Getting my two does this weekend!

[DianeS]

Looks like I'll be getting my two does this weekend. Two Californians. One is 6 months the other is 1 year.

My buck is a New Zealand red. So that'll make for some interesting color possibilities, I think. But NZ/Cali seems to be a recommended mix for meat rabbits, so I'm happy with that.

I'm excited. I have an Angora doe (for wool) currently pregnant, so I'm going to wait until she has hers (Jan 8-ish) before breeding either of the others. Just to make sure I'm really prepared for this and have everything I need. I don't want to get in over my head.

Does anyone have any pictures of a NZ red/Cali white cross? I'd like to actually see some of the possibilities if anyone does.

 

[collector]

How exciting for you, I would be wondering about the color combos also. Did you ever find the one that got loose/stolen/setfree.

 

[Lorelai]

We don't have a NZ red, but we have some 10 day old kits who have a NZ black mama and a Cali papa, if you're interested in seeing pics of those...?

 

[DianeS]

We don't have a NZ red, but we have some 10 day old kits who have a NZ black mama and a Cali papa, if you're interested in seeing pics of those...?

Oh, definately!

 

[DianeS]

Did you ever find the one that got loose/stolen/setfree.

No, I didn't. I ran ads, talked to the neighbors, and rented a humane trap and baited it with apples. No dice. Blah!

 

[collector]

Did you ever find the one that got loose/stolen/setfree.

No, I didn't. I ran ads, talked to the neighbors, and rented a humane trap and baited it with apples. No dice. Blah!

Oh thats to bad, you would have caught him if he was digging holes in your flowers. Must have been a squirrell. Good luck with the newbies, I want to see pics of them.

 

[collector]

WELL??

 

[DianeS]

Thanks for the reminder, collector! I've been sick for a few days and haven't taken pictures yet, but that shouldn't keep me from posting about them!

Anyway, I ended up getting THREE does from the seller. A 5 month old, a 1 year old, and a 2 year old. At least, those are the ages I was told.

I'm not sure what I think about the truthfullness of the seller, though.
For example, the rabbits were supposed to be half-pedigreed. But when I showed up she said she didn't have the pedigrees, she said that the woman she obtained the rabbits from had never provided them.
Also, the 2 year old rabbit is supposedly the grand mother of a State Fair Champion buck that she had already sold. But the seller did not have any documents/photographs/ribbons to back up that statement.
And the obvious one - she said in email that she had a 1 year old doe to sell me, and a choice between 2 6 month old does. When I arrived she didn't. She had a 1 year old and one "almost 6 month old".
And yet, in other instances, she seemed honest. She pulled one rabbit out of its cage, said "oops, that's a buck" and put him back. An odd combination.

With that information, I've decided to treat the "almost 6 month old" one as if she's only 4 or 5 months old, and give her time to mature before breeding her. With that in mind, I also got the 2 year old. Older than I had wanted, but she ought to be able to have a couple litters at least before retirement. Assuming she's really 2 and not 4 or 6!

The conditions they were in were pretty bad. Not deplorable, but bad. Supposedly her son whose farm it was supposed to be had simply moved out and she was selling the animals because she couldn't keep up with the upkeep. I think that's another reason I took the 3rd doe. A bit of sadness for the ones I couldn't remove. I'm glad she's selling her stock, it does look like more than she can handle alone.

So far I'm pleased with the does. They all appear completely healthy and well fed. Their eyes and noses are clean, their teeth are normal, their coats are thick and clean. The youngster is semi-friendly, at least she looks at me when I'm adding food and water to her pen, and she freezes when I touch her and lets me pet her. The 1 year old is still afraid of me, but lets me put handfuls of feed into her pen within inches of her face and doesn't run until I touch her. The older one, however, is very afraid and borderline mean. I fill her feeders from outside the pen, and use a rake if I have to move something inside her pen. But she's already not running from my shadow, so I am still hopeful that she will come around.

I hope to take some pictures over Christmas and post them.

 

[collector]

Well good for you for getting them out of there. Hope fully you can get some breeding stock out of the older doe, especially if she has kindled champions in the past. Sounds like your meat rabbit project is never dull.