Culling

Erin's Dwarf Hotots

Note: I use the term "cull" to describe the act of removing a rabbit from my herd, usually by means of rehoming.

When I first started in rabbits, boy was it hard to cull the ones that you loved so much yet were the worse in quality. It's sometimes hard, but that's part of being a breeder. If they aren't going to improve your herd, you have to cull them. I used to get easily attached. I do love my rabbits a lot. The ones I keep the longest are always the hardest to let go. Those special ones you are always talking about, those bunnies that have those cute little quirks, are sometimes very hard to let go of. Every time you cull a rabbit, it opens up a space for a better rabbit. I'm not breeding for pets. I am breeding for show stoppers. The sad part is I have to cull hard and not keep my favorite "pet".

Off topic, but not by much... As some of you may know I show Chinese Cresteds and just recently had my first litter of pups. What a learning experience it was! From the moment they are born, you are busy taking care of them or worrying about how they're doing. I'd wake up in the middle of the night and check on them to make sure everybody was okay. I was there for it all.

I remember when they first started learning how to walk. It was so adorable! I remember when it was time for them to start eating kibble. And when it was time for them to learn how to go potty outside. I taught them to walk on the leash and to stack on the table. Then to free stack. I spent a lot of time with each of the puppies that naturally I became attached to them. I began to evaluate them and could see who was the pets and who I would keep to show. It broke my heart so much, but my favorite out of the bunch just wasn't show quality. I wanted to make exceptions for him. I tried so hard to fit him into the AKC Standard. I had to be honest with myself and realize if I kept him and used him in my breeding program, he would not improve it. His gait is what hurt him. Even though he had the greatest personality in the world, and me and him were just perfect together, I had to give him to a pet home. I miss him dearly. Because I wouldn't make an exception for him, I will never ever make an exception for another dog (or rabbit). By pet homing him, it helped me gain a higher and stricter standard in my dogs. It also helped me realize the only way to improve in my rabbits is to cull hard and smart, and not with your heart.

Thanks for reading
Heather

The Ugly Duckling

As a fun little post, I thought it would be interesting to compare how much a rabbit can change as it matures. It is true that a rabbit that is a fugly junior might just be an outstanding senior, to some extent of course. Below are some examples I have put together.


First up is Sinderella, a Black Silver Marten Netherland Dwarf. She wasn't the prettiest junior. I am shocked at how nice she really is now that she is a senior! She is a very nice brood doe. She lacks the mass it takes to be a good show rabbit. But I really like this doe quite a bit.

Here is Clark, a Blue Otter Netherland Dwarf. The photo on the left was taken the day I brought him home. You can see a big difference between his junior and senior pics. His head has really filled out, balancing with his ears. I plan to show him soon.

This is Sapphire, Erin's Dwarf Hotot doe. As a junior, her head and body appeared to be much narrower than it is now as a senior. She has a fantastic head now, and good depth of body. She would be show quality if she wasn't a blue banded. 

Here is Oliver, Erin's Dwarf Hotot buck. He went from an ugly junior, to a handsome senior! We plan to enter him in more shows in the future.

And here is Flint, our Orange Netherland Dwarf. He was the definition of a fugly junior. He is GORGEOUS now as a senior. We plan to show him soon. We definitely wouldn't have entered him in a show as a junior. This is an amazing improvement. The ugly stage for NDs can be pretty rough.