How do you guys pick

[Jashaira]

As far as picking one or two breeds to work with. I am still trying to decide where I would like to go with my rabbitry. I started with the English lops because I always wanted one when I was a kid and I found a wonderful breeder that was close and she has been helping me keeping weight on them and everything. She has been wonderful. Just I am trying so hard to get the bred. I even went out to get a proven buck. I am going to breed them again at the end of the month. Both of my does are at a year old. It just has been so hard. I know I am not giving up the buck I got is a good one he has 2 legs once I get his coat in condition (due to lack of time from the old owner) he is going to be shown again.

Then I fell in love with this blue wooly and got her and a very nice black buck. Both are nice show bunnies the judges have good things to say about them. Only bad thing I hear is that they need to grow up a bit. Candy the doe is 5mo and the buck is 4mo so I will be trying to breed them soon also.

Then I was talking to the top English Angora breeder her in FL she has animals that have over 10 legs. She went out of state for a show and came back with a nice pregnant doe that had Chocolates. They are just the right confirmation and everything. She really feels that they are going to clean up on the show table. So after loosing one of my English lops I felt I had the change space so what they hay I got him.

I just can not choose but I want to be fairto my breed not with the English angora I do only have one but I feel his was my best investment this far. I will see when I get him on that show table. When I do look for a doe for him it will be a doe that has been shown and proven. Just thought I would ask how you allpicked your one or two breeds. Thank you.

 

[Blaze_Amita]

well i've been through a few breeds before i've settled on velveteen lops and dutch. i started with rachel giving me a holland buck. I lvoed my hollands, but eventually showing them became un fun and with there being so many, any that i looked at to buy just didn't have the same sparkle in their eyes. Rachel also had mini rex and one in perticular, Mr. Butter, was a favorite of everyone. I boarded him one winter because he was old and I had heat(she didn't heat) and another friend of mine boarded her doe with me and the three of us agreed to a breeding. so i got Poppy and then started working on getting a few more of them, but boy was showing them a pain, and again with soo many they just didn't have the same shine to their eyes and coats that my not so perfectly conformed buns did- alot of the rescues i did were non papered mini rex that were better than the papered ones to boot. So i chose to go out of them after Poppy's last litter this spring(La-la-land has my last buck)The dutch i rescued one doe, Eglim's Flashy from the auction thin, agggressive you name it. I put quite a bit of money into her and she was my baby, i loved her and was crushed when i had to put her to sleep, i tried to stay away, but at a show a *friend-sorta* wanted this blue doe and had no room, i had a few extra cages so i bought her and feel back in love with my dutch, so they have stuck around. the velveteens, well i bought a pair in ny, sweet-sweet temperments, friendly as can be, soft. so i got a new pair down here and kept a baby from that litter and just got a pair swapped from VA as well.

They kind of pick you as much as you pick them. The Hollands let me know when it was time to let them dwindle down, as did Poppy and the mini rex. I might start changing breeds as my original stock dies off because i can't bear to lose my originals- but then again, may end up buying 2 or 3 to replace the 1 i lost. . . time will tell

 

[polly]

We had netherlands as pets and I loved their cheeky natures which is why they are our main breed. However I fell in love with Tiny ( Pegs giant she had) and tried very hard to convince my husband to let me have a giant as a pet but he didnt like the ones over here. When we were at a show up the top of scotland I saw the blue beverens and fell in love when I asked hubby for one of them he agreed so at a different show I got Sully mainly as a pet but as I looked into the breed and realised that there were not very many breeders any more I spoke to the club and decided that I would like to breed them!! As I had my own breed Bruce then decided that he would like his own breed to and he had fallen for polish ( America's Brittania petites) so I bought him a breeding pair for his xmas from one of the top UK breeders

 

[Sabine]

I have only started breeding nethies a few months ago and will stick with the breed for a while. I have my eye on a few larger breed like Rhinelanders, Fauve de Bourgogne, Thuringers, Red New zealands....
Maybe I should buy David his Flemish giant and he may build me a new bunny shed:biggrin:

 

[Lishka]

I decided on Jersey Woolies, and Mini Rex. I really love the Jersey Woolies because they are so perfect for us temperment wise since my daughter is only 5. They are laid back and generally good mothers. I enjoy the varieties in the breed and I am loving working on the type. I chose mini rex because I really love their coats, but I am not sure I am going to stick with them. I also have standard chins which are really pretty rabbits. I like them a lot but there are not many around here. I had considered E. Lops but they are bigger than I wanted at the time. I like so many other breeds, but for now, I am focusing on the JW and going to see how my mini rex do at show, and then decide to keep them or sell.

 

[countrybuns]

I chose Lionheads after 1. getting my first and watching his beautiful mane shed out never to return and 2. him breeding to my lop and realizing that I enjoyed the whole breeding process. So now I am going to work on improving the type and quality of lionheads here in Ontario because I want to see them finally fully recognized by ARBA

 

[TinysMom]

I started with lionheads five years ago because they were so unique and fun. At the time I had a flemish giant, two netherland dwarfs and a holland lop as pets also.

I got out of lionheads for a couple of reasons - one of which I was tired of breeding and almost losing a favorite doe (felt like I was playing God with their lives) and because I was sick of all the politics in the club and all the anger and arguments and honestly didn't care for many of the breeders that were very outspoken.

Last July I realized I missed breeding a lot - and I went with my favorite breed - flemish. I have a ball with them here at the house and really enjoy them. But showing them isn't that much fun - the breeders are sort of stand-offish.

While I was at the state show - I was looking at holland lops (a breed I've also come to love) and the breeders and I were talking. I explained I loved them and would love to breed them - but I'm afraid of stuck kits, etc.

Three breeders banded together around me and walked me through the whole building - helping me pick up out quality hollands that should not have stuck kits due to size, lack of issues with cow hocks, etc. They were such fun...and at the next show - some of them came and found me to see how I was doing.

So I'm breeding hollands now too.

After adopting Angel, a polish - I have got to say I'm fascinated with the breed....BUT...I personally just think it is too hard (at least for me) to have a bunch of breeds and really be able to focus on improving the breed. I think two is my limit - at least for now.

For me - with my energy level, time, etc. - I figure I can either work on breeding (and building my rabbitry's reputation) with one or two breeds effectively - than to work on several breeds where I really can't afford quality stock because I have so many animals in the various breeds.

I admire the people who can handle it - I just can't.

 

[Jashaira]

Ok so I wont give up on my elops try breeding them again this month and hope they take. I will try the woolys they are a nice pair see how they do next show year. By that time my angora will be redy to show he is growing up nice I hope to get him to the June show if he makes the weight he is almost there. See how he makes it then I will get a really nice REW for him next year.