After Christmas Clearance

Poop clearance that is!! We spent 4 hrs at the barn tonight cleaning. I cleaned and scraped cages and trays and organized in there a bit more. It was a lot easier this week due to the fact that the 2 oldest were off school. I didn't get my pre winter cleaning done like I had wanted to due to my nasty school schedule this past quarter. Its not that things weren't kept clean on a weekly basis, but it was the little stuff that if you let go for too long....it will come and bite you in the butt.
We found a great place to get our hardwood shavings from. I was bagging it myself, loading it and taking it home. This place is prebagged, heavy shavings, heavy as in tons (not wet)....and they load it for you there. It smells great too!
I have a bunch of naked bunnies in the barn. I have been keeping everyone trimmed down since I know that my time was limited there for awhile. I am hoping to allow everyo ne to start growing out some nice coats now.
I have been using white vinegar to clean with. I am amazed at the results. I have heard of others using it, but never gave it a try. Its pretty amazing. Its nice because I know with the cold temps of winter, I can't rinse things out like I would if I were to use bleach. I cleaned all the bowls tonight with it and wow! Pretty bright and shiny! :) It worked great on the trays.
Speaking of trays.....We have a small collection of hanging cages started now. I am hoping to have the rest of them in about 2 wks. Iam pretty excited! then it will just be the job of hanging them up and figuring out my "manure slide system " :)
I have decided to b e a little more "careful" shall I say in who I sell to. It has only been one person who I have had a problem or issue with....but I know from experience and because of where I am acquiring my education.......that there are just some people that can't be reasoned with. there are some people that believe that angoras are to be in full show coats 24/7/. That just isn't the case. It would be nice if they could be ! Everyone else that I have dealt with in trades/sales/etc has been great and has been happy. This person refuses to speak with me directly and feels the need to run their mouth. I just can't deal with that. People like this are part of the reason we do not let others on our property. YOu just can't trust people any more. So if you are looking to buy, I would like to know that you are somewhat educated in angoras or any rabbit in general. I also will not be selling to any stranger that approaches me out of nowhere at a show. I want to see that those that are purchasing my rabbits have a true want for them.....and of course a little common sense :)
On a happier note, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Santa brought Mariah her own grooming box with combs, brushes and towels in it......Hooray for mom being able to keep track of her own stuff now!!!!
See everyone at the shows "next year"!

Winter!

Hey everyone. Well, we had our first accumulation of snow today! Its more of a cosmetic coating, but I guess its justified since Christmas is only 24 days away. How many people have bunnies on your Christmas list??
I think we have the barn just about winterized. I don't want it too airtight, but I don't need a big ole draft blowing in there either. The bunnies are all adjusting nicely!
A winter tip we used last year: We went up to Walmart and purchased a bunch of those food storage bowls....the plastic kind that come with lids. They are pretty inexpensive too! I take a woodburner tool and poke holes as close to the top as possible. We fasten them to the sides of the cages with cheap wire. These are used as water bowls. When they are frozen, you can take them out and twist them like an icecube tray...then POP goes the ice! It works good. Now granted, the bunnies do chew on them occasionally, but I found if I keep hay or even straw in there for them to play with, they tend to leave them alone. This worked well last year and it was kindof funny. Throughout winter I kept piling the "icecubes" along the side of the shed we used to house our bunnies in. I'm sure if somebody was so inclined, they could have made in igloo with the little square blocks of ice! lol.
I am sure if you keep up with my webpage that you will find that I am cutting back on my SA and FA. I honestly can not find my place with them. I do love them and will keep a few here and there, but the EA are my first love!
We have a play pen of sorts with a bunch of older does in there woolies, angoras, and fuzzies) . It spans the one corner of the barn. Its interesting to watch them interact. They have all kinds of toys in there to keep them busy. I always toss handfuls of straw in there and they love to hop through it. I buy old dishwater basins at the dollar store and wal mart. The rabbits seem to delight in hoping in and out of them (I fashion them into a house). They can also be seen playing king (err Queen) of the mountain as well, lol! I always make sure to do a body condition check on these ladies just in case somebody stops eating. Its very interesting how they all get along. Its nice that they all have companionship, but I do know that not every rabbit prefers it that way.
Oh well, I guess its time to get back to my movies :) I do believe that I will have more time to blog now. I don't have the ability to just go to the barn and sit and do nothing now that it is colder. Some summer days I would just head out there, put some bunnies in the outdoor playpen and watch them run around. I guess its time to count down to spring already ;)

No go

Hi Everyone,

Well, Karmella delivered 2 kits on the wire :( One was a broken the other a solid. Oh well. I guess there is always next time. She made a beautiful nest though. Im so sick of this weather here. Its bad enough having angoras in the summer, but when it is October and it is 88 degrees and humid, that is even more ridiculous. You can't do much with the rabbits in this heat.

Well, Off to go feed. Hope everyone is having fun getting ready for convention!

Nestbox news

I went to the barn tonight and KozyKove's Karmella was building her nest! She is bred to Somerhill Defoe. As long as all goes as planned, these should be some pretty nice looking kits. I didn't think that she took. It was a nice surprise.

My EA doe, Angel's Victory's kits are doing great. I swear they doubled Size since last night. They are cute VM kits. They were born Aug 30. Its been fun watching them grow!

Well, that is all I have for tonight. I can't wait to go to the barn in the morn to see what kinds of surprises are there!

Preparing

Its been pretty busy around here. We are making last minute plans for our Michigan travel.
This coming weekend we will be taking all the cages, carriers, etc out for one last Pressure washing before the weather is too cold to do so. Of course with all of this unseasonably warm weather, you would never know that it is fall....which means the Lake Erie snow machine will be in effect way too soon !

I will be coming home from Convention with 7 bunnies that I know of already. I will be picking up some Jersey Woolies and Fuzzy lops for the kids....along with my English Angoras. I am way too excited! lol. The 2 JW does we will be getting will be bred. Cross your fingers that they take. I really want my kids to get going on some good stock. I am excited to be going with the AFL's. The AFL's are looking to be a thing for my oldest son. He is pretty excited.

I recently acquired 4 new bunnies, 3 EA's and 1 JW. The EA's are in pretty sad shape :( But within the past week they have picked up. They are sweet as can be. One is registered. I am waiting on their papers, but I'm not worried. I'm just happy to have them here. I'm not sure if I will keep them once they get plumped back up...but we will see.

Taking care of "rescue type " rabbits is pretty challenging. We have our show/ breeding stock that we have to protect. Therefore, we make sure that the other buns are fed/handled last and are kept separate from everyone else. It is rewarding though. Darn that nursing instinct of mine lol. It does teach the kids what can happen when things are not taken care of properly. And it gives me the satisfaction of making a difference someway, somehow.

We are in the process of making a "pasture" of sorts for the bunnies. I can't wait. Right now we use a playpen, but I want something a bit bigger. It may have to wait until spring while the new siding is put up on the barn.

Plans are in the works to order 20 new cages mid October from bass cage. I am trying to go to all hanging cages for my angoras. I HATE PANS lol. We are probably going to hang the cages and use some type of plastic as a manure slide.....sliding the manure off and behind wehre all of the manure falls to the ground. I may sell the rest of my cages or let the kids use them for their little guys. I guess its always nice to have some extras around!

Well, that is all I have for now. Hope everyone as enjoyed their week thus far!

Oh my

Well, here I am up all night once again! Anyhow, things have changed quite a bit since I last posted. First of all, the rabbitry has been moved to a different location. Its about 50 times the size of what I had before! I have overhead hay storage, plenty of safe electrical outlets, carrier storage space, and of course room for more bunnies! I can't complain. The thing it lacks are more windows, but it will do. One wall practically opens up with big sliding doors, so I guess it makes up for it.

I believe I was at 2 shows since I last posted. I went to Canton and then to the show in Wellington.

Mariah took her JW doe to the Lorain County fair this year. She did excellent for a first timer. I was not impressed with her 4H club though. It seems they were more interested in putting the kids to work to make the 4H advisors look good, as opposed to working with the kids and showing them what to do with their projects! She came home with 2 A ribbons. She also received an A with her interview fair judging. She would have recieved a call back for showmanship, but she did not know how to properly carry the rabbit up to the judge.

We have plans for Convention this year...not to show, but to pick up some new stock. I didn't have any luck with finding any angoras except for the angoras I will be purchasing from Dutchworks Rabbitry. I am pretty excited. They have Silvertone bloodlines!

I have been busy with my college classes as usual, but for now I am on my 2 Week break. When I return, I will be knee deep in the final countdown classes. This quarter I will be taking Anesthesiology and Clinical Pathology 2. I am pretty frightened! lol I hope to be taking my Ohio Vet Tech exam in January. Wish me luck!

Well on that note,I just remembered the lack of sleep that I am enduring....Best wishes to all that are showing at convention!

Its been awhile!!

Well, I had hopes of a few litters this spring and then the cold snap hit. I had one EA doe deliver on the wire, right after I was out there feeding everyone. The others, who I thought were pregnant, obvioiusly did not take. Its getting both disappointing and frustrating!

There are some shows in the near future that will be very close to me. Its about time! I just can not afford 4 hour trips anymore. I honestly do get burned out on arriving at a rabbit show at 7AM or so and Not getting the rabbits on the table util 5 PM. I just sit there thinking of everything I could be doing at home,lol. I have so much school work, so much housework, so many things I am behind on...I can't always justify spending a day in bunny heaven! At least with the closer shows in the up and coming months, I wont have 8 hrs worth of drive time to worry about.
Well, not much more exciting to write and I have some college text books calling my name :)

I can't see dry land!

I had to miss one rabbit show due to a weird blizzard that came through. Then the following week, we had an ice storm. So I have decided that I will not "plan" for any shows until the threat of snow has passed. ANd I won't announce I will be going either. I seem to jynx myself in doing so. I have a few upcoming shows in mind, but I will just play it by ear.....umm....no pun intended,lol

I'm glad in a way that it is March, but this muck and mud is killing me.


I was finally able to bring JG's Jens home! What a sweetheart he is. At feeding time, he is more interested in being loved on then his food and water. I'm pretty happy with him.

I also brought home my new EA's and of course I adore them. I can't wait until they are old enough to breed.

We also have added Elops and French Lops to the bunch LOL. These are for the kids mainly. I myself do not have time to devote to another breed, but with my supervision, the kids have taken them on.

I finally took the time to get some does bred. I have 3 EA's bred, an SA doe, 4 JW's and the 2 French lops to Jens,lol. We will see where that takes us. We also bred the Elop doe. So by the end of March, I hope to have some squirming nestboxes :)

On a very very sad note, I lost one of my favorite rabbits, Somerhill Evers. He holds a special place in my heart due to the fact that he was the very first rabbit that I ever took to a show. He was also a character, to say the least :) I'm not sure what happened to him. He went off his feed for only a night. It was the night that I was feeling VERY ill with the flu, so the kids and Chris fed the buns for me. Chris said he didn't finish his pellets from the night before, so he removed them and gave him some hay. I went out the next day and he didn't come to the front of the cage like he ALWAYS did. I called his name and finally he came partially to the front, but he just didn't look like himself. He sat there staring at me and I could tell he just wanted me to pick him up. I opened up the cage door and he hopped up to me. I lifted him out of his cage and just as I stood up, he died in my arms :( It was the saddest thing I have experienced in a long time. It was as if he waited for me, so that somebody could be there with him while he passed on.

I miss him greatly and I hope to find another buck.....not to take his place, but to fill the void in a way. I was hoping to use him as a herd sire, but now plans need to change. If anyone knows of any quality bucks for sale, please let me know.

Well, I have 2 big tests to study for this week. I hope everyone had a safe and happy weekend.

Amanda

New Beauties :)

Well, I go tomorrow eve to pick up some new English Angoras and a pair of Jersey's. I can't wait. I hope I am feeling better by then!!! I thought I was feeling better today with this cold and here I am on the couch with the laptop feeling a fever running through :( This sucks! If I'm not feeling that great on Sunday, I may just drive to the show to pick up my new bunnies and not show. We will see though I guess! This snow we have here is ridiculous. How funny is it when you have to dig a trench to reach your rabbits,lol!!! I can't believe how high some of the drifts are. If I felt better, I would take the kids out sledding.

Well, I feel my cold meds kicking in again. Good night everyone :)

Bunny news

Well, my first contact for BEW fell through, but I am getting a BEW buck and a VC doe from Angelsbunnies! I'm excited. It looks like I will have a carload on the way home from the Washington CH show. I am also getting some French Angoras as well. I plan on breeding the majority of my does after this show. I am hoping that taking them there will make them more receptive ;)

I was out with the rabbits until 2AM last night!! It actually started to thaw, so I took the opportunity to scrape up the concrete floor and clean a few pans. I am so behind because everything has been freezing. I was also able to get a few buns groomed and get some pics up on my page. I still have a few to shrink to size and get up and of course a lot of rabbits to take pics of.

I am trying to sell the majority of my lionhead herd to make room for my angora and JW herd. I will keep a couple though.

I was able to purchase about 6 used cages and a couple of bigger carriers this past weekend as well! I was pretty excited about that. We went ahead and threw out 5 cages this morning. I had thought about replacing floors, but they just weren't worth it. The "trays" in them left much to be desired. I also bought a 4 ft tall shelf to put in with the bunnies to be a bit more organized.

I put together a conditioning mix and started feeding it to all of my rabbits. Wow, what a difference!!!!! They clean up everything now, and some that felt a little out of condition are picking up nicely. If anybody is interested, I will have some for sale!

Well, my colllege called off classes this evening! I am sooo happy about that...between having to get rabbits ready for this show, cleaning up, and having a head cold...and of course not wanting to drive (LOL) it worked out nicely. The kids did not have school as well!

Well folks, time to get to some chores.

TAke care and keep a shovel handy!

Amanda

BEW's

I am making the plunge and I have decided to go with BEW in my English Angoras. I can't wait. They are absolutely breathtaking! I should be recieving some in the next 2 wks. I am also on a waiting list with Candy. I hate starting out with a small gene pool with anything, so I try to go witha couple of different breeders and see where that takes me. Well, wish me luck on this venture!! :)

Amanda

I news page for my rabbitry

WEll, I guess this will be the "in" place to go to find out about whats been happening or what I hope to be happening(grin) at my rabbitry. Check back often!

Amanda