My favorite show of the year was cancelled due to bad weather. The Southeastern Dwarf Fanciers Triple Crown on Jan.30. This year we had added Mini Rex at the request of the local MR club for a triple-threat specialty of 3 dwarf breeds.
Never know how it will go in the south. I chewed nails as I watched the forecast, and finally chickened out on Thursday. Friday morning, the club sent out the cancellation notice. The snow storm covered the entire area and even North and South Carolina were under travel warnings. Rather than have a poor show and put exhibitors at risk, we opted for no show. We hope to reschedule sometime in April. I'm all for a spring Triple Crown! Rarely have to worry about snow or ice in April here.
The storm was as predicted. I'm not sure what I got here. The snow was so heavy and wet, there was probably more than the 4" it looked like. Snowed on and off all day Saturday as well to add another inch or so. My decision to stay home was wise, and I'm glad it was cancelled so I didn't feel so guilty.
Yeah, I feel guilty. I actually feel like I'm playing hooky. Especially if I've already sent in my entries. Some shows I don't feel as guilty because I don't have much to show to make the long distance drive worth it. And I haven't sent entries that might mess up the show secretary. Some shows I might have sale deliveries that make it necessary and scrap together a short show string.
Now we are socked in for a very cold snap. I hope not as bad as the last one. It looks like it will be above freezing during the day which is bearable. Low teens at night.
Not much happening in the nestbox right now. I have a couple litters due tomorrow, and some does to rebreed. There's several beautiful broken black and chestnut babies almost 3 wks old. I should spend one of these cold days on a photo shoot. Need to add some young jr pix to the site.
I'm running a sort of big winter sale as I go through the herd weeding out what I don't need anymore. As I said before, I'm getting out of shadeds and selling off all those and most of the ones that carry it. For the brokens, I'm going to concentrate on the selfs and agoutis.
This splits the herd into 3 color groups and 2 show groups (Self, AOV).
- Self, Agouti, Broken. The selfs work with each other and the brokens. I don't plan to show agouti, they're here for the brokens, and can also go to self. But hey, if I do get an outstanding agouti, I might toss it on the table.
- Himi. With the shaded sell-out, the Himis have now become a stand-alone variety cut to the very best. Although I can use them with selfs, too. I still have 'Back In Black' who was orignally created as a himi herd buck. He's useful for both himi and broken as he throws excellent pattern. I sometimes experiment with Himi x Broken for type.
- BEW. Of course the BEWs always were a sideline, and their numbers are kept down. I can outcross the BEWs to black or agouti for type improvement.
My plan is to keep the head count much lower than in the past, and it will be an on-going hard culling process.
One last unrelated note. I'm watching a flock of cardinals at the feeders. I can see it from the computer desk. There's not much prettier than bright red male cardinals against a backdrop of pristine new snow! The poultry just joined as ground feeders, cleaning up the seed the birds drop. My Golden Sebright roo is also very pretty on snow.
47 days until Spring!
tnt
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
This is more like it!
Wow, I seem to have a lot more to talk about this month!
First... Babies! Lots of babies! After such a long litter drought, they poured in all at once. I feared running out of nestboxes. All but 3 does delivered. I did foster one litter but mostly all the does have their own litters. Currently a head count of 29 kits including some older ones still at mom's side. Most of the boxes only have 2 kits. Most of them are 1st or 2nd timers and I want them to raise their litters. Except the last litter in was 6! Unfortunately not a lot of exciting colors. A few real nice brokens but not as many as I wanted. There's a lot of whitish kits I haven't ID'd for sure yet. Too many possibilities in those so I have to wait and see. I think there's a choc self, and some decent blacks.
Next... The weather. Oh yeah, it's so much better now! More normal 40s/50s. It was 50 this morning! Yesterday, I was able to water the animals from the hose for the first time in over 2 weeks. Got really tired of hauling water in gal jugs and pails and knocking ice out the dog/cat/bird dishes.
My current culling is going pretty well. Often I talk about something on a forum, or in my mind, and it helps make a decision about a particular rabbit. Am I using him? Do I have all I need from her? How many offspring have I kept? Is that color of any use to me now? All of these are factors in my culling.
To that end, I've decided to get out of shadeds. I've been frustrated by siamese sable for a long time. There's such a small window when they are in color condition to show. The smoke pearls and sable points are a bit easier in that respect, so I tried to keep them around. As I work the brokens more, chocolate keeps popping up and choc doesn't mix with shaded. I also get a lot of seals because almost everything in my barn is carrying shaded. So I'm weeding them all out. I hope the selfs will be more dominant as time goes on.
I still want dilutes, but for some reason, it's not hooking up in the litters. I am using an agouti buck heavily who doesn't carry dilute, but his offspring should. I brought in a couple blue bucks to help. So far I've got one self blue buck out of that. No broken blues.
Quite a few are carrying non-extension thanks to the sable pts, and I'll be glad to see more torts come from that.
So the current color plan will be agouti, self, and tort for the brokens. The BEWs will always be a sideline. I think of the himis as my bread & butter. They give back the most with the least effort. Color is easy and type is some of the best in the barn. They do the best on the table for me.
61 days until Spring!
tnt
First... Babies! Lots of babies! After such a long litter drought, they poured in all at once. I feared running out of nestboxes. All but 3 does delivered. I did foster one litter but mostly all the does have their own litters. Currently a head count of 29 kits including some older ones still at mom's side. Most of the boxes only have 2 kits. Most of them are 1st or 2nd timers and I want them to raise their litters. Except the last litter in was 6! Unfortunately not a lot of exciting colors. A few real nice brokens but not as many as I wanted. There's a lot of whitish kits I haven't ID'd for sure yet. Too many possibilities in those so I have to wait and see. I think there's a choc self, and some decent blacks.
Next... The weather. Oh yeah, it's so much better now! More normal 40s/50s. It was 50 this morning! Yesterday, I was able to water the animals from the hose for the first time in over 2 weeks. Got really tired of hauling water in gal jugs and pails and knocking ice out the dog/cat/bird dishes.
My current culling is going pretty well. Often I talk about something on a forum, or in my mind, and it helps make a decision about a particular rabbit. Am I using him? Do I have all I need from her? How many offspring have I kept? Is that color of any use to me now? All of these are factors in my culling.
To that end, I've decided to get out of shadeds. I've been frustrated by siamese sable for a long time. There's such a small window when they are in color condition to show. The smoke pearls and sable points are a bit easier in that respect, so I tried to keep them around. As I work the brokens more, chocolate keeps popping up and choc doesn't mix with shaded. I also get a lot of seals because almost everything in my barn is carrying shaded. So I'm weeding them all out. I hope the selfs will be more dominant as time goes on.
I still want dilutes, but for some reason, it's not hooking up in the litters. I am using an agouti buck heavily who doesn't carry dilute, but his offspring should. I brought in a couple blue bucks to help. So far I've got one self blue buck out of that. No broken blues.
Quite a few are carrying non-extension thanks to the sable pts, and I'll be glad to see more torts come from that.
So the current color plan will be agouti, self, and tort for the brokens. The BEWs will always be a sideline. I think of the himis as my bread & butter. They give back the most with the least effort. Color is easy and type is some of the best in the barn. They do the best on the table for me.
61 days until Spring!
tnt
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Broken Thoughts
I've been working the brokens for about 3 years now and I've learned quite a bit. Since this is a new variety for the NDs, there are still a lot of things to work out. Unlike long established broken breeds, it's something we have to think about more as we try for consistent showable pattern.
The two issues I'm dealing with (aside from type) are getting enough color, and cleaning up the scattered white. I have some lines that do throw excellent pattern but being heavier, it's often messy. By messy I mean indistinct demarcation between white and color, and the small white freckles that look like scattered white when the guard hairs grow out. Especially glaring in black.
I also have two different lines of broken pattern. One is the spots which tend to be cleaner, but often throw mismarks (less that 10%). The other is the blankets which are the messier patterns.
I'm trying to integrate the two in hopes the spots will help clean up the blankets. I do breed broken x broken quite a bit to this end. I might get more mismarked culls this way, but I also get some nice brokens out of it.
I keep very few "8%ers". As a rule, you'll be very lucky to get more color out of them than they have. If the type or color is worthy, I will try them with a heavier pattern mate, but it rarely works out. I've yet to prove a true charlie, but have a very nice little possible charlie now. He's promising in the pattern he came out of. I say possible because until you prove it, you can't really be sure if a mismark is a true charlie. Broken x Broken can also throw mismarks that are of no use to the program.
On the other side of the coin are the solids being used with the brokens. I don't keep many solids out of broken litters, but will if the type is there. These are supposed to carry the potential for the parent's pattern.
What I'm finding in the solids is that some are excellent for pulling pattern from the broken mate. Offspring will have as good, and sometimes better. Other solids just don't have it. Even with a heavy blanket, they pull less than 10%. Oddly, it's the solids that have no broken in their backgrounds that have proving the most successful at pulling pattern. When I find a solid that can pull pattern, I hang onto it for quite a while.
Then there are the solids who can't seem to pull broken at all! I have a buck now who so far has proven disappointing, and it's more so since he comes from my original spot line that was good for it.
I use the term "pull" in regards to solids because they can't "throw" broken. They aren't broken so they don't carry it. What they do is pull the broken gene from the broken mate and add any modifiers they are carrying.
So the object is to get consistent and clean pattern together with type. A newish solid buck in the barn is proving himself in both type upgrade and ability to pull pattern. I plan to breed him back to his broken daughters in hopes of cementing both traits.
And then there is type. While it should be the goal to improve type first, when it comes to brokens, you must work on the pattern at the same time. One is no good without the other.
With all those thoughts in mind, I'm culling much harder. I'm trying to get the head count down to the stock that is working the best towards my goals. If a particular rabbit has not proven itself to serve my broken needs in a reasonable amount of time, it's moved out.
Broken Netherlands are a great challenge, but so rewarding when you get it right. A broken litter is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you'll get. When you find that special chewy center, it makes your day!
tnt
The two issues I'm dealing with (aside from type) are getting enough color, and cleaning up the scattered white. I have some lines that do throw excellent pattern but being heavier, it's often messy. By messy I mean indistinct demarcation between white and color, and the small white freckles that look like scattered white when the guard hairs grow out. Especially glaring in black.
I also have two different lines of broken pattern. One is the spots which tend to be cleaner, but often throw mismarks (less that 10%). The other is the blankets which are the messier patterns.
I'm trying to integrate the two in hopes the spots will help clean up the blankets. I do breed broken x broken quite a bit to this end. I might get more mismarked culls this way, but I also get some nice brokens out of it.
I keep very few "8%ers". As a rule, you'll be very lucky to get more color out of them than they have. If the type or color is worthy, I will try them with a heavier pattern mate, but it rarely works out. I've yet to prove a true charlie, but have a very nice little possible charlie now. He's promising in the pattern he came out of. I say possible because until you prove it, you can't really be sure if a mismark is a true charlie. Broken x Broken can also throw mismarks that are of no use to the program.
On the other side of the coin are the solids being used with the brokens. I don't keep many solids out of broken litters, but will if the type is there. These are supposed to carry the potential for the parent's pattern.
What I'm finding in the solids is that some are excellent for pulling pattern from the broken mate. Offspring will have as good, and sometimes better. Other solids just don't have it. Even with a heavy blanket, they pull less than 10%. Oddly, it's the solids that have no broken in their backgrounds that have proving the most successful at pulling pattern. When I find a solid that can pull pattern, I hang onto it for quite a while.
Then there are the solids who can't seem to pull broken at all! I have a buck now who so far has proven disappointing, and it's more so since he comes from my original spot line that was good for it.
I use the term "pull" in regards to solids because they can't "throw" broken. They aren't broken so they don't carry it. What they do is pull the broken gene from the broken mate and add any modifiers they are carrying.
So the object is to get consistent and clean pattern together with type. A newish solid buck in the barn is proving himself in both type upgrade and ability to pull pattern. I plan to breed him back to his broken daughters in hopes of cementing both traits.
And then there is type. While it should be the goal to improve type first, when it comes to brokens, you must work on the pattern at the same time. One is no good without the other.
With all those thoughts in mind, I'm culling much harder. I'm trying to get the head count down to the stock that is working the best towards my goals. If a particular rabbit has not proven itself to serve my broken needs in a reasonable amount of time, it's moved out.
Broken Netherlands are a great challenge, but so rewarding when you get it right. A broken litter is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you'll get. When you find that special chewy center, it makes your day!
tnt
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Things are lookin up.
I've got 4 new litters and 11 new babies! Wow! I've been pretty bummed about the lack of litters lately. DOAs, misses and kitcickles, too many 1st and 2nd timers, and even the experienced does were dropping the ball. They were all up for breeding, but very little to show for it.
It's soooo cold! I can't believe we aren't getting a break from this cold snap. It actually got up to 32 the other day but mostly it stays around 20 or less. I can't even turn off the heater in the barn during the day and most of the time, I'm running both. This month's electric bill is gonna kill me!
I consider myself so lucky I've got these litters. They all kindled at a time when I could catch them before the kits got cold. I'm hauling 5 nestboxes in the house every night. I would've fostered some around to reduce the number of nestboxes and put more in each box for warmth, but I want these does to raise their litters. I still might if I see some aren't happy with the nestbox removal routine. So far, they are all ok with it. Or if I see I will run out of nestboxes next week when more litters are due.
Onto the results:
Infinite Detail x Ford's Ranger - 1 chestnut, 1 broken chestnut (unless they turn black). The broken is over 75% color. Didn't expect that since she's a spot pattern, but the sire is very good for pulling pattern. There were 3 peanuts as well. Hmmm, I thought I.Detail was a BUD. She sure looks like it, but the peanuts prove her as true dwarf. She's out of a big import-line doe and pretty big herself. Her offspring so far are very nice. I pre-sold a very very nice little black buck that I probably should've kept. But don't need another black. Hope this turns out as well. The 75% can't be shown, but I hope it will be a fine brood rabbit. I hope the solid is a doe so I can back up the other chestnut doe who hasn't done very well so far. Actually, hope both are does. A lot of hopes there!
Whaley's Black Olive x HBB's Hamlet - 2 ?. They were pink at birth but I see some spots coming up on one of them so I suspect something dilute. No telling what I'll get from this pair. Olive is labeled black but I think she may be seal and she carries smoke. Hamlet is broken blue silver marten and he carries shaded, too. I hoped for better pattern as the sire's line is real good for throwing what they've got. This is her 2nd try. There was also a DOA.
Painted Lady x Raspberry Run Messenger. 1 broken black, 2 ?. The broken is -10%. This was an experiment in broken type. The 2 ?s are pink so maybe himi, maybe sable pt, maybe something else. Time will tell. Didn't turn out as I hoped for color. I've had good results breeding broken x himi for pattern, but since she carries shaded, the chances for himi are too good. Hers would be an option for fostering off so I can try again with another buck. In fact, as I write this, I think that's a very good idea. It's probably time to sell her but she gives such nice pattern (usually) that I'm not quite done with her yet. I'll make that decision after the other litters come this week. I plan to put a couple more does up for sale after their litters come.
Raspberry Run Taleah x Raspberry Run Messenger - 2 himi. I've been waiting for this litter! She was beginning to look like a very expensive bust. The breeder assured me that this line of does were excellent brood does which was a main reason for choosing her over the others offered at the time. This was her 3rd try and she pulled it off like an old pro. Yay!
I've got 4 more due on the 11th and I gave them nestboxes yesterday. And then more due on the 14th. I might have bred myself into a corner! I actually hope for some failures or at least fostering or I'll run out of nestboxes!
I hope this weather breaks pretty soon! I've got a couple shows later this month I absolutely have to make to deliver pre-solds. It will be rough if it doesn't warm a little or stop snowing. This is the south, it's supposed to be better...brrr...grrr!
I do ramble on when I've got something to talk about, don't I? May your nestboxes be as full as mine! Keep warm.
69 days until Spring!
tnt
It's soooo cold! I can't believe we aren't getting a break from this cold snap. It actually got up to 32 the other day but mostly it stays around 20 or less. I can't even turn off the heater in the barn during the day and most of the time, I'm running both. This month's electric bill is gonna kill me!
I consider myself so lucky I've got these litters. They all kindled at a time when I could catch them before the kits got cold. I'm hauling 5 nestboxes in the house every night. I would've fostered some around to reduce the number of nestboxes and put more in each box for warmth, but I want these does to raise their litters. I still might if I see some aren't happy with the nestbox removal routine. So far, they are all ok with it. Or if I see I will run out of nestboxes next week when more litters are due.
Onto the results:
Infinite Detail x Ford's Ranger - 1 chestnut, 1 broken chestnut (unless they turn black). The broken is over 75% color. Didn't expect that since she's a spot pattern, but the sire is very good for pulling pattern. There were 3 peanuts as well. Hmmm, I thought I.Detail was a BUD. She sure looks like it, but the peanuts prove her as true dwarf. She's out of a big import-line doe and pretty big herself. Her offspring so far are very nice. I pre-sold a very very nice little black buck that I probably should've kept. But don't need another black. Hope this turns out as well. The 75% can't be shown, but I hope it will be a fine brood rabbit. I hope the solid is a doe so I can back up the other chestnut doe who hasn't done very well so far. Actually, hope both are does. A lot of hopes there!
Whaley's Black Olive x HBB's Hamlet - 2 ?. They were pink at birth but I see some spots coming up on one of them so I suspect something dilute. No telling what I'll get from this pair. Olive is labeled black but I think she may be seal and she carries smoke. Hamlet is broken blue silver marten and he carries shaded, too. I hoped for better pattern as the sire's line is real good for throwing what they've got. This is her 2nd try. There was also a DOA.
Painted Lady x Raspberry Run Messenger. 1 broken black, 2 ?. The broken is -10%. This was an experiment in broken type. The 2 ?s are pink so maybe himi, maybe sable pt, maybe something else. Time will tell. Didn't turn out as I hoped for color. I've had good results breeding broken x himi for pattern, but since she carries shaded, the chances for himi are too good. Hers would be an option for fostering off so I can try again with another buck. In fact, as I write this, I think that's a very good idea. It's probably time to sell her but she gives such nice pattern (usually) that I'm not quite done with her yet. I'll make that decision after the other litters come this week. I plan to put a couple more does up for sale after their litters come.
Raspberry Run Taleah x Raspberry Run Messenger - 2 himi. I've been waiting for this litter! She was beginning to look like a very expensive bust. The breeder assured me that this line of does were excellent brood does which was a main reason for choosing her over the others offered at the time. This was her 3rd try and she pulled it off like an old pro. Yay!
I've got 4 more due on the 11th and I gave them nestboxes yesterday. And then more due on the 14th. I might have bred myself into a corner! I actually hope for some failures or at least fostering or I'll run out of nestboxes!
I hope this weather breaks pretty soon! I've got a couple shows later this month I absolutely have to make to deliver pre-solds. It will be rough if it doesn't warm a little or stop snowing. This is the south, it's supposed to be better...brrr...grrr!
I do ramble on when I've got something to talk about, don't I? May your nestboxes be as full as mine! Keep warm.
69 days until Spring!
tnt
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Happy New Year!
After a mild start to winter, it is really winter! Way too cold for me! They say we'll be lucky to see above freezing for the next week or more. I hate being cold.
There were 6 buns outside in the summer house, and so far they seemed ok with it. Some mornings I had to thaw their water bottles, but they would just be partially frozen when the temps went down in the wee hours. I hauled a bucket of hot water to soak them free.
Yesterday, I took a day trip to Nashville to get canaries, and didn't get back until after dark. It never got to the freezing mark all day and was about 20F when I got home. I worried about those 6 buns all day, and by the time I got home, made the decision to move them into the shed. I had thawed their bottles before I left that morning, but knew they'd only get one drink before they froze again. I can't be thawing bottles several times a day!
So there I was, rushing in the dark and cold evening, setting up holes for them, carrying them in 2 at a time. The bottles were frozen solid so I had to bring them in the house to thaw them thoroughly.
I'm glad I don't have any litters due right now. Have to run both heaters to keep all the water unfrozen when it's this cold. Right now it's about 12F as the sun comes up. Some of those 6 are sold and leaving later this month, but I hoped they'd be ok out there until then. Not when it's to be this cold for this long.
Ugh. Between the house and running both heaters, the electric bill is going to kill me! Just can't count on a mild southern winter!
I did get 1 baby out of the dues last week. 1. Better than none. Sweet Dream x Ford's Ranger had 2 but one was DOA. The survivor is a beautifully broken black and yes... the box is in the house. Dream is a good doe and hops right in to tend to it while I do chores. I take it back in the house when she's done. Even during the day, a singleton could die of exposure. The other 2 does in this round were failures.
I have quite a few due starting around the 8th. Hope the weather gets better then.
There was a show yesterday in Taylorsville, but I passed on it. The weather was too iffy for a morning drive over the mts. That is one of my closest shows, and don't like to do motels if I don't have to. There are 2 more this month and I have to make those so I'm saving motel funds for those.
Oh yeah...about the canaries. I love singers and learned that males sing more as they compete with each other. Canary breeders are very scarce. I have one in the big community finch cage. I came home with 2 males and 1 female. I'm going to try breeding them myself. It doesn't seem to be too hard. If successful, I might try to market them locally, but mostly I want to keep myself in canaries so I don't have to drive so far to find them.
Keep warm.
tnt
There were 6 buns outside in the summer house, and so far they seemed ok with it. Some mornings I had to thaw their water bottles, but they would just be partially frozen when the temps went down in the wee hours. I hauled a bucket of hot water to soak them free.
Yesterday, I took a day trip to Nashville to get canaries, and didn't get back until after dark. It never got to the freezing mark all day and was about 20F when I got home. I worried about those 6 buns all day, and by the time I got home, made the decision to move them into the shed. I had thawed their bottles before I left that morning, but knew they'd only get one drink before they froze again. I can't be thawing bottles several times a day!
So there I was, rushing in the dark and cold evening, setting up holes for them, carrying them in 2 at a time. The bottles were frozen solid so I had to bring them in the house to thaw them thoroughly.
I'm glad I don't have any litters due right now. Have to run both heaters to keep all the water unfrozen when it's this cold. Right now it's about 12F as the sun comes up. Some of those 6 are sold and leaving later this month, but I hoped they'd be ok out there until then. Not when it's to be this cold for this long.
Ugh. Between the house and running both heaters, the electric bill is going to kill me! Just can't count on a mild southern winter!
I did get 1 baby out of the dues last week. 1. Better than none. Sweet Dream x Ford's Ranger had 2 but one was DOA. The survivor is a beautifully broken black and yes... the box is in the house. Dream is a good doe and hops right in to tend to it while I do chores. I take it back in the house when she's done. Even during the day, a singleton could die of exposure. The other 2 does in this round were failures.
I have quite a few due starting around the 8th. Hope the weather gets better then.
There was a show yesterday in Taylorsville, but I passed on it. The weather was too iffy for a morning drive over the mts. That is one of my closest shows, and don't like to do motels if I don't have to. There are 2 more this month and I have to make those so I'm saving motel funds for those.
Oh yeah...about the canaries. I love singers and learned that males sing more as they compete with each other. Canary breeders are very scarce. I have one in the big community finch cage. I came home with 2 males and 1 female. I'm going to try breeding them myself. It doesn't seem to be too hard. If successful, I might try to market them locally, but mostly I want to keep myself in canaries so I don't have to drive so far to find them.
Keep warm.
tnt
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