Unfortunately, turnout wasn't as good as hoped for. Possible reasons are that there are a lot of other shows at this time of year, including several breed nationals. It was decided that we'll continue with the January date unless we get snowed out again.
So how'd I do? Eh, soso. Didn't do anything in A and B. I entered 2 sure DQs and a possible DQ.
The possible was the opal buck (SVR Sterling) and he was busted in A for mismatched nails. He passed in B & C. He was BOB at his last show in Taylorsville, although the judges looked at his nails for a long long time.
Almost messed up! I picked Sterling up to put on the table in the next show and noticed long sharp dark front nails. WTH? I had clipped his as short as possible to lessen the odds for spotting the lighter nails on his front feet. I had the opal doe in my carrier! Not sure how that happened but no biggy. I knew who she belonged to. Just glad I caught it before I packed up to leave. I double-checked then, too.
Camaro has a broken toe and he was busted for it in A. Passed in B & C, and earned a BOG leg in C. Maybe a bit unethical to keep showing a DQ rabbit, but since it's not a genetic defect, I don't see a problem with it if the judges don't catch it. He now has 4 legs which is confirming his quality in my opinion. I'll keep showing him until more judges catch it than not. Hey, right now, he's the best I've got and it won't be worth attending any shows without at least the chance to earn legs.
Selia is a 75% broken and a seal. She has a bit of shading at this young age, so she passed as far as color (as a sable). She passed the broken pattern in A, but was DQ'd for over 50% in B & C. That's ok, I expected it. I like to test judges on the brokens now and then. I know as she gets older, she will turn black and it will just be her pattern at issue. Her type is worth it so I'm not going to throw her away.
Flashdance is a tiny broken black and this was her first show. She barely made jr weight at 1.5. Jamie Green gave her the BOV leg in C. He liked her!
Got home around 5pm. I like this show because it's a fairly easy drive and one of the shortest for me. Most shows are 3 hours or more. This is 2 1/2.
Next show is Lenoir City (Knoxville) and about 2 hours. Some of the farther TN shows I'm rethinking due to distance. I'll see how I feel when the time comes. I'm just not into driving very far for shows these days.
It was getting stormy as I neared home. The wind kicked up which I hate, and whipped most of the night. Dont' see much damage this morning other than some things blown around.
In other news:
The new neighbors are here. 2 beautiful horses! A grey and a chestnut. They look young and prancey. I'll get pix when they come to where I can snap them. Wolfie is fascinated. He's never seen horses before. Whipper has so he's not paying that much attention to them.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Cold!
I hadn't been paying attention to the forecast. It's been pretty steady. Sunny, 60s/70s, 50s at night. Yesterday, I woke up to a freezing house! I did close the windows, but haven't had the furnace on. The outside thermometer said 34!
I had been leaving the 2 nestboxes in the shed at night. I take them away from the doe and just set somewhere in the shed. The main concern is that a kit doesn't get dragged out on a teat by the dam. They are about 10 days, and they have enough fur and all to handle a cool night. I thought.
I found Foxy's broken litter very sluggish. The smallest one was dead. I expected this runt to die so not a great loss there. It just wasn't thriving. I don't think any of them are being fed enough to put on the fat they needed to get through a cool night. Also, the fur in her box keeps disappearing. I keep adding more from the emergency fur, but somehow she is pulling it out. I brought the box in the house to warm it on the heating pad before giving it to her.
Taleah's litter of himis was fine. They are very well-fed and fat, and there is a lot of fur in her box. In fact, maybe too well-fed. They are twice the size of Foxy's.
Foxy didn't hop right in to nurse. She was more concerned about her feed hopper being filled. So I made a snap decision to switch them around. I put all the brokens in Taleah's box, and 3 of Taleah's in Foxy's. They were the biggest ones and probably BU so I can spare them if Foxy doesn't care for them. The one fat himi I left in Taleah's can help keep the brokens warm and stimulated. That worked, they were much more active the next time I checked on them. And fed. Taleah is such a calm doe. Not much fazes her.
And yes, the boxes came in the house last night. It's 36 this morning. And I didn't turn on the heat so I'm cold. I'll manage, I don't want to run the heat unless absolutely necessary. It shouldn't be necessary anymore.
Here is the broken litter.
Left to right: Siamese Sable, Chinchilla, Chestnut, Chinchilla. The little chin between the sable and chestnut is the one that died.
The other reason it wasn't a great loss is that the chins are "sabled". Note the brownish color. Chins are to be black.
The day I took this photo (at 8 days), I was calling them sable martens. Then I remembered the dam had a sable chin sibling. It faded at 4 weeks. I went out and looked again, and also remembered that earlier chin had dark ears and eyelids like this. I haven't seen chins in the box since the earliest days of the rabbitry, and couldn't remember what the kits looked like. Now I know.
Doesn't make me happy. I'd almost rather they were sable martens. Sable chin is wrong for NDs and not all that attractive. As broken, it might pass on the table, but I doubt I'll keep it. I don't want to see any more of this. I probably will because I bred Foxy's broken black sis to the same buck. He's sire of both these does. Hopefully I'll get some selfs out of that instead of chin.
Might have to think about moving the chesntut buck on. I got out of shadeds and he keeps throwing them. I like what he's done for broken type, but maybe this is as far as I can go with him. As soon as I get offspring from the opal buck, I'll sell the chestnut. Maybe seek another from different lines less likely to carry shaded. He would be better off in an otter/chestnut herd where the shaded gene isn't as likely to express.
BTW, the chestnut's pedigree is almost pure chestnut. There's one otter in the 3rd generation. That can be a problem with a "pure" ped like this. The undesirable gene could be farther back and carried on down. There's nothing to suggest it's there until it pops up in a litter. And to tell the truth, I'm not sure his ped is correct. The breeder isn't good about getting peds out to buyers, and just recently started using Evans software. I got lucky in that I had ordered the buck ahead of time, and asked that he please have the ped in hand. The ear tattoo doesn't match the ped. I just let it go as not worth the hassle. I just changed the ped to match the ear.
In other news:
I went to the big Sunday flea market yesterday to see what I could find in poultry. Nada. Lots of pretty bantam roosters, but no hens. No guineas. I'll try again in a month or so. Should be more available as the breeders start getting more hatches. The "guinea guy" said he didn't have any hatchlings, but might have some older birds to spare. I'll be watching my hen closely so I can attempt to save hers when she lays.
tnt
I had been leaving the 2 nestboxes in the shed at night. I take them away from the doe and just set somewhere in the shed. The main concern is that a kit doesn't get dragged out on a teat by the dam. They are about 10 days, and they have enough fur and all to handle a cool night. I thought.
I found Foxy's broken litter very sluggish. The smallest one was dead. I expected this runt to die so not a great loss there. It just wasn't thriving. I don't think any of them are being fed enough to put on the fat they needed to get through a cool night. Also, the fur in her box keeps disappearing. I keep adding more from the emergency fur, but somehow she is pulling it out. I brought the box in the house to warm it on the heating pad before giving it to her.
Taleah's litter of himis was fine. They are very well-fed and fat, and there is a lot of fur in her box. In fact, maybe too well-fed. They are twice the size of Foxy's.
Foxy didn't hop right in to nurse. She was more concerned about her feed hopper being filled. So I made a snap decision to switch them around. I put all the brokens in Taleah's box, and 3 of Taleah's in Foxy's. They were the biggest ones and probably BU so I can spare them if Foxy doesn't care for them. The one fat himi I left in Taleah's can help keep the brokens warm and stimulated. That worked, they were much more active the next time I checked on them. And fed. Taleah is such a calm doe. Not much fazes her.
And yes, the boxes came in the house last night. It's 36 this morning. And I didn't turn on the heat so I'm cold. I'll manage, I don't want to run the heat unless absolutely necessary. It shouldn't be necessary anymore.
Here is the broken litter.
Left to right: Siamese Sable, Chinchilla, Chestnut, Chinchilla. The little chin between the sable and chestnut is the one that died.
The other reason it wasn't a great loss is that the chins are "sabled". Note the brownish color. Chins are to be black.
The day I took this photo (at 8 days), I was calling them sable martens. Then I remembered the dam had a sable chin sibling. It faded at 4 weeks. I went out and looked again, and also remembered that earlier chin had dark ears and eyelids like this. I haven't seen chins in the box since the earliest days of the rabbitry, and couldn't remember what the kits looked like. Now I know.
Doesn't make me happy. I'd almost rather they were sable martens. Sable chin is wrong for NDs and not all that attractive. As broken, it might pass on the table, but I doubt I'll keep it. I don't want to see any more of this. I probably will because I bred Foxy's broken black sis to the same buck. He's sire of both these does. Hopefully I'll get some selfs out of that instead of chin.
Might have to think about moving the chesntut buck on. I got out of shadeds and he keeps throwing them. I like what he's done for broken type, but maybe this is as far as I can go with him. As soon as I get offspring from the opal buck, I'll sell the chestnut. Maybe seek another from different lines less likely to carry shaded. He would be better off in an otter/chestnut herd where the shaded gene isn't as likely to express.
BTW, the chestnut's pedigree is almost pure chestnut. There's one otter in the 3rd generation. That can be a problem with a "pure" ped like this. The undesirable gene could be farther back and carried on down. There's nothing to suggest it's there until it pops up in a litter. And to tell the truth, I'm not sure his ped is correct. The breeder isn't good about getting peds out to buyers, and just recently started using Evans software. I got lucky in that I had ordered the buck ahead of time, and asked that he please have the ped in hand. The ear tattoo doesn't match the ped. I just let it go as not worth the hassle. I just changed the ped to match the ear.
In other news:
I went to the big Sunday flea market yesterday to see what I could find in poultry. Nada. Lots of pretty bantam roosters, but no hens. No guineas. I'll try again in a month or so. Should be more available as the breeders start getting more hatches. The "guinea guy" said he didn't have any hatchlings, but might have some older birds to spare. I'll be watching my hen closely so I can attempt to save hers when she lays.
tnt
Friday, April 16, 2010
Blog-worthy
I'm kinda excited about this so here I am writing about it.
Rana, my wee chocolate doe had her 1st litter yesterday. Sadly, it's dead, but still exciting for a couple reasons.
1st. Kits were alive! There were 3 born in the night. The black was alive but cold and dying. A chocolate that was alive at birth, and a broken that I couldn't tell if born alive or not. I decided not to try to save the black. It looked like it was taking its last breaths, there was no where to foster it, and didn't want to tie Rana up for just one kit that I didn't care about. So I let it die. The fact that they were alive amazes me. She was 2 days late, 1st timer, she's so small, I just didn't expect a live litter out of her. She didn't nest until that last day, and then she was frantic about it, and she pulled a good amount of fur.
2nd and the most important. Sire was Dot.com. The broken was dotted like him!!! He has never thrown his pattern before! He's a "dalmation" with evenly spaced spots all over his body. Coolest pattern ever and he never failed to earn oohs and aahs at shows, even from judges. His get always had a spinal stripe instead of dots. This dotty kit was the other reason I can't wait to rebreed Rana.
I know the odds of repeating this pattern are slim but I can only hope. I'm rebreeding Rana and Anaba today.
Update on the other litters. I now know for sure what the brokens are. I'm not saying here. I'm going to post them as a guessing game for the forums.
tnt
Rana, my wee chocolate doe had her 1st litter yesterday. Sadly, it's dead, but still exciting for a couple reasons.
1st. Kits were alive! There were 3 born in the night. The black was alive but cold and dying. A chocolate that was alive at birth, and a broken that I couldn't tell if born alive or not. I decided not to try to save the black. It looked like it was taking its last breaths, there was no where to foster it, and didn't want to tie Rana up for just one kit that I didn't care about. So I let it die. The fact that they were alive amazes me. She was 2 days late, 1st timer, she's so small, I just didn't expect a live litter out of her. She didn't nest until that last day, and then she was frantic about it, and she pulled a good amount of fur.
2nd and the most important. Sire was Dot.com. The broken was dotted like him!!! He has never thrown his pattern before! He's a "dalmation" with evenly spaced spots all over his body. Coolest pattern ever and he never failed to earn oohs and aahs at shows, even from judges. His get always had a spinal stripe instead of dots. This dotty kit was the other reason I can't wait to rebreed Rana.
I know the odds of repeating this pattern are slim but I can only hope. I'm rebreeding Rana and Anaba today.
Update on the other litters. I now know for sure what the brokens are. I'm not saying here. I'm going to post them as a guessing game for the forums.
tnt
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Baby update
There's just the 2 litters, and looks like that's all there will be for now.
Taleah x Messenger - 4 himis. Doing well. I got a photo of this colorful himi litter the other day but haven't got it out of the camera yet. They were kind of messy...stained, a little wet. That happens sometimes due to the nestbox routine I have. If you've read my Articles, you know I put a piece of plexiglass on top of the wire bottom of the box. Under that a piece of foam for insulation. Once the litter is born, I slip a layer of newspaper under the nest material on top of the plexi. What can happen, especially with a good-sized litter like this, is that moisture can't escape. The paper becomes soaked, nest material is damp, the kits get wet. If it's warm enough, I remove the plexi and insulation a few days after birth which solves the problem. I removed it yesterday, put in fresh paper, and the kits were clean and dry by the end of the day.
Foxy Lady x Ranger - 4 brokens. Also doing well. I was concerned about one of the light brokens. It wasn't getting fed and very skinny. Expected to find it dead anytime. Yesterday, when I checked them before closing up the shed for the night, all were well-fed. Good. This is Foxy's 1st litter and she probably had to learn how to nurse. Might have taken some time to get the milk flowing well. Also snapped a pic of this litter for color development. Still don't know what the 3 light ones are, but I'm betting sables.
My best himi doe Anaba x Messenger had 2 DOA himis. She's a 1st timer. Odd-looking litter. A very large one and a peanut. I hesitate to use the term "fetal giant" because I don't really believe in the concept. It's just a large kit, probably BU, and sometimes made bigger by small litter or difficulty in kindling. But next to the peanut, it was huge. I think the peanut was alive at birth so that's a good sign for better results next time. She also pulled piles of fur. Lots of that went into the bag of emergency fur.
Rana x Dot.com. Looks like a swing and a miss. She was due with Anaba but no sign of nesting. She dug around in the box, but hasn't bundled hay.
All but these two does are rebred. I'll probably get to them today.
Damn. Don't see any guineas this morning. Cogburn the rooster is crowing and looking for them. I hope it's that the hen is setting somewhere and the male is watching over her. I'll scout around when I go outside in a bit.
Oh wait. The guineas just showed up. They were down at the bottom of the yard where I couldn't see them. Good. Guess Cog was just calling them in. Really need to get him some hens. He thinks the guineas are his flock. I think I'll hit the big Sunday flea market in Jonesborough this weekend and see what I can find. Hopefully more guineas, too.
tnt
Taleah x Messenger - 4 himis. Doing well. I got a photo of this colorful himi litter the other day but haven't got it out of the camera yet. They were kind of messy...stained, a little wet. That happens sometimes due to the nestbox routine I have. If you've read my Articles, you know I put a piece of plexiglass on top of the wire bottom of the box. Under that a piece of foam for insulation. Once the litter is born, I slip a layer of newspaper under the nest material on top of the plexi. What can happen, especially with a good-sized litter like this, is that moisture can't escape. The paper becomes soaked, nest material is damp, the kits get wet. If it's warm enough, I remove the plexi and insulation a few days after birth which solves the problem. I removed it yesterday, put in fresh paper, and the kits were clean and dry by the end of the day.
Foxy Lady x Ranger - 4 brokens. Also doing well. I was concerned about one of the light brokens. It wasn't getting fed and very skinny. Expected to find it dead anytime. Yesterday, when I checked them before closing up the shed for the night, all were well-fed. Good. This is Foxy's 1st litter and she probably had to learn how to nurse. Might have taken some time to get the milk flowing well. Also snapped a pic of this litter for color development. Still don't know what the 3 light ones are, but I'm betting sables.
My best himi doe Anaba x Messenger had 2 DOA himis. She's a 1st timer. Odd-looking litter. A very large one and a peanut. I hesitate to use the term "fetal giant" because I don't really believe in the concept. It's just a large kit, probably BU, and sometimes made bigger by small litter or difficulty in kindling. But next to the peanut, it was huge. I think the peanut was alive at birth so that's a good sign for better results next time. She also pulled piles of fur. Lots of that went into the bag of emergency fur.
Rana x Dot.com. Looks like a swing and a miss. She was due with Anaba but no sign of nesting. She dug around in the box, but hasn't bundled hay.
All but these two does are rebred. I'll probably get to them today.
Damn. Don't see any guineas this morning. Cogburn the rooster is crowing and looking for them. I hope it's that the hen is setting somewhere and the male is watching over her. I'll scout around when I go outside in a bit.
Oh wait. The guineas just showed up. They were down at the bottom of the yard where I couldn't see them. Good. Guess Cog was just calling them in. Really need to get him some hens. He thinks the guineas are his flock. I think I'll hit the big Sunday flea market in Jonesborough this weekend and see what I can find. Hopefully more guineas, too.
tnt
Monday, April 12, 2010
Eager does, happy bucks
I rebred most of the does that missed yesterday, and they were all very up for it. I'll get the rest today. Their bucks were occupied.
It's fun to sit and watch them play. The boys just look so happy. Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed. They "smile". Oh yeah, the does are having fun, too. Sometimes quite vocally.
I changed up the pairs a bit. All the opal buck's does missed and his breeder tells me his sire was slow to produce. So I'm only giving him well-proven does and the young does are going to proven bucks. Need to get those younger gals producing.
Many sale pages state a buck's proven or not status. I only give the labels to does. I've never run across a case of true buck sterility and didn't think it was necessary. Still don't.
The subject of legs in pedigrees came up recently. A recent trend on sale pages is to count up ALL the legs in the pedigree and include in the rabbit's description. As if this makes the rabbit more attractive or valuable. Apparently some buyers fall for it. What they don't understand is that two rabbits with umpteen legs can produce mediocre offspring. Buyers of expensive rabbits with legs expect the same, but might not get what they paid for.
On the same note, many buyers assume a big name rabbitry or Grand Champions quarantees they will get the same. They study the pedigree like a legal document and base their decision on it. Again, not a guarantee. Top breeders sell their culls, and often as jrs that develop differently. An ugly jr might grow up to be a fine sr. Or a nice jr grows up to be disappointing.
Some buyers look for those G.C. rabbits in the pedigree. It's not that hard to put a GC on a rabbit. All it needs is 3 legs and to pass a registrar's inspection for DQ's. Some breeders will scout shows where they know they can beat the competition, and even stack classes to earn those 3 legs and GC. A mediocre rabbit can earn a GC quite easily. They then put a higher price on its head.
Myself, I don't grand anymore. It was a bit of a hassle. You have to take the bun and a copy of its pedigree to a show's registrar. You might have to wait in line for the registrar to get to you. I might not be showing that rabbit much anymore, or it might not be in condition to show. So that bunny is just along for the ride taking up carrier space.
Even when I did grand, it was often a bust. At first, I registered the rabbit and then sent off for the GC certificate when they got the 3rd leg. Some never earned that 3rd leg. So I waited to register when they did have 3 legs. A couple times, I registered/granded with more than 3 legs and then lost the rabbit before I got offspring from it. One GC doe with 7 legs decided to never breed again after her 1st dead litter. A GC is wasted if it doesn't appear on offspring's pedigrees.
Some breeders work towards a "Gold" or "Red, White & Blue" pedigree. These are peds with all registered or GC rabbits respectively. They get a special stamp and recognition from ARBA. This is nearly impossible to get for Netherlands. We rely on BUDs, overweight bucks, and sometimes DQ colors in our breeding programs. None of which can be registered and granded.
In the case of big name rabbitries, there's no guarantees either. Buying one expensive rabbit from a top breeder could be a big disappointment. These lines are often so tightly bred (line bred) that they won't mesh with other lines. It's usually best to get a pair or trio from the same breeder. If you already have the lines, it's best to stick with them for the best results. Otherwise, looking for those names in a pedigree is not the way to buy a rabbit. Some sellers brag up the lines in the background. Top names in the 3rd generation mean nothing. Although, you should pay attention to the colors in a pedigree to make sure it won't affect your lines negatively. Buy the rabbit, not the pedigree.
When I buy a rabbit, I usually don't see the ped until I've made my decision and handed over the cash. I don't even ask for it until then. I like to see legs like anyone else, but except for the immediate parents, it's not that big a deal. More than 3 legs means more to me than a GC. If it has 5+ legs, it's a damn good rabbit.
Update on the guineas. Still seeing only the two, but now I know it's one of the males that went MIA. That means something took it. Bummer. The hen is accounted for. It's hard to tell them apart until they sound off. If I was paying attention I'd have noticed the hen's wattles are much smaller, but the calls are the sure way to sex them.
They roost inside the fence at night and my dog keeps anything that could hurt them out. I don't know if a raccoon could or would take a guinea anyways. Coyotes and stray dogs could. Don't see that many strays back here but we do have coyotes. It's possible it was taken when it stayed out of the fence too late or left too early. I might have to buy a couple more guineas if I can't count on a hatch from the one hen. They are just too valuable for tick control.
Oh yeah, in other news. I think I'll be having some neighbors again. Guys have been fixing the fence in the field next door. That usually means horses. I like having horses for neighbors.
tnt
It's fun to sit and watch them play. The boys just look so happy. Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed. They "smile". Oh yeah, the does are having fun, too. Sometimes quite vocally.
I changed up the pairs a bit. All the opal buck's does missed and his breeder tells me his sire was slow to produce. So I'm only giving him well-proven does and the young does are going to proven bucks. Need to get those younger gals producing.
Many sale pages state a buck's proven or not status. I only give the labels to does. I've never run across a case of true buck sterility and didn't think it was necessary. Still don't.
The subject of legs in pedigrees came up recently. A recent trend on sale pages is to count up ALL the legs in the pedigree and include in the rabbit's description. As if this makes the rabbit more attractive or valuable. Apparently some buyers fall for it. What they don't understand is that two rabbits with umpteen legs can produce mediocre offspring. Buyers of expensive rabbits with legs expect the same, but might not get what they paid for.
On the same note, many buyers assume a big name rabbitry or Grand Champions quarantees they will get the same. They study the pedigree like a legal document and base their decision on it. Again, not a guarantee. Top breeders sell their culls, and often as jrs that develop differently. An ugly jr might grow up to be a fine sr. Or a nice jr grows up to be disappointing.
Some buyers look for those G.C. rabbits in the pedigree. It's not that hard to put a GC on a rabbit. All it needs is 3 legs and to pass a registrar's inspection for DQ's. Some breeders will scout shows where they know they can beat the competition, and even stack classes to earn those 3 legs and GC. A mediocre rabbit can earn a GC quite easily. They then put a higher price on its head.
Myself, I don't grand anymore. It was a bit of a hassle. You have to take the bun and a copy of its pedigree to a show's registrar. You might have to wait in line for the registrar to get to you. I might not be showing that rabbit much anymore, or it might not be in condition to show. So that bunny is just along for the ride taking up carrier space.
Even when I did grand, it was often a bust. At first, I registered the rabbit and then sent off for the GC certificate when they got the 3rd leg. Some never earned that 3rd leg. So I waited to register when they did have 3 legs. A couple times, I registered/granded with more than 3 legs and then lost the rabbit before I got offspring from it. One GC doe with 7 legs decided to never breed again after her 1st dead litter. A GC is wasted if it doesn't appear on offspring's pedigrees.
Some breeders work towards a "Gold" or "Red, White & Blue" pedigree. These are peds with all registered or GC rabbits respectively. They get a special stamp and recognition from ARBA. This is nearly impossible to get for Netherlands. We rely on BUDs, overweight bucks, and sometimes DQ colors in our breeding programs. None of which can be registered and granded.
In the case of big name rabbitries, there's no guarantees either. Buying one expensive rabbit from a top breeder could be a big disappointment. These lines are often so tightly bred (line bred) that they won't mesh with other lines. It's usually best to get a pair or trio from the same breeder. If you already have the lines, it's best to stick with them for the best results. Otherwise, looking for those names in a pedigree is not the way to buy a rabbit. Some sellers brag up the lines in the background. Top names in the 3rd generation mean nothing. Although, you should pay attention to the colors in a pedigree to make sure it won't affect your lines negatively. Buy the rabbit, not the pedigree.
When I buy a rabbit, I usually don't see the ped until I've made my decision and handed over the cash. I don't even ask for it until then. I like to see legs like anyone else, but except for the immediate parents, it's not that big a deal. More than 3 legs means more to me than a GC. If it has 5+ legs, it's a damn good rabbit.
Update on the guineas. Still seeing only the two, but now I know it's one of the males that went MIA. That means something took it. Bummer. The hen is accounted for. It's hard to tell them apart until they sound off. If I was paying attention I'd have noticed the hen's wattles are much smaller, but the calls are the sure way to sex them.
They roost inside the fence at night and my dog keeps anything that could hurt them out. I don't know if a raccoon could or would take a guinea anyways. Coyotes and stray dogs could. Don't see that many strays back here but we do have coyotes. It's possible it was taken when it stayed out of the fence too late or left too early. I might have to buy a couple more guineas if I can't count on a hatch from the one hen. They are just too valuable for tick control.
Oh yeah, in other news. I think I'll be having some neighbors again. Guys have been fixing the fence in the field next door. That usually means horses. I like having horses for neighbors.
tnt
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Taylorsville
Good show. With so many nationals going on this week, a lot of the usuals weren't there. Luckily there were enough dwarfs. I did pretty well.
Himi JB Camaro earned 2 BOG legs for a total of 3. He's been my pick of the 2 bros (Cavalier) since the beginning, and so far my instincts are right on. I'm still going to hang onto Cavalier for a while in case that changes as they get older.
I showed their half-sis Chevelle for the first time. She was the only himi doe so BOSV no leg. I sold her little sis who is very nice, too. I often sell the smaller of 2 sisters since their future is as a brood doe. Chevelle might even go broody, but that's ok. That's what I need her for...replacement for her dam.
Opal SB SVR Sterling was BOB in show A! Didn't see that coming! There were some real nice chestnuts and otters for competition, and they took show B. The judge and trainee looked at his nails for almost 10 minutes and I expected him to get thrown off. His front nails are pretty light but not white, and I clipped them as short as possible so it wouldn't be as noticable.
For the 2nd time, a judge questioned Bluesman's color. The judges want to say he's lilac. He is blue but rather light. I've had lilacs so I know the difference.
Next show is the Triple Crown in Spartanburg on the 24th. Don't know yet what I'm entering. Might not have as many. It will be harder to slip possible DQs past these judges.
In nestbox news:
Raspberry Run Taleah x Raspberry Run Messenger - 4 himis. She had 6 altogether. I knew she was stuffed with babies...her belly was draggin the ground. I think I'll document this litter for a color article. Right now they look like 2 sables, a smoke pearl, and a himi. They can only be himis but it shows how himi kits can fool you.
Foxy Lady x Ford's Ranger - 4 brokens + a broken peanut. Yay! I don't know what colors yet. I'll document this litter as well. Both parents are chestnut, but at this point only 1 kit is chesnut. This is daughter x sire so recessives could show up. Both carry self...might be something self. Sire carries shaded so daughter probably does...they look like sables. Daughter carries dilute, but sire doesn't...can't be blue. It will be interesting to see what other recessives the sire is hiding.
Little black doe Rayven (x Dot.com) dumped a litter of 4 on the wire. I didn't think she was bred so she didn't have a box. She didn't lift and I didn't see Dot connect. She made a pretty nest of fur in the corner. The kits were all DOA anyways, but at least not terribly mangled. I was worried she wouldn't be able to handle his get because he's bigger than she is. I think she'll be ok. 2 were well-marked brokens.
All the rest were misses. Dammit. I bred 3 to Sterling and 1 to Bluesman. I'm desperate for dilute brokens. I hope it's just due to the bucks' inexperience. I was really looking forward to Sterling's get. Bluesman is not yet 6 mos so hopefully just immature. Sterling is about a year old, but I'm not giving up on him yet. His breeder said that line was a bit slow to produce.
So I'll be rebreeding does today. Got a couple due on the 13th.
In other news:
I only see 2 guineas this morning. That usually means the hen is sitting on a clutch somewhere. Now to find where she is hiding. The males sometimes point her out so I'll keep an eye on them. I have an incubator now and will give that a try. These 3 are all that survived last year's clutches and I need more survivors.
All for now.
tnt
Himi JB Camaro earned 2 BOG legs for a total of 3. He's been my pick of the 2 bros (Cavalier) since the beginning, and so far my instincts are right on. I'm still going to hang onto Cavalier for a while in case that changes as they get older.
I showed their half-sis Chevelle for the first time. She was the only himi doe so BOSV no leg. I sold her little sis who is very nice, too. I often sell the smaller of 2 sisters since their future is as a brood doe. Chevelle might even go broody, but that's ok. That's what I need her for...replacement for her dam.
Opal SB SVR Sterling was BOB in show A! Didn't see that coming! There were some real nice chestnuts and otters for competition, and they took show B. The judge and trainee looked at his nails for almost 10 minutes and I expected him to get thrown off. His front nails are pretty light but not white, and I clipped them as short as possible so it wouldn't be as noticable.
For the 2nd time, a judge questioned Bluesman's color. The judges want to say he's lilac. He is blue but rather light. I've had lilacs so I know the difference.
Next show is the Triple Crown in Spartanburg on the 24th. Don't know yet what I'm entering. Might not have as many. It will be harder to slip possible DQs past these judges.
In nestbox news:
Raspberry Run Taleah x Raspberry Run Messenger - 4 himis. She had 6 altogether. I knew she was stuffed with babies...her belly was draggin the ground. I think I'll document this litter for a color article. Right now they look like 2 sables, a smoke pearl, and a himi. They can only be himis but it shows how himi kits can fool you.
Foxy Lady x Ford's Ranger - 4 brokens + a broken peanut. Yay! I don't know what colors yet. I'll document this litter as well. Both parents are chestnut, but at this point only 1 kit is chesnut. This is daughter x sire so recessives could show up. Both carry self...might be something self. Sire carries shaded so daughter probably does...they look like sables. Daughter carries dilute, but sire doesn't...can't be blue. It will be interesting to see what other recessives the sire is hiding.
Little black doe Rayven (x Dot.com) dumped a litter of 4 on the wire. I didn't think she was bred so she didn't have a box. She didn't lift and I didn't see Dot connect. She made a pretty nest of fur in the corner. The kits were all DOA anyways, but at least not terribly mangled. I was worried she wouldn't be able to handle his get because he's bigger than she is. I think she'll be ok. 2 were well-marked brokens.
All the rest were misses. Dammit. I bred 3 to Sterling and 1 to Bluesman. I'm desperate for dilute brokens. I hope it's just due to the bucks' inexperience. I was really looking forward to Sterling's get. Bluesman is not yet 6 mos so hopefully just immature. Sterling is about a year old, but I'm not giving up on him yet. His breeder said that line was a bit slow to produce.
So I'll be rebreeding does today. Got a couple due on the 13th.
In other news:
I only see 2 guineas this morning. That usually means the hen is sitting on a clutch somewhere. Now to find where she is hiding. The males sometimes point her out so I'll keep an eye on them. I have an incubator now and will give that a try. These 3 are all that survived last year's clutches and I need more survivors.
All for now.
tnt
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