These two articles are VERY interesting, they aren't too long and are well worth the read.
CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE
Holly's Hollands Rabbitry |
|
I've always been intrigued about the prospect that the moon cycles can control things like conception and delivery in humans, as well as litter size, more bucks or does, and ease of conception in rabbits.
These two articles are VERY interesting, they aren't too long and are well worth the read. CLICK HERE CLICK HERE
0 Comments
With the majority of our litters, which have been born in warmer weather, around 2 weeks old we would take them out of the nest box and let them explore their world, which was completely nonexistent to them until that very minute. But with this litter, Gracie's three kits, I've been keeping them inside the box. It's still too cold at night for them to be unattended outside the box. And once I let them explore their cage, the nest will know longer be an option. Most of the time they'll go into the box (when it's flipped on its side), when they get cold, but then you'll have that one baby that gets too interested in something and doesn't listen to his body telling him to take a nap in a warm place. That's never happened to me but I'm not taking any chances! Anyway, keeping them inside the box has worked for now. There's one that has tried to get out - but for the most part they are all content to stay in their warm, fluffy nest where their food comes to them and mom is just a squeak away. Generally I flip the box on its side at 2 weeks because the babies have the potential of getting out, but being unable to get back in because of the high box front. But with this litter, I've been keeping them on lock down. They don't know the rest of the cage exists yet. And luckily they haven't been curious enough to try and discover something outside the tiny box they call home - for now. I posted a video of these guys on my Facebook page. Take a look and tell me what you think! In the video, our sparsely marked broken orange baby yawns and it's just the cutest thing ever! What I've noticed is that this litter is pretty different from my other, more independent litters. I think that them having more freedom at an earlier age makes them more independent. But they also get more energy out, so when you hold them they love just settling down and letting you pet them, whereas these guys are the completely opposite...lol! So far, the only exposure outside of the nest box has been on mine and my sister's laps, where we play with them and cuddle them and socialize them. As soon as their eyes opened, a few days ago, they have NOT wanted to settle down and want to nibble and lick EVERYTHING and explore all the edges of our laps. Soon enough their behavior will change, when we let them roam outside of the nest box at 3 weeks and they have a chance to get out some of their energy. Well, that's all for now. We've been having so much fun with these babies. I was so hoping for an orange baby in this litter. I didn't want to sell Gracie until I got at least one, non-fuzzy orange baby (she had a broken orange in her first litter, but it turned out to be a fuzzy and so it's coloring appeared much different then a non-fuzzy orange). I couldn't sell her until she had at least. One. Normal-furred. Orange. And you know what? She had 3! So far, I don't know if we have fuzzies, but I doubt it. And a solid orange too! These guys are just the cutest.
I thought I wouldn't have feed issues. In the two years I've been feeding Albers, I wasn't anything but happy with it....until now. This bag of feed has been horrible! The bag before it wasn't much better. It is filled with powdery fines, corn contaminants (when the feed label doesn't even have corn listed as an ingredient), and these light tan pellets you can see below. A couple of my rabbits haven't been finishing their daily feed like usual. Yesterday Rosie didn't touch her feed, but would drink her water and nibble hay and treats. She ate some today, don't worry. I have been so unhappy with Albers. It's not just me. There are many others that have been picking out the pale pellets like I have, and their bags are filled with the fines as well. It could just be a bad milling season, but I'm not going to risk spending money on another one of these bags.
It's been really discouraging. There are so many other feeds out there, but not every one has everything I want in the feed or the feed has something I don't want in it. My family has a lot of allergies, myself included, so we eat very healthily. I want my rabbits to eat healthy too! I have been researching other feeds, trying to find one that is readily available and has good reviews. So far it looks like Purina Show is the one we will be switching to. I've heard that it does contain enough fiber, which has caused some people's Hollands to have runny poop. Since I feed a lot of hay no matter what, I'm *hoping* it won't be a problem. This post will be continued in a couple weeks once we make the big switch. The first step, once more of this bag is gone, is to mix feeds, which I like to do over the course of a week or two. So....to be continued.... ;) I saw a couple other rabbit blogs where the writer posted 5 breeds they would never raise, so I thought I would give it a try. Plus I decided to add 5 breeds I want to raise eventually (on a tiny small scale or just one as a pet).
5 BREEDS I WOULD NEVER RAISE:
5 BREEDS I WOULD LOVE TO RAISE IN THE FUTURE:
I can only think of four I really want to raise. I want to handle and play with every breed - my main reason in wanting to be a rabbit judge. Since I want to be a judge, I will have the opportunity to handle many other breeds of rabbits. And I love ALL rabbits, not just Hollands. Hollands are my heart breed (ok, I've never had another breed but they are just too adorable to ever be replaced). What 5 breeds would you love raise and what 5 would you never raise? I posted on my Facebook page the question of whether fiber or protein is more important....
Many of you answered, and some of you said PROTEIN. However, it was those of you who answered FIBER that are correct! This post is going to be centered on the importance of fiber and protein, and which one is more important than the other. Pellets usually have 20-23% fiber. In my opinion, any fiber content lower than that is a no-no. Fiber is also found in hay, which is what makes hay so important. Without fiber in their diet, rabbits' digestive systems would come to a standstill; they wouldn't poop, or eat, because they would always feel full. They would have a blockage in their digestive system; this is commonly known as G.I stasis, which stands for gastro-intestinal stasis. It's when the rabbit's digestive system comes to a complete stop. In pellets, protein is usually 14-18% protein. I highly discourage anyone from buying a feed with a protein content less than 16%, which is what my rabbits are fed. Protein helps the rabbit grow and gain essential fat and keep its proper weight. Energetic breeds, like the Holland Lop, need a high protein content to support their high energy. Baby bunnies, and lactating does, need high protein to support the babies' rapid growth and to provide the mother with essential nutrients and enhanced milk production. Nursing does with a low protein diet will lose weight and not make as much milk. In short, I believe that fiber is the most essential, yet protein is quite close. Both are absolutely necessary in the diet. Rabbits can't survive without either. But people usually overlook fiber and its importance. What are your thoughts? Feed is one of the most complex, but most important, part of your rabbit's diet. The proper feed will have enough vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein to keep your rabbit healthy and happy, without having to provide a bunch of other supplements.
I love this page: http://www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-health-feeding/pellet-ingredients-nutrition/ This page talks about rabbit feed and how each feed is different: http://www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-health-feeding/pellet-formula-nutrition/ I encourage you to read both of these pages. Please let me know if you have any further questions. :) "If you are starting out, you may have heard of line breeding rabbits. Perhaps you’ve seen a “line breeding chart” and perhaps it didn’t make much sense. When I started in rabbits I often heard, “you’ll do best to line breed”, but it was a long time before I realized the value of line breeding. Now that I have developed my own lines in two breeds, I think I understand it better. I have not made an outcross or purchased an animal for breeding in years, and yet my herd’s condition and show records continually improve.
What is line breeding? Line breeding is a careful process of breeding closely related animals, in an effort to improve individual traits in your rabbits. How does a “line” begin? All great lines start with a few good rabbits. The breeder breeds these rabbits together and keeps the best offspring. They breed the offspring back to the parents and then those second-generation offspring back to the parents and grandparents and to each other, and so on, always selecting the strongest pairs and keeping only the best kits. As time goes on, the herd branches out. The rabbits get more and more distantly related as the foundation stock gets pushed farther and farther back on the pedigree. Then what often happens is that the line produces an exceptional buck that the breeder uses on all their does, and the process begins again. Why should you line breed? Line breeding is all about consistency. If you want long-term success with your animals, line breeding is your best bet. Sure, the occasional outcross may bring you a winning rabbit, but such an animal rarely breeds true (that is, consistently produces offspring as good or better that itself.) The key that I think people often don’t realize is this: that rabbits can carry recessive traits for fur, type, and condition as well as for color! These recessive traits might be good, and they might be bad. If you consistently mate rabbits of similar backgrounds, eventually all the good and bad traits contained in a line will surface. The breeder can utilize the rabbits with good traits and reject the rabbits with bad ones. Eventually (at least, in theory), you should be able to produce consistently good animals without having many surprises crop up in your litters. The other advantage to line breeding is that your will learn how rabbits in your line should look at various ages. Kits of some lines develop faster than others, and by knowing what you can expect from your growing juniors, you can cull at an earlier age. Having a unified line, where all rabbits are fairly similar, gives you the opportunity to tackle problems one at a time. If you have a barn full of animals from different lines, they will show many different strengths and weaknesses. But if you have a barn full of related animals, most of them may have thin ears, but they may also all have full hindquarters. Then you don’t need to worry about correcting hindquarters on some and ears on others, but can set the goal, “I want to improve ears on my line”, and concentrate on that. You get what you breed for, if you have patience—you really do. The right way to line breed. There’s a right and a wrong way to do everything, of course, even to line breed rabbits. It can lock in bad traits as well as good ones. Beware of too much inbreeding, that is, of mating rabbits so closely related that they lose vitality and disease resistance. Also, there is some danger of going “barn blind”, and, for instance, being so used to full hindquarters that you let it slip. It helps to have a friend evaluate your animals sometimes and let you know what they think. Always select for healthy stock. The right time to outcross. Sometimes, yes, “outcrossing” or breeding to an unrelated rabbit is the right thing to do. Perhaps you’re having trouble breeding out a certain fault, or perhaps your herd is becoming too inbred and losing vitality. When you outcross, choose a rabbit (if possible) not only with strong traits to offset your faults, but from a long line of rabbits with those strong traits. Breeders sometimes say, “you ought to buy rabbits, not pedigrees”, and while I agree that a good line can produce a poor animal, a good animal from a good line is the smartest choice of all. Remember that a buck will go farther to impact your line than a doe—for obvious reasons. The first generation of outcrossed babies may or may not be all that you hoped for. Remember that the rabbit from the new line carries recessive characteristics that might clash with your line’s genes. But take the best of those F1 babies back to your line, and soon you should see results. Be patient in your line breeding. Consistent winners are bred, not bought. Line breeding takes time—but not too much time before you see results. It takes patience, wise management, a keen eye, and a healthy environment, but with these things you should get there, sure enough. A judge told me once that bringing your herd from average to good isn’t so hard if you know what you’re doing. From good to great is a larger step. Line breeding will help you get there." This article is an excerpt from “A book About Bunny Colors: The Practical Breeder’s Guide to Rabbit Coat Color Genetics.” Written from a breeder’s perspective, the book is designed to help every breeder grasp a working knowledge of rabbit coat color genetics. Now you can use the knowledge of rabbit color genetics to your advantage, and no longer feel like its victim!
If you want to be a responsible Holland Lop breeder, producing quality rabbits and making a bit of money on the side, you'll have to go through a lot of work, do a ton of research, and take a whole day to spend at a show, among other things.
Being a rabbit exhibitor and responsible breeder takes a lot of work, care, stress, ect. It's not very easy at all. My mom has been going to shows with me and just this last time we went, last month, she seemed to really understand what I'm trying to do, and how hard I have to work and how much I have to think and learn still. She seemed to start to understand how complicated and crazy showing rabbits can really be. It only took her over a year. ;) To be a good and quality Holland breeder/exhibitor, you need to make tough decisions, have a good eye for the "perfect" Holland (which I don't believe exists), and study, study, study! Breeding and exhibiting rabbits, especially Holland Lops, is tricky, tough, and competitive. If you want to win continually, it'll take many litters, many sales, many years, and hard, hard work. I just wanted to make this post because in the older book Learning about Nature through Pets, published in 1971, there's a rabbit section, and in that rabbit section, a lot of "funny" things stated about the animal. Since this book is so old, it's sometimes fun to see how fact - sometimes, only theories - change as the world advances and rabbits become so much more popular as a pet animal.
There's a lot more falsity in the book that I won't dig into right now. It's a funny book, at least the rabbit chapter! |
My name is Holly.I'm glad you're here! Don't be a ghost; leave a comment every once and a while! Let's talk ;) Categories
All
Archives
June 2019
|