I Am A Rabbit Breeder

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I am a rabbit breeder…

·      My rabbits are on my mind first thing in the morning.

·      I wake up early to make sure all my rabbits are fed and watered.

·      I am constantly learning so I can provide better care for my rabbits.

·      I am a healer, a groomer, and a maid for my rabbits.

·      I worry about them whenever I am out for the day.

·      I plan and re-plan.

·      I read my SOP…again.

·      I play with my rabbits.

·      I grow things for my rabbits.

·      I love my rabbits and have received my share of bunny kisses.

·      I will make the hard, but necessary, decisions.

·      If, they ever leave my care, my rabbits are always welcomed back home.

·      My rabbits are on my mind as I drift off to sleep.

·      I can’t wait to check on them in the morning.

Raising rabbits is time-consuming and responsibility laden. I take none of this lightly...but I am proud of the work I do. 

Gene Linkage

I have to admit that I had forgotten all about gene linkage from my high school/college days until I read Candy Haenzel's genetics booklet last year. I originally ordered it because it had a great chart for Angora rabbit folks (like me) who were confused about the different color names and genotypes of Angora rabbits. I use it as a reference for all my color work now as I feel Candy is the foremost expert on Angora rabbit genetics... BUT, my favorite part of her booklet was actually the chapter on Linkage. 

I have a black buck that carries shaded. His genotype is aaBbCc^chlDdEe. He has produced several pearls and sable kits, all of them chocolate based. 

According to the rules of linkage, genes that are linked will remained linked about 65% of the time. In rabbits, the B and C loci are linked. So...I hypothesized that my black buck's b is linked to the shaded gene (c^chl) since the shadeds he produces have all been chocolate (bb) based.    

One of this buck's offspring was also black. I kept him and wondered if my hypothesis was correct. If it was, this young black buck would probably not carry shaded as his mother (a chocolate doe) would not have a B to contribute. His B would have to come from his father. Since the father's b was linked to his shaded gene, it would follow that the father's B was linked to his C.

I bred this younger buck to a REW doe because I felt they would be a nice pairing with the added benefit of seeing if the buck carried shaded.  

Did I get REW or shaded kits so my hypothesis could be easily confirmed? Nope. I got 3 black kits and one lilac tortoiseshell. The buck could be CC. I hadn't planned on breeding him again as I have a better potential herd sire now, but I admit that it is tempting just to see if I was right. 

Pasteurella Vaccine Info Video

Every week my friend, Lil, and I do a Google+ Hangout. We always meet and usually broadcast these HOAs on Youtube. This week we had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bob Glass. He caused quite the commotion this week by introducing a pasteurella vaccine for rabbits.  I talked to Mr. Glass at a rabbit show in Austin, TX this past weekend. Lil and I were super interested in finding out more.He was kind enough to answer questions from Lil and me. I mostly just asked Dr. Mina's questions as he was kind enough to help us out with pertinent questions. Anyhow, it was quite a learning experience.  Here's the video from our informal Hangout.

Acadiana: Welcome to the Herd

Kelfla's Acadiana has been off to a good start. She has been doing very well at the shows for such a youngster. Last weekend she earned 3 legs, one for RIS. 

 I'm excited to see how she continues to grow and quite happy with her as an improvement to my herd. Of course, there's little things to pick here and there (as always), but overall...she's been developing into a nice doe.

Acadiana is named in honor of the French region of my home state, Louisiana. You can always find good food and good company there. 

  Laissez les bon temps rouler!

A Stitch & Pitch...Combining Two of My Favorite Pastimes

This past Sunday, our Green Sheep Fiber Guild from Wools & Tools had a Stitch & Pitch at a Round Rock Express Baseball game. Both hubby and I love baseball so this made it a great activity for us. Oh yes, we took the kids too.

 We made our own bright green shirts with iron on decals and all sat together. We were definitely easy to spot. It was Kid's Day at the ball field so there were lots of activities. At the end of the game, the kids were allowed to run the bases. I couldn't believe they didn't want to run them. They said it was too hot. Ugh, kids these days! Probably for the first time ever, I wished I was under 12.

Regardless, we had a blast!...and I got to do two of my favorite things: watch baseball and knit. If only I could keep score and knit, that would have been heaven. 


We've planned another Stitch & Pitch for June. I can't wait.