HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter to all our customers, readers, and friends!  

Part 4: Getting Started in Rabbits – Breeding

Breeding can be one of the most rewarding things about raising rabbits, second to showing, of course.  This activity helps you get to know your lines and really understand the breed you are raising.  Before putting the pair together, you must understand not only the process of breeding and raising litters, but also how to pair rabbits properly so you achieve superior quality in the offspring.  

Get to know your breeding stock.  I cannot stress this enough.  You have to know what each individual rabbit excels in and lacks at the same time.  Reviewing your breed’s standard will help you understand the breed more.  If you have a rabbit with lower shoulders, for example, you should try to pair it with a rabbit with good shoulders so you can work towards having offspring that have better shoulders.  If you have a doe that is amazing in all ways except you would like to see more density, pair her with a superior buck.  Work your way towards better offspring.  When retaining kits, be strict about what you will be keeping.  Do any of the offspring have superior type or wool quality than the parents?   How was the overall vigor of the kits?  Did they make good gains on their feed?  These and many more factors must be considered when keeping babies for your breeding program.  

Once you have picked out your pair, you must calculate when to breed.  A rabbit on average has a 31 day gestation period.  After the doe kindles, the kits are raised on her for approximately 6 weeks, then grown until 8 weeks of age before allowing them to leave the rabbitry.  While not all rabbitries wait until 8 weeks of age to sell kits, many do.  Waiting the extra two weeks post weaning will allow you to re-evaluate the overall quality of the animal.  You would be surprised how differently some will mature with the extra few weeks.  This extra time also allows the babies to get a better, healthier start in life, without the stress of being removed from their mothers and then sent off to reside elsewhere.  

If you have a specific time in mind for the kits to be mature, you can use that day and count backwards.  For example, if you want to aim for 12 week old kits for showing end of September/beginning of October, you can mark that day on your calendar and begin counting backwards.  Because there are about 4 weeks in a month, you can estimate that the kits will be born beginning of July, so you must breed beginning of June to meet this deadline.  

Once you have calculated the birth day and approximate sales/showing point, you can proceed to breed.  The doe should be taken to the buck’s cage for him to breed her.  This is because does especially are notorious for being cage territorial and often will not allow the buck to breed her if he is in her cage.  If you have a trouble doe who won’t allow a buck to be bred, there are a few things you can do.  One is to put the buck in a cage beside the doe’s.  Another trick breeders will do is switch cages – put the doe in the buck’s home and the buck in the doe’s.  The reasoning behind both of these methods is that the scent of the other rabbit will become more familiar to the pair, in which case they will accept each other and breed.  You will know that the buck truly bred her if he falls off all of the sudden. 

 

Age of mature bucks and does is dependent not only on the breed you raise but also the individual rabbit.  The smaller breeds generally will mature earlier than the larger.  It is not uncommon for a dwarf or Lionhead to become mature at 4-6 months of age, both bucks and does.  Just because the rabbit is sexually mature does not mean it is always a good option to breed.  The rabbits will get larger if allowed to mature before breeding.  It almost seems that breeding a rabbit before it reaches it senior weight slows its growth and delays it as it is putting its energy towards feeding its young and not getting bigger.  

After the doe is bred she can return to her cage.  I always aim for at least two breedings in one day, but you can do more especially if you are unsure if he bred her.  Some breeders even breed two days, several times a day.  Once the breeding period is over, mark down what day you bred her, and count 31 days later.  This is her estimated kindle period.  Because a rabbit can have a gestation period of 28-32 or so days, she receives a nestbox on the 28^th day on the chance she kindles early.  The nesting box should be of decent size according to breed.  It can be filled with a variety of substrates, with hay and straw being common materials. 

On the day of kindling, the doe will pluck her fur from her chest and belly and line it in her box.  It is especially important to maintain a silent atmosphere on the day she is due as rabbits get nervous and stressed easily and may kill their litter if there is too much chaos going on.  While many breeders advise not to go in and handle babies or view them, I have never had an issue with this.  I make an effort to handle my rabbits all the time so that they not only are easier to handle, but they also maintain your trust.  Check the nestbox to make sure the little ones look healthy and have full bellies, and remove any uneaten placenta and dead kits.   Be sure to wait a half hour to hour or so after kindling to make sure the doe has finished cleaning and feeding the kits as well as gave birth to all of them.  

Now all you have to do is monitor the growing family!  Check the kits periodically over the course of their growth in the nestbox and make sure they are all eating well and maturing nicely.  Feed the mother a high quality food and always provide her with an unlimited supply of fresh water.  The doe may need more food than she normally gets as she is nursing her litter.  The babies’ eyes will open at 10 days and they may begin exploring.  Be sure to occasionally change out their bedding to make sure they stay in good health.   

Once the kits reach 3-4 weeks of age they will begin hopping out of the nestbox and exploring.   When all the kits are spending most of their time outside of their nesting box, you can remove it from the cage.  Have a dish low enough for the babies to nibble on pellets, and be sure to train them on a water bottle or dish if they are not beginning to sample water.  

Continue watching them grow.  Keep records of their growth rates, vitality, the mother’s mothering abilities, etc.  If there is anything you find unusual about the litter, be sure to note that too.  

At 6 weeks it is usually easier to check the sex of the kits.  If you were planning on advertising having kits for sale, you may want to get the word out at this point, but wait the extra two weeks before letting them go to their new homes.  There are plenty of free advertising sites online you can use.  Advertising on the bulletin board in feed stores is also a good way to find new customers.  Continue evaluating their potential according to breed standards.  

At 8 weeks you can begin letting them go to new homes; however, if you wanted to wait longer, there is no harm in that.  Hopefully by this time you would have been able to observe and evaluate the offspring enough to know what you may like to retain for your program.  Be sure to have plenty of free cage space at this point to hold growing litters and retained babies.  Sometimes it takes a while to move the litters out so you want to be sure to have ample space for them if it takes a while. 

Next week will be our last post of this series!  I will give a brief overview of the show world and showing your rabbits.  Even if you were not planning on showing your rabbits, this post should help give you an idea of what is involved in showing your stock and the rewards of showing.  

 

Part 3: Getting Started in Rabbits - Choosing your Rabbit(s)

Congratulations!  You have made it this far and are ready to embark on one of the most satisfying parts of all!  Remember those questions you had to consider before getting this far?  What are your plans for your rabbit(s)?  

If you are looking to add one or two rabbits to the family, it is important to look at your options.  There are so many breeds and crossbreeds out there.  If you want a small breed that only weighs a few pounds, there are many to choose from.  If you love the humongous breeds, there are a few varieties you can explore.  If you have a soft spot for fluffy rabbits, there are many breeds in a variety of shapes and sizes to look into. 

After picking out your breed, search for breeders who have what you are looking for.  Although there are many beautiful bunnies sold in pet stores, I always recommend new owners to try to find rabbits through rabbit breeders, even if it is only for a pet.  Rabbits available from breeders are generally in better health, are handled more often, and breeders will generally know more about rabbits’ needs than an employee at a pet store.  Once you locate someone, look at what they have available.  You want a rabbit that handles well, is laid back in personality but lively (which generally indicates a healthy bunny), and is not sick.  Check underneath the nostrils and inside the front feet.  If it is wet, the rabbit may be sick.  Sometimes when rabbits stress they get a little wet underneath the nose and wipe their faces, so it may be fine, but if you see any white discharge, stay clear.  Color should be one of the last priorities you consider.  Usually if you love the rabbit you will learn to love its color regardless.  

If you want to breed for show, meat, or fiber, start out with brood or show stock.  Brood quality stock are rabbits that have some fault that makes it impossible for them to be shown.  This may be a torn ear, too much coloring on their body (as in the case of broken patterning), or perhaps a proven doe who has had quite a few litters and can’t be competitive enough in shows.  I would recommend staying away from rabbits with miscolored toenails if possible, as it may take a while to breed out.  Show rabbits should meet the breed’s standard per the standard of perfection.  When you breed, one of your goals should be to work on making kits that excel in body and fur quality, and are nicer than their parents.  Meat rabbits should make fast gains and dress out well.  Fiber rabbits should have excellent density, color, and texture to their coats.  Even if you were not planning on becoming a member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association ARBA, research the breed you will be investing your time in.  Read and memorize the breed’s standard so that you do not have to second guess yourself when you are getting your stock.  

Stay in touch with the breeders you purchase from.  Anybody who sells a rabbit should have the rabbits and your best interest in mind and should be more than happy to help you out on your new adventures.  If the customer is only concerned about making the sale, you may want to look elsewhere, as this often reflects the quality of their rabbits.  A breeder who truly loves working with their breeds will have superior rabbits to those who use it as a money making opportunity.  

Once you have gotten your breeding stock and they have settled down and adapted to their new environment, you can begin breeding plans.  When you breed will have to do with the age of your stock and environmental factors, which I will cover in more depth in the next post. 

A Peek at my New French Angora Additions

Finals have finished for the semester which means more time to pursue my extracurricular activities (and spend at work).  I am hoping to begin some more of my spinning, clean up the rabbitry, finish some work in progress knitting and crochet projects, and spend more time with my rabbits.  

I was super happy with the quality of the offspring in my latest French Angora litters.  I am loving the bodies and wool quality on the babies.  They are looking very promising so I hope they will do well for me on the show table.  

I saved two boys in one litter and a doe in the other.  The blue buck is Campanula, out of my blue buck Blossom Acres’ Forget-Me-Not and Jellybean Farm’s Mouse, a chestnut.  His brother, Living Legacy, a chestnut, is also being kept for my breeding program.  Both boys have shown a lot of promise and have great wool and nice deep wide-set bodies so they should do well for me. 

Midnight Mystique is a beautiful broken black doe out of Forget-Me-Not and Spinning Hill’s Butterflyweed.  She is super nice and has a really dense coat.  I can’t wait to get these babies on the show table and watching them mature into young seniors.  

Right now I have some siblings of these for sale on my website, www.blossomacresrabbitry.webs.com.  I am also expecting a litter of French Angoras soon (completely unrelated) so please stop by the website for the latest feed.  We also have Lionheads for sale and more litters arriving frequently.  

Mouse's Litter One Month Old!

It is amazing how fast rabbits grow!  It has been a while since I posted some updated picture of Mouse's first litter, born September 25th.  They are now one month old!  It is looking like there are mostly bucks in the litter.  I am really happy with the way this litter has turned out, so it is going to make retaining for my program ever more difficult.  The kits are growing very nicely.  

Here are some pictures of individual shots of the French Angora babies.  They were very timid with the camera and are one of the few litters I have ever had that held relatively still for photography!   

The chestnut boys...

A blue baby...

The opal and black kit...

The opal...

Group shot!

I am taking in names for my waiting list for this litter, so if interested please email me and ask to be placed on the waiting list. 

Hope everyone in the mid-Michigan area is enjoying this warmer weather swing!  I know I am!

Baby French Angoras Again

It has certainly been a while since I last posted on this blog.  Summer was very busy for us and autumn has begun.  I am back in school and have been very busy with my studies. 

Last month I was privileged to obtain some beautiful French Angora rabbits from a friend.  She was a past customer of mine and asked me if I would be interested in the remaining of her small herd.  I happily acquired 2 bucks and 2 French Angora does from her.  One of the bucks is one I had bred and one of the does is a daughter of another buck I had sold her. 

I was able to breed Blossom Acres' Forget-Me-Not to Mouse, as well as Forget-Me-Not to a broken chestnut doe.  Mouse has in the past given me an extremely hard time and has never taken when I bred her.  I guess Forget-Me-Not did the trick because 31 days later she gave me this beautiful litter:

It looks like I have 1 black, 2 chestnut, and 3 blues.  I was very surprised as I did not know she carried the dilution gene!  This is her very first litter and so far she has been a good mom.  I can't wait to watch these kits mature as I think they will be competitive on the show table. 

I have another doe bred to Forget-Me-Not and she is due in a few days, so please check the website for updates!

While I went north to pick these guys up, I also acquired a few purebred Narragansett turkey poults.  If all goes as planned, I will be offering some purebred poults and breeding stock in the near future! 

Thank you all for your patience in my blog absence.  I will try to continue posting more frequently so please visiting our blog for updates! 

Have a great weekend!

Join Our Group!

We are now on Ravelry!  Ravelry is a site for fiber enthusiasts, knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, angora rabbit lovers, the list goes on.  We have just put on a group called - Blossom Acres Farm and Rabbitry.  

Joining is easy and free!  If you are not a member of Ravelry and are interested in joining, please search ravelry.  Once you click their link that comes up in a search, you will be directed to a sign-in page.  On this page is a button called - join now.  Simply click the button and follow the instructions.  You will be asked for a username and password, as well as a few optional questions such as pets/kids, years knitting, etc.  

Once you join, go on groups and type in Blossom Acres Farm and (use and symbol) Rabbitry.  Click the link of my page and click join group.  Now you are in the group and are free to chat and read posts.  

I hope to see new members coming in!  We always enjoy talking about our rabbits and fiber arts!