Final Show of the Year

We kicked off the show season well once again!  Last Saturday we attended the Fall Michigan State Rabbit Breeders Association Fall Convention held in East Lansing.  It was a very well attended show which represented a large variety of breeds.  

We took some of our Lionheads and French Angoras for exhibition.  Both classes were very large!  I was excited to see that the French Angoras were a really big class this year.  There were many new faces as well as regulars so it was really nice catching up with everyone and talking about this wonderful breed.  Here is the rundown of the placings:

SHOW A:

French Angoras

·         Best Wool - Blossom Acres’ Forget Me Not – Blue Sr. Buck

Lionheads -

·         BOB - Blossom Acres’ Red Sky in Morning - Tort JR. Doe

·         BOV - Blossom Acres’ Red Sky in Morning - Tort JR. Doe

·         BOSV - Blossom Acres’ Polar Vortex - REW JR. Buck

·         BOV - Blossom Acres’ Ebony - Black SR. Doe

·         BOSV - Blossom Acres’ Mach III - Black SR. Buck

·         BOV - Blossom Acres’ Cornelius - Chocolate SR. Buck

·         BOV - Blossom Acres’ Delphinium - Blue SR. Doe

SHOW B: 

French Angoras

·         Best Wool - Blossom Acres’ Forget Me Not – Blue Sr. Buck

Lionheads -

·         BOSB - Blossom Acres’ Freshwater Fury - REW JR. Buck

·         BOSV - Blossom Acres’ Freshwater Fury - REW JR. Buck

·         BOV - Blossom Acres’ Red Sky in Morning - Tort JR. Doe

·         BOV - Blossom Acres’ Ebony - Black SR. Doe

·         BOSV - Blossom Acres’ Orion - Black SR. Buck

·         BOV - Blossom Acres’ Cornelius - Chocolate SR. Buck

·         BOV - Blossom Acres’ Delphinium - Blue SR. Doe

I also entered Forget-Me-Not and Butterflyweed in their breed class and both placed high up there in both shows.  I was really surprised with Butterflyweed especially as she had just come off a litter but she was in good body flesh and had a long enough coat so I decided to show her.  I am getting really excited about what next year’s show season will bring and am looking forward to putting some of my babies I have now on the show table soon.  

As a side note, we are breeding more French Angora and Lionhead does for availability for next year.  We also currently have a nice selection of Lionhead, French Angora, and English/French Hybrid angoras for sale on our website, so please check it out!  

Hope everyone has an enjoyable Thanksgiving! 

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!

Rabbits for Sale

We currently have some very nice French Angora and Lionhead rabbits for sale.  Please check out our website on the appropriate sale pages to view information and pictures of available rabbits. 

I also want to add that I am currently taking in names for my waiting list for my current Satin and French Angora litters (please see the website's nursery page for details).  If you see anything that interests you please don't hesitate to email us and let us know so we can add you to the waiting list!  Rabbits will be for sale starting at 8 weeks of age. 

We are breeding our rabbits frequently so please keep checking out the nursery page on the website to view our litters!  Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather we have been having lately! 

New Additions to the French Angora Herd

As I had previously mentioned I had to downsize my herd in the fall/spring semester era due to my inability to keep up with the upkeep.  Although it seemed like a necessary move at the time, I have since regretted it somewhat as I had to move on some very nice lines and genetics.  As all the readers of my blog know, I recently bred two of my beautiful does from my own line to an outcross buck and both have litters on the ground, with the hopes of building up my herd again and working on my line. 

Lily of the Valley's litter of REWs has shown an incredible amount of promise for me.  Words cannot describe how amazing these kits are in the body and wool!  I have been very happy with how they have been filling out and am definitely going to do this breeding again.  I am currently debating what I should keep out of this litter.  There are 2 bucks and 1 doe that seem to have what I am looking for for my breeding program.  I am planning on putting both boys on the show table and seeing how they place and the judges comments.  Unfortunately the doe got one of her eyes injured from her mom at birth so she is blind in that eye, so she will not be able to compete with her brothers.  I ideally would like a buck and a doe from this litter for my breeding program and for show but am unsure if I want to keep Galaxy "Helen" (the doe) for my breeding program as I want to try to only retain registerable stock.  I will see how she fills out and make my decision later on. 

Freezing Rain's litter is turning out to be amazing as well.  There are a total of 6 babies currently in this litter:  3 Ruby Eyed White does, 1 Ruby Eyed White buck, 1 sable buck, and 1 smoke pearl buck.  I am pretty sure I am going to retain 1 of the REW does and 1 of the shaded bucks for my shaded breeding program.  These babies will also hit the show tables so I can get a feel of how my line is progressing. 

Because I am going to specialize in reds, shadeds, and REWs and keep my herd relatively small, I am going to try to limit my breeding stock and yet outcross enough so that I can establish a nice line for each of my color specializations.  Lily of the Valley's current REW litter will work for all 3 of my color specializations, making it an ideal option to retain from.  Freezing Rain's litter will work exclusively for my shaded and REW programs. 

I recently acquired some new breeding stock for my herd.  The first rabbit is Chester - straight from my red line.  I was very happy to be able to obtain him from the breeder I sold him to as I did not retain anything from that cross and had lost that line.  Chester is an amazing chestnut.  He has a super commercial body and a very nice, long, well colored, dense rufusy coat.  I can't wait to incorporate him again into my herd.  Unfortunately he will not be hitting the show circuit as he had gotten into a buck fight as a baby and now has a little tear in his ear; this certainly will not affect his ability to produce for me in the barn!

The other addition is a baby broken black buck.  He has nice depth and width to his body and appears to have promising density to his coat.  His sire is out of my line as well.  It will obviously be a while before I can use him in my line but in the meantime I plan on showing him and watching how he develops.  He will be used in both my shaded and red breeding program.

Please check out our website to see our current French Angora herd.  I will also be offering French Angora kits on a limited basis so please continue checking out the "Angoras for Sale" page!          

Get on the Waiting List for French Angoras!

The Ingham County Fair starts next week!  We have been very busy preparing our projects and our rabbits for this event.  Hopefully it will be another successful year for us in our project areas. 

All of our litters are doing very well.  Lily of the Valley's litter is now 4 weeks old and have grown so much!  Freezing Rain's litter is currently 8 days old, while my Satin doe, Vanilla Bean's litter is a week old today.  I will try to get some updated pics soon to post on here. 

I did want to let everyone know that I am now taking in names for my French Angora litters.  I have plans to retain one to two kits from each litter for my breeding program, and I have yet to decide who will be staying, as it will depend on how they mature.  I also want to put a few of the kits on the show table before they leave to their new homes.  I will likely have some un-shown kits available for sale but if you are willing to wait a few extra weeks so they can hit the show circuit a little then I will have a larger selection available.  Prices will be dependent on quality.  All I need to add you to the list is a name, phone number, email, gender(s) wanted, and color preference (I should have lots of REWs available).  Please email me with the above information.   

I am not currently taking in names for my Satin litter as I want to give her one more week just to make sure but I will likely start taking in names for my Satin litter next week.  There should be bucks and does available in broken black.  I will be retaining 1-2 kits for my breeding program and will be showing a few as well but considering I have 9 kits I think it would be safe to say that I will have some available! 

Please check out our website if you are interested in seeing pictures, sale rabbits, or more information! 

Lily of the Valley's Litter - 2 Weeks Old

Here are some updated pictures of Lily of the Valley's litter!  They have now reached the 2 week mark today. 

 

I still have 8 babies left (out of a litter of 8) in this litter.  All are Ruby Eyed White, purebred, and fully pedigreed French Angoras.  I wasn't able to tell the genders on them when I checked yesterday so probably one more week! 

 

More litters coming soon!  I will be doing another post in a few days once my does have their next litters! 

French Angora Kits at Last!

We got our first French Angora litter today that we've had in quite a while here at Blossom Acres Rabbitry.  Lily of the Valley kindled today and had 7 beautiful little REW babies. All the babies look so healthy and chubby.  I can't wait to watch these kits grow as they should be some very nice show prospects!

As a side note, I palpated Freezing Rain (smoke pearl FA doe) and Vanilla Bean (black Satin doe) today and both palpated positive!   The two of them are due July 16th.  I am so excited about both of these litters and the pairings were very nice so I am expecting some amazing babies!  I am hoping to get some of these on the show table so I can hopefully begin and continue showing once again.  Vanilla Bean was paired with a black buck so I should get blacks and broken blacks, while Freezing Rain was paired with a REW so I am guaranteed sable and REW.  Since I do not know what color Moonbeam is underneath other colors are certainly possible but the two I mentioned are the only ones that are guaranteed. 

I am going to most likely be breeding my last French Angora doe, Tangerine, sometime late July or in August.  And then the cycle begins again!  I am looking forward to all these babies but sure am not looking forward to going through a lot of food again!  Guess it comes with the package...

Please stay tuned as I will be updating frequently with pictures and info as the babies develop!

French Angora Litter!!!

We are pleased to announce that we are expecting our first French Angora litter in a long time!  I bred Blossom Acres' Freezing Rain (smoke pearl) to my newest buck, C.B.'s Moonbeam (REW).  She palpated positive and is due the 6th of April.  I am expecting sables and REWs, but other colors are possible. 

Here is a pic of the buck to give you an idea of his density... Note that he is upside down.  I will have to get a stud pic of him soon. 

I will have some babies for sale from this litter, but as to when I am still uncertain.  I would like to show some of the kits but would be open to the possibility of moving them out before then.  I will be retaining a kit or two (gender to be determined) from this litter, but the remaining kits should be for sale either at 8 weeks or after showing. 

I will be breeding this doe's mom (REW) to the same buck (REW) tomorrow, and this litter will produce all REWs.  I should have most of the kits from this litter for sale.  

I'll keep up the updates!  Have a great weekend! 

Missy's Litter

Missy, my red/orange French Angora, currently has 1 litter of 6 (7 born) in the nestbox. This litter is currently 3 weeks old. Below is a picture of her litter.

This litter is one of the most unique litters I have ever had. What makes it different is that, in the litter of 6, every baby is a different color. I have never really had this before. Usually I will get a bunch of different colors in a litter, but with repeats. Or, in the case of the New Zealands, I will get a whole litter of whites. But this litter has definitely topped them off.

Since I got so many different colors, I will briefly describe each color in this litter and include a picture of what it looks like at 3 weeks of age.

Here is a black kit. A black kit is born looking blackish colored. If you flip it over, it’s stomach will be a dark gray- black color. This baby is a very nice, rich colored black. It is probably going to have pretty dark, non-faded wool color.

This is a blue kit. The blues can look very similar to the blacks at birth. Sometimes you have to compare a black next to a blue to tell the difference. The blues look like a very dark, rich smokey blue color.

  

This kit is a sable.  I actually originally thought this baby was a blue steel due to it's ticked appearance (this is why the photo says blue steel instead of sable).  This kit was born looking blue and later developed a silver ticking on it.  It's belly is a light brownish color and the ticking seems to be leaving.  This little doe will soon turn into a rich brownish color as it develops.   

This cutie is a chestnut. Chestnuts are born looking dark grayish-black, but if you flip them over you will find that they have pink bellies, underside of legs, underside of tail, and underside the chin. Chestnuts are an agouti. They are tan and slate banded with black tipping. This girl has a lot more rufus (reddish coloring) than you are average chestnut because it is out of a red parent.

This kit is an opal. An opal is the dilute form of a chestnut. Opals are blue and tan banded with blue guard hairs. They are born looking bluish colored with a pink stomach, underside of legs and tail, and underside of chin.

The last kit is a smoke pearl agouti. This is not a recognized color in the angoras, so it is unshowable. It is grayish colored and has the same darker shading on its face, but it an agouti, so it has a white stomach, underside of tail, chin, and legs. This kit was born looking gray, but its stomach also looked pink. This hinted to me that it was in fact an agouti.

So far this litter is maturing well. The largest babies in the litter are the black, chestnut, opal, and blue steel; however, the other kits are very nicely sized. This is probably going to be Missy’s last litter. She is getting older so I want to retire her. This doe has been an amazing foundation animal for me and has provided me with many beautiful litters.  Missy as my very first breeding doe.  She is going to stay here as a companion animal and fiber producer.   

This whole litter is spoken for. I have quite a few interested people waiting for their babies out of her, and I am half debating if I should keep another baby out of her.  The chestnut is sooo nice…  but, I do have a chestnut that is a full sibling to this litter. Do I really need another chestnut? She is very beautiful but you can’t keep everything.

Lots more litters of the various breeds coming frequently! We are being showered with many beautiful litters.  I will be breeding my French Angoras again this August, so look for some more quality babies available later in the year!  

http://www.blossomacresrabbitry.webs.com/
    

Rabbitry Update

I haven’t been very good about keeping up with this blog, but I have been very busy.  Here is the latest news in the rabbitry. 

We have bred quite a few of our breeding stock – New Zealands, French Angoras, and Lionheads.  Some of the litters are current and some are upcoming!  Both of my beautiful New Zealand does had their litters fairly recently – about 3 weeks apart.  Tracey had 6 chunky babies and Snowflake had 11 born, with 9 still around.  I am very impressed with this doe’s mothering abilities.  This is her first litter and she is doing an excellent job caring and doting over her family.  Perhaps she will have the best success rate of all my does?!  So far it looks like there are 7 bucks and 2 does.  I really hope that some of those “bucks” do turn out to be does as I don’t know if I could manage 7 of them.  They are in the ? faze right now so I am really hoping that at least some turn out to be does!  If not then I should have some very nice bucks available for sale!    

As for the other litters, I am expecting 2 litters of French Angoras, one of which is due on Independence Day (not purposely planned).  We are also expecting a whole bunch of Lionhead litters.  Please check out our website to see our current and upcoming litters as there are way too many to list here!

Unfortunately, we have not been able to attend any shows lately.  The last one we attended was in March, so it has been a fairly long time!  We plan on attending a show on August 25^th, located in Charlotte Michigan.  From there it will lead to a show in September, plus a few others later in the year.  For this reason, we are not going to have very many rabbits available for sale during this time, as most of the breedings that we have done were specifically for these shows. 

Right now we do have some very nice rabbits looking for new homes.  The following rabbits are available for purchase:

Blossom Acres’ Ocean Storm, Jr. Opal French Angora buck, born April 3^rd, 2012.  Out of a grand champion chocolate buck and a red doe.  This rabbit has a very nice body and beautiful fiber.  Chocolate carrier.  $50 with pedigree

I also have a broken black satin doe for sale as a pet.  Spot has a nice personality and is very flashy.  I really need the cage space so I am letting her go.  $15 no pedigree

I also have 2 chestnut French Angoras, full siblings, a buck and a doe.  I have decided to keep both babies for now as I am trying to figure where I am going in my breeding program.  I may keep 1 or both, time will tell!  Please contact me and ask to go on the waiting list if interested!  Both are chocolate carriers and very nice quality. 

Well, that wraps up the updates.  I will keep everyone posted! 

http://www.blossomacresrabbitry.webs.com

Baby French Angora Bunnies & Pictures!

I decided to take out my 4 week old baby chestnut French Angoras for some exercise and fresh air.  They really enjoyed exploring and running around as shown in these pictures!  This litter is sired by Farfelu’s Butter Brickle, a chocolate agouti, and Blossom Acres’ Tangerine, a rare red.  This breeding turned out very nicely and will be repeated! 

Of these 5 kits, there are 3 bucks and 2 does.  Both does are spoken for, but if you would be interested in any of the bucks please call (517) 589-5888 or email me to go on the waiting list! 

Email:  finnishfiberfarm@gmail.com

Website:  http://www.blossomacresrabbitry.webs.com/

French Angoras for Sale

We only have a few rabbits available for reservation/purchase!  These rabbits come from excellent show lines and are very nice quality.  They are available with 3 generation pedigrees.      

Blossom Acres’ Thumper- Sr. Tort Buck- DOB:  4/6/2011.  His mom is red and his dad is a registered REW with 2 GC Legs.  Thumper has a nice body and wool.  He has done well on the show table. He’d be a very nice addition to a breeding program and will contribute his nice body and quality wool to his offspring. 

SOLD

Blossom Acres’ Larry- Jr. Chinchilla Buck.  This buck is very sweet and has nice, easy maintenance wool.  He is a very pretty color.  I will offer him with a pedigree as a breeder buck for an angora hybrid program or without as a pet/wooler.        

SOLD

Special thanks to our customers!   

 

http://www.blossomacresrabbitry.webs.com/ 

Rabbits for Sale!!!

We have French Angoras, Lionheads, and a New Zealand Whites for sale!  Here is a general list of what we have: 

French Angoras-

Blossom Acres’ Smokey- Jr. Purebred Smoke Pearl Buck- $75 with pedigree

Blossom Acres’ Midnight Storm- Jr. Purebred Black Doe- $75 with pedigree

Blossom Acres’ Thumper- Sr. Tort Buck- $75 with pedigree

Blossom Acres’ Cabachon- Jr. Opal Buck- $75 with pedigree

Lionheads-

Blossom Acres’ Seashore- Jr. Purebred Blue Tort Buck- $25 as pet

Wee One’s Shadow- Sr. Purebred Proven Black Buck- $50 with pedigree

 

New Zealands-

Blossom Acres’ Marshmallow- Jr.  Purebred New Zealand White Buck- $20 with partial pedigree


If interested in any of the above rabbits please email me finnishfiberfarm@gmail.com  or call me at (517) 589-5888.  More information and picturescan be seen on our website:  www.blossomacresrabbitry.webs.com.  We also have babies in the nursery and upcoming ones as well!  Feel free to go on the waiting list for a kit! 

www.blossomacresrabbitry.webs.com

New Winnings, Litters, & Rabbits for Sale!

We have begun our show season yet again!  On January 28^th, Circle 6’s Frederick, took 1^st in class colored Jr. Buck!  Our REW senior doe, White Out, received 2^nd in class.  She was competing with rabbits in full show coat, which she wasn’t in… She did come home with great comments though.    

We also showed our bunnies at the Michigan Convention Spring show which took place March 3^{rd and 4th}, 2012.  We took BOB Lionhead on the 3^rd with Blossom Acres’ Frostbite, with around 25 in competition.  Blossom Acres’ Stainless Steel, a siamese sable Lion, took BOV at that show.  We also showed Blossom Acres’ Tangerine, who was awarded BOB & BOG, and Bonnie’s B15 “Nathaniel”, received BOS & BOG.  We also got Nathaniel registered at that show.  This buck has 2 legs towards his grand championship.  We are hoping to get his third on soon so that he can be granded! 

We also showed on the 4^th and received BOV Lionhead with Frostbite, and BOS & BOV Lionhead with Stainless Steel.  Tangerine took BOB and BOG French Angora, with her dad, Nathaniel, taking BOS and BOG French Angora.  All in all it was a great show. 

We also got a few new acquaintances to our rabbitry:  Butter Brickle, a sr. chocolate agouti French Angora buck; Mr. Truffle, a chocolate Lionhead buck; Burnt Sienna, a chocolate Lionhead doe; Whiskey, a chocolate Lionhead doe; and La Petit Prince, a sable point Lionhead buck.  Pictures of our new stock can be seen on our website:  www.blossomcresrabbitry.webs.com. 
  
We have litters in the nursery!!!  Right now we have 3 beautiful kits from Frederick to Lily of the Valley- 1 smoke pearl buck (FOR SALE), 1 smoke pearl doe, and 1 black doe.  We also bred Frederick to Missy and have 3 kits in this litter left as well- 1 opal buck, 1 blue buck (FOR SALE), and 1 chestnut doe.  White Out also has a litter of 1 blue, 1 REW, 1 chinchilla, and 1 squirrel- all bucks.  This whole litter is spoken for. 

On the topic of French Angoras… we bred Missy to a Grand Champion Farfelu’s Cirrus, a chocolate buck.  This litter is due April 4^th- we are expecting some promising bunnies!  I am going to grow this litter out before selling them, and hopefully get some winnings on them as well.  Thank you again Shannon Carter for providing me this opportunity. I also bred Blossom Acres’ Lily of the Valley to Farfelu’s Butter Brickle; she is due the 15^th of April.  I also bred Blossom Acres’ Tangerine to Butter Brickle; she is due a little later than her sister.  .          

We also have 2 litters of Lionheads in the nursery, and several more on the way.  Our upcoming litters are going to be exciting.  We are expecting chestnuts, chocolates, possibly oranges, and many more colors from our does that are bred!  Please visit our website for more information. 

We currently have 3 French Angoras for sale- 1 smoke pearl buck, 1 blue buck, and 1 tort buck.  We have 1 blue-tort Lionhead buck for sale as pet.  We also have 1 junior New Zealand White buck for sale- with partial pedigree.  www.blossomacresrabbitry.webs.com  

That wraps everything up for now.  I will update everyone as more happens.