Satins - yep!

SF's ESPN - Chocolate Otter Sr. Buck

His chocolate otter son

His solid Chocolate son

SF's ESPN - Chocolate Otter Sr. Buck

I am going back to my roots. As much as I am obsessed with the Silver Marten breed, there is just no competition around here for them. I want something practical that I can show and have a better market for. Mini Lops didn't work out. Right now my boyfriend just doesn't have enough time to have his own breed project, and we weren't able to get the exact animals we wanted, so better off just not doing it rather than settling for whatever we can get.

I've missed having Satins in the barn, so I decided to bring them back in. I am still downsizing on my Mini Rex, after this week I will be down to 7, so I have more room to switch rabbits around and open up some of the larger holes for Satins. I was going to get Mini Satins, but don't want to deal with the breed problems I have seen in my area surrounding them. A new breed that is still working out all it's kinks, is just not for me. Nothing wrong with having a little muscle in the barn anyway ;)

I am starting off with a Chocolate Otter buck, I LOVE Otters and Chocolates....so this is perfect. When I first raised Satins, I had Otters, Black Otters exclusively. I'm happy about bringing these guys back in, and it's not completely new territory for me, so I feel comfortable in this decision.

He produces nicely when paired with the right doe, his sons are proof of that. He is a bit low in the shoulder, but he will mainly be a brood buck anyway, and he is from nice lines. Can't wait!

Random babbling

As most people know, I have only been back into rabbits for 2, going on 3 years now. I took a hiatus when I was around 14 to focus on school and my family life. When I left the rabbit world, I was raising Himalayan's, Satins in Black Otter only and Jersey Woolies.

It was a very difficult decision to leave rabbits. I had JUST started winning big with my rabbits the year I left. I managed to pull out a RIS or BIS win in every single one of my breeds that year, and had started to make it onto the District Sweeps list, and National Sweeps as well.

When I got back into rabbits, I started with Dwarfs as I had always wanted to try my hand at raising them. I soon got out of them, they just weren't a good fit for me personality wise. I also brought Woolies back in. They will always be a constant in my rabbitry, whether I have 20 show Woolies or just 1 pet Wooly.

I tried out Belgian Hares, LOVE the breed, but I couldn't get a single litter for 2 years. I got frustrated, and gave up. I tried Flemish Giants, weren't for me. I am currently trying to make the final decision with my Mini Rex. I love the body type, the fur, and the competition in this breed. However, I have come to find out, the bucks can be very, very aggressive. While the does are sweet, so far I have had to cull out 3 of my bucks due to unmanageable aggression. All 3 were from completely different lines and breeders, so I don't think it was a certain line that was involved with this trait. None of my animals are ever mishandled, and all are treated like royalty. I can't figure it out, but today I was attacked by one of my junior bucks, and he has attacked members of the family as well. This junior buck is also going to be culled out due to unmanageable aggression. I'm really disappointed, I just brought in a stellar Black buck to improve on my Mini Rex herd, but with all these aggressive animals, I have culled my Mini Rex numbers down to 10.

I am going to speak to other breeders, and see if they have problems with their bucks behavior as well. I am not a fan of aggressive rabbits, I don't think anyone is. If this continues, the Mini Rex, as hard as it will be or me, are going. However, if I do sell out, people will be getting some really nice rabbits. I searched high and low for the perfect herd sire, and the best lines. I spent a lot of money on the Mini Rex, more then any other breed so far, it is really discouraging, but I am not having fun with this breed at the moment.

With the Mini Rex possibly going out the door, this will leave only Woolies left in my barn. Having so much spare room, I have been weeding through breeds deciding what I would like to bring in, in the event that the Mini Rex leave.

Possibilities so far include:

Satins or Mini Satins
English Spots
Silver Martens

Each breed has it's pro's and con's, and I have owned/bred 2 out of the 4 breeds so I have some experience with them already. Silver Martens have been a 12 year obsession of mine. I have always admired from afar, never took the next step and brought some in, although I almost did once last September.

Only time will tell how things turn out, but in May, I am definitely bringing in a pair or trio of English Spots. Woolies and Spots were the 2 first breeds I ever showed, and they have a sentimental place in my heart. With other Spot breeders living in my area, I won't have trouble finding competition. Having the mental focus and physical space requirements to be able to have up to 3 breeds also tempts to bring in a meatier type breed from the list above, but I am not 100% positive on that decision yet. I can dedicate about 12-15 holes each between 3 breeds right now. Winter storage in the barn is taking up the rest of my bunny space, but when it's cleared out, I can dedicate about 20 holes each, to each breed, which is plenty for me. I breed smart, and I breed hard. I don't try or as many litters as I can, so I always have plenty of space available.

Little rant of sorts, that's all for now.


PS. I will be making a rabbitry tour video soon, as this seems to the be the current trend on RH. I cut back a little while ago, and moved a lot of cages back into the loft so I only have 18 little hoppers to show everyone, but I feel a tour would be a fun idea anyway :P

-Domonique

A quick update

I have been very busy lately, and haven't had a chance to get on here. Everything is going good in the rabbitry. I have a litter of 6 Black Mini Rex, they will be ready to show at Nationals in May, so I might attend!

My Woolies missed so I will be rebreeding them after the show at the end of the month.

Checker's are going, sick of dealing with the "fighting dog" mentality of the breeders. May bring in English Spots to play around with, or Satins. Or may keep it at just Woolies and Mini Rex. Who knows!

-Domonique

Show results & rabbit pictures.

WW's Quinn - Black Senior Buck

LBF's Total Image - Blue Tort Sr. Doe

Show A Jersey Woolies:
Dayka 4th/7

Mini Rex:
Frezia 2/2
Ice 1/2 BOV

Show B Jersey Woolies:
Dayka 4th/6
Quinn 2nd/6
Image 3rd/3, 1st Colored Wool

Mini Rex:
Ice 1/1 BOV
Frezia - SCRATCH/CULL


I just wish Dayka had been in coat, the judges really loved him, he just couldn't compete with the REW bucks in top condition with his coat unfinished. I am very pleased with Quinn's placement and Image winning the Colored wool class.

Next show is Feb 27th in New Gloucester, Maine.

so my final show list got cut down..again

I went out this afternoon to clean some cages/feed all that good stuff, pulled my shaded wooly jr doe out of her cage, and oh my god.

The oats really did the trick getting her back into flesh condition, she is much smoother, but she hasn't finished out her senior molt and I doubt her coat will be ready to show in 6 days. I couldn't resist, the fluff was flying so I plucked the remaining spots of dead coat out. She is now half senior coat and half dark bald spots where I plucked and her new coat is growing in. I put my hands on her and I'm happy with her body type, nice width, good depth, and is becoming really smooth again after her week of rolled oats. I haven't managed to show her yet, but I really want to, she will be turning senior soon. That coat is also coming in nicely.

My broken wooly jr doe is also out of coat, the fluff is flying everywhere with both of them being older juniors starting to get their senior coats in.

The only wooly I will be bringing is Dayka, my self sr. buck. He earned a GC leg at his last show and I haven't shown him since then, so we'll see how he does, he is out of flesh condition too but I've been upping his grain ration and giving him oats.

I am bringing my 2 BEW jr mini rex does. Ice is looking really, really nice. She is so deep and wide. Frezia is very short in body, I like Ice's fur better, so we'll see what happens.

That's it, that's my show list. I'll see you all next weekend!

Well then!

My show list for next weekend just got shorter. My shaded wooly doe went into a major molt today, I was pulling handfuls of wool out all day long, and she has a big spot missing in her wool cap.

She was one of my hopefuls. Looks like I'm down to 1 JW for the show, my 2 BEW MR are starting to molt as well, they're both at that age where they'll be turning senior soon and blowing coats. One of them has it worse then the other, so we'll see.

I don't think I'll be bringing my jr. black buck along, I'd like him to grow out some more first, he is really tiny, too small to throw up on the table and be competitive.

I don't think I'll be showing the Hare, I have no interest in it, she's fighting me to post every day and she too is blowing coat.

So my show list is down to 3.

At least that leaves me more $ to buy cages and meat breed stock :)

Jan 17th Final Show List

I've made my final decisions on who I'm brining to the show next weekend. I've been up and down all week on who I want to bring and who I SHOULD bring. I need to learn to leave rabbits half bald at home!

I palpated one of my Black MR this morning...still doesn't feel like she took, but I am horrible at palpating..so I guess we'll see what happens, but if she didn't take, she's coming to the show with me, she is in excellent coat condition right now.

I am only bringing 2 Jersey Woolies. A Self Sr. Buck and a Shaded Jr. Doe. I was really contemplating bringing a Broken Jr. Doe, but I have a feeling she is over for a junior, and with her molty coat she wouldn't be able to compete with the senior class in full coat. She has a gorgeous head, better then all of my bucks in the barn, she also has the cutest pattern I've seen.

Mini Rex, I am bringing 2 BEW JR Does, sisters, who are very closely matched in type. One has better fur then the other so we will see who will beat out who. I may also bring a Black Jr Buck, that Black Sr Doe if she didn't take and that's it for that breed.

I might be bringing the Hare doe, because someone sanctioned them and might as well at least bring her to have more competition or fill a class. But that's it for my show list, very small. All the other rabbits look awful right now, blowing coats left and right.