Westwind Rabbitry

My tort doe kindled earlier this week and provided a couple of surprises.  The first was giving me a litter of EIGHT babies.  That may or may not seem like a lot to you, if you're a breeder, depending on the breed you raise.  We typically have, and prefer, litters of about 5. 

A litter of 8 poses challenges in a variety of ways:

• That's a lot of little ones nursing, so they're always jockeying for position to make sure they get to nurse
• As they grow, the nest box gets really crowded
• The doe needs to be more closely monitored to make sure she doesn't loose condition
• Deciding which one to keep may or may not be more of a dilema
• Selling culls can be tricky as the market here in Florida is more stagnant than in the Midwest and there are fewer breeders, fewer shows with fewer buyers, and not much of a pet market
• Weaning is stretched out as we take the biggest ones off first and leave the smaller one a few extra days so they have more time to nurse if they want to

The second surprise was to find 2 dilutes in the nest and it looks like they're blue torts.  I absolutely LOVE blue torts, but they're not showable so I probably won't have cage space to keep them and do anything with them.  I'm sure one day they will be showable but until then, I'll love them as babies and let them go.

We're changing the barn around as we added on to my little one to make room for my daughter's rabbits (Paradise Rabbitry -- Otter Mini Rex).  I orignally had 6 holes with room for 6 more which would have been OK for me for quite a while, but certainly not enough for 2 of us.  In the process, we're cleaning and re-organizing to make the best use of the space.  In doing do, we changed out some of the feeders yesterday.  I love the hard plastic E-Z crocks and J-feeders.  We had a couple of babies get cut on metal feeders and switched to the E-Z brand several years ago.  As I was "doing dishes" yesterday washing the crocks and stuff, I realized I missed the dishwasher.  You see, we used to throw the crocks and feeders in the dishwasher.  They come nice and clean, and it's quick and easy for me   The J-feeders have small holes drilled in the bottom so the little bit of dust from the feed falls through. 

We also use wide mouth Lixit water bottles (16 and 32 ounce sizes).  Individual rabbits have 16 ounce bottles while does with litters and/or weaned litters that are still together get the big bottles.  It works well to put 2 of the 16 ounce bottles on doe/litter cages also.  These run through the dishwasher really well, too.  We try to "do dishes" the first part of every month.  It keeps them from getting all gunked up even with our hard water. 

Even when my daughter had 50 holes, we preferred water bottles.  They take longer to fill than crocks but don't take up space on the cage floor and babies can't accidentally fall in them.  The water stays clean as the rabbits can't play "in" it like with crocks.  We talked about an automatic system a couple of times, but we like to know how much water each rabbit is drinking as water is a critical component to herd health.  I know that rabbits that aren't drinking typically won't eat and problems can be addressed.  But

when a rabbit stops eating, it's hard on it's digestive system and bottles let us see immediately if a rabbit's drinking habits have changed and we can catch issues BEFORE the rabbit goes off feed.

We used to have a 3 gallon insulated metal drink dispenser but got rid of it when we got out of rabbits several years ago.  I found a 2 gallon jug that works for now.  The spigot on the bottom allows for easy filling of water bottles.  The jug also keeps the water cool in the summer time.  It's easy to add the vitamins and Acid Pak or any treatment meds for worms and/or coccidiosis.  It's lots easier to figure the dosage for a couple of gallons rather than each individual water bottle. 

Maybe this musing will be helpful to someone. 

My first litter is 3 weeks old and I've got a doe, Charlene, due in a few days -- feels like there's only one in there though.  Took me a while to get her bred and to only have one is kind of frustrating.  We're hoping to get lights in the barn soon, but Manda's got bred does coming next month and cage space is pretty short ... so lights are getting moved a little farther down the priority list.  Fortunately, spring is coming and more daylight hours will help get does to settle. 

I've got a first time doe I want to breed her as soon as Charlene kindles.  She seems a little more interested than Manda's doe that's refusing to have anything to do with a buck.  Again, I know lights would help as they would trick her into thinking it was already spring and nature would take it's course. 

This "not breeding" thing is new to us as we've always had lights in our barns and, in the past, could keep them on to "fool" the does.  When you want to keep does cycling and babies in the nest box, does that won't settle can really clog up the flow of things.

I've heard folks talk about breeding based on the phases of the moom.  Not sure it would help in situations like this but the say it helps in predicting whether your litters have more bucks or does.  As the moon effects a lot of chemical changes in the body, I can't discount the theory.  As with many things, there may be scientific proof one day.  If you're interested in breeding by the phases of the moon, check out this link:  Rabbit Breeding by Moon Phases.

Until next time ...

Brightest Blessings

Debi <><

A recent post on one of my rabbit email lists mentioned that, unlike horse and dog shows, entries for youth members were up in the rabbit shows they were attending.  Those of us who have had the rabbit habit for a while know it's a great family activity. 

After showing horses and large livestock for many years, getting ready for a rabbit show was like a walk in park.  We could take a lot of rabbits in our little Escort wagon.  When we had the van, we could invite friends and take their rabbits too -- carpooling to save gas and I had an extra driver.
 

As people look for ways to involve their kids in wholesome activities to keep them out of trouble, rabbits are most definitely an option.  Rabbits don't take up a lot of space and a nice breeding program can be managed in one's garage or carport or even a spare bedroom.  How do we get others involved and promote what we know is a great hobby?
 

Talk about it.  Most people don't know about rabbit shows and when they hear me talking about it, they want to know more.  That's how we got into showing -- we were buying cages and the lady asked if we'd been to a show.  Show????  You mean the 4-H fair?  Nope -- shows like dogs, cats, etc.  What a trip!!!  We warn people though -- you either love them or you hate them (no in between).
 

We have always gotten a lot of calls for pets and suggest folks join ARBA, even if only for 1 year, to get the "guidebook" that is included with a membership.  It has tons of information in it and well worth the price of a membership.  This is especially true for youth memberships.  

Promote local club membership as well -- some clubs have lots of members with pets (or people who don't own rabbits but just like to be around us rabbit folks).  Local and state clubs are a wealth of information and it's nice to have local folks to go to or talk with about problems or situations we may be encountering.  AND it's these local and state clubs that put on our rabbits shows.  Without these clubs and people supporting them, there won't be any shows.  

Let folks know about the state and national breed clubs.  These clubs work to increase awareness of specific breeds.  State clubs often host specialty shows in conjunction with other shows and give folks additional opportunities to get their rabbits on the show table.

Carry applications for these clubs and, if you have a web site, put links on your site to the forms.

Be honest, ethical, and provide education.  Nothing gives rabbit people a bad name faster than a breeder who charges exhorbitant prices, sells sick rabbits, or pawns off garbage rabbits as show stock to an unsuspecting newbie.  New folks ask tons of questions.  Be helpful and encouraging.  You don't need to be their first or only source, but let them know where to look for accurate information -- provide a list of recommended reading material or email lists which you know provide helpful, factual information.

A friend is actively promoting English Lops here in Florida .  Last year she was typically the only exhibitor at many of the shows.  Lately, the number of exhibitors and rabbits is increased and rabbits are earning GC legs.  She's doing this by helping others get a good start and being an educational resource.

Even though the economy is slow right now, I can see a lot of potential for an increase in showing rabbits.  It's something that can involve the whole family and it's still affordable.  Let's take the time to show new folks how to get involved and let them know about the benefits and rewards of having rabbits as part of their lives.

There's also a whole other side to promoting rabbits if you're raising meat rabbits -- folks are looking for ways to economically put wholesome food on the table.  But I'll save that for a future post.

It's important to have a first aid kit in your rabbitry and replenish it as items are used.  The time to prepare this kit is before it's needed so you have it ready and handy when the neeed arises.  Below is a list of items suggested for your kit.

You've decided you want a rabbit for a pet but don't know where to start.  Rather diving in, take the time to research how to care for a rabbit and what breed of rabbit will work best for you and/or your family.  There are 47 different breeds recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) -- each of them with their own unique personality and needs.

Wool breeds (angora, jersey wooly, fuzzy lop, etc) require regular grooming to keep their fur free from mats.  Some breeds tend to be more high strung than others -- but there are always exceptions.  Some breeds get very large (12+ pounds).  Do you want a rabbit that big?  Several breeds are small or mini breeds.  A 2 pound rabbit is obviously more delicate than a 12 pound rabbit .  Will small children be handling the rabbit (they should always be supervised)? 

Rabbits have strong back legs and their first instinct when frightened are to use those back legs -- expect to be scratched. Never declaw a rabbit!  If the rabbit gets out or is attacked by a cat or dog in your yard while exercising, it has NO way to defend itself.

I strongly believe, for a variety of reasons, that it's best to purchase your pet from a responsible breeder rather than a flea market or pet store.  Please click here to read an  article covering this topic.

The ARBA logo to the left under Memberships will take you to a site which shows pictures of each breed and from there you can visit many of the sites for those individual breeds.  While I appreciate each of the breeds, I have my favorites.  When you fall in love with a particular breed, it will get "under your skin" and you'll stick with it.

So if you've decided to get a rabbit, take the time to select the right one.  You never know, I may just see you at the show tables some day