Back from Vacation

We had a wonderful vacation in Colorado. The hiking was great in Rocky Mountain National Park and the scenery was beautiful. The weather was cool. We hiked 20 miles in the first three days. The hikes were definitely rewarding. We saw beautiful waterfalls, lakes and numerous animals. This year provided the greatest variety of animals we have ever seen - squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, deer, elk, quail and a coyote.

It was great to see so many animals. We had fun taking pictures of them. But they still can't replace our love for Hollands. We really missed our Hollands. Jim and Luke took great care of them while we were gone. But it is great to be back. Ruffles had one broken black bunny while we were gone. She was due on the 14th but didn't have her baby until the 18th. The baby's father is Frazier. So we expect great things from the baby.

Unfortunately, Zoe lost her broken sable point while we were gone. But the rest of the bunnies are doing well. It is amazing how much they grow when you don't see them for a week. Now we can start playing with the babies. That is the best part of coming home.

Babies

Ash had one large baby on Thursday night. It was doa. We feel bad for her. She is still trying to find her baby. Ruffles still didn't have babies. But on the good side of things our other litters are doing very well. Judy has one broken tort and 4 foster babies from another rabbitry. Cammie has one solid tort and two broken torts. They are still small but growing. Zoe has two solid torts, one broken tort and one broken sable point (we think). We are really excited about Zoe's and Cammie's babies because they are both from our new lines. Eden has 4 beautiful, chunky babies - one solid tort, one cream, one broken tort and a broken fawn. They are mix of our old lines and new lines. So far they are looking good.

Expecting Babies

Ruffles and Ash are both due today. We are excited about these two litters. Ruffles was bred with Frazier. Ash was bred with Sub-Zero. We are working on developing our new lines. These babies will be part of our new lines. This year we have cut back on our showing to concentrate on breeding. We have pulled new lines into our barn (mostly Saynora lines). We are aiming for more consistency in our breeding. So far we are experiencing success. Our babies are looking good. We have been able to produce Hollands with great bone, bodies and heads. Now we just need to tweek the other Holland characteristics.

It is really hard to change lines. We worked with our previous lines for 3 years and had a lot of success. But those lines were not always consistent. We had to sell a lot of bunnies as pets because they weren't show quality. Now the majority of our bunnies are show quality. But changing lines is almost like starting from scratch. It takes a lot patience. It will be a while before we fill the barn with our babies. The change has definitely been worth it. We really appreciate our friends helping us with the changes. Melanie and LeAnne Caraway, Nicole Baldwin and Janet Smith have sold us Hollands that are making a real difference in our lines. Thanks for all of your help!

Hot and Humid

We are small family rabbitry located in Kansas. We have really enjoyed following our friends' blogs about their rabbits. So we decided to join them. We hope you enjoy our blog.

It is a typical July in Kansas. Yesterday was so humid! During morning feeding we discovered our little REW (Rudie) developed diarhhea overnight. We moved him inside and dosed him with Albon. This has saved many Hollands for us. Then we gave him some probiotics. We thought he would pull through. But he was gone by evening. We will really miss him! We have only had 4 REWs in the last 3 years. Our REWs have always been special and very spoiled.

The heat and humidity was so bad that we were concerned about our moms and their babies that are still in the nestboxes. We don't have air conditioning in the barn. We do have a solar attic fan and 2 floor fans to move air. But it was too humid. So we moved 4 moms and their litters to the basement yesterday. They are feeling much better now. We can rest easier knowing they are more comfortable.

We hope your bunnies are staying cool this summer.

Robin and Philip