I'm back!!!  It has been awhile since I have written here and it has been a long year.  When I started this blog I thought it would be easy, but that is not always so.  Sometimes writing down what you feel is a hard thing to do.  I will try and do better this next year and see what happens!!!   

Why do I raise and show rabbits??  Many times when things get tuff I ask myself this, and then I know why I do it.    I do it for the love for the bunnies and fellowship and friedship of my fellow rabbit breeders.  We have suffered a great loss in zone 8, we have lost a good judge and friend with Cathy Patrick, and I have also lost a dear friend, LeAnn Colley.  It has been 2 weeks since their passing, and already I dearly miss the e-mails from LeAnn.  She kept me thinking and always was a pleasure to sit and have a cup of coffee with.  Yes, there are many other good friends, but I truly will miss my good buddy, LeAnn.  I am sure Cathy and LeAnn are discussing bunnies in the great above right now.  Maybe some day I will again be able to sit and chat with my friend, until then I will love the bunnies and enjoy the friendships on this great planet of ours!!  Sometimes we just need to put it in words!!

It's time to sort thru my winter babies!!!  I have some that are promising and some not quite so much.  I also have some bucks coming on.  This is today's subject I would like to talk about.  How many bucks does one keep in a herd??  I have been in both situations, with too many and with not enough, the question is how do we get to the happy medium!!  Perhaps we need to consider how we cross certain lines and how many colors we are working on.  I like my colors, along with my torts, and that causes me to keep quite a few so I have typey bucks to use in every situation.  If there is a good buck in the herd we should consider whether he is better than dad, keeping in mind do we have a replacement for dad.  Eventually, our boys cann't do what we need them to do.  I do have my old folks home, my old Josh will always remain in my barn and in my heart!! 

The cold has finally reached us!!  Today I would like to talk about how to handle it in the rabbitry.  What can we do to make life a little easier for our bunnies?  First and foremost they need a good drink of water every day.  That means we must make sure we have crocks that are not frozen up.  I have a little room in my barn that is heated with an oil heater, my preferred method is to change them out when they get full and let the full ones thaw in there. 

I also believe we need to increase the feed with the cold.  It will take the bunnies more energy to stay warm.  Hay should also be considered on these very, very cold nights.  If your bunnies have little protection fill the cages with straw, but beware, this can get wet and will need to be changed so the rabbit don't get wet!!! 

Remember everyone, drafts are a very large threat for our furry friends.  They can handle alot of cold with their coats, but drafts can cause a larger problem for them.  If your cages are outside they can be wrapped with either plywood or even just some heavy plastic.  Yes, the plastic will get tore up with the wind, but sometimes that is all we can afford!!  I am sure our bunnies will appreciate the little extra effort we must give them when the winter weather is upon us!!