Locket Rabbitry Blog

New blog!

2012-01-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

I've had this blog since 2009 and I am sort of ashamed to say it only has 33 posts.

New blog: Bunny Girl...name likely to change. It's less based on the happenings of my barn since I find that boring. More based on website advice and other helpful information.

So follow it.

Click click click click click and FOLLOW

It still hurts.

2011-07-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

I guess that even after 5 years you still don't get over the pain of losing a litter. Even though they are only a few hours old, it's still so devastating when they don't make it. I can handle the ones that fade, or are still born...but when I lose an entire litter it really ruins my day. I just can't help but think about their poor helpless little lives that were unnecessarily lost.

I had my first litter of BEWs born today. I waited so long for this breeding. And much to my excitement, the mom gave me a BEW and a perfectly marked Vienna. I was thrilled. I came home about 8 hours later to find them being devoured by ants. The fourth time this has happened in the past 2 months. I feel like I should have prevented it but I honestly thought the episode was over after we power-washed the barn; even more so since I've had two litters since the first round of ants that survived fine. I honestly don't know what is attracting them.

It still hurts to lose a litter...and I think it always will so long as I have a passion for these animals.

RIP little ones <3

Baby Girl,

2011-07-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

January 12, 2011

My heart is racing as I write this. It's the first time I've let myself think or talk about you since that day. The day you left me.August 31, 2010. I've gone five months without you and I only got to spend 10 months with you. It feels like a lifetime. Your memories are fading.It's like you were never here. No one talks bout you. No one knows. I don't want them to. I don't want to keep hearing the apologies. Because they did nothing, I did. I can't believe I did this to you. I hope you know how much I love you. I think i still know how much I loved you when you were here. It was unconditionally. I felt like non one knew how much you mean to me. Like they couldn't begin to imagine our bond. Like you were genuine. You were. There was never a rabbit like you. You went through everything with me. You laid in my lap late at night under the covers and let me rub your head until I almost fell asleep. You'd nudge me when I stopped. you knew how to ask for food and water and how to get me to let you out. You knew how to connect to me. I'm looking at where your cage used to be. The reason why I wouldn't go in my room for a week. I'm in so much pain. I miss you so much. I want you here. I've never felt so strong about something before. This is the reason I wouldn't let myself think about you. I didn't want to be in that black hole again. The place where I felt so alone. No one knew how I felt. No one could begin to imagine.

They said they did. I felt like I didn't eat for a week. I felt like if I did it would be selfish. Selfish like how instead of being at home that final day I was out shopping. I didn't bother to stay with you. I only remember saying to you "are you okay, baby girl? It'll be okay." I remember rubbing your velvet ears. Reminding myself to remember how they felt because it might be the last time I would feel them. And it was. I wonder how long you had been gone till I found you. I knew when I got up from the sofa that going to my room could forever change my life. And it did. I didn't want to leave you. I didn't want to get up off my knees. No matter how much they hurt. I didn't want to believe it. And every time I would tell myself "She's gone", I would begin balling again saying "no, no, no" over and over for what seemed like five minutes but what was really almost two hours. Two more hours away from you. I wanted time to freeze. I didn't want to except anything. I didn't want to think that 2 weeks from now I'd be done crying. I wanted to cry forever. I wanted to feel as much pain as you did. I wanted to punish myself. I didn't want to even be happy again without you. Because it would be selfish. I didn't want people to act like nothing had happened just so I wouldn't be reminded of you. It was the silence that killed me the most. It was being allowed to hear my thoughts and see your face that made me so angry. And now that I'm finally allowing myself to talk about you, I feel so selfish that I didn't all those months. Like I deprived myself of rejoicing in your memories.

I wanted so badly to tell everyone that knew you. You were so famous. So many people wanted you. They adored you. They know how special you are to me. Only some people have asked about you. I'm glad. But now I want people to know. I want to be able to talk about you. I want to let go of what happened and just be glad it did. Because I am. I don't want to forget why I loved you so much. If I do, I'll feel even more guilty. I don't want to feel guilty. I want to be happy.And most of all, I want people to know how amazing you were. I want you to live on in not only my heart, but the hearts of others. Because you touched so many of them. I will always be able to look back and tell anyone about you. And five years from now, I want to feel this same passion as I do now. I forget already too much about Mishodoe and I won't let that happen to you. My heart is beating normally now and my eyes are dry. I don't feel that ripping pain in my chest either. I know I will again and it will be okay. And even though I don't want to stop writing to you, I know I should because I've accomplished what I came here to do. And that was to allow myself to remember how much I will always love you. And so Mishodoe's name never dies, I give you her name as a part of yours.

I love you Macee Mae Leah Mishodoe.

Forever.

Hiccups

2011-03-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

I grabbed all my babies today and sat them atop my belly as I lay basking in the sun. It's not that it's really warm enough to get a tan, or try to, but it's nice to feel the sun beaming down on your skin, occasionally interrupted by a sudden breeze.

It was nice.

The wind chime sounded like it was trying to play a song. Each chime singing it's own note, letting it ring out as long as possible. And as if the wind reached down to turn up the volume, a new chime would sing out louder and longer. Together, they took turns at the melody, letting the wind decide who would sing next.

The birds acted as if they liked the song, so they sang along. Each with their own interpretation of the tune. A twee! twee! here and there added to the amateur orchestra.

And then a new sound joined in. I could feel it on my stomach. *Hiccup!* One of the babies started hiccuping, as if keeping rhythm for the song. *Hiccup! Hiccup!* It increased, quickening with each bar. In almost a domino effect, the next one started going and the next. Three little bunnies, blissfully dreaming about whatever their little minds are capable of, hiccuping. One after the other. As the three slid down and into the sides of my jacket, I could feel the alternating beats. Left, right, left, right. Still keeping time.

Keeping time to the rhythm of the wind and the birds. The sun as the spotlight for the magnificent symphony.

That's okay...

2011-03-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

....I didn't want babies anyways...

*Sigh* Brooklyn kindled 7 babies the day after due...all on the wire. I was really devasted and it effected me more than I thought it would. I guess on the bright side, she's now semi-proven and is bred again. At least I know I'll have a full nestbox next time she kindles!!

So she got bred back to Bristol and Carlie got bred to Jukebox who I haven't used since last summer. I also bred two Netherland Dwarf does. Praying that I get some babies here soon because I might just die of withdraw.

NCRBA Convention is next weekend and I'm super, duper excited. I have a large show string and hopefully I will do well. It's one of my favorite shows because it's so big and I love the people down there.

That's all for now!

2011-03-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

Continuing on with my updates...

The temperatures have been fluxuating between 40 and 80. Day by day. It's a little annoying since one day I have to wear my winter coat and the next I grab my flip flops and fly out the door excited that I don't have to worry about staying warm. Since I don't enjoy the ever changing weather, I'm sure the bunnies don't either. One day the warm sun is shining in on their fur as they bask in its glory...next thing they know I'm shoving hay into their cages so they won't freeze over night. Ridiculous I tell ya.

BUT! The bi-polar conditions are also a sign that Spring is soon approaching which I hope to the almighty bunny god will mean my does will start giving me babies. I'm so sick of breeding an eager doe and then ending up with nothing. Let's take Fly Girl, my silver marten Netherland doe, for instance. This doe couldn't have wanted to be bred more. What does she do? Goes 3 days over and has 2 peanuts and 1 hippo...DOA. Grr!! Then Lenora, my black Netherland doe, could have sworn she was pregnant. Then, 2 days after her due date I palpate her to find no babies. It doesn't help that I've been playing this game since October. I just want babies! The only doe that's given me babies is a grumpy little Himi doe who has one fat baby in the nest. Yay? Yeah...yay.

At this point, the only doe I know is exploding with babies is a first-timer..Brooklyn. I think I might've blogged about being really excited that I was about to have my first litter by a Locket doe but turns out she didn't take. So now, a month later and one day until due, she's miserably full with babies. She started out grunting like crazy and franticly running around her cage like a mad woman but now she's actually letting me pet her. So I'm hoping that's a sign she's about to have them. She has, however, made no effort to prepare for her new babies.

*Sigh* Rabbits...can't live with them, can't live without them.

That's all for now.

Much needed update!

2011-02-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

I've done something bad. Nothing along the lines of a felony or even something needing minor punishment. It's just that I haven't blogged in a long time. For over a month actually which sort of ruins my whole 2011 goal. I've actually been thinking about it for a while and there are so many things I need to tell you. Even though it looks like I have a grand total of 11 followers. Hopefully, fellow breeders come across this every once in a while. That would make me happy.

I realize that I had started a genetics series and I do plan on finishing it. I think the reason I stopped for a little bit was because I dread the C gene and I really didn't want to get into it. So, never fear, I will continue that series once I get everyone up to speed as to what's going on.

It seems like we wait so long

for the annual PaSRBA Convention show in February. We all anxiously await the final few days before we can finally pack up the bunnies and just go. It's a much needed break for many people, or at least my mom and I since we only make one show a month. Plus, who wouldn't enjoy thousands of rabbits all under one roof and the hundreds of people who own them. It's a great experience for the novice or even the most experienced breeder. Often, it's where those high and mighty breeders win

their breed with their most prized possession. It's the sort of show where you only hope to do well against some of the toughest competition on the East Coast. Never in a million years (okay, never in several years) would I believe that I would be one of the breeders to claim the Best of Breed title at this prestigious show.

That's right! I am very proud to announce that my very own Locket's Xora took Best of Breed in the Youth Saturday show! For those of you who don't really know all my rabbits by name I guess I'll have to introduce you. Xora, at the time, was only 3 months old. She is an orange jr. doe out of Roseart's Grizz and Naragon's Xena. When Xora was born, I was in the midst of a permanent sell down. I decided that the best decision at that time was to sell the entire litter as well as the dam. So Xora was sold at 8 weeks old. She wasn't going to be picked up or a few more months so she sat patiently in the barn, growing up and turning into a beautiful little doe. I'd pull her out once or twice a week and slowly I began to realize the mistake I had made in selling her. I kept thinking about whether or not I wanted to cancel the sale. It'd mean making the new owner very unhappy and me loosing a large sum of money that I'd planned to put towards my Netherland Dwarf Nationals fund. But after showing her to a friend I was told to keep her. So I reluctantly sucked up the courage to cancel the sale.

I felt completely relieved after I did. I felt like I had made a really good choice because for being an orange, she was a phenomenal doe and would benefit my herd significantly. Plus, PaSRBA Convention was that weekend so I'd really be able to test the waters and see how well she'd do against the notorious tort class. Right before the show I decided that she was too little to show, barely being over jr. weight

. So I decided to just take her to show my friends. On the way to the show, however, another friend told me that spending $5 wasn't going to hurt me and that I should just enter her anyways to get comments. Well, I need to personally thank this person because hadn't it been for them...I never would have had the opportunity to win my first Best of Breed at such a huge show. The morning of the show I started taking her around to my friends, like planned, to get comments. One who said "I'd like to see the doe that beats her for 1st place." I really didn't want to hear that to be honest because I didn't believe, personally, that she was nice enough to beat out an entire SJD class. And again, I was told that she would take her class. Then again, that people were talking about how this girl was going to win. Was she really that nice?

Well slowly but surely the judge moved through each jr. doe. Using her colorful eraser method to mark which rabbit would leave next. Of course, the code was not something an exhibitor could decipher so I anxiously awaited to see when she would be placed. There was somewhere around 25 does so it was going to take awhile. She made it past the "No Placement" part and into the "Honor Group" which meant the judge wanted to see her later. I remember what the judge said when she grabbed her out of the coop for the first time. "Whoa!". My friend kept giving me excited looks from behind the writer's table as she moved towards the top of the class. Back and forth, back and forth between two does. Mine and a tort doe. I wouldn't be all that surprised if the tort doe took the class. But when she finally made her decision and picked up the tort doe to be called for 2nd, my heart jumped. I heard h

er mumble something about the doe being "a beast" as she carried my doe over to the writer to be called for 1st. My stomach did something crazy and all of a sudden I realized I had achieved the biggest accomplishment for my rabbitry thus far. Taking 1st place with an orange jr. doe. A colored doe. It would be a while before she'd go up for variety so after being congratulated I put her back in her cage and happily skipped along my way to go tell my friends. You can only imagine the high I was on. And Facebook already knew! Maybe 2 hours later I ran into the youth room to find out if variety judging had started. Sure enough, they had been waiting on me to put her up. Oops!

So the judge carefully looked over all the solids and all the brokens. All the class winners waited at the table with the rest of the exhibitors waiting behind them. I stood by with my camera just sitting quietly. The judge said "Surprisingly, I really do not know who is going to win this time. I really don't." Well that's good right? At least she hadn't already picked something out in her head. I was happy to hear that I might have a chance. When the judge announced that her best solid was the Jr. Doe I almost flipped. I mean, my jaw dropped. My doe beat the Sr. class? It took maybe 2 seconds for it to click before I was absolutely speechless. My friend looked at me and said "Told you!" and I just sat there in disbelief. As the clapping faded for the solid variety winners so then announced the broken winners. And as soon as the clapping subsided for a second time the judge began to tear up as she thanked everyone for allowing her to judge her favorite breed. I'd never seen a judge get emotional about judging before. It made the moment even more heart warming when she announced the solid doe as the breed winner. I thought to myself "Well, good try!" as the first thing that popped into my head was a tort solid sr. doe. When my friend realized that I hadn't realized what the judge said she called out my name and said "That's your doe, Laura!" I immediately jumped to my feet and said "Wait...MY doe?!" I had no idea what to think as my jaw dropped for a second time and I thew my hand over it in astonishment. I don't even think I heard the clapping as I floated through the crowd to where my doe sat on the table. The judge looked at me and said "Congratulations! She's a beast!"

The next 10 minutes were filled with pictures and a constant return of thank you's for all the congratulations I kept getting. The area cleared and I congratulated the Best Opposite of Breed winner who was also a colored jr., an opal! I'm sure she was just as thrilled as I was.

The whole day I just replayed that moment over and over. Still not believing that my little doe won the whole darn thing. I mean...a colored. junior. doe. Out of over 150 animals! It doesn't get any better than that. Nothing could ruin my day. For only wanting to show her for comments, I sure ended up with more than I could ever ask for. And just to think that I had this girl sold.

So without further ado, I present to you Locket's Xora.

If she is never remembered by anyone else, she will go down in history in my book for being my first Best of Breed with a homegrown rabbit and for being a huge milestone in my colored project. I never imagined having this nice of a colored rabbit within my first few generations. I will by no means let this lead me to believe that I have achieved the best of the best. But I believe that everyone deserves to share such a wonderful experience especially if it's the first.

She now lives in the biggest hole in the barn and is just as spoiled as ever. Her next show in NCRBA Convention where she'll be shown as a now 4 month old jr. I'm hoping she'll continue to do well. I would love to grand her!

I want to thank everyone that supported me that day in helping me believe in myself. I remember telling someone after they complimented me that I wasn't ready to hear that my doe would win. And honestly, I'm still not comfortable with it. I've always looked up to all the big breeders out there and envied them when they took home the BOB rabbit. I never imagined it would be me.

Well this blog turned into more than I had expected so I guess I'll save the rest of the updates for another day. That's all for now!

B Series- Chocolate anyone?

2011-01-19T15:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I started a small series on genetics beginning with the A series. Tonight I want to cover the next on the list, the B series. This gene series is what controls whether a rabbit is black or blue, chocolate or lilac.

Every rabbit, no matter what color, is either black, blue, chocolate, or lilac based. This is because the rabbit has to have either the black gene or the chocolate gene making it either Black and Chocolate. Even though blue and lilac are affected by this gene, for less confusion, lets only work with Black and Chocolate.

As we learned with the A series, the capital letters represent the most dominant and the lower case letters represent recessive. Never will you have a recessive gene depicted with a capital letter. Therefore:

(B)-Black

(b)- Chocolate

Black is always dominant over chocolate and chocolate is always recessive to black.

Since we learned how to make charts in the last lesson, let's do a quick one for this gene series and then incorporate what we learned with the A series. Let's begin with a Black rabbit carrying chocolate B(b) and a Chocolate rabbit (remember because chocolate is at the bottom of the dominance list, you write any chocolate rabbit with two (b) genes.)

___B_ b

b Bb bb

b Bb bb

We can conclude that we have a 50% chance of getting black offspring and 50% chance of getting chocolate offspring. Because the chocolate parent can only give a (b) gene, all the offspring will carry a second (b) gene making the blacks a carrier of chocolate.

So if every rabbit is either black or chocolate based, what about colors like Orange where you can't see any black? Well, we assume that colors like Orange and Siamese Sable are black based unless noted otherwise. If it is known that the orange is b(b) and not (B) then it is called a Chocolate based or Chocolate factor Orange. Because phenotypically (the appearance of the rabbit) you can't see all that much difference in a black based or chocolate based Orange, they are not recognized as two separate colors. However, in some breeds black and chocolate based colors are recognized separately because of the drastic differences in the phenotype. For instance, we do not refer to a Chestnut expressing b(b) as a chocolate factored/based Chestnut, we refer to it as a Chocolate Chestnut (and a lilac Chestnut is often called a lynx). It's a little confusing but the basic point is to know that every rabbit is either black or chocolate based even if they do not appear so phenotypically.

So let's say we have a Black Chestnut carrying chocolate and tan pattern and breed it to a Chocolate Otter carrying self. That may sound a little confusing but let's list what we know about these colors first!

We know that the A series comes first and then the B series. So the Chestnut is A(at)-B(b). The Chocolate Otter is at(a)-bb. That makes it a little less confusing doesn't it? So how do we figure out what colors we can get from this cross? We'll start with a chart for the A genes and then make a chart for the B gene.

___A___at

at A(at) at(at)

a A(a) at(a)

50% Agouti, 50% Tan Pattern

___B__b

b Bb bb

b
B
b
bb

50% Black, 50% Chocolate

So now that we've discovered our chance of getting each combination of either gene we now have to "add" it up. Basically, you match up all the A series combinations with the B series combinations. Starting with the first box in the A chart and matching it with all the boxes in the B chart and then continuing on.

A(at)-B(b)- Chestnut (carrying tan pattern and chocolate)

A(at)-b(b)- Chocolate Chestnut (carrying tan pattern)

at(at)-B(b)- Black Otter (carrying chocolate)

at(at)-b(b)- Chocolate Otter

A(a)-B(b)- Chestnut (carrying self and chocolate)

A(a)-b(b)- Chocolate Chestnut (chestnut carrying self)

at(a)-B(b)- Black otter (carrying self and chocolate)

at(a)-b(b)- Chocolate Otter (carrying self)

After writing it out we can see that we will either get Chestnut, Chocolate Chestnut, Black Otter or Chocolate Otter. Even though we only have four color possibilities out of this breeding, what each rabbit might carry varies significantly. When they are born, we only know what they are by looking at them. This leaves a blank on their genotype. For example, a black otter would appear as at_-B_. We can only know which genes they are carrying by breeding the offspring to the color they could produce if they carried that gene. So if we wanted to see if one of the kits carried chocolate, we would breed it to a chocolate. If a chocolate is produced we can fill in the second (missing) gene and label the rabbit as a chocolate carrier. This concept works with all the gene series so remember it!

And there you have it. The B-series gene is a very simple one because it is only comprised of two genes. However, the more gene series you know the more complicated the process becomes to figure out color possibilities. So try it out! Pick a breeding like above and make a chart. See what colors are possible and the likelihood of them! The more you practice, the easier it will become!

The Joy of Genetics

2011-01-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

Ahh, genetics. The mystery game that people either have the ability to solve or live their life completely oblivious to. I prefer those who don't choose the latter. It makes breeding so much easier not having to guess at colors. If you know whats possible and likely it'll be more fun planning for certain colors! I figured I'd do a series post on the basics of genetics and maybe eventually turn them into articles to put on my website. Once you learn the ins and outs of it, you can figure just about any genetic problem out. Its a lot of fun! So lets begin!

All rabbits have a genetic code called a genotype. The physical appearance of the rabbit is called the phenotype. Of course, the genotype directly controls the phenotype.

The 5 genes that I will cover and the genes most commonly used to define a rabbit are as followed:

A series- Determines whether a rabbit is agouti, tan pattern, or self
B series- Determines whether a rabbit is black or chocolate

C series- Determines where and how much color will be on the hair shaft

D series- Determines whether a rabbit is dense or dilute (

E series- Determines how far the color is extended on the hair shaft

A rabbit's genotype is listed in a-b-c-d-e order. There are several other genes including the vienna gene, pattern gene, steel gene, harlequin gene, and modifiers gene.

Let's begin with the A series.

A rabbit is either
(A)- agouti
(at)- tan pattern or
(a)-self.

The dominance of these genes are in that order. A rabbit at the bottom of the dominance list cannot carry anything above it. Also, any gene is said to be recessive to the gene above it. Therefore, tan pattern is recessive to agouti and self is recessive to tan pattern and agouti. Agouti is dominant over tan pattern and self and tan pattern is dominant over self. Self is dominant to nothing and the most recessive gene.This concept works for all the genes.

Every rabbit has two genes from each series. So a rabbit can be:

A(A)- True agouti, does not carry a different -a- gene
A(at)- Agouti carrying tan pattern

A(a)- Agouti carrying self
at(at)- True tan patter, does not carry a different -a- gene

at(a)- Tan pattern carrying self

a(a)- Self carrying self

Because self (a) is the most recessive and cannot carry another -a- gene, a rabbit that is self always has two (a) genes. Therefore, it is always safe to list a self rabbit's genotype as a(a) because there is nothing else it can be.

Now lets talk percentages! You breed a Chestnut (agouti) to an Otter (tan pattern) and you want to know what the odds are for getting agouti or tan pattern. The easiest way to do this is to make a little chart. Let's say we breed a true Chestnut (not carrying any other -a- genes) to a true Otter. The chart would be as follows:

___A___A

At the top we have the chestnut's two -a- genes and on the side we have the otter's two a genes. Now we fill it in by pairing up the genes from the side and top. The top gene on the left will be paired with the top gene on the side and the bottom gene on the side. The top gene on the right will be matched the same way. Remember to always list the dominant gene first!

___A ___ A

at A(at) A(at)

Look at that! All of your offspring from this breeding will be agouti carrying tan pattern. So you'd have 100% Chestnuts that are capable of throwing tan pattern. Why? Because each parent had a 'double dose' of their gene so that's all they had to give. What if we took one of these babies and bred it back to their Otter parent. Let's make another chart!

___A ___ at <--- That's the offspring

at A(at) at(at)

So we can conclude that from this pairing that the odds are 50% of the offspring will be agouti carrying tan pattern and 50% will be true tan pattern.

STOP!

Just because the odds are 50/50 does not mean that if four kits are born that two will be Chestnut carrying tan pattern and two will be Otter. If you've come to this conclusion you need to back up! We are only finding the chance that a color will occur. Out of this breeding the chance that a self rabbit will pop up is zero. The chance that an otter will pop up is 50%. This means you only have two options: Otter or Chestnut. You could get a litter of four and all of them could be Otter. This is very important to remember! Let's make one more chart to wrap up this lesson.

An agouti carrying self and a tan pattern carrying self are bred together. What are the chances of getting each color? In other words, what is the percentage of chance for each color? Chart time!

___A ___ a

at A(at) at(a)

a A(a) a(a)

Wow! That's quite the variety! Let's break it down. In the first block we have agouti carrying tan pattern, the block next to that we have tan pattern carrying self. In box three we have agouti carrying self and in box for we have self. So, what does this mean? It means there is a 50% chance of getting agouti (with 25% being tan pattern carriers and 25% being self carriers), 25% chance of getting tan pattern, and 25% chance of getting self.

So now that you know how to make the charts, go ahead and try it yourself! Stick two -a- genes at the top (In order of dominance! Remember you cannot put a(at) because a self cant carry tan pattern) and two on the sides. Fill in the blanks and tally up the percentages.

"Hey there bunni-

2011-01-13T17:30:00.000-08:00

-CARTER! WHY!" That's how it's been going the past few nights I've gone out to feed. For some reason, Carter, a young spunky little buck, insists on somehow removing the arms of the J-feeder from around the wire which causes it to fall from the three story stacker and spill whatever feed was left. Why.

I don't understand. I put it back and make sure both arms are snuggly hooked around the wire and within 2 minutes, it'll be on the floor again. I don't hear it happen, I don't see it happen, I don't even know how he's capable of doing it. He acts SO hungry but yet he's willing to knock his feeder off when he could've just ate the last few pellets like a good hungry bunny would do.

WHY.

Finally!

2011-01-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

Finally got a Netherland Dwarf bred on Sunday! Sheesh! Stubborn little things!

Ahh, Friday!

2011-01-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well, this week went by super fast! I was going to blog the day after my last one but I honestly don't remember what it was going to be about. So I'll just go with what's on my mind right now. Being that its, again, Friday, that shouldn't be too much.

There's a buck out in the barn that I really like right now. He was one of those bucks I got and I was like "Ehh, you're alright." But now, he's like whoa. Is it possible to be jealous of my own rabbit? Well I am. He's a black otter import buck and I can't wait to use him.

Too bad all of my does are in no shape to breed or the bucks don't feel like getting it on. *Rolls eyes*. I'm switching to Big Red so I'm hoping that'll put more flesh on the does.

February 5th is the first show of the year for me. PaSRBA Convention. Have lots of rabbits leaving to their new homes then. After that I probably won't go to anything until ANDRC Nationals in April. Have to save my money since it'll be a big trip. Plus I plan to pick up new stock then so I have to have all the money I can get. No that doesn't mean I plan on snatching up what I can find. It means that I already know who I'm buying from and have to make sure I can still buy from them :P I have to wait until February to find out what I'm getting. Eek! Such a long wait.

I do for sure have one new rabbit coming. A Netherland Dwarf buck. Color to be announced! Don't want to ruin the surprise! It's exciting. So stay tuned.

I'm redoing the Naragon's Xena x Roseart's Grizz breeding. There was a buck in the litter that I didn't pay attention too and the night he went to leave for his new pet home I posed him up and my jaw dropped. So that's in the works.

In news unrelated to rabbits, well. There is none. Oh the life of a rabbit breeder.

That's all for now.

First breeding of the New Year!

2011-01-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I started the year out with a breeding...but not just any breeding. My first time breeding a Locket's doe! Locket's Brooklyn (Spring Lake's Eva x Roseart's Grizz) was bred to Stew's Bristol last night. I'm hoping to get orange and broken orange.

This is a big milestone in my rabbit life. I've waited

almost five years for this and I believe that I actually have the parts to be breeding with my own stock!

In other news, all the hangers from the barn have been removed and I am now officially transitioned over to stackers! Check out the new look:

I'll be adding more stackers soon because with my goals for 2011, I'll need all the space I can get.

That's all for now!

Rabbitry Resolutions

2010-12-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

My horoscope is usually right about my life but I was not happy when I woke up to "complete some mundane chores". Instead, I've been spending the day (and the past week) thinking up some rabbitry resolutions for the new year. I wasn't planning on it but with all that's happened the past few months and where I plan to lead myself...I think it's a good idea. I realize that this blog is left unattended for long periods of time so that makes rabbitry resolution #1:

-Update the blog more often!

I did a quick read through of my last post and well, I guess a lot has changed. It was brought to my attention that each time I post the herd has changed in some way. At least that means there's progress! Rabbitry resolution #2:

-No more new projects!

That is, after all the current new projects make it under my roof. THEN there will be no more unplanned projects. No new breeds, no new colors. Which leads me to rabbitry resolution #3:

-BREED, breed, breed the Netherlands!

Oops, that's right, unless you've been on my facebook or website...you didn't know I had Netherlands! Which also means you don't know that I sold out of Holland Lops. Geez, I really do need to do some more updating. I'm leaving my self with 3 breeding does and 2 breeding bucks for the Hollands. Still working on agoutis, that plan hasn't changed. And in fact, it's doing quite well. Out of all my agouti litters and the sell down, I kept one orange doe. I also have a second generation Locket's doe that I am keeping and her half sister who is first generation. With so few Hollands, a switch from hangers to stackers, and an increase in cage space, I hope to keep a running herd of 20-30 Netherland Dwarfs. Eek! So exciting. Rabbitry resolution #4

-After I pick up my new additions at ANDRC Nationals, no more buying!

I am putting a lot into picking up some new stock at nationals from a/some top breeder(s). This is tied to the previous one as once I finish my foundation stock I'm going to force my self to breed as much as possible! Which means rabbitry resolution #5:

-Learn to cull.

That's going to be a hard one to fulfill since I promised myself that I'd cull hard with the Netherland to increase quality faster. Culling not just in the sense of selling the ones I don't have to keep but culling pet quality if they don't sell fast enough. Rabbitry resolution #6:

-Make a name for myself in the Netherland Dwarf community.

Easier said than done. Hopefully by proving I'm passionate about the breed I'll be able to do so. Culling hard, selling quality, showing the best, keeping juniors, etc. is how I plan to do this. Rabbitry resolution #7:

-Keep a max of 5 Hollands, keep breeding to a minimum, and work on my line.

I know I want to focus on the Dwarfs more than anything so I need to make sure the Hollands have a spot on the back burner. Rabbitry resolution #8:

-Make it to as many shows as possible.

Part of resolution #6. Get my name out there, get points, put legs on homegrowns etc. Rabbitry resolution #9:

-Buy more stackers

Any money that I make off sales will, instead of being used to buy more stock, will be put towards buying more stackers and/or replacing old ones. It's my dream to have all matching cages. And finally, rabbitry resolution #10:

-Win BIS with a homegrown.

I can dream can't I?

So hold me to it. Ten resolutions, 12 months.

That's all for now.

Title here

2010-07-29T05:17:00.001-07:00

Wow, have things gotten behind lately. I can't believe the last time I blogged was in February. Maybe I should catch everyone up...

We just moved. Only about 20 minutes from our old house but nevertheless, it was quite the move. The new barn that the landlords so graciously let us built is more or less better than the last one. it's 8 1/2' by 22' as far as usable cage space. I have a 6' x 5' shed that extends the back of the barn for storage (what a God send!). Then there's about a 2' overhang that I plan to use as a patio once we get some stones down. It's pretty nice. I do plan to switch to stackers however much I hate to. It'll save me space and give me more holes eventually.

I'm overwhelmed with babies, juniors, and pregnant does. My total baby count right now, I believe, is 14. All under 5 weeks. I have about 5 keepers as far as my spring juniors go. A handful of pet rabbits that need to leave as well as some seniors. Somewhere around 6-7 does bred due on August 4th..and they all took! Don't know if I mentioned this on here or not but I'm working with agoutis now. That project is going really well. I have one agouti buck from Roseart rabbitry who has produced Chestnuts, Opals, Oranges, and Creams so far! I plan to slowly move more into this project since the Hollands are starting to get stressful. I figured if I'm gonna breed them it might as well be fun. I'm possibly considering selling down to a small amount of blacks and torts and keeping majority agoutis. Lionheads are leaving unfortunately because they aren't priority right now and they are just using space I need.

Have a small project underway that I don't plan to release until it's established. How exciting!

Other than that...there isn't really much going on. Rabbits have been set back on my priority list especially since I've had such a busy summer. With me going back to High School I'm sure my numbers will decrease majorly until I'm sure I can handle it all. Just the one downside to it all is that I can't seem to sell anything. Really makes it complicated and frustrating.

Recent show results worthy of mentioning: Taylorsville, NC (not sure of the date, sometime in early June maybe?) ANR's Brianna granded out with a BOSB leg, DRU Mary's Alice picks up her first leg as a junior for BOSB, and Gavin's Jukebox picks up his first leg for 1st SSB. Don't remember the judges but I was really happy! I received the legs for Juke and Alice but nothing on Bri yet..still waiting!

I have my first batch of homegrowns to show in the fall season. Looking forward to seeing how they'll stand up against the competition.

That's all for now.

2010-02-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

Spring is coming and I'm really hoping to be able to step up production for the next few months! I hopefully have a few does due to kindle that will get me going and then I want to bring in some more does.

Locket's Woodstock is turning out better than I could have EVER asked for. He's by far one of the best, if not the best, I've ever produced. His first show will be at the NC State Convention in March. He'll be a hardy 4 months old and ready to compete!

I am sad to say that we lost ANR's Kellen due to wool block/bloat. It was a very sad loss for the rabbitry and he will be greatly missed.

That's all for now!

Long time no talk!

2010-02-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

Well it's been awhile, and this will be a short post. But just to prove to everyone that I'm still alive....

More changes! American Fuzzy Lops are leaving unfortunately. Still trying to sell the last three. I realized that there is no market for them around here and that there isn't any competition. I don't know what made me want to get them anyways. Just so cute I guess!

Out with the old...in with the new. The Locket Lops family welcomes two new breeds! Castor Mini Rex and BEW and VM Lionheads! We will be keeping a trio of each breed to produce pets and support the pet market. We love these breeds and are happy to have them!

Finally, my Holland Lop herd reduction is complete and I finally have the basis of my new herd. I have brought in three new bucks (ANR's Tait, ANR's Kellen, & Gavin's Jukebox) and two new does (ANR's Brianna and PJ's Athena). I am very happy to have them to restart my herd. I also have some very promising juniors that I hope to use as well. I still have Elliot, Trixy, Eva, and Xena. Everything else has moved on.

Really quickly, I am ever so please to announce that Locket's Evolet (Spring Lake's Eva x Naragon's Elliot) took 1st place Solid Junior Doe in Open at PaSRBA Convention!!! What an accomplishment for my rabbitry! Unfortunately, I did not show her but regardless her placement is outstanding and as an award.....her first leg!!! She took 2nd place in the speciality show and 3rd place at her very first show at the Wade Memorial Show. I can see that this girl is going to go far.

That's all for now.

Some Changes

2010-01-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

I recently decided to restart with my herd because I was not happy with what I had. So, I was able to sell all of my stock except a few select rabbits and have added a few rabbits that I think will help me get a better start. In addition to this change, I've decided to make a few minor changes to my website. Unfortunately, I will no longer be posting pictures or information about my herd until further notice. I have left up the Sales page, Contact Us, About Us, and a few others but I will not be publicly displaying anything about my rabbits until I feel comfortable to do so. Because of this, my website will not be updated as frequently unless to add sale animals, which I will not have many of until later this year. I am sorry if this causes any inconviences. I will still actively be showing and breeding like always.

That's all for now.

Back from the show!

2009-12-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a long day but I had a lot of fun. Placed fairly well and brought home lots of new buns. Here are a few of my placements

Youth
Dominick, SSB: 3/6
Eva, SSD: 3/5
Sophia, SSD: 2/5
Paint It Black, SJD: 1/4

Open
Missy, SJD: 3/10

The does from Indiana arrived just fine. I'm very please with them. Here's a look at the solid show doe.I took home two brood does from Snug-a-licious Rabbitry. One is on loan and the other is here for a bit. In addition, we have a new doe for our Sable Point project:

This is Mary's Cherrio and she's quite the character. We are very happy with her and can't wait to get her bred.

On a side note, turns out that we actually don't have a blue tort in the nest box. He's just a regular old black tort, just very dark. In addition, he might also be a fuzzy! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he's not!
That's all for now!

Barn News

2009-12-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd share what's going on in the barn!

It still hasn't gotten too cold around here except for a few dips. I'm anticipating when it actually does get cold because that's when I will have all my litters! Luckily it doesn't snow here until late January, early February.

I am very pleased and proud to pronounce that the very first broken blue tort was born in the barn on 11/20!! I was absolutely shocked because I didn't even know the sire carried dilute! The parents are Lexus and Diego. I'm hoping it's a good match. I started off with not having any dilute carrier bucks and now I have three! Pedigrees don't reveal everything...

Next up we have two lovely does coming from my friend Todd Naragon in Indiana. As you can imagine, I am overly excited about these gals for a few reasons. First of all, the are both blacks; one broken, one solid. The broken is a brood doe because of her head mount but has the biggest head you've ever seen on a jr. doe! The solid, the one I am most excited about, has 4 JUNIOR legs! I am so thankful that Todd was willing to part with her. She has two BOB legs, 2 BOSV legs, and possibly a leg for 1st place (waiting to hear the class size). She turns Sr. on 12/2 so I will be showing her this weekend to try to get her a Sr. leg and then grand her. Judge Joel Marshall was nice enough to transport them for me to the next show. I will be posting pictures when they arrive.

I've tried my best to get as many does to palpate as possible so here's hoping for a few litters before the end of the year. I have three unplanned-special breedings aswell! Paint It Black x Diego is due on Christmas Eve, Trixy x Diego is due on New Year's Eve, and Eva x Dominick is due New Year's day!

Happy Holidays!

Fall Herd Reduction!

2009-11-14T13:29:00.001-08:00

I have LOTS of rabbits for sale that I'd like to move out by the end of the year. More information is on my website but here is a list of what's available:

Glendale's Lexus, Tort SSD $75
Locket's Baby Phat, Tort SSD $50
Locket's Yogi, Tort SJB $50
Spring Lake's Cha Cha Cha, Broken Black BSD $40
Lops of Love's Chammile, Broken Tort BSD $50
Locket's Soul Man, Black SJB $85 (FUZZY HOLLAND with BOS leg at 9 weeks old)
THF Saynora's Sprinkles, Frosty SSD $75

Additional pets available on sales page. www.locketlops.com

That's all for now!

Is their an excuse...

2009-11-11T16:19:00.001-08:00

....for buying un-pedigreed stock?

One of the main things I have a problem with is when people willingly and happily buy un-pedigreed stock. Whether it be from an unknown breeder, an auction, or a raffle...I do not get it. From my experience, the people that buy un-pedigreed stock are people that want to do it their way or really just don't care. Do they not realize that when they purchase this rabbit that it can carry a slew of things? For instance, how do we know that the rabbit doesn't come from a line of over-weight rabbits, odd breedings (like a self blue seal chin x lilac tort otter), or even that the rabbit is purebred? Well..I mean..after a few generations who cares if it's purebred! Are these kind of breeders in it to support the breed or are they just breeding to produce pets?

A big concern of mine is why the rabbit is in the auction in the first place. Obviously the breeder didn't want it for a certain reason. Without any way of contacting them..we can't be sure if the rabbit is even able to produce anymore! How old is it? Is it sterile? Does he have a split p? Does he carry VD or any other hereditary disease? Are none of these taken into consideration? Is it easier to buy a rabbit with absolutely no history than it is to buy a pedigreed, well cared for, and solid rabbit from a good breeder? I guess so!

Maybe it's ignorance. They choose not to care because they are happy with their purchase. They choose not to educate themselves because they don't care? A care-free attitude is a red flag to me. Anyone that wants to be serious with rabbits should take the time to do it right.

Well...that's all for now.

Orange Litter Update

2009-11-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

Well, Sprinkles is 3 days overdue and has been in labor since 5:00 this morning. We got really worried so we called the vet. After canceling out the option of a $500 c-section, over-night stay, spay, and vet visit....we called Dr. Wendy Feaga in MD. She told us what to do. Unfortunately, Sprinkles can never be bred again. I am extremely upset about this and wish we could've done something sooner. Hopefully I'll be able to find her a pet home. For now..I am putting aside the orange project.

Special Litter Coming

2009-11-06T06:45:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to announce that I will be having my first Orange litter!!!! I purchased THF Saynora's Sprinkles, a frosty doe, (13th place SJD at '09 HLRSC Nationals) from Christy Gray as my start in the project. I bred her to Willow Walker's Diego in hopes for oranges (and brokens too!) They are due the 7th so I'm really hoping everything goes okay. She was super frantic about her nest building the other day but got distracted by food so she...stopped :(

More to come!!

ARBA Convention..and some thinking....

2009-11-04T17:44:00.000-08:00

So all the Convention rush is coming to a slow. I want to congratulate the BOB winners, Jenny Poprawski of Camelot Rabbitry and Aislin Hall of Care Hare's Rabbitry (also taking BIS Youth) for their outstanding commitment to the rabbit community and their dedication in perfecting the breed.

I didn't get a whole lot into the whole ordeal mainly because I wasn't going..and God knows we ALL wanted to go. But after hearing the results, I am just in awe of these magnificent creatures and their owners. I can only begin imagine the breeder's response to hearing their rabbit called for a top placement.

To think it all started by walking out to the barn one night and deciding to put a buck with a doe and hoping for the best. These parents were carefully picked out in hopes to improve the herd and were greatly anticipated as to their arrival. Four weeks later, there's a nest full of plump, wriggly, helpless babies that you've created. You would watch these rabbits grow and pick your favorite as they mature. As the hype of Convention rolls around, you begin to chose your few select rabbits to join you on your mission in placing at *least* in the top 10..we can't get our hopes up too high now can we? These rabbits were put in their usual carriers with their usual crocks and bottles and off they went...by car or plane to their final destination. Everyone unloads the rabbits into their coop...all hoping to take the one spot...all hoping that their ONE rabbit sweeps the tables and goes down in history... While your rabbit sits patiently in its coop not knowing a darn about what's happening, you are in a frenzy over the weeks happenings. *Finally* your little one goes up to the table against some of the best rabbits out there. Rabbits that have been plastered over the internet and raved about at shows with their multiple legs and such. Anticipating the final judgment. You get a feeling in your gut as the judge slowly moves your rabbit to the first hole of the coop. Your heart is pounding...pulse rushing...stomach turning. Just to think...each and every other person standing next to you feels JUST the same way. Before you know it the agonizing pain is over and your rabbit...YOUR rabbit...takes that one spot. The only spot reserved in the nation for the best rabbit of that breed. The only single spot available for the *best* rabbit in the nation. That single number alone...sends chills down anyone's back. No one else can feel the way you do..no one else will know how you feel... or can imagine how you feel. In unison the crowd goes wild and you come back down to earth (which is now spinning again) and you are lifted by the words of praise by fellows friends to a high that is inexplicable. YOU did it. You actually did it. You walked out there that one night and put that one buck, with that one doe. And the rest, they say, is history.

*Sigh* I can only begin to imagine.

Back to reality...this makes me want to completely start over with my herd and go out there and buy the best I can buy and in 3 years walk right up to those tables and win. That's right. I, Laura Freeman of Locket Lops Rabbitry, want to WIN. Okay, I know, I'm sounding selfish, immature, and self absorbed. Let me ask you....do you want to win? Thought so. I've thought about dong it. Starting over that is. I mean..it'd only consist of me putting up for sale all the rabbits I worked hard to buy and raise and feed and what in the world am I thinking? I have jrs I want to keep, I have bucks I would never sell, and I just bought that rabbit! Good Lord, what was I thinking. I've been doing this too long to even think about selling out. Who would buy my stuff anyways? Okay, I'm getting carried away. So I guess I'll just stay put...hoping that by 2011 ARBA Convention I'll have something worth while to show. After all...it only starts with one buck, and one doe.

CONKbunny Comic

2009-07-14T13:28:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I just wanted to share this website with everyone. Two friends of mine do a comic every week about their bunnies and it's quite hilarious. Check it out at: http://conkersbunny.blogspot.com/

Adding to the Barn

2009-06-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

Okay. Maybe I should start out by letting you all know how I started this whole rabbit hobby. It didn't just start with a little lionhead doe, but it started out with a local breeder that very quickly became my best friend. I swear I would never been where I am now without her. She taught me everything. She taught me ALL about genetics in the easiest way possible, she taught me about how to breed and choosing breeding pairs, she taught me about treating sicknesses, and the list goes on. I would go over to her barn (10 minutes away) pretty much ever other week and just help her clean. It wasn't long before I knew everyone of her rabbits by name and face. Before I knew it, I was house-sitting for her while she went on vacation. I became very close to her and her Nethies. I loved them dearly. Then one day, while we were out at the stable watching a horse show, I asked her how the bunnies were doing. Her response was just heart-breaking. "I only have about 7 left (she used to have about 30). I sold them all to my friend, I just can't do it anymore". She hadn't told me or even mentioned the idea that she was going to get out. I was just heart-broken. You wouldn't think someone else's rabbits being sold would affect you very much...but these just weren't her rabbits...I considered them my own too. I had bred her rabbits, I had fed them, I had watched them win their first legs. I just had absolutely no words. "You can get some from her if you want, I told her to save you some" I kept that in thought and continued on with my day. I haven't talked to her much. She took some Hollands to breed for fun and I haven't talked to her since. It's a shame since she only lives 10 minutes down the road. I still can't believe that we won't be going to any more rabbit shows together. I sure did love our road-trips with her daughter. We would have so much fun together and we would laugh at the stupidest things. Like the time we went right after school got out for the year to Tennessee for the ND meeting. I don't breed them, but I'm glad I went because I met some wonderful people and learned tons. But our 4 short years of bunny talk slowly came to an end and I am grateful for the time we had together.

So, long story short, I am taking her up on her offer she made to me on March 23 (also the day I lost Mishodoe). I am going to put my otters in the back seat and only keep my pair, Spunky and Johnny's Girl, and I am going to use the rest of the space (mainly the 6 stacker) to start breeding Netherlands. She had a very established line of Shadeds and Himis so I plan to start with those. I figured I might need a new breed anyways. I hope to get some does going back to Mark Twain and Mexi, her two best bucks. Her friend said that she would probably sell me the stuff that she bred instead of what Beth bred but I guess I'm okay with that. So my next plan is to make the phone call today to see when I can get them up here. It was a hard but extremely easy decision to make. Maybe I'm doing it because I want back what I lost, maybe because I just love her animals. I really do. So I will keep everyone posted on the future arrivals.

Web Design

2009-05-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about doing some website designs for a while now. Every once and a while I see a site that I would really like to redo, hahaha. It's a good pass time and since I will have a lot of time on my hands, I thought I would put it out there. For the moment, I won't be charging much so if you want a web design, get while its cheap! I've designed 3-4 websites so far and I've gotten a lot of good responses. I especially like working with FrontPage. Tell your friends/family!

Bunnies For Sale!!

2009-05-24T12:06:00.001-07:00

The following are for sale at the Charles Town, WV show on 6/6.

RTR's Ocho
Sr. Buck
Tort
$100

Spring Lake Zsa Zsa
Jr. Doe
Black
$75 (asking what I paid, plus she might be pregnant)

Locket's Broken Blitz
Jr. Doe
Broken Black Otter
$50

Rain Rain Stay Away!!

2009-05-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

We started the roof today. Rain is coming and we aren't quite done so we are hoping we can get it finished before the storms start! Here's a look at what's been going on.

This is Sunny our French Lop. Thought I would share his neat little condo.

The roof is several inches higher now and we plan to add skylights so the bunnies can have natural light.

More pictures to come!!

Big News!

2009-05-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I joined Rabbit Habbit Forum where I met a lot of nice people. Among those people was Julie Cahill of Oak Ridge Rabbitry. She IM'd me on my yahoo chat and we started talking. We easily became really good friends; we had a lot in common! After a few weeks of hour long conversations over chat, we got the idea that we would want to become a co*op. We talked about how cool it would be to walk into a show and have kick butt Hollands!

After much thought, we decided to buy our first co*owned rabbit from Rev's Rabbitry. She's a really nice doe named THF Saynora's Trixy. She's a blue tort senior doe. After that we figured we might as well go somewhere with it. So instead of a co*op, we settled on a partnership!

For the next few years (until Julie gets out of college) we will do joint breedings, co*ownings, and show together. It's just so we can get used to working with each other and see if a co*op would work for us.

It's VERY exciting knowing that my (and hers) herd will improve MUCH faster!!!

That's all for now!

Warning! Under Construction!

2009-05-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Right now my barn is 12' x 16'. Sounds big right? Not really! I only have space for about 15 cages which isn't nearly enough to keep all the rabbits I want. So we decided that we would do a 4' extension to make is 12' x 20'. It's just enough room to add another hanging unit for my torts. You can imagine it will fill up pretty quickly. I just wish I had more room for my otters. I don't see them going anywhere very soon so I have time to work with my torts and blacks while my otters just sit pretty.

Anyways, we are supposed to start next weekend with the barn. We have to redo the roof too..so many leaks! If it would ever stop raining we could get started! We had the intentions of tearing it down and just using a carport but I didn't feel that that would be any more support for the roof...plus it was only 10 x 20.

Pictures will be up of the construction soon! That's all for now.

Welcome to the barn

2009-05-15T14:59:00.001-07:00

Welcome! In my blog, I hope to share my experiences, ideas, frustrations, news, and stories with everyone about Locket Lops Rabbitry.

Locket Lops is located in Virginia Beach, VA. I have been breeding rabbits with the help of my family for almost three years. We started with an orange Lionhead doe from the pet store. She was our first bunny since we lost B.W., a black and white mix, in 1999. We contact a local breeder, Beth Vincelette, who got us started with breeding. We had our first litter in February of 2007.

After a year, we moved away from Lionheads and moved onto Holland Lops. We got a trio from Cecil Waller of Waller's Wabbits and we were off! It only took a few litters before we got serious about this addicting rabbit habit. The summer of 2008, we built a pole barn and Joe Mabe of Lops of Love Rabbitry brought me two hanging units of cages and four Hollands. I was thrilled to have a real rabbitry set up, as I was used to random cages and hutches. We settled on a rabbitry name which at the time was Bunny Yard Gardens.

If you are wondering about the name, my mom wanted to have a gardening business so that is where the 'Garden' portion came from; and the barn was located in what we called the "bunny yard". So it fit. Eventually, the bunny portion of the business blossomed and took over. However, that is not why I decided to change the name.

Now, we have a growing herd of fifteen rabbits. Thanks to the help of Tracy Lukeman, Candace Feathers, Joe Mabe, Cecil Waller, Gary and Susan Smith, Cass Kinnear, Ashlee Richards, Todd Naragon and many more; I could not have done it with out you! I really want to thank Cass for all her help getting me in the right direction in helping me find my herd buck. Your advice was and is much appreciated.