothing changes except the quantity of milk the babies ingest. At three weeks, the doe is producing the maximum amount of milk she will produce. After that, the supply begins to decline as the babies start to nibble on solid food.
At this point, the pH starts to decline in the stomach. Now we start to enter the vulnerable zone. The pH has not gotten down to the protective 1-2 that it will eventually have. That level has its own anti-microbial properties. The milk oil, with its protective properties, is declining. As the milk oil declines, the normal flora starts to colonize, if everything goes well.
But basically, the bunnies are working without a net during the period between full milk oil protection and full 1-2 pH/colonized flora protection. Stress, lack of inoculation of microorganisms (normally from consuming cecotrophes from a healthy dam), and an inappropriate diet can tip the balance in favor of infective organisms instead.
Between six and seven weeks, the bunnies typically will be fully weaned (though we've known some dams to continue to nurse occasionally for far longer). Between seven and eight weeks, the pH should have leveled out around 1 to 2 and feed consumption begins to level out as well.
It is tempting to breathe a sigh of relief when bunnies make it to eight weeks. They have accomplished something important, after all. Of course, stress, diet, and other illnesses can still bring on enteritis in the future, but at least that baby bunny made it through the first danger zone of bunny life.
Laurie ¶ 12:02 PM 0 comments links to this post
And do you remember turning a corner to find something familiar. You saw something that said you were no longer lost. You had found your way after all. What a feeling that is. Relief and rejoicing. And suddenly, all of the distress of being lost is gone. You can continue on toward your goal.
I certainly felt that way this past summer, but I also remember feeling that way just over three years ago. I had been buying, breeding, culling, and showing. I worked hard. Though I had won a few legs earlier on, I hadn't won anything - not even a class of five - for months. I felt like I was making no progress. I even bought new rabbits thinking I would have to start a whole new project for success.
And then suddenly, things clicked. I had my first BOB win with a bought rabbit and my first BOS win with a homegrown bunny. Within the next few weeks, I had my first homegrown BOB, my first BRIS, my first homegrown grand champion, and winning became something that happened fairly regularly. Not always, of course, but frequently enough to keep me from feeling like I'd lost my way again.
I sometimes talk with breeders who haven't turned the corner yet. They are frustrated. They believe they've served the time and should be winning by now. Some consider quitting.
If they've worked with good stock, worked hard at breeding, culled well, and tried to learn as much as they can, it may very well be that they are close to a breakthrough. There's often a lot of foundation work to do before things click.
I hate to see a breeder discouraged. True, just as you sometimes need to stop at a service station to ask directions, a breeder may need to stop and ask someone more experienced to help them evaluate where they are and what their plans are. It may be that they do need to make a course correction. But often, they are nearer than they think to producing rabbits that are much closer to their ideal than their past rabbits.
Hang in there. Everything that happens in your rabbitry teaches you something and can be used to help you be successful in the future.
I hope that if you haven't turned the corner in your rabbitry yet, that you will very soon.
Laurie ¶ 11:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Luckily, I was just taking five rabbits to show, one to breed, and one for Anna to show. It didn't take that long to get them ready to go. Plus, we didn't have to leave until 6:30 a.m. - which is practically sleeping in on a show day - so I was able to finish up in the morning.
It was a very busy day. Entries were light due to the word "snow" in the forecast. It turned out to be nothing, but it was enough to keep a number of people home.
I started registering rabbits early in the day. I registered on and off between activities. There were still more to register when the day ended.
I was very lucky that good friends were willing to put my rabbits on the table. Just because they thought they lost one once doesn't mean they didn't do a great job! I really appreciate it and am sorry they almost suffered a heart attack when Myrddin couldn't be found for a short while. I appreciate the fact that they took it seriously when he couldn't be readily found (he was down at the end of a very long row of coops).
I worked with Josh Humphries. We didn't have any breeds that I've not worked before, until the end of the day when I got tied up with more registrations. I did get to see the winning Harlequin and put my hands on the best Lilacs. It was great working with the rabbits, though, even if they were otherwise the breeds I'm most familiar with. For the most part, I picked the same rabbits that Josh did. I could see the differences between the tops of the classes and could detect rabbits with severe problems. There's just no substitute for seeing and handlings hundreds of rabbits to really learn the breeds well enough to judge. I just have to discipline myself to put in the time.
Because Janice and Bill were willing to help me, I was able to have the best of both worlds. While I was going over Flemish Giants and Netherland Dwarfs, Lord picked up another leg and Kizzy won Best of Breed. Then in the afternoon, while I compared Mini Lops, American Fuzzy Lops, and so forth, Kizzy got her third leg to grand with a class win and Crazy Horse picked up a BOSG.
Since I showed in just three classes, six legs was the most I could have hoped for. My bunnies earned four, so I'll be happy with that. And you know I'm always happy to grand a rabbit.
Congratulations to Janice Jones for granding LOV's Hidalgo. I'm especially glad since we did a joint breeding with Hidalgo and May yesterday. I appreciate Janice being receptive to my suggestion that we do the project, but I'm more appreciative of May being receptive to the idea!
Karen Lewis made the eight-hour trip down from PA. She was delightful as were her bunnies. I especially like the solid black junior doe she was gracious enough to show me after the show. Since I missed everything, she helped me catch up on the day by showing me her BOB broken junior doe for show B and her other nice girls.
I sold Karen The Nature Trail's Pandora, a doe I loved. Pandora is apparently doing well for her. I believe at least one of the does she showed me was out of Pandora. I always hope when I sell a rabbit that it will help out its new owner. It's nice to see when that happens.
The last thing I did before going home was secure permission to work with judges at the NC State Convention in March (the convention committee was having a meeting after the show). I now have my permission and I'm waiting for the judges to respond to my requests as well. I will have to study before that one to make the absolute most out of the opportunity.
I'm trying to cut down to one show per month. So my next show will probably be the Valentine's show in Sanford, NC, on February 16, 2008. Unless I give in to temptation before then.
Laurie ¶ 12:17 PM 0 comments links to this post
I realize that the weather may throw a wet, icy blanket over the fun, but I'm hoping for dry roads from all directions.
Along with the fun of anticipating fun, I do have a little work to do today. The carriers are clean, but I need to assemble them and get them ready for our entries (Anna is showing one of her Jersey Woolies, too).
I also need to get my rabbits ready. Anna likes to groom at the show and that's fine. I'm generally too busy or want to visit more than brush at the show itself. I know at least one of the rabbits needs a tattoo touch-up. Don't tell my bunnies, but it's nail-clipping day, too.
I also need to get together a simple agenda for the Virginia Highlands Rabbit Club meeting, so that we can have a quick, but productive meeting between shows. I'm very excited about our Thanksgiving weekend show in Altavista, VA, with Friday evening specialty shows.
I need to collect up ALL of my registrar equipment. Last time, I left my R tattoo (and my regular tattoo equipment), so I had to engage the help of PJ Dvorak who tattooed the whole registration number in the right ears for me. Registrars already make very little on registering, I don't want to have to share with a tattooer again any time soon. But for that occasion, I'm glad he was willing to help.
I really want to squeeze in some time to work with judges tomorrow. I've already got my permissions, but several of the judges already have folks working with them. I'm still hoping to get my hands on more commercial rabbits. I think I need a lot of practice there. I'm really looking forward to it.
Maps, snacks, aprons, and miscellaneous items need to be gathered. Since the show is not far from home, I'll put it all in the car in the morning (okay, okay, Andrew will).
All of this work is part of the anticipation of tomorrow. And anticipation is something all in itself to enjoy. There's a little smile on my face today that says something is up as I go through this little flurry of activity.
Even if my rabbits fall flat on their little bunny faces tomorrow, I've already started enjoying the show. And since this is a hobby, that's what it's all about.
Laurie
¶ 12:20 PM 0 comments links to this post
First, I listed all of my homegrown grand champions. Because I number each rabbit that graduates from the nest box (not exactly true, because I stopped the practice during my water/feed problem last summer), I can keep track of the first, second, third, etc. hundred that I produced.
So here are their numbers (each has "NT" before it, of course):
58 - Kirsten
130 - Mercedes
138 - Bear
140 - Ox
175 - Rio
189 - Belle
195 - Brook
220 - Markie
222 - Boris
239 - Roxie
242 - Purdy
243 - May
245 - Hilary
248 - LaForge
280 - Franz
298 - Jo-Jo
345 - Wizard
361 - Lexus
418 - Gypsy
422 - Leo
424 - Java
432 - Sakata*
433 - Panache
434 - Lord
444 - Myrddin (Merlin son)
456 - Quinn
457 - Quincy
463 - Padme
466 - MLK (Merlin son)
474 - Imagination
485 - Francesca (Brendan daughter)
500 - Quinten
504 - Glynis (granded by Kylee & Paige Smith)
523 - Arabica
556 - Lex
559 - Crazy Horse (Merlin son)
577 - Hope
582 - Jocasta
583 - Jamillia
584 - Padawan
625 - Fabrizia
628 - Evita
*bold indicates that both parents were "The Nature Trail's" rabbits.
The highest number in my barn is NT631, so I haven't really finished that hundred.Boy, was I surprised. The 400's were really good to me, but the 300's were abysmal. So I decided to go back and see what was going on. It makes sense now. That was a time when I sold everything from Dandy's line, no matter how nice it was. I think I was starting to get very picky about what I kept and may have been a little too picky. I see a lot of rabbits that I sold to others that were really nice, in that group. I suppose it was the price of choosing to narrow my line and refocus. I knew I couldn't work with everything and had to let some nice things go.
So, out of my first 100, only one granded (and I didn't even grand her, Dani Cole did!). Here's how the rest went:
- 100-199 - 6
- 200-299 - 9
- 300-399 - 2
- 400-499 - 13
- 500-599 - 9
- 600-629 - 2
These numbers make me think that the tough decisions I made in the 300's did pay off in the 400's. But now I'm wondering what happened in the 500's.
As I look through my records, I see that the 500's were when I bred only The Nature Trail's rabbits and Camelot's Merlin. Also all of my 500's grand champions have grand champion parents. So it was a time of another course correction for me, I guess. I lost the possible production from good brood animals, but I put my all-grand champion project a bit forward. I'm hoping that I produced fewer, but better rabbits in the 500's. If not better on the table, at least more consistent in what they will produce.
The six hundreds will be another interesting group because I have outcrosses with LOV's bucks this go round. They won't fill a whole hundred by themselves, but they'll have an influence on it. It would be lovely if those breedings would increase my number of grand champions, but I'm just considering this first generation as something to work with and not the final product.
The "The Nature Trail's" breedings I have underway and planned are my most exciting breedings ever. Will they produce the grand champions I desire? I hope so. But my past data tells me that this is not a smooth path to success. There are definite ups and downs in breeding rabbits.
I'm ready for an UP, but who knows if my rabbits are.
Laurie
¶ 11:49 AM 3 comments links to this post
But for other people, it seems that rabbits shows are slow, dragging out for hours with nothing to do. Sure, Hollands are lucky because they are generally one of the first breeds to the table. I'm sure it's harder for breeds with smaller numbers who virtually always get judged last.
But I don't think it would make much difference for me. I don't intend just to sit around waiting anyway. I have things to do.
So how do I spend 6 or 8 or 10 or 12 or even 14 hours? It's easy.
- Help out with registration if there's a backlog.
- Look over rabbits with other breeders.
- Catch up with friends.
- Watch other breeds being judged. You might even learn something that applies to your breed, too.
- Register rabbits (either as registrar or have your rabbits registered).
- Attend club meetings.
- Meet with customers.
- Evaluate your rabbits.
- Show your rabbits to friends.
- Do some extra grooming on your rabbits.
- Eat.
- Write or ramrod (that's a big one!)
- Buy raffle tickets.
- Rest and relax (that doesn't happen much).
- Help the show secretary with paperwork.
- Make new friends.
- Mentor a new breeder.
- Discuss issues important to our hobby - lobby for positive changes.
I suppose if I couldn't keep busy with those items, then I could also bring a book, bring some needlework, balance my checkbook, plan some breedings, make a to do list or something else, but I never get that far. I'd much rather chat with friends anyway.
I think the things that makes show length not an issue for me is that I don't make any plans until the show winds down. I don't care if I'm the person who has traveled the furthest to the show, I plan to be there until the end. Then I decide whether to stay the night or drive home.
This attitude takes a lot of pressure off of me. I'm not worrying about whether the superintendent is perfect in assigning breeds. I'm not tempted to pressure a judge to hurry up. I don't stand around thinking of the incompetences at the show that have made me stay late.
After all, this is a day that I set aside for my hobby. I'm going to enjoy it. All of it. I have plenty to keep me busy because I am involved, because I love to learn, and because I enjoy sharing what I know.
I will say that I've had a conflict in the evening a couple of times that couldn't be avoided. I just set my cutoff time and left at that time. There were no complaints on my part for the speed of the show. I knew that it was my deadline and not theirs.
I would love to see more people come to spend the day, relax, and enjoy things. That's not to say that the exhibitors, judges, show secretary, and show superintendent shouldn't work to keep things going smoothly. It just means that when people show their imperfections (which we all have), we don't get bent out of shape about it.
Those who need to get home at a certain time should own that decision. That means that they should only enter one show if they detest the idea of scratching their entries. If they are willing to take the chance, then they should scratch their entries politely and leave on time without making others feel bad.
If you've been on the host side of a show, you are so well aware of how unpredictable shows are. Clubs hire judges up to a year in advance. Entries come in two to four days before the show. Sometimes that doesn't match up well.
And new judges are often slower. New exhibitors (and some experienced ones) are often slower as well. Show secretaries sometimes are learning. And every show superintendent had his or her first show.
So be patient and forgiving (I'll try, too), fill your day with good things, and own your own decision if you need to leave early. Do your part as an exhibitor, judge, show secretary, or show superintendent to keep things moving along. It's no one person's fault if a show runs long.
And try to always remember that this is a hobby.
Laurie
¶ 12:11 PM 0 comments links to this post
- Basic husbandry - feeding, cleaning, and basic care of rabbits.
- Breeding - includes everything from putting the buck and doe together through weaning of pre-juniors.
- Learning the standard - reading the standard once is not enough, neither is reading it 100 times - it takes a lot of looking, feeling, and reading to start to understand our standard thoroughly.
- Culling - after producing bunnies, it's time to apply the standard and choose the ones to keep.
- Advanced husbandry - dealing with illnesses and more advances rabbit care issues.
- Basic showing - how to prepare for a show, enter a show, and participate in it.
- Advanced showing - how to contribute to the show and make it run more smoothly.
- Herd management - keeping the herd to the right size, maintaining adequate does in production and bucks for breeding, and keeping your show string populated.
- Advanced breeding - understanding and using concepts such as line breeding, generic does, recessive & dominant genes, and more.
- Show production (optional) - serving as planner, show secretary, show superintendent, or worker at shows.
- Equipment builder (optional) - building nest boxes, show coops, cages, show tables, water systems, and maybe even your barn.
- Rabbit sales - pricing, delivery, ethics, policies, etc.
- Computer - pedigree program, groups, and websites.
- Leadership (optional) - serving as director or officer in a local, regional, or national club.
- Nationals and Convention - learning to navigate the super shows.
Are you impressed with yourself yet? You should be. If you are new, are you overwhelmed? Don't worry - just take it a step at a time.
So, the next time you see someone at a show, struggling to figure out which class shows next or how to enter their rabbit correctly, try to remember all that that person is trying to learn. Step in and help out. You won't just be helping that person, you will be working to improve our hobby overall.
Laurie
¶ 11:08 AM 0 comments links to this post
Well, actually, I don't believe in training Hollands. In fact, I think that training a Holland that does not have the proper headmount to stretch up and pretend that it does is not only a waste of time, but it's just a way of fooling yourself into believing that you have a better rabbit than you do. You can fall into a trap of breeding the rabbit and getting the same, over and over again. How many hours per week do you really want to put into rabbit training?
I do believe in handling my rabbits enough to get them over stubbornness and shyness. I do let them know that once they strike their own pose I won't bother them anymore. But I don't shape their pose.
True, I've occasionally had the overachiever who naturally wanted to pop up and stand on their tip-toes. Soothing them back into a more relaxed position was something that I did when I handled them. But we didn't have extra sessions to practice. Of course, some judges like that tip-toe thing (as do some breeders). It's just not my understanding of what we're breeding for.
A friend recently told me that if you have a rabbit that won't sit up, you can rub its nose in the carpet and it will pop right up. I can see the use in that for a rabbit that is physically correct but either stubborn or shy. I can see the overuse in that by getting low-headset rabbits to stretch and make you more pleased with it than you should be.
I have had a few does that looked so pretty at home, comfortable and relaxed and in a perfect pose, only to have them go to a show and keep as low as possible. I wonder if I would have used that rug technique with them had I know it then? Probably not. I think that it's also good to have rabbits with a natural inborn show attitude, too.
So, I'm much more about breeding rabbits with naturally proper headmounts. I love to see a baby a few weeks old just sitting in the cage, perfectly posed, up like a puppy and not down like a mouse.
I was told by a nationally successful breeder that all she does to "train" her rabbits is pose them first when she handles them before going on to do anything else. That's all that I do. First stop is the carpet and a quick pose. Then we go on to whatever else is on the agenda.
It's so natural now that I even find myself doing that when I'm handling pets!
A Holland would have to have a lot going on for it otherwise to stay out off of the pet list with a low headset. A good headset, good depth over the body, and a smooth hindquarter can take a rabbit a long way. I suppose you might put low headset on my pet peeve list, along with pushing Hollands together to make them look deeper and shorter and hindquarters that slope off badly.
So if your Hollands won't pose, take a good hard look at them in their cages. How does the head connect to the body? If the Holland is facing left, does the head connect at 9:00? To me, we are looking for about 10:30 or 11:00. If you see your heads connecting at 12:00, ask yourself if you are tucking your rabbit up too far. The back feet should never touch the front feet. The front feet should be directly under the eyes.
If you don't see what you like, consider changing your breeding plan, not adding more training time.
Laurie ¶ 11:04 AM 0 comments links to this post
And apparently, I'm not the only one. I have friends who think about getting out of rabbits. Unfortunately, some of them act on it. Others just mull the issue for a long time.
We have a pretty big turnover rate in rabbits. A friend of mine told me when I first started that if you make it past five years, then you might just stick with it. I wish I could remember the exact number, but Chris Hayhow mentioned at the General Membership meeting the number of ARBA members that turnover every three years. It was a tremendous number (one of the reasons they don't want Conventions bid too far in the future - there are lower odds that the original group would still be intact).
So why do we think about getting out of rabbits, a hobby we love so much? I suppose the reasons are as varied as we are. I think about it because of the time it takes me away from home. I think about it because of the costs involved, especially when we have children at home who need so much.
I suspect that some people think about getting out because they feel they are making no progress in their herd. Others get interested in other things. That's especially natural for teenagers. Some may find the competition is not only tough, but not very friendly. Still others may not be able to deal with the no-time-off quality of raising rabbits.
So what should you do if you find yourself thinking about getting out? First of all, don't be hasty. Some folks have made the decision and sold their herds within a matter of days. I wonder if they regret their decision. I do have one friend who sold everything, but thankfully decided to get back in to rabbits. We missed her.
Try listing the reasons you want to get out of rabbits. Then list the reasons you would want to stay. If your reasons for getting out include not liking rabbits any more or not getting joy out of the hobby, then you are probably ready for your getting-out-of-bunnies sale. Even having more interest elsewhere is a good reason to get out.
If your reasons for staying in aren't that substantial, you may want to get out, too. I expect that you have good reasons for staying in, though: friends, a break from regular life, baby bunnies, the excitement of the possibility of a great rabbit in each litter, the feeling of accomplishment, travel, and much more.
I'm willing to guess that a good percentage of people who think about getting out do so because they are torn between family responsibilities and their hobby. If that's the case, think about whether you have any other "me" time. A mother or a father who has nothing but work and responsibility in their lives is going to burn out.
Do members of your family put you on a guilt trip, either on purpose or accidentally? Perhaps a frank talk would help. Hear why they want more of your time and then explain how important it is that you have an outlet for creativity or time with your friends or a place at home to get away from it all or a way to be successful or whatever is important to you.
Is the cost of showing getting to be too much for your family budget? Perhaps the answer is in re-sizing your barn or your show schedule. Sharing rides, not showing every rabbit at every show, and managing your barn more tightly could all help. Perhaps you can pick up a project to make bunny money - make nest boxes, make rabbit decorator items, create show awards, etc. Almost every club is always looking for new award ideas.
A great alternative to getting out of rabbits is to downsize. I didn't choose to downsize, but rather had it thrust upon me. I'm enjoying it for the time being. I can't say whether it'll always stay this small or not. But for now, it suits me.
But what if you need a total break? You could decide to co-op and put your best bunnies with your new partner for a time. You could lend out your best rabbits and sell the rest. Then when you want to get back in, you could get your lent rabbits back (probably just bucks, if you are out for a while). Or if you want a long break, then give your best rabbits away to friends who will give you stock to get started again when you are ready.
If you have any doubts, don't sell your equipment. Unless you have the kind of money to start from scratch, that could be a huge financial mistake.
One thing that adds stress to our lives is having to make decisions. If you have an open question that you are constantly reconsidering, you are increasing the stress in your life. If you constantly think about getting out of rabbits, take the time to work out your answer. And then don't address the question again for a period of time, perhaps 3 or 6 months. Free yourself from a nagging question by taking action. Whether it's talking things out, changing the way you do things, downsizing, or getting out, resolve the question if you are one of the people thinking of getting out of rabbits.
I hope you stay.
Laurie ¶ 10:45 AM 1 comments links to this post
First of all, I'm sure you are interested in the science behind the idea. After all, superstition and luck sometimes work, too. But in this case, we can explain the process without superstition. Luck always helps.
The first step in breeding is quite obvious (F1). Breed your nice buck to a compatible doe. The offspring have 1/2 of their genes from their sire and 1/2 from their dam. We'll call this sire the specimen buck. He's the specimen worth replicating.
When you breed the specimen buck to a daughter (F2), the offspring get 1/2 of their genes from the specimen buck and then 1/4 specimen buck genes from the daughter, on the average. Now it's important to realize that it's just an average. It's possible that the daughter would pass on all specimen buck genes or none. But probably the doe will contribute 1/4 of the genes from the specimen. The other 1/4 would come from the first dam.
Now you've chosen the best daughters to breed back to the buck, so you've increased the chances of doubling up on the desirable genes. But you'll have to pick the best again to continue to increase your chances.
So let's say that the offspring are totally typical and now have 75% of the specimen buck's genes. We take one of these daughters and breed back to the specimen buck for a third generation (F3). The offspring get 1/2 of their genes from the specimen buck and an average of 37.5% specimen buck genes from the dam. That means that, on the average, the offpspring will have 87.5% of the same genes as the specimen buck. In a fourth generation, the number would go up to 93.75%.
It's important to continue to select good specimens because you could just as easily collect up and consolidate all of the faults (seen and hidden) in the specimen's gene pool. And if you are lucky, you can end up with an offspring as good as - or even better than the specimen buck. But there will be one advantage. The new offspring should breed truer than the original buck since there's a greater chance that there are two matching genes where the specimen may have have an undesirable recessive gene (for desirable recessives, there is no advantage).
So here's my real life example.
I bred Rio to May. I was very excited about this breeding. You may remember me talking about it. Back then, May hadn't taken her class at Convention, but as it turns out, I wasn't just breeding two Best In Show rabbits together, I was breeding two rabbits that have now taken their class at Convention.
May had six kits, which is usual for her. One died. One was a false dwarf. Three were fuzzy Charlies (one of which went on to produce last year's Convention BOG for Roman). And one was Padme.
Padme earned 9 legs (2 BOB, 3 BOS, and 4 BOSG). She was 17th at 2006 Convention in a total molt. She's a favorite of mine.
I bred Padme back to her father Rio. Padme, by the way, has only produced 8 surviving offspring for me (not including the two babies and one pre-junior she has now). Four of them have granded. But even with her great keeper rate, the first breeding with Rio produced three average rabbits. Or, rather, it produced two average rabbits and one gorgeous fuzzy. The fuzzy gave me enough encouragement to try it again.
The next litter had one surviving kit (this was during my feed and water problems - I lost two of them). That one kit was a blue point. Or so I thought at first. I was so frustrated. But as time went one, her points darkened and her eyes were clearly brown. She started showing incredible depth of body with very good overall length. She granded easily with two BOSGs and a BOS. I retired her to breeding immediately at six months of age.
So far, she's had a miss and a dead singleton. The reason this is all on my mind is that I plan to breed Evita with Rio today, if she's receptive. I'm hoping third time's a charm in more than one way.
I'll probably be dodging seal points, fuzzies, and peanuts, but maybe Rio and Evita will produce another Rio, just shorter like Evita, and with her great depth, but with Rio's head and bone. And in a fun color, just to make things really interesting.
This is where the luck comes in. Feel free to send good vibes in Evita's direction today.
The next generation will have approximately 87% of Rio's genes. With some luck, maybe it will have 110% of his potential.
When Rio took his class at Convention, within minutes I had requests for his offspring. I generally replied that I hadn't figured Rio out. I asked folks to let me work with him and see what works. If this next generation goes well, those kits will be much more valuable than first generation Rio offspring. To me, these offspring (or possibly the next generation) are the ones worth having. Everything else was just a work in progress.
Laurie
PS: Just think what I could have done if Mambo and Tango (Rio x May) had been does instead of bucks!!! ¶ 9:30 AM 0 comments links to this post
But besides getting the feed issue taken care of, I had a great time. You may recall that I got my start in bunnies at that very house. I was telling Mary last night that it was in their first bunny room that Garrett asked me if I wanted the rabbits for pets or show. My response was, "What's show?" She had to laugh at that.
We went over Hollands. What breeder doesn't love that? It was a pleasure to me to see a full rabbitry with babies of all ages. It's been months and months since my rabbitry looked like that (but hopefully it won't be long until it is like that again). It did my heart good.
Mary is the queen of color, so it was fun to see the rainbow of bunnies, especially in the litters. She has a couple of smoke pearl bucks with heads to die for. I could just look at them and rub the fur down between the eyes all day long. Dreamy.
I told her which two bucks of hers were my favorites. Her husband did a little "I told you so" uh huh. I also suggested that she breed every doe in the barn first to one and then to the other. There was another "uh huh" from Garrett. He said that he often does that sort of things with his Netherlands. You can't argue with success!
It's the same thing I'm doing with my new LOV bucks. I want to know quickly what these bucks can do and which does they work well with. Plus, I'm creating a harem of does (hopefully - probably have 11 bucks in the nest boxes right now!). That will get me linebreeding ASAP.
Garrett showed me his Netherlands. He pulled out some tricky colors and tested me. I think I passed. He showed me the variety of broken patterns that he's getting. That was good to see side by side. He brought twos and threes for me to pick from and explain why I liked the one I picked as best. I almost tripped up by initially picking a black buck (you know how I love black rabbits), but I had to change my mind and go for the chestnut after all.
He encouraged me to work with Netherlands a lot. Good idea. I just hope the other Netherland exhibitors will have patience for seeing me behind the table a lot this year.
I had such a good time with Mary & Garrett. It was a learning experience. Aren't bunnies always, though? Even when you are going over other people's rabbits, I think you learn something. It helps you regain some perspective on your own, too. I could see qualities in Mary's rabbits that I just don't have (or don't have very often, anyway).
Well, I'm going to fish for invitations, now. If you have time for me to visit your established rabbitry, please invite me! I don't care what breed it is. I'd love to go over rabbits and learn from you. I'd be glad to tell you what I see, too. I can't go to Maylasia or California, of course. But maybe someone is reading this from NC, VA, or WV!
Or feel free to quiz me at a rabbit show. I'm game.
Laurie
¶ 9:30 AM 1 comments links to this post
How many times have you learned something about your rabbits or gotten a lead on something you needed through the internet? Tips, solutions, resources, and even ideas you don't agree with can all help.
In the last few days, I've received a big "thank you" for passing along a tip that someone shared with me. It helped a breeder deal with a bunny eye infection that wasn't responding to ointment. I got some help hopefully finding some feed to see me through my current lack-of-feed dilemma. And I heard back from a breeder in Singapore [update: that was supposed to be Malaysia]. We had discussed a breeding - obviously a month ago - and he was letting me know that the breeding was successful even though the doe had not shown optimal vent color.
I know that some people do not wish to share the information they've accumulated. They feel that it is their "edge" that helps them win. That's their right to do that, of course. But unless they made a discovery all by themselves, someone else was generous enough to share information with them.
I'd like to see hard work and even intuition be the "edge" in our hobby. Not access to worthy stock or good information.
I just want to take this moment to thank everyone who shares information freely. I want to encourage everyone to participate in paying forward when they are taught something. And don't ever think that you need to wait until you are totally seasoned or at the top of the charts before you begin to share what you know. No one knows it all. Just ask some of the breeders who have been doing this for decades. They will tell you they learn something new all of the time.
Yes, the internet has been a great help to me. I love talking with all kinds of breeders from all over. I've learned so much from other breeders and I'm grateful for it.
Oh yes, it's also a great idea to share information without the internet! I know that rabbit shows are busy, but you may find a moment here or there to share bits and pieces of bunny wisdom.
Laurie ¶ 8:49 AM 0 comments links to this post
The holidays and our vacation are over and it's time to get back to serious life. I feel refreshed and ready to tackle life. But the to do list is really long. Where do I start?
I decided to start by taking down the Christmas tree. Now it's time to tackle the does I have inside. We're having some mild weather, so it's the perfect time to put the moms and babies back outside in the barn.
This is the first time that I've brought does inside to kindle. I think it is my last, too. First of all, the change of location seemed to stress the girls. Chihuahuas in the house means lots of barking any time there's anything interesting happening. The does didn't really like that. Second, I wasn't really able to keep that much more of an eye on them than I would have if they were in the barn. Even if I check on them every hour, a baby can crawl out five minutes past the hour and expire. They are just as dead if they chill at 68 degrees as they are if they chill at 35 degrees. There's no sense in driving myself crazy. Third, I now have the problem of re-acclimating the does to the cold weather. Even though we kept their room cool, it's a lot warmer than the barn.
Yes, I admit that I was glad they were inside when the temperature hit 19 degrees. I just have two nest box warmers, so three nests would have been on their own. But that kind of weather is really fairly rare around here. If I can get production numbers somewhat back to normal, then I think I'll just take my chances with the weather from now on.
[I have four does with two kits each and one doe with three kits - the best I've had since last spring.]
I'm glad I tried the experiment. It's important to stay open to new ideas and ways of doing things. It's not necessary to adopt every new thing you try, however.
My next problem to tackle is feed. My feed did not come twice - and deliveries are two weeks apart. I'm down to the last feeding from the last bag I was able to get. Finally, I have a couple of rabbits in perfect fur and flesh. Finally, my does are producing something closer to expected. Finally, I was starting to think things were heading back to normal. But no. It looks like we're probably going to have to make a sudden feed change if I can't find some Purina - blue bag - today or tomorrow. That will make five feed changes in seven months. Is it any wonder I can't get things back to normal? In the barn, that is.
Personally, I'm looking forward to getting my own life back to normal. That includes my diet. I went totally off my diet for both Christmas and our anniversary trip (our 23rd - anniversary, that is, not trips). With a 7 1/2 lbs. gain and my annual physical today, I think it's a great day to get back on track there, too. I've heard that telling people about your commitments help to firm them up. Well, since I've told potentially anyone in the world that I'm back on my diet, hopefully that will help me stick to it really well!
You may have been wondering about the pictures at the top of this post. The first is me, January 2007. The second is me, today. The picture today is both a before and an after picture. It's an after picture for my 2007 diet. It's the before picture for my 2008 diet.
That reminds me that it's time to take a look at my barn today compared to last January. I've had a very weird year, but I wonder if I can really see the progress. It's interesting to look at a show report from this time last year to see what my show string was. Is my show string this January better in any way?
In my case, I'm sure that it's smaller. The rabbits in my herd that I'm most pleased with are Lord, Crazy Horse, MLk, and Padawan, for bucks. My favorite does are May, Padme, Jamillia, Evita, Arabica, and Hope.
Last January, I showed Camelot's Merlin, Java, Mercedes, Boris, and Arabica. Each of these rabbits, except Arabica, has produced a replacement (even more than one). Arabica just had her first live litter, so I'm hopeful she'll do the same soon.
So, it's time to take stock of where we are, what we have accomplished, and which projects are important for 2008. I can't wait to get back to dieting, dancing, raising bunnies, and home schooling. I'm excited to add studying very seriously for my judges' exam later this year. All of this starts just as soon as I get the Christmas decorations put away!
On a more serious note, I do know that there's one family among us who will not be able to get back to normal for some time to c