Now if we can keep the darn Japanese beetles away from it !
Now if we can keep the darn Japanese beetles away from it !
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14th Annual Maine Fiber Frolic with workshops, crafting and learning about all forms of fiber. $5 adults $2 seniors, children under 12 free. Windsor Fairgrounds 82 Ridge Road Windsor, ME. 9-4 June 7th and 8th.
Several local rabbit club folks join in the fun at this event each year. There are also sheep, alpaca, goats and llama. www.fiberfrolic.com The Blackberry Farm bunnies did very well at the WMRBA New England Livestock show held in conjunction with a Maine State Rabbit Breeders Assoc. show. Here is a photo of BBF's Raffle-Ella, a 5 month old tort junior doe who took Best of Breed in both shows. She went on to win Best in Show in Show A. Her dad is BBF's Over the Top (Topper) and the mom is Saynora's Hope. "Hope" is the broken tort jr doe I won at last year's ARBA convention in PA. Hope was one of the trio RAFFLE bunnies, hence this little girl's name - Raffle-Ella. Ella has an outstanding body, thick bone and great fur. Her dad, "Topper" went Best Opposite to her in the second show. A father/daughter tag team of wins. Her littermate sister, BBF's Jubilee is a broken tort without, alas, a butterfly marking. I've not had this happen before and suspect it might be genetic. A littermate brother did have a butterfly, so who knows. It was nice to see that Tracy's line and mine show the potential to mesh well and compliment each other. Currently mother "Hope" has a litter of two by Cowan's Oliver, one solid and one broken that hooray, does have a butterfly. In the meantime, I am so enjoying looking at Ella! Whether it is a nice summer day to play outdoors or a rainy day for inside, I got a great hint for setting up a playPEN area for your bunny or guinea PIG (cavy). The plastic coated wire for closet shelving units can be zip tied together to form a portable enclosure. They can easily contain a guinea pig just be sure that your bunny doesn't hear about the new ARBA chartered club, American Hopping Association and decide to audition. Some shelves may not be tall enough to contain a really active bunny.
Summer use outdoors require you to keep a portion in the shade, provide water and also check to ensure your pet doesn't become overheated. A quick check how warm your bunny's ears feel before placing him/her in the pen and periodic checks are mandatory. If you see the bunny panting or getting moist around nose, time to get him cooled down. Make sure it is set up sturdily so as not to fall over if your bunny decides to a an extreme sports binky. Keep other animals away and if your area is known for flying predators provide protection. All in all, as you would a small child, do not leave the pet unsupervised. American Rabbit Breeders Association is having a Memorial Day weekend SALE of their club logo tee shirts in various colors. Check them out. Only $6.00 each or 2/$12.00 plus shipping
https://www.arba.net/store/ A shout out to Rabbit Book author Bob Bennett who recently mentioned my Blog in his quarterly Newsletter, "$$& DOUGH", (pronounced Bucks and Doe). Thank you! You can get Bob's newsletter for the subscription price of $15.00 for 4 issues sent to Bob Bennett 133 Governors Lane, Shelburne, VT 05482. The newsletter has a few articles covering various topics of rabbit raising and tips, a list of potential buyers looking for stock, a list of recommended breeders and current events happening in the rabbit world.
Bob is the author of Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits. It's predecessor, Raising Rabbits the Modern Way, was practically a rabbit raiser's bible before the internet came along. There were so few rabbit books except those for the pet industry. Actually there was just his and Rabbit Production by Cheeke/Patton that held good, useful information. His newest book is all about Rabbit Housing, (Planning, Building and Equipping). Order one online or pick up at your local bookstore or even feed store. This photo was taken of the front of the rabbitry in late June 2013. Early in the season for the hosta plants that create the front footprint of the rabbitry. By the end of summer, the hosta are huge! I love hosta because they are an attractive foundation cover, colorful and maintenance free. They die down to nothing in the fall. If you have them on the roof line side, where a lot of snow slides off and piles up, unlike shrubbery, no worries. They will come back in the spring. To help them along and keep grass from invading their area, I dump the rabbit pans across the front of the rabbitry in late April or early May. It creates a nice deep border for them to come up in. Now is the time of year to put down a good bed of bunny manure mixed with shavings/mulch. Don't forget your regular flower beds and shrubs, they'll appreciate it too! Love to hear the "updates" from my kids living "away", as we Mainer's call it. One of my favorite bucks, BBF's Over the Moon sent me this selfie. Isn't he talented!? He is very happy in his new digs and is dating many more girls than he was when in Maine. So much for Match.com! He is one of those bucks who is always happy to see you at his cage door. He demands to be held and gets his share of treats. Just a happy little guy. It's becoming more and more evident that we need more judges in northern New England. If you are an ARBA judge or know someone who would like to visit our beautiful state, contact me. Especially if you are willing to make it a road trip. Airfares are killing the shows with hotels charging higher rates also. I book judges for two clubs that hold Saturday shows in February, April, September (Sunday show) and November. The November show usually falls on Veterans Day weekend if that helps making it a long weekend. There may even be another month thrown in there next year.
In the past some judges have chosen to vacation in Maine staying for days after the show sightseeing. They buy airfare for their companion, rent a car and enjoy all that Maine has to offer from the ocean to the mountains. Send me your travel expenses (gas or departing airport/preferred departure time) and judging fee and we'll see if it can happen. Well, another good show put on by Eastern Maine Rabbit Breeders took place last Saturday. Entries were definitely UP and many new faces including a lot of 4H'ers. The latter had their own display of breeds and contests. Two new youth went home with BBF bucks.
The raffle table did really well, due in part to a handmade grooming table donated by Pat C. and several nice items and trinkets. No one around makes grooming tables and with many new exhibitors wanting one it was the right time. The club will hold their next show on Saturday, Nov. 8th, so mark your calendars now. Best in Show in both shows was won by Jesse James, a beautiful black Holland Lop buck owned/bred by Marie Heath. Holland Lops Rule! Due to lack of juniors to show and does hopefully bred, I showed in just 2 classes. In the first show, solid senior buck BBF's Over the Top got 2nd place to Marie's BIS buck. It is very hard to beat that shiny black fur with "just a tort". In the broken senior buck class, BBF's Wyeth won with BBF's Hot Button coming in 3rd. Wyeth won Best Broken as well. In the second show, my solid senior bucks didn't fare well at all. That's show biz! BUT Wyeth once again won the broken senior buck class. This completed his grand championship since he'd won a junior leg last fall. His fur is out a bit and hope he'll get a nicer coat soon. So all in all, I was very pleased with "the boys" making some top placements while the girls stayed home and the babies are growing. |
AuthorHoping to share the rabbitry happenings & thoughts. Also HINTS that I hope will help you and your rabbits.
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