Lots of Change.

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There’s been quite a change in our barn lately. Most all of the dwarfs have been sold and picked up. It took less than a week. We have one otter buck left for sale, not sure why he’s the last to go, he was probably the best upcoming buck we had. I’m going to try and update his pictures soon. We didn’t show him much as a junior and not at all as a senior. If he continues to hang around we’ll probably take him to a show or two and see how he does.
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We have empty cages everywhere. It’s odd to see Hollands in every nook and cranny, lol.
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I have three days hotel pre-paid for ND Nationals that we’re no longer going to need. Because I paid well in advance I got a good rate and it’s a nice newer hotel very close to the show site. Please email me for more info if you’re interested in it. Asking exactly what it cost me.
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It’s been too cold (for me) to think about taking pictures or making a HL sales list. I know we have a few that are ready to go but brrrrrr.
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Next week we have thirteen does due. Thirteen! These will include Mom’s first tri litters! How exciting that’s going to be :D
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Not much else going on.
Melanie

NTOP Show

Mom and I attended the NTOP Seward show this last weekend. This show is one of our favorites! Good friends and good competition!
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Because Dilemma was in between litters and looking pretty good she went with us. She won a double Best of Breed :) The second judge made the comment "I'm pretty sure she has 10.5% color". LOL!
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I'm happy with our holland placements too. Cha~Ching won his first Best of Breed and Shay won a double Best Opposite Sex of Breed. My little Cheyenne daughter, I'm so happy! I need to update her pictures.
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We'll be attending the Duncan OK show this weekend and will have quite a few dwarfs for sale there.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Melanie

PS

Congratulations to everyone that attended Convention this year! Win or lose the amount of money, dedication and hard work that goes into this hobby is to be commended!
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ND Open results:
Best of Breed: Joan/Maci Zier – Broken Sr. Doe
Best Opposite Sex of Breed: Coin/Nelson – REW Sr. Buck
Best Junior of Breed: Coin/Nelson – Black Otter Buck
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ND Youth results:
Best of Breed: Andy Rieman – Otter Sr. Buck
Best Opposite Sex of Breed: Sarah Bobart and Scott Graham – REW Doe
Best Junior of Breed: Christie Abrams – Black Buck
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HL Open results:
Best of Breed: Jennifer Poprawski – Solid Senior Doe
Best Opposite Sex of Breed: Linda Jinnings – Broken Senior Buck
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HL Youth results:
Best of Breed and BEST IN SHOW!!!: Aislin Hall – Solid Senior Doe
Best Opposite Sex of Breed: Kelly Pedrotti - ? Buck
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See you in Minnesota!
GO VIKINGS

A house divided.

Or should I say barn?
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Mom and I are so different sometimes. I prefer the hollands and fuzzies, she likes the dwarfs and woolies. We’ve discussed getting a bigger more commercial breed, do you feel a but coming? She wants mini rex and I want mini satins. Technically we don’t have room for either but sometimes it is fun to play around and learn more about different breeds. The woolies were supposed to be that project. There are still a few left in the barn. I can’t help it I got attached to them.
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Sometimes our differences help in the evaluating and culling. Mom is a head and ear person and I’m all about the body. When we get a rabbit we both agree on it’s usually pretty well balanced. Having a second opinion on your herd is always a good idea. Too many breeders get barn blind or only judge their herd by what they compete with locally. It’s always good to think outside the box or in this case your showing area.
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Mom and I travel outside our area a lot and we truly enjoy it. Going to these shows helps us realize the weaknesses and sometimes strengths in our herd. I’ve heard breeders make the remark similar to the fact that they couldn’t find faults with a particular animal and/or herd. Seriously?! Maybe you should get out more. Travel outside your comfort zone and see what others are bringing to the table. Sometimes it’s a real eye opener to what’s really lacking. Please note, you do have to be honest with yourself! I'll admit to coming home from a show and wanting to cull cull cull!
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It seems I’ve rambled on with no clear direction or conclusion, but it’s Friday afternoon and that’s all that really matters.
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A few pictures for the reason for this topic to begin with…
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Sigh,

Melanie

Cha~Ching.

Here he is, the little buck that I talked about in an earlier post.

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Mom and I are really excited about him. We've been really struggling with ears and crowns so I hope this guy is the start of a lot of change in our herd.

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I was able to get our Evans up and running with only a little updating! What a relief. I've also got everything loaded back onto Mom's computer and can start working on the website again. YAY!

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:) Melanie

Small Talk.

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Due to a series of computer issues, both mine and Mom's, our rabbit picture taking, website updating and Evans input is not happening. I'm hoping we have these issues resolved soon. Blah.
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Until we get things straightened out I'll post anything we have for sale on the blog.
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Holland Lop - Keep's ChaCha, 1 BOSV leg
broken siamese sable doe
We're keeping 2 siamese sable does and a broken smoke pearl buck out of her. Good mother. Goes back to THF Saynora's Zinn.
Pictures not available at this time.
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Melanie

Slips, trips and falls. Only you can prevent them!

Avoiding Slips

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There is something so unattractive about a long folded eared slipped crown Holland, yet you see it all the time. I really can’t say much, this hazard has been the hardest for us to avoid.

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Contributing Factors
· Judges that only look at the Holland with their hand wrapped around the head
· Not enough good examples to remind us it needs work too
· Bad crown and ears being labeled as an easy fix
· Because this type of Holland still wins some breeders aren’t as apt to want to work on it
· Nice(r) bodies outweighing the other issues
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Preventing trips in your rabbitry!
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We’ve all witnessed this horror at one time or another. Chatting amongst other Holland breeders and watching the judging, when all of the sudden WHAM, a dip so bad you could trip on it.

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Contributing Factors
· Certain style of over posing that really masks this flaw
· Labeled as an easy fix
· Perhaps seen as the ‘lesser of two evils’?
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How do falls happen?
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Falls are a reoccurring problem. You see someone posing up a really nice Holland but every time they remove their hand from its chin it slumps back down to the carpet.

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Contributing Factors
· Incorrect build for a naturally upright stance.
· Breeder(s) excuse the rabbit as being ‘lazy’.
· Judges holding a Holland (by their head) up off the table with the front feet literally not touching the table while examining them.
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Why is the prevention of slips, trips and falls important?
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Each of these disasters have been labeled as ‘easy fixes’. But are they really? I think if that were the case they wouldn’t be so prominent in our wonderful breed.
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I believe Mom said it best when she said, ‘we all have the same goal in mind it’s just that each breeder tolerates different flaws to get there.’
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Happy Friday
Melanie