Happy Easter

Today is Easter. We will celebrate the resurrection of Christ and the rebirth of life itself. I should be happy and grateful, but today three empty chairs at the dinner table will haunt me. My wife will make a wonderful meal of baked ham and green beans and potato salad. Our foothills dance in greens, yellows, and oranges, while the Sierras sleep, still blanketed in snow. Baby rabbits explore their nest boxes and junior rabbits wait for their first sojourn in Reno.

Easter vacation has been productive: fences mended, house cleaned, saddles readied for spring riding. At dinnertime, we will give thanks. I will enjoy the company of my wife and youngest daughter, but I will see those three empty chairs. I have been told life continually changes, and that I do not adjust well. Where is my oldest daughter? I know my son is away at college on the East Coast, and I miss him greatly. I know my mom is in Heaven. I know; I know; I know, but I really don't. Life is confusing; I try to establish routines to hem in life and keep it simple and understandable. I know this is impossible and should cherish life as it appears anew each day.

Yesterday, I read my neighbor’s blog. Judy wrote about another neighbor, Darlene, who found out she had ALS. Darlene worked at my school; she was in charge of making sure parents sent their kids to school each and every day. Darlene reminded me of my mother; both were determined to deal with debilitating diseases on their own terms. One day, I watched from atop the steps as Darlene tried her best to walk from the office to the cafeteria. She fell, and I went to help her up. With her pride slightly wounded, but determined as always, she continued on to the cafeteria. I did not know how to put my admiration into words, so I made her a bouquet from my mother's irises. I think Darlene appreciated the thought behind those flowers; she talked about them often.

Judy wrote about how, after the the ALS progressed,  Darlene wanted to give her orchids to those who would cherish and nurture them. Judy's blog reminded me of my mother and her love of irises. With El Nino, the irises are blooming profusely and with each blossom, I’m reminded of my mom. I miss those conversations about life. I was the college graduate, but she was the one with wisdom. She seemed to take life on its own terms and rarely questioned it; she just found the beauty in what was in front of her. Unlike my mom, I question life too much.

In “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” Whitman writes about the relationship between objects and memories over the expanse of time. When the Tulare County Master Gardeners Club tend to their new orchids, they will remember Darlene; when the irises bloom each spring, I will think of Mom; and when I see those empty chairs, I will be reminded that I still have much to learn. 

Reno here we come!

A junior broken buck heading to Reno

The West Coast Classic in Reno will be our first rabbit show beyond our San Joaquin Valley home. We are excited, even though we only have two litters old enough to show. We sold off all the adults from 2015, except those we added to our breeding barn. Unfortunately, I didn't look ahead and keep back a few older rabbits to show in the senior categories. Oh well, live and learn. I am sure we will have fun showing our juniors.

We started off only breeding New Zealand reds, but after listening to judges make comments about reds being "long" or "low in the shoulders," we decided to try and use the white genetics from brokens to help improve our rabbits' shoulders. We purchased a very nice broken buck from Manuel Hidalgo. He was willing to sell it under the condition I realized its pattern included too much red. But since our goal for purchasing a broken was for improving reds' shoulders, I think the purchase will prove a wise decision. "Luke" has a very large red blanket and very nice shoulders and hindquarters. Both his  red and broken babies are improvements for our Mission Hill Rabbitry.

For the West Coast Classic, we will only bring six juniors since we only have two traveling show cages with three holes each. We currently have two litters that will be between three and four months old  at the beginning of April. One litter is from the heavily blanketed "Luke" and other litter is from Luke's father, who Manuel also kindly agreed to sell. We have named Luke's father "LoverBoy" and he has been a busy buck. His babies have his beautiful color and short, compact body. Needless to say we have been  busy breeding these two excellent bucks to our red does and, although not our original goal, we are excited about starting a new broken line.

With the addition of a broken line and increased interest in Mission Hill Farm reds, we have decided to increase from three to nine does. Three does for our "Mark" line, three does for our original "Max" line, and three for our LoverBoy broken line. This will mean more cage pans to clean, but I am having fun with the rabbits. I have even thought about cutting back with the mammoth donkeys and Katahdin sheep. I am not exactly sure why, but I really enjoy the rabbits. Something about those beautiful and comical creatures helps bring my blood pressure down. The brokens are even pretty and remind me of when we used to breed Mini Lops back in our college days.

We just hope snow doesn't close Interstate 80 on Friday, April 8.

Fred and Steinbeck's "Hour of the Pearl"

Sunday morning of a four-day weekend in February, it doesn’t get much better than this. All in the house are still asleep, except the animals and me. After waking, I make my usual rounds, but at a slower pace. As every morning, Fred, the cockatiel, is first. He wants his nightly cage cover removed and wants his morning seed treat. If I delay too long, Fred grows impatient and rather loud in his squawking. I view Fred as a gift from heaven: one summer day, while irrigating a pasture, a cockatiel flew out of the sky and landed on the end of my hose; I guess he was thirsty. He walked up my arm and that was it; Fred became an official resident of Mission Hill Farm. 

Fred doesn’t produce food, just noise. He is clever and can sense the most inopportune times to get into an argument with the image in his mirror, which hangs in the corner of his cage. Maybe it is an argument; maybe it is a screeching love song. Whatever it is, it seems to be triggered whenever we want to watch something on television. The more important the scene, the louder Fred squawks. Pseudo threats of "quiet" or "roast cockatiel for supper" are useless. Fred is from heaven and has ruled his kingdom for over a decade. He is also hooked on routine and considers it an insult when I do not pull up a chair, sit down, and converse for a while: a few whistles, a few pecks, and a few “pretty birds” and all are blessed to start the day.

Next up on the morning routine is letting in the cat, Boots Junior. After her nocturnal hunting, it is time for her to relax on the rocking chair by the fireplace. Boots Junior, a 15-year-old calico, lives to sleep by the fireplace. She gets up once in a while to go eat or drink, then goes back to her rocker and falls asleep once again like the cat in T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

Next up is Marley, another 15-year-old cat who has outlived his nine lives by a factor of 10. Actually, Marley is a wild cat who adopted Mission Hill Farm as his official residence and anointed all humans as his minions. Our job is to let him out of the garage in the morning so he can begin his daytime hunting routine. He graciously shares the remains of his victims with us by placing them on the rug by the front door. He has the whole farm to leave his leftover rats, moles, gophers, and prized quail, but no; unfortunately, he is unselfish and must share his winnings with me. 

Marley is not just a proficient hunter; he is an apprentice locksmith too. We have a thumb grip front door latch, and Marley has learned to jump up and hang on the lever until it releases and then pull back until the door opens. He then wanders the house to find a suitable bed for a nap.

Next up on the morning routine is Anna, our LSG dog. Big, lovable Anna, I think she can read my thoughts. I have owned Labs, Border Collies, McNabs, but none show the intelligence of Anna. She seems to intuitively understand me.  Anna prefers to eat twice a day, so when she sees me taking Fred’s night cover off, she comes to the window and smiles reminding me not to forget that she is also waiting for breakfast. Anna is big enough to look me directly in the eyes when she stands on her back feet.  We had a bear problem recently. One day when I came home, Anna’s nose and muzzle looked like they had gone through a meat grinder. Her nose healed and I have not seen any bears since. 

With Fred, Boots Junior, Marley, and Anna content, I proceed to the garage to water and feed the rabbits.  I open the garage door to let in the early morning light. The sun has yet to crest Black Mountain with its silhouettes of Giant Sequoias.  According to Steinbeck, this is the “hour of the pearl,” a time before the day begins. It is a time when we can cheat time and steal a few moments before the day breaks. I understand the allure of the early morning, and I think the roosters do too. They proudly announce that the farm is opening for business. The donkeys have heard the bang of the garage door, and that can only mean their hay is coming soon. They join the barnyard chorus with brays that must be heard for miles. The sheep and goats begin to announce their impatience with their night's confinement. Before the suns crests Black Mountain, my daughter and I put on our wool beanies and jackets and gloves and head out into the early dawn in Grandma’s golf cart to feed the residents of Mission Hill. 

Reds, Rainy Days, and Ethics

The Dawn of a New Day

The pitter-pat of rain on the window announces the inevitable boredom of being stuck inside on a rainy day. I wait all week to go outside on the weekends, only to awake to wet patios, mushy pastures, and damp prospects for having fun. No walks with my dog Anna; no donkey rides with Jake or Beauty; no playing pickleball with my daughter Micaela. Bummer.

I guess the rain outside gives me reason to update my blog about New Zealand Red rabbits. It has been an interesting last couple of months with the rabbits. We now have two healthy litters: one with three brokens and one with one broken and three reds. Two years ago I remember my doe Jasmine had eleven kits in one litter; I had to redistribute the babies to other does. My litter sizes have declined for reasons I do not know. I let the buck breed the doe twice; I bring the doe back to the buck’s cage about four hours latter and let them breed twice again. I read where too much line breeding can negatively impact litter size; however, my current litters of three and four were produced by recently purchased bucks that aren’t even related to my does. If anyone who breeds reds has any ideas on increasing litter size, please send me a comment or an email.

As a hobby farmer, I have often thought about the ethics of breeding animals. When I bred Mini Lops in college, I didn’t eat the culls, but did sell them to a meat processing plant in El Monte; I needed a way to ethically get rid of culls because I had flooded my neighborhood with free pet quality rabbits.

While walking the isles at the Kern County Rabbit Breeders show, I noticed white boards announcing rabbits for sale --all breeds. I thought to myself, could all those rabbits from one breeder be show and breeder quality. I struggle with ethics when a customer inquires about purchasing a breeding trio from me. At what age can I really project the adult quality of a young rabbit? At what age can my eyesight accurately sex the kits? If the rabbit is show or breeder quality, why am I willing to sell it? These are questions I need to address to derive a viable and ethical sales policy for http://www.newzealandreds.com./

I also breed mammoth donkeys and Katahdin sheep and I had to address the same questions as to what I believed was ethical.  Ten years ago riding donkeys with good size, conformation and personalities could easily bring $2,500 - $5,000. But with the housing crash and higher feed costs, the demand has diminished. Should I still breed just so I can enjoy the experience of a new foal each spring? I got greedy and bred my best riding jennet one more time; it did not end well for Daisy. I was heart broken. She was not just a riding animal, she was my friend. She never complained about our long conversations, and she was always eager to head out the gate for a trip down our country lane. I stopped breeding donkeys. I stopped breeding LSG dogs. What would I do with the extra Anatolian Shepherds that I could not sell? The sheep Anna guards I can eat or easily sell for meat or yard art.

This is why I have settled on breeding New Zealand Reds: they are a healthy source of protein. Although considered the first domesticated rabbit in America, the reds have fallen out of fashion. A reduction in red breeders has vastly diminished the gene pool. If one large red breeder lost his or her breeding stock that would be a genetic loss for all reds. When I started taking my reds to shows, I rarely found other reds at the show table. Last year, at our local Porterville Fair, there were three New Zealand Red meat pens related to my rabbits. Two of the red meat pens placed in the top ten. Reds didn’t win but it was improvement! Young 4-Hers and FFAers were raising and showing our reds. At the recent KCRBA show two red brokens won Best of Breed and Best Opposite.  The judge had to decide between the red broken buck and a red buck for Best Opposite. The reds had beaten a good selection of New Zealand whites and blacks. Once again, reds are making progress.

But I am still left with the ethical question of what to sell. I no longer sell babies right after weaning. Why not? I cannot honestly tell a customer that a six to eight week old kit will turn out to be a show winner or breeder. From experience, I have found some of my best show rabbits were initially misplaced in the cull pen. Now, I prefer to keep the babies until they are intermediates. The obvious culls go into the rabbit stew, and the remaining intermediates travel to local rabbit shows to see if judges think they are potential show contenders.

After a trip to a show or two, I can then tell which babies are appropriate for selling. I had an eight-month-old buck that showed well at the KCRBA January show; I sold him. I knew he would help improve someone’s red genetics. I could sell him because I had two or three others related to him. Was he perfect? No, but he was the best that I had bred up to that point. So this is how I would like to proceed: If you would like to purchase a single rabbit or breeding trio from me, have patience. Let me know what you want, send a fifty percent deposit in the fall or winter, and in spring, I will be able to deliver New Zealand Red[s] that will make you proud.

Currently, I only have three breeding does. Each has a litter and will be rebred in February for our local fair’s meat pen show. The does will be bred again after the May fair. So I project to have nine litters this year. Each litter is averaging four kits. Four times nine equals thirty-six kits produced this year. Fifty percent will be utilized for personal consumption. That leaves about eighteen kits for showing, breeding stock replacement, and sales. This year I will keep back four of my best does to increase my breeding herd for 2017. I probably will only keep one buck, since my current bucks are all under two years old. So I am at about thirteen rabbits that I will have for sale this spring. Eight of those will probably go to 4-H or FFA meat pens. That leaves me with about five-to-eight rabbits to be sold for show or breeding. Not many, but hopefully all show or breeding quality. Hopefully all will be good enough to improve someone’s red genetics. 

Let me know if you are interested in breeding New Zealand Reds.

newzealandreds@gmail.com

Christmas Bunnies Have Arrived

ButterCup successfully delivered four babies to her Christmas nest box sometime during the evening of December 22. I was beginning to worry that I could not get our does producing again this year. Even though  ButterCup, Jazzie, and Wilma are only in their second breeding season, I was worried the summer layoff may have somehow  lowered their ability to conceive. Had my does grown too fat with a six-month layoff?  Had my bucks become sterile over the hot summer? Buttercup’s nest box only contains four kits, but they are a start to a new season. Perhaps one will make the show table in Reno or San Diego.

Hopefully, Jazzie will follow suit tonight with a litter sired by our new broken buck, LoverBoy. She seems interested in building a nest, but has not started pulling any hair yet. I was surprised at the lack of hair lining ButterCup’s nest, even on a cold night.

The thought of my does from last breeding season not producing has caused me to reconsider my breeding program. I have tried to keep only a limited number of does, but now realize how fragile that leaves the genetics of my herd. One bad break of luck and I could lose what we have worked hard to accomplish with the reds. Last year we produced some very consistent bucks and does, all with nice shoulders, good color, and strong hindquarters. I guess that means we will have to add cages so that we can increase our number of does to about eight. We currently have four does and five bucks.

To breed straight through summer has been the recommendation of many breeders who believe in breeding back at 42 or 49 days. Now even my wife says I need to follow others’ advice and breed year round. Breeding year round in Springville means installing an air conditioning system to keep garage around eighty degrees.

I guess breeding rabbits is like any other hobby in that “if you give a mouse a cookie,” you will be forever expanding, tinkering, revising, or learning something new. I guess that is what keeps us pursuing our hobbies, whatever they may be.

P.S. On the morning of December 24, Jazzie gave birth to three broken kits. She pulled hair for a very nice nest. The sire is our new Broken buck LoverBoy. Images of Jazzie and LoverBoy can be seen via our link to our Breeding Barn page.

Empty Nests

"Yes, that's right! There are no babies in here."

Two empty nest boxes: what a way to begin the 2015-2016 breeding season. The weather finally turned cooler and we have no babies to show for our labor. With great expectation, we bred our new broken buck to our best does from last season. They appeared to be successful breedings, but something must have gone wrong. I know some tell us to breed through the summer heat and keep the rabbits on a regular schedule. But I am a softy and cannot justify breeding when it is 110 degrees outside. So we wait for the frost to appear on the rooftops.

The frost is here and we still have empty nests. Perhaps LoverBoy shot blanks because of the summer heat or perhaps my does accumulated too much fat over the summer layoff. We are breeding with the goal of producing our show stock for the 2016 ARBA national convention in San Diego. Not an auspicious start, but I guess that is the nature of trying to control Mother Nature. So, we will remove the nest boxes and  try again. 

I will try LoverBoy again with Buttercup, but I will put LoverBoy's son, Luke, with Jazzie. I will keep the  lights on for about 17 hours in the breeding barn and hope for a bountiful winter.

Promoting rabbit as a healthy alternative meat

The Scott Rea Project

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheScottReaproject

As a breeder and consumer of organic rabbit meat, I believe YouTube videos provide the breeder and consumer with a wide breadth of valuable information. On my "Links" page, I have tried to provide links to YouTube videos that show how to process, joint, and debone rabbits. Lately, I have discovered several rabbit cooking videos by Scott Rea; his videos make cooking with rabbit seem simple and the end meal always looks delicious.

I find it odd in this strange new world of interconnectedness that my inspiration in rabbit preparation is a tattooed butcher, who is showing the world how to cook rabbit from his kitchen in England. His enthusiasm for cooking and his ability to keep it simple has caught the attention of his fans all over the world.

Unfortunately, here in California, many think of eating rabbits as sacrilegious. This hesitation to eat rabbit or even think of rabbit as an alternative protein source presents a challenge to breeders of rabbit meat.

My grandma used to talk to me about victory gardens during World War II. In upper Michigan, many rural family's planted their own vegetable garden and raised their own rabbit meat. Two does and a buck could feed a family. Today, when I discuss the virtues of raising meat rabbits at our local 4-H meetings, I get the frequent, "You really eat those cute bunnies." That is the problem: rabbits are cute and cuddly. It is harder to raise rabbits on your own property, then explain to the kids why we are going to eat that cute little pet.

Local rabbit processing plants are paying good money for meat rabbits and list their demand as very high.  The processing plants have developed relations with upscale restaurants, and many health conscious urban dwellers are asking for a low fat, low cholesterol meat for their diningroom tables and dog bowls. Rabbit meat fits this demand in the marketplace.

The question everyone always asks is "Does it taste like chicken?" the answer I give is "sort of." Rabbit is much easier to process than a chicken; however, rabbit meat is more difficult to cook. Because of the low fat nature of its meat, like bison, rabbit can be tough when cooked quickly on high heat. This is where the Scott Rea Project comes in: His videos demonstrate how to cook rabbit so that it is both tender and delicious. I am encouraging my wife, who is an excellent cook, to visit my "Links page" so that she can get some new ideas on how to cook rabbit. I especially want to try Scott's "Bunny Burgers." They look great and healthy.

I try to advocate whenever possible the advantages of breeding your own rabbit meat or purchasing rabbit meat from a reputable breeder. What other animal can produce the same quantity and quality of meat in such a small space?

If interested, or at least curious, why not visit the Scott Rea project and dine on "Bunny Burgers" tonight?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aESuqWNAoto

And if you like what you see and want some fresh rabbit meat, give me a call.