New Litter's and a Hard decision.

Well I shall start at the beginning, the 28th Miss Sunburn kindled a litter of Four Red's on looking them over I noticed one normal sized kit, one smaller kit now I know to be a runt and two really tiny ones that now i know are peanuts. I was excited for her to finally kindle because last time i bred her we got nothing. So Off i went to work, on coming back I saw that Miss Strawberry had kindled as well Three Reds and she too had one normal and two peanuts. Really bummed at this moment i knew that I should just be thankful for live kits and not DOA's like i have had in my previous litter's.

Yesterday night I found Berry's two peanuts with missing back limbs, she was starting to kill them because she knew they were not normal. Still alive I had my husband put them down humanely, and I put Sun's strongest kit up with Berry so that just maybe the others would have a chance.

Well was I wrong. Because the biggest kit was missing, Sun fed the Runt and completely ignored the two peanuts which I figured. Woke up this morning to find them all cold, one Peanut dead, the other close, and the run cold but still strong. I got the two surviving warm and transferred them to Berry to care for, but of course being the very doting mother she is, accepted the runt but did not accept the remaining peanut and was going to  kill it, so Now came the hard decision!

People may find this funny, I'm a hunter in training as my husband will call me, as of to this day I have killed one animal. And here I had in front of me a Kit that needed to be put down, I knew as a responsible rabbit breeder I need to do the deed myself and stop passing it off to my husband.

So I did it and knowing that it needed to be done I feel okay with that decision. In order to save litters I need to learn to cull out the weak and save the strong.

I'll update the three remaining after The new year.

Here's to 2012 a new year!

Goals for 2012

My biggest goal is to build on to my herd and get some strong lines going, I'd really like to get some of my own home grown's out on the show tables. Which brings me to another goal to attend more show's, this is so important to me, and I pray my schedule can intertwine well with the show season. We will be moving within the next couple months and I think I may build some cages, I saw some really awesome idea's and I think I can get my father or my crafty husband to build them. Just need to figure out how to get a tray built in because I'm really like the tray's. I have done the let it drop on the ground and sweep it up and it's just messy to me, the tray's demand my attention to clean them, so I don't put it off ever.

Another big goal is to obtain a Red buck, my husband and I will eventually save up enough for a real nice foundation buck, but we are just awaiting the right one to catch our eye. My castor's will come first, once we get a nice litter from lime and then hopefully Lacey we can really kick off with them.

Speaking of Lime she is due on Thursday so i am praying she delivers in her nest box. She will be well watched and I'm hopeful I'll catch her in time to make sure she is delivering in the right location.

I'm sure I'll come up with more Goals, but I really just want to continue to build on to my rabbitry and bring in some show winners!

Waiting on the last of the litters for 2011!

Brought my three hopefully pregnant Doe's into our attached garage where we can keep a better eye on them. With my work schedule, I have been extremely busy since I travel to work in the City. Hoping we have better luck with Lime who is due on the 22nd. We are rebuilding our nest box, making is more secure and more enticing for her to want to give birth in the box instead of the wire, so let's cross our fingers!

I'm realizing how much I really hate winter, water's are freezing now which really sucks. Rabbit's don't seem to mind the coldness, and the barn has been staying a degree warmer then outside, but still cold enough that the waters are freezing.

Sunburn due the 28th

Not much to report, Baby ( Alex's daughter) is staying nice and small which please's me. Looking forward to taking her to show's in the spring. She will be eight weeks old on Friday. Crazy to think how fast she grew. Now let's have more new babies so I have an actual show team for 2012!

Limerick due the 22nd

Strawberry due the 28th.

Just a tad bit frustrated.

Lost another litter today to a first-time mom. I'm so frustrated right now because although I have lost litter's in the past when I worked with Cinnamon's and other breeds I had  lost maybe two in the two years that I worked with them. I really need to sit down and re-evaluate how to get litter's that stay alive. Maybe it's because these are first time mommy's? Maybe I am just doing something wrong? I don't know, so far I have only had one live litter of two kit's, but that was with an experienced mom, and she did everything right, from pulling ton's of hair, to making her nest in the actual nestbox.

Both my first time mom's did not pull that much hair, nor did they even attempt to build their nest in the nest-box which is the core issue of why I am losing babies right now. My husband is going to be building different nest-boxes out of wood. Put a more Cave feeling to them, perhaps the moms will feel more comfortable having their babies in them.

I have three more litter's to go, one experienced mom, one new mom, and I re-bred lime for hopefully a live litter. I think i may just wait till spring to re breed Lacey, she's still young.

I know I can't get frustrated, it's going to happen, and it may happen many times before things start working right. My Doe's health's come first, they are not just breeding machines to me, they are like children to me and I do love them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoying the holiday with the family and I hope everyone else is enjoying there holiday to! My rabbits penguin and Sunburn are going to be on their way to the Lansing show on Saturday, I myself could not go because of a family tragedy but Hanna from Bella's rabbitry took them for me and I am very thankful! 

Miss Lacey will be having her babies in the next 24 hours hopefully, she has a nest almost made just waiting for her to go into labor!

Alex's Kits are both Does and the one I kept the black doe is now named Asinaway's Bella Baby, or just Baby for short. Bella baby has two meanings, one from Bella's Rabbitry and another from my grandmother because Bella baby has always meant beautiful baby girl in Italian! 

Going to my Second Show- The MSRBA Fall Show.

Very excited to get the chance to go to my second show in Lansing. I had really been debating if I was going to go, and I really did not want to go by myself. I'll be going with my good friend Hannah from Bella's Rabbitry. This show will be so much bigger then the first show I went to, so I'm glad I am not going by myself. It's going to be a blast and I'm looking forward to getting the chance to show Strawberry again with some real competition. It need to get some more show under her belt. I'm hoping she will do good, but I'm always happy just to show and enjoy all the company and learning.

Alex's babies are doing great, getting so big. Everyone else is doing fantastic and Lacey is due with her first litter on the 24th of this month, so thanksgiving day!

Alex's kit's are Three weeks tomorrow.

I cannot believe the Kit's are already Three weeks old, where dose time go? I tried sexing them the other day, I believe they are both Doe's. I love how friendly they both are, it really makes a difference when they are held and played with since day one. It's enjoyable to see them hop to the door each day when they see me in the barn.

Unfortunately I lost my first litter yesterday, Limerick gave me a surprise and started pulling hair the other day, when I though it was sun who was going to kindle, it was actually Lime. All three of her kit's were still-born, one being stuck. It was a really scary situation, but she is doing fine, and back outside in the barn. It made me realize just how attached I am to these girls. When outside people say these rabbits mean nothing to breeders, they are so very wrong. I personally care deeply for all my rabbits that reside in my barn, some I like better then others, but they all have a place in my heart. I just no longer mourn over the death of kit's, I can't, yes it's sad, but if I broke down and cried and became deeply sad every time a kit passed onto the other side, I'd never be able to successfully continue breeding.

I'm hoping Miss Sun kindles but my hope that she is even pregnant is now dwindling. I'm going to re-breed her next weekend and hope that this time she takes. I'll be giving Lime a break and re-breeding her with another buck. Now just waiting on Miss Lacey to kindle, I know for sure she's pregnant, and she's due on the 24th. Maybe I'll have better luck the second time around starting with Lace!!!