Downsizing the Rabbitry

Posted on August 1, 2016 by onedogrunning

Scorch

I’ve decided that I have a few more rabbits than I really need, and I’d like to concentrate my efforts on just a couple of breeds. Therefore, I have some really nice breeding stock for sale!

Samphire

Although I love them, I will be getting out of Californians. They are superb bunnies for beginners, gentle and easy to handle and great breeders and mothers. My young breeding pair, Samphire and Scorch, never let me down. They are purebred bunnies but do not come with pedigrees because I was never able to get them from the seller. Breed them for four generations and you will be able to create your own pedigrees though. They are both 11.5 pounds and about two years old. They are unrelated.

I also have two beautiful 12 week old does from their latest litter ready to go. Breed them pure to sell as breeding stock or cross them with another commercial breed for fast growing meat hybrids.

12 week old doe

If you’re interested in any of these superb bunnies, please get in touch! I will be selling Sam and Scorch for $40 each and the two young does are $30 each. I’ll sell you all four together for $120.

Easter Bunnies Update

Posted on March 27, 2016 by onedogrunning

The first spring litters are now almost three weeks old and everyone is doing great. All kits are fat and happy and just starting to foray out of the nest boxes. Soon they’ll be munching fresh greens alongside their moms.

This first litter is out of Caraway and they are half Champagne d’Agent, a quarter Standard Rex and a quarter Creme d’Argent. Half the kits came out agouti with a little white spot on their foreheads, and the other half came out looking like black otter Rexes (which is what their grandsire was), with some frosting on their bums that is very similar to Silver Marten markings.

The next litter is out of Esther, and they are the Creme d’Argent/Champagne d’Argent crosses. They all came out agouti colored but I’ll be interested to see if they develop any white frosting as they mature. The one white kit in the nest is a Californian baby that was transferred as a day old to even out the litter sizes.

Litter three is out of Samphire, and are our pure Californian bunnies. These little guys are just starting to get their dark points coming in.

And finally, litter number four is out of Fire Opal and are the purebred Standard Rex buns. She only threw three bunnies this time, so I took four bunnies away from Caraway (she had 11) on day one and transferred them to Opal’s nest. They are the agouti and solid black colored ones.

It looks like the solid Rex kit is an opal like mom, which is a blue coat with a reddish undertone and cream belly. Very pretty.

Kit number two is either a broken blue otter, or a broken opal. Also very pretty with a nice pattern.

And lastly, the third Rex kit appears to be a broken black otter. You can see the snips of tan around the nostrils, eyes and ears that give it away.

Happy Easter everyone!

Update on Rabbits for Sale – Plus Rant

Posted on April 30, 2015 by onedogrunning

Californian bunnies

We have lots of cute baby rabbits for sale right now, here’s an update of what we have left:

There were only two Californian does this litter, so they sold quite quickly. (It would have been quicker if I hadn’t been stood up by an RPN from Gabriola Island. No email, no phone call, nothing. So that was a good couple of hours of my life wasted. For those of you reading, if you ever stand me up without giving me some notice, consider yourself ineligible for future sales. It is stressful for the bunnies, and it is disrespectful of my time. Thank you!)

There are now only four Californian bucks remaining. They are nine weeks old, eating lots of fresh forage and very friendly and sweet buns, easy to handle. They are $25 each. They will probably be here until mid-May, and then if not sold will be going to freezer camp. They’d make great herd sires for a meat operation.

Hybrid meat bunnies

Two of the Creme d’Argent/Californian hybrid does are sold, and there are three nice does left. They are nine weeks old. One agouti and the rest variations on steel or white tipped black. Very attractive coats this litter, almost like a Silver Fox. There are also two nice big bucks, both tipped blacks. These are excellent forage rabbits and are out on fresh pasture 24-7 now. They are also always my friendliest rabbits. Does are $30, bucks are $25.

Standard Rex bucks

Standard Rex does

The first Standard Rex litter is now almost eight weeks old. One blue otter buck has been reserved, and there is a self black and two black otter bucks available. There is one blue otter doe, a self black doe and a black otter doe. The Rexes are a little more high-strung rabbits, but if you treat them right and earn their trust they make fantastic pets. They all get a big bunch of fresh forage each day but only the does have been moved to pasture at this time. Does are $30, bucks are $25.

The younger Rex litter

The second litter of Standard Rex will be ready to go in about a week. The little tort is a doe and has been reserved. There are blues and black otters left, but I haven’t sexed everyone yet. Does are $30, bucks are $25.

Thanks for reading!

Californian Kits are so Cute

Posted on March 20, 2015 by onedogrunning

Of course while I was shooting the Rexes, I had to get some shots of the fluffy white puffball, three week old Cal kits. These bunnies are just so tiny and sweet. I’m going back on the barley fodder system now, and I think that will make for even healthier and happier rabbits. I’d say the new nesting material is a big winner, based on how fat, healthy and issue-free both these litters of kits turned out.

For at least the past week, these kits have refused to go into the nestbox at all, instead mom uses it to escape from them when required. I’ll be taking it out soon.

Baby Rabbit Update – Week 1

Posted on March 7, 2015 by onedogrunning

Californian X Creme d’Argent agouti kit

The kits are a little over a week old, and I’m happy to say that my new DIY nest bedding method is working very well. Everyone has been warm and happy with no issues at all. I’m so pleased to have finally figured out the nest box situation here.

Californian X Creme d’Argent black steel kit

Tuna my Standard Rex is due to kindle tomorrow morning. Her nest is well trampled and she hasn’t pooped in it, so I fully expect a nice little litter when I wake up on Saturday. Her daughter Bluefin is due on the 23rd. It will be Blue’s first litter so anything could happen. It will be nice to have some more Rex litters in the barn, they’re so soft and exotic even though they often have a lot of attitude.

Californian kit, 1 week

Californian kits in the nest

I actually also really like that the shredded paper adds great color! So cute.

Californian Kits are Here

Posted on February 25, 2015 by onedogrunning

On schedule, Samphire kindled seven kits this morning, one unfortunately was stillborn. I’ll have to monitor the nestbox closely from now on to make sure my new bedding experiment is doing the trick. I may add a piece of cardboard flooring if I find the kits burrowing down too much. It’s not that cold out right now but the kits need to stay extra warm for the first couple of weeks in order to develop well.

First Californian Litter

Posted on July 20, 2014 by onedogrunning

Newborn Californian kits

Today marks the date of our very first purebred Californian litter. It was also Samphire and Scorch’s first litter and things couldn’t have gone more smoothly.

Samphire ripped her prepared nest box to shreds when it was put in (I should have known better than to line it with a paper feed bag!) and so I replaced the shredded bag with a new cardboard liner and she went to work getting it cozy. I use wire nest boxes so they need a new liner every time to hold the wood chips and straw inside.

Yesterday afternoon I noticed that she had started pulling fur, which is a first here. Generally all the moms here pull fur immediately before kindling and not a minute sooner. Fur in the nest box means kits in the nest box. I was pretty sure from all this motherly activity that Sam was going to do a great job.

Today I woke up to eight very pink and fat looking kits, all born in the nest box. There was one uneaten placenta that needed to be removed and a few kits had some scratches on them, but other than that things went perfectly. Now if I could only get the person who sold me these rabbits to finally give me their pedigrees. I’ve paid for them and I would like to have them, it’s been months now without any reply. Very frustrating.

Esther, my Creme d’Argent, was also bred to Scorch at the same time, but she has a habit of kindling on day 32. She looks huge, so most likely we will have even more new kits tomorrow. Yay!