I currently have three kits I'm growing out from this last round of litters. And it just so happens, one kit is from each litter. I didn't plan that! Anyway, "grow out" basically just means that the baby is looking super promising right now, so I'm going to wait and see what he or she looks like at 3-4 months. Once they enter the uglies, occasionally the baby won't look so hot for a few weeks, and they can either come out of that better or worse than before. If they come out of it better, or even the same as when they entered the uglies, then the baby will be kept for breeding and showing in a senior class. 

Today I'm going to evaluate the 3 babies I decided to grow out, now that they are 8 weeks old and weaned . I'm so excited about these guys and really hoping for the best. 

The baby I'm most excited for is Holly's Tucker, out of LCL's Angus and Holly's Finn. He's in a crazy molt right now so he's not looking his best on his body. His crown is molting and so is his topline. Still, I don't have any complaints about this buck. Maybe a touch long in the front legs. 

Next is Holly's Clyde, the chocolate chestnut buck from Holly's Zuzu and Holly's Prince Charming. He's a spunky boy and hates to pose, but he's cute, so oh well. He has crazy ears that are just the right size but flying everywhere right now. They are super thick and short, but his crown is a little tight right now. Because of the cold weather, I don't pay attention to crown too much because the colder weather can make the crown tighter due to the body conserving heat by "clenching" or "tightening" certain muscles. Right now, he could be thicker in the bone, obviously have a better crown, and could use shorter front legs. But I'm in love with his body and his short, wide ears, and his big head is awesome. 

This little doe, Fern, has quite an attitude! She's a fun girl. She's super cute and looking awesome right now. She's out of my BOB doe Holly's Butterfly and Holly's Prince Charming. I LOVE her body, smooth and wide from the shoulders to the HQ. She's even and wide throughout, the same width in her chest as in her HQ. She has gorgeous thick bone, which isn't showing very well in the pics. I love her ear shape too, although her crown is a little crazy like her half brother's, but I'm not worrying about that too much yet. 

Today I put the babies up for sale that weren't exciting me, babies that I will not be keeping for my herd either because they can't be shown, or because they shouldn't be shown, or because I just have limited space. But right now I'm keeping 3 out of the 7 kits to watch and grow out. One doe (and the only doe), Fern, and two bucks, Tucker and Clyde. These guys are only 6 weeks old but I know my lines very well and when a baby excites me (or doesn't), at 6 weeks, they continue to excite me throughout their life. 

Clyde's sister Bonnie passed away last week, which makes me so sad :( But I'm happy he's looking nice enough to keep for a while! I really hope he keeps maturing in the right direction, because he's such a fun color and if I can get type in a color like chocolate, then I want the color chocolate in my herd! 

Clyde's dam is Holly's Zuzu and his sire is Holly's Prince Charming. Right now I'm not loving his weak ankles, which might improve, or his tight crown. But I love his thick bone, short body, width throughout his body, and round, short ears. If his tight crown and weak ankles don't improve I'll probably sell him. We'll wait and see! 

I'm super excited about Miss Fern, from Butterfly and Prince Charming. I've really wanted a chinchilla doe for a long time. I had a chinchilla grow-out from one of Angie's previous litters, but as she grew her body type wasn't something I wanted in my herd so I sold her. I'm excited Fern is looking so typey! 

My favorite things about her so far is her thick bone, her big head, and her wide chest. I like her ear shape and length too. 

But the one I'm most excited about is....Tucker! 

I literally don't have a complaint with him. I love everything. I have a feeling he's going to be absolutely stunning and a show stopper! 

So far I'm pretty sure who I'm keeping and letting go out of the 7 kits (miss Bonnie passed away so we're down to 7 instead of 8), unless anything changes between now and 8 weeks. I'm not putting the babies up for reservation until 7 weeks anyway, even if I know who to sell before then, just because I want to leave room for surprises. 

Let's start with Butterfly's litter. Here's her opal buck, Nova:

Nova is a nice little buck but I don't think he's going to work out for my rabbitry. He has weak ankles, his bone is finer than I would like, and his crown is slipped (it also might be tight). He has a longer midsection causing his topline to slope. He might have been a buck I would watch if Angie's opal bucks weren't so stunning. He might make a good pet or 4-H buck.
​
Next is Butterfly's chinchilla buck, Po:

I also think Po isn't one to keep my eye on. If he weren't missing 2 toes I might, but I don't want to keep a buck right now that I can't show. He has such a big head though, and a nice body. He'll stay small. I do wish his front legs were shorter, because right now they're pretty long and he has weak ankles as well.
​Now, here is Butterfly's little doe (and our only doe), Fern:

I am really pleased with this little miss! She's definitely one I'll be keeping my eye on! I wish she had shorter front legs but I like the thickness in her bone so far. She's not perfect, but she's promising. 

Now onto Zuzu's little buck Clyde:

So far, he doesn't have what I'm specifically looking for in a buck right now, so I don't think I'll be keeping him, even though I love his color. I don't want to keep him just because he's a beautiful color; type is most important to me, and besides that, he's a color I'm not even trying to work with. I'm more hard on my bucks and picky when it comes to them, becuase they have to show well and produce well to be an asset to my herd. 

Now onto Angie's litter. First up, her chestnut buck Pip:

Again, I don't think Pip has what I'm looking for in a keeper. However, I think he'll still show well, since he has a lot of nice parts. If his ears fall, he'll be even nicer and he might catch my eye a little more! He has nice short bone and it's pretty thick too. 
​Next up, Chester:

In the cage, I cannot tell Chester and Tucker apart! I had to pose them up to see who was who. They are very different once they're posed. Tucker is the nicer one. But Chester has the SWEETEST personality EVER! He could cuddle for hours and just wants attention and love. So far, Chester has long bone but it is thick. He also has longer ears that are a little thin and pointed. I like his body, and his HQ is SO wide. He might make a nice brood buck, but he'll be a perfect pet for sure. If he matures well, he might make a nice 4-H or show buck too. 
​And finally, stunning Mr. Tucker: 

He is so THICK, WIDE, AND SHORT! I don't have anything to complain about on him! His ears are a little long but I'll bet his head will grow into them. He has a perfect crown placement, nice crown height (although not shown in the pics), and nice short front legs and thick bone! He's definitely staying here for a while, and I hope he matures in this same awesome direction. 

This post will probably be rather long, but stay until the end, because I have a lot of news!!

FIRST THING'S FIRST!!!! 

May's sweet baby is a DOE!!!!! I am so excited! I was really hoping May's baby was a doe so I could replace her with it. I decided to name her Huckleberry! Isn't that the cutest? While I was on vacation I was trying to think of a good name. I didn't want Blueberry; even though the baby is blue, it just seemed too obvious. I wanted something super cute but more unique. My family over there recommended cute names but none of them were the right one. Then we were talking about huckleberry something (maybe it was taffy?), and it just struck me! So now the baby's name is Huckleberry! I'm sure I'll call her Huckle for short!! I have a feeling this little girl is going to be a troublemaker - she's already a little spitfire! 

Next I'll update y'all on the pregnancies! I weighed all three does and palpated Clementine, since she wasn't far enough along to palpate before I left. Unfortunately, I think Butterfly is not pregnant. But Clementine and Angie DEFINITELY are!!! I think Clementine will have a large litter (4+ kits), since she has a big belly and she's already gained 3oz and I feel a lot by palpating. Angie might as well, since she's gained 3oz so far as well. I think Angie gained 4oz with her last pregnancy, which had 6 kits (but 2 peanuts)! 
Butterfly hasn't gained anything, although I thought I felt something when I palpated her - but I thought I felt something when I palpated her before with her false pregnancy too. She's also nesting, which she did with her false pregnancy. So we can only wait and see. If anything, it'll be a small litter. 

Tomorrow will be a busy day, since I have to clean cages, tattoo and make pedigrees for Finn, Heidi, and Prince Charming, and organize the rabbitry. But I'm excited to do it all! 

​I have a show coming up this Saturday (July 9th), and so my next blog, probably this coming Friday, is going to be what I am packing!! I'm packing a lot more than usual since I'm bringing sales rabbits. So see you all soon! 

~Holly

I am so thankful for today's results at the rabbit show in Monroe! 

I still don't think it's completely sunk in yet. But as I'm typing this, I'm so amazed at the results and comments and I had so much fun talking to friends. 

The trio of young juniors, who were all blowing their coats did good. Holly's Missy got 1st place in two of the shows and 2nd place, behind her sister Beth, in one of them. Holly's Beth got 1st place in one show and 2nd place in the other two, behind her sister Missy. Holly's Glenn got third and last place in all three shows but that's okay. The judges had good comments and he's still just a baby. 

The numbers were small today, which is sad for the class winners since they don't get a leg. Youth shows are often small in WA unfortunately, we need more youth breeders around here!!

Holly's Butterfly and Holly's Clementine were the does I was most excited about. Clementine and her crazy ears were promising, but I wasn't hoping for too much because of her ears. She was DQ'ed in the first show because they stood straight up. In the second and third shows, the judge posed her and let her relax before evaluating her ears, and she got 1st place out of 2. 
I was really hopeful Butterfly would do well, but tried to keep my expectations low because I didn't want to get disappointed. 

I wasn't disappointed. 

There were a lot of amazing rabbits there today in youth. During the first show I was sure the highest placement she would get would be 1st. Nope, Butterfly had her sights set on something bigger. I was over the moon when the judge, Cliff Dick, announced that she was Best Opposite of Variety. Then when I heard him announce best opposite of breed - "The broken doe" - I was astonished!

In the second show, Holland Lop specialty, Butterfly got BEST OF BREED. It still hasn't quite sunk in yet, but her pretty ribbon reminds me that it really happened - and it wasn't a dream. This is only my second time getting a placement this noteworthy. The first time was with a junior, Holly's Saige, who is Butterfly's aunt. 

In the final show, Butterfly didn't do AS well, but still got a leg with Best Opposite Sex Variety. 

Butterfly is the fourth generation of Holly's Hollands line on her mom's side. I couldn't be happier with where my line is going. Butterfly won 3 legs today which puts her total up to 4. The perfect time to breed her again and expand my herd. This is the first time I've done so well in a show so consistently. What a great day. I feel so blessed and thankful for this. 

​Thank you so much to anyone who helped me out with my rabbits in any way. Whether you gave me a constructive comment on a rabbit, sold me my foundation stock, or congratulated me, I thank you. I wouldn't be breeding rabbits if it weren't for you - the amazing people and friends this hobby so much more fun and enjoyable. 

At the show, I also bought a new 4-hole carrier for all the rabbits I plan on showing this summer and fall. I also bought some new crocks for the carriers. I bought a few tickets for the raffle to support an ARBA youth club, and surprisingly, I won a J-feeder! I have been needing more J-feeders so that's exciting!

I hope you guys enjoyed seeing a little bit of how my day went. See you next time :) 

~Holly

It's important to go through your herd from time to time and evaluate where you stand. I'm going to be writing a blog hopefully soon (Lord willing), on evaluating my herd as a whole, but today I'm going to take the time to list my evaluations of my new juniors; Butterfly and Wicket. 

STRENGTHS:
~Big head
~Nice head shape
~Awesome head width (between the eyes)
~Might have a butt skirt (she's shedding right now so hard to tell)
~Nice ear shape
~Nice chest and body width
~Nice round body
~Nice bone
~No slipped crown!

FAULTS:
~Ears slightly long
~Lacking in crown height (also shedding so hard to tell)
~Slight weak ankles

STRENGTHS:
~Awesome h/e/c! No slipped crown, ears are wonderful shape/substance/length, head is nice size/great shape.
~Width everywhere! Body/head/HQ/chest. 
~Thick bone
~Nice round body

FAULTS:
~Longer front legs
~Slight weak ankles


I am SO excited to watch these two mature! 

IT'S TIME!!!! Babies are 6 weeks old and 1 day (this blog was half-written YESTERDAY!!! Babies are 6 weeks and 2 days old today), so I thought it was due time to put them up for reservation! 
Here are the available babies! 
Visit the For Sale page for more info!

Holly's Zuzu ~ Hazelnut's baby ~ DOE ~ $75
This precious little girl only has one ear. Her right ear was bit off by mama when she was only minutes old. She doesn't let that stop her. She's very sweet, and super energetic and playful. 

Holly's Misty ~ Rosie's baby ~ DOE ~ RESERVED! 
Misty is a sweetheart! She has already been reserved and was just listed for sale last night!

Bramblehedge's Hazelnut ~ $60 w/o pedigree ~ $80 w/ pedigree
Hazel is not a baby, but she is available. See more details on her on my For Sale page. 

Holly's Cisco ~ Rosie's baby ~ BUCK ~ WATCHING
Cisco is a really promising little buck. He has an awesome topline and body, but his crown and ears....I hope those continue to develop in the right direction! Right now they're crazy! He has nice bone and ankles, which my herd needs! He has nice width in his chest, but his head is lacking in width. Hopefully it matures well in the next couple months. 

Holly's Butterfly ~ Rosie's baby ~ DOE ~ WATCHING
This little sweetie reminds me so much of her mom, Rosie! She also has nice bone and ankles, nice width, and a nice body. She's developing really nicely for being so young. Her h/e/c (head, ear, crown), is better than her brother!

Holly's Azula ~ Hazel's baby ~ DOE ~ WATCHING
My brother is buying Azula from me to show, and, eventually, breed. Even if he wasn't purchasing her, I'd be keeping her! Azula is looking super WIIIDE and has everything I hoped from this cross. Her daddy's head, ears and crown, and her mommy's body. 

Based on these two, Holly's Saige and Holly's Rosemary, I can tell what qualities I need in my herd, and what qualities I possess. 

• Chest width (legs are far apart when posed)
• Crown height
• Better crown placement
• Shorter, thicker shoulders
• Shorter bodies
• Better, teaspoon ear shape
• SHORTER BONE (this is probably the most important one, as long bone is a serious fault)
• Shorter ears
• Mass

This year, I am working to improve the bone (make it shorter and thicker), and better the crown placement. I'm hoping that while working on bone, the mass with follow as well as width (especially in the chest). I've heard that BONE, when it is short and very thick, often the head is huge and round, and the chest and body are WIDE and the rabbit shows mass. 
Also while working on the crown placement, short ears may follow. Crown is pretty easy to fix over just one generation. I just need one rabbit with a perfect crown!

This year I will be adding hopefully about 3 new rabbits that will help me improve in these areas. The rabbits I will be buying will have short bone and body and be wide, as well as having perfect crown placement. 
Next year I hope to work on shoulders. I have heard this can take longer to fix and requires severe culling until you get the results you're looking for. I will need more space than I have now, which I will definitely have by next year. 

I was positive I couldn't keep a baby from this litter. I needed to sell them all before I bred Cinnamon to Sir Lance. 
I have possibly Jingle (broken tort buck), and Sweetpea (sold tort doe), sold. The people interested will get back to me this weekend. But no one is interested in Ronald (solid blue). Does that mean something? I don't know, but I'm in love with him and he looks better and better each day! He's staying here!

I'm not going keep him for breeding so he will be for sale when he's around 5 months. I only want to take him to a couple shows, maybe win some legs with this boy and hopefully sell him to another show home that will appreciate him just as much as I do. I have a show in April I really want to take him to.

I would probably keep him to breed if I had enough cages. But by the end of May, I need him sold so I can wean Cinnamon's babies in that cage. 

I'm so excited for watching this lil' dude mature and grow into himself! I just love him. I'm so thrilled for where things are headed in Holly's Hollands Rabbitry. This year is looking to be pretty exciting! 

Colors that could be produced: Blue and black torts, in solid and broken. Possibly sable point.


I'm hoping to breed these two in the next two-three weeks!