Whirlwind Weekend

I’m sitting here attempting to type with Eleanor (“Baby Goat”) on my lap.  I went out to the barn first thing this morning to check on Regina, first time mom Holland Lop that was due yesterday (no babies incidentally), and Eleanor followed me up to the house looking for her morning bottle.  We moved all the mom’s and babies (goats) from the smaller pen to the large pen that goes outside yesterday and Miss Eleanor refuses to stay in the pen with the others.  She promptly walks through the holes in the cattle panels and roams the barn.  She does stay close to the other goats, but is quite the loner.  I found her curled up near the hay feeder this morning.  Stinker.

So here I sit, with her on my lap, while her bottle warms up.  I can see the goats in their outside pasture, romping around.  We have some big tree rounds/chunks (you know – 16″ in length that you would normally split up into firewood) in the pen that they can climb up on – Izzy is on one now, looking quite like a Mountain Goat.  Skipper is looking at her like she is crazy – he is not one to climb.

As a kind of last-minute thing, my mom was able to come visit us this weekend.  So, Friday evening about 6:00 pm I headed up to Ravenna, MI pick her up at my sister’s house where we were meeting.   It’s a 2.5 hour drive, one way.   The girls were able to spend most of Saturday with Grandma all by themselves as I was booked up with rabbit folks all day.  Mom played flute in high school and recently purchased one to start playing again.  She brought it with her, so she and Abby could play some music together.  I thought that the baritone and flute and would sound pretty horrendous together, but actually, it sounded quite nice!  It was fun to see and hear them playing together.

I had Carolyn Shaffer come over to register bunnies.  I had so many that needed registered and it’s such a pain to haul them to a show, especially when you have does on or expecting litters.  So, 23 bunnies later, we had registered most everyone that was eligible.  I did forget a few, but I’ll get them next time.  Needless to say, that took quite awhile to accomplish.  Then I had some people come for bunnies.

Sunday we went to the  Supreme Sale in Argos, where our friend Chad Zahner had goats consigned.   Those of you who don’t know, the sale is always in the first part of April at the Marshall County Fairgrounds.  Several breeders of Meat Goats (breeding stock and wethers), Lambs and Pigs have stock available at auction.  By the time we got home from that, we quickly did chores and took mom back up to my sisters house.  The girls and I didn’t get home until 11:30 pm.  Ugh.

Here is a list of bunnies that were registered this weekend that have offspring I’ve sold.  If you have bunnies out of any of them, contact me and I’ll tell you the Registration Number so you can write it in on your pedigree’s:

GBF’s Baron, GBF’s Tess, Erz’s Babe, GBF’s Quicksilver, GBF’s Annabelle, LL Avalanche, GBF’s Ritz Bitz, Cox’s 3J224 (Kinzee), and GBF’s Indy.

Busy Weekend

Abby got to go to the state level science fair last year and did really well (first place for 4th – 8th grades).  Talk about an awesome experience!  She commented after, that she wanted to be able to go back next year.  I told her, the odds of that happening 2-years in a row were probably next to zero and it would take another really good project for that to happen.  So, we started thinking about this years science project right then and there.  For almost a year this project has been in the works.

Saturday was the Northern Indiana Regional Science & Engineering Fair at Notre Dame.  Abby said she explained her project to 12 judges over the course of 4.5 hours.  So, we knew that was probably a good sign – the more judges that talk to you, the more awards you are probably in the running for.

She ended up with 3 awards which totaled $125 cash, a $10,000 scholarship to Bethel College AND the opportunity to compete at the Hoosier Science & Engineering Fair hosted by IUPUI later this month.   State!! Here are some pix:

SEFI award that gets her to State.

I’ll post a picture of her project after the state science fair is over.

Receiving one of her awards.

We are just tickled with how Abby did and are so proud of her.  I bet she can explain basic Mendelian genetics to just about anybody!

Thanksgiving Weekend Winding Down

We’ve had a very nice weekend… a bit chilly, but nice non-the-less.   Had the first bit of ice on the water dishes yesterday morning – groan!  We had our Thanksgiving gathering yesterday.  Hope you all had a nice Holiday with your families.

I brought in Antoinette’s babies a little while ago and took pictures of them – these are English Angora babies and they are 17 days old today.  We put them on the floor so I could take pictures and man… did they take off!  They certainly have gotten fast!  Sasha, Abby’s dog, was behaving very well with them – licking them and acting somewhat maternal vs. wanting to have little bunny-snacks!

Chubby Chocolate Tort

Choc Tort, Ptd White, Choc Tort, Lilac Tort (?), Ptd White, REW

Lilac Tort (?)

Pointed White - coloring is coming in on his nose and tail.

"You need a bath."

Sasha watching Antoinette's kits.

Sasha playing "Mom".

There is a big Maple tree in our back yard.  Stan hung a thick rope from it for the girls to swing on.  Abby likes to climb up the rope and hang there… for the longest time!  I don’t know how she does it, but she clamps her feet around the knots in the rope and hangs up there like she’s sitting in a chair:

"This is so much fun."

Abby hanging from the rope.

View from the back of our house - Abby hanging on her rope in the Maple tree.

Memorial Day Weekend

The weekend started on a sad note.  Friday, I decided that White River’s Darby and ELS’s Lucy should be put to sleep.  They were both Grand Champions.  A couple of weeks ago, Darby absorbed a litter and then within a couple of days develop Wry Neck.  I immediately quarantined her and followed the recommendation I found on the internet (Barbie Brown).  It helped slightly, but I decided that she would never be a viable producer again and worried about her quality of life.  My dear Lucy, had aborted a litter back in November and never recovered properly.  She just wasn’t the same Lucy.  She developed something in her front leg joints that almost appeared arthritic.  The one joint had an abscess that refused to heal.  I became concerned that it was Pasturella and decided it was best that she be put to sleep also.  So, it was a sad drive to the vet’s office.

Saturday, Ki and I attended the show in Muncie, IN.  There was not a large Holland contingent, but large enough for some legs to be earned.  I was thrilled for Ki, as GBF’s Talora won BOB in Show A for the Youth.  Talora was also mentioned as one of the top 4 in the Best 4 Class.

Here is how my bun’s did:

Show A

GBF’s Topeka – BOB – Broken Sr. Doe

GBF’s Oscar – BOSV – Solid Sr. Buck

GBF’s Tahlia – BOV – Solid Sr. Doe

GBF’s Fianna – 1st – Solid Jr. Doe

Congratulations to Sue Mars for winning BOS with a gorgeous broken buck!

Show B

GBF’s Fianna – BOB – Solid Jr. Doe

GBF’s Denarius – BOS – Broken Jr. Buck

(Note:  Fianna & Denarius are littermates!)

GBF’s Topeka – BOV – Broken Sr. Doe

GBF’s Oscar – BOSV – Solid Sr. Buck

GBF’s Tess – 1st – Broken Jr. Doe – not quite 12 weeks old

So, it was a very good day (7 legs I believe) but oh so hot.  I’m really glad I did not bring my EA’s along.  The show was nicely managed and held in big building.  Things moved along at a good pace.  Definately a show that I will return to.  Thanks for hosting it, Deleware County RBA!

Friday night I picked up my two new does from Linda Jinings (L&R in Oregon).  Both of them are SO nice.  I’m excited about the prospect of breeding them.  They are proven does and will go so nicely with ELS’s Elden and his son Tobias.  L&R Sedalia is a half-sister to L&R Cookie.  Both does are related to ELS Elden via L&R Carlyle and L&R Mylie.

I also picked up a little doe from Sue Mars, sired by ELS’s Florence (Tommie’s Rootbeer x CN’s Lavinia).  Rootbeer is ELS Tallie’s sire and Lavinia is ELS Elden’s dam.  The dam’s to Tallie and Elden are sisters.   So, I’m excited about this breeding prospect.

Yesterday, I ended up inducing GBF’s Bridgette.  She was two days overdue and her previous two litters both had stuck kits.  I could feel the kit(s) moving in the morning but she showed no signs of labor.  Late morning I gave her a shot of Oxytocin then sat and waited.   The Oxytocin worked – she managed to push out a giant kit far enough for me to help her pull it out.  I’ve not paid much attention before, but this kit was born bottom first – not head first.  Is this common in rabbits?  I know in livestock, this would be a bad thing.  There have been no other kits born yet, so hopefully she is done.  The next time I breed her, I will make a point to breed her to a very small buck.  Maybe that will help.  Why does the first kit have to be the giant?  Why can’t it be the last kit??

GBF’s Andra is due today.  Hopefully, this will go OK.  She missed last month.

Whew, seems like there was so much to write about.  Now, I’m off to look for a particular birthday present for Haley.  She is a big 13 now!

Hoosier Science & Engineering Fair

Abby with Dr. Soto-Kile (her principal) and friend Monica.

 

My daughter Abby was one of the winners at her schools’ science fair this year.  So, that meant that she got to go on to the Northern Indiana Regional Science Fair that was held a few weeks ago at Notre Dame.  Well, Abby did very well at Notre Dame, winning the Top Elementary Life Science Project.

That, got her an invitation to the Hoosier Science & Engineering Fair that was held today in Indianapolis at Dow AgroSciences.   There were 48 projects entered in the Junior Division, which included winners from the 12 Indiana Regions, ranging in grades 4th through 8th.

Abby won the 1st Place, Best in Show award for the Elementary Division!  She also received awards from the US Army and US Airforce. All the participants received medallions.  Her project was titled “Using Protease Enzymes to Dissolve Trichobezoars”.  A trichobezoar is just a fancy word for hair ball.   She tested different enzymes to see how well they dissolved English Angora wool, since EA’s get wool block.  If the enzyme dissolved the wool, then it could be used as a preventative and treatment for wool block.

I’m such the proud mom!

Abby's awards from the Hoosier Science & Engineering Fair in Indianapolis.