I had to laugh when I glanced over my previous post before adding this one - not so long ago we were experiencing unusual cold, and now summer is here with a vengeance! We have litters arriving, and I feel bad for the moms having to endure pregnancy in the kind of heat we have been having. I never expected these late spring/early summer litters to arrive in such horrible heat and humidity! Well, the does are very appreciative of the chilled tiles that I provide for them, and all seem to be hanging in there... I know alot of people use frozen water bottles to provide relief during the summer heat, but my rabbits all seem to move away from the bottles rather than lying next to them to benefit from the cold. But they all quickly get the knack of lying on the ceramic tiles which I chill in the refrigerator, and the tiles seem to provide some relief even after they have lost their initial chill. The 12" x 12"  tiles can be picked up inexpensively from home stores like Home Depot or Lowe's.

I have said before that I am always amused by hay-carrying expectant moms, but soon-to-be new mom Two Oaks' Ciara, pictured below, came up with a new variant on this - she has been into "fur carrying" in a big way! I first noticed her carrying some fur a few days ago, and gave her a substantial supply of hay to play with instead. Well, she did indeed set to work on the hay, and built a nest in one corner of her cage. And then the next day I found her carrying a big mouthfull of pulled fur just like most does carry hay, with large amounts of pulled fur in her cage, too.....
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Well, so far Ciara is showing every sign of following in her mom's footsteps and being a good, attentive mom. She is bred to D'Artagnan, and I can't wait to see this litter! There should be blacks and pearls as well. Some other does are showing some more traditional signs of being pregnant, so I am hoping for a colorful summer!

 
Spring has arrived at Two Oaks Farm - although some days you would scarcely know it! It's been downright cold on several recent days, and we have been having night time temperatures in the 20's. We DO have the first of the spring litters arriving, though, and the moms are working overtime to pull more fur to keep the babies snug and warm.

Among the things I enjoy most about raising French Angora rabbits is the variety that each new litter brings. While there are quite a few generalizations that can be made about how does behave before, during and after their babies are born, I have found that each one of my does has her own take on how all of this should be done. And I enjoy the variety of colors, and trying to identify each color in the nest box as the babies mature.

One thing that always makes me smile is the sight of a doe carrying hay in preparation for making a nest. They always seem so bemused, as though they just can't quite understand it, but they are absolutely compelled to carry hay and make a nest -  and then they just must pull fur....! Not only do the girls look funny to me, but I also smile because this behavior is an almost certain sign that they are indeed pregnant - almost certain...! I have two new litters in the nestbox, and each of these does took a different approach to her nestbuilding, yet each wound up with a healthy litter, born in the nestbox. The first doe, Frosty, went through a fairly early phase of active hay-carrying and nest building, but then just stopped. I looked and looked for more "signs", but had all but given up on this expected litter when - surprise! - right on time, day 31, I discovered a lovely little litter of 4 snuggled up together in her nest box. At the last moment she must have gotten that nest done, and while it was not the most spectacular of nests, it sufficed! Over the next few days she co ntinued to pull more fur, most likely in response to the unexpectedly cold temperatures during that time (spring litters with sub-freezing temps???), so I had to keep checking and snipping the new strands into pieces 1/2 " long or less to prevent any babies from becoming entangled.  
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'Blue' carried hay on a near-constant basis!
Doe number 2, "Blue" (a blue tort), was simply overtaken by the need to nest, and spent nearly two weeks before her due date moving hay on a near-constant basis. She built a picture-perfect nest, with a perfect little circular space in the hay near the back of the next box, and an abundance of hay and fur - quite the architect! And then she surprised me by not delivering on her due date (I couldn't believe that there was no litter, with all that nest-building activity!), but instead kindling a couple of days later. Blue wins the prize for providing the most abundantly fur-lined nest of any of my does so far; the poor dear plucked herself nearly naked in a couple of spots! My daughter had the fun of discovering this litter buried under all that fur. She was checking on Blue while I was away, was about to go, then turned back to look again because something seemed slightly different - then she notice the fur move slightly, and discovered 6 brand new little pink babies!

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2 Pearls and 2 REW rest on the 2 Blue Torts
Even more entertaining than the variety of behaviors my does display is the variety of colors that pop up in litters, and antcipation of what colors each litter will contain. Knowing the genetics of both of the parents, there is a limited set of colors that might show up in the next box, and you can have a pretty good idea of what colors are most likely, but unless you are breeding REW to REW, there is always the chance that some rare or unexpected color might pop up. Each litter is like a surprise package!

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The tort color is more developed, the pearls are showing up.
My first recent litter was pretty straightforward and easy to identify from day one: 3 REW's and 1 black. But litter number 2 took a while to reveal its true colors; all were pink at birth, with scarcely a hint of what they might become. Some colors are obvious in the nest box - black and chestnut, for example. But many colors are not so readily identified until the babies' fur begins to grow in over the first few days. I know some breeders who have a really keen eye for color, and can generally identify colors on day one, but that's not me! By day 3 or 4 I was sure I had a couple of torts, and from their coloring they appeared to be the blue torts I was hoping for in this litter. It took a few more days for it to become clear that another pair were pearls, and right now it looks like one of these could be a blue pearl, which would be something different for me. The final two in this litter have remained pink, and so are REW's.

I keep my litter boxes and newborn litters inside for the first 2 to 3 weeks, depending on weather and other factors, taking the boxes to the mothers to nurse once or twice each day. Again, the does differ on when and how often they prefer to nurse, and also in how sensitive they are to my presence. I start by bringing the box to the mom in the morning and the evening, and some does readily jump in to nurse each time, but I often soon discover that other does will only nurse in the morning, others in the evening, so I bring the nest boxes out to suit each doe's preference. I also find that, while some does are completely oblivious to my presence, jumping right in to nurse, others are quite shy and hesitate, waiting to nurse until I am out of sight. I adjust my actions to the nursing does.

It took me a while to adjust to the way that rabbits mother their young. Having in the past raised dogs and had litters of kittens, I was accustomed to the mothering instincts of these species, which seem to make sense to us humans, as they are more like ours. Dogs and cats appear more nurturing than do rabbits, providing near constant attention, vigilance, frequent nursing, and even affection for their offspring. Rabbits, on the other hand, can be perplexing. They nurse once or perhaps twice a day, and other than that they seem to completely ignore their young. They hop into the nest, nurse for just a few short minutes, then hop out and seem to not care in the least for those precious babies! It is easy to conclude that your does are terrible mothers, but you would be mistaken. To understand rabbit behavior in general, and their mothering in particular, you have to constantly keep in mind their position in the food chain. Unlike dogs and cats, rabbits are prey animals, and that makes a big difference! The best, most "loving" thing they can do for their young is to ignore them as much as possible! By staying away from her nest of vulnerable babies, the mother rabbit is protecting them, minimizing their chances of them being detected by any number of predators that would just love to make a meal out of them. It's very useful to keep that perspective in interpreting and even predicting your rabbit's behavior.
 
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Our new litter here at Two Oaks Farm arrived July 16 - 5 little ones, 3 REW, a fawn and a chestnut. Mom is Morning Glory's Bailey & dad is G.C. Spanish Oaks Diamond Jim. I bring my nest boxes in for the first three weeks or so except for feedings, so these little ones are not being subjected to our record-breaking heat. Mom isn't so fortunate, but she is clipped down; at least she isn't still pregnant during this heat!

The heat here has been unrelenting and awful! Today the prediction is for 100 degrees or more, with a heat index of 105-115, and this is just the latest and hottest in a string of days with heat in the upper 90's and humidity so thick you could cut it with a knife......  Usually during the summers around here the heat and humidity are somewhat relieved by regular thunder storms in the evenings that release some of the day's heat, but this summer we aren't getting even that relief. Implementing various strategies to keep the bunnies cool, and watching closely for signs of excessive heat stress. I'll go out in a few minutes and dispense a round of ice cubes in water bottles.

I had a couple of litters right in the prime range for heat-related ear problems (currently 10 1/2 weeks old), so they have been moved temporarily indoors. There were a few ears showing some inclination to wobble, but all look fine now thank goodness!
 
We welcomed 2 new litters, born yesterday and today. Both does gave birth right on time and safely in the nest box. Who would have thought that cold would be a concern for a litter born well into the month of May, but the night that the first litter was born the temperatures were in the 30's! Mom pulled plenty of wool though, and all nine babies were just fine.
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There was little question that Teagan was expecting - as usual, she started earnestly nesting about 2 weeks before she was due, and stopped eating her pellets shortly after that. Fortunately, there were plenty of dandelions available, and she LOVES those!

Teagan gave birth to 9 kits exactly on her due date, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, all safely in the nest box and snug despite the cold. There are 4 torts, and 5 blacks, best I can tell,

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Snow Mist (Misty) gave birth during the following night to her litter of 8. So far they all look like REW's, but it will take a couple of days to see if any develop some shading. This same pairing previously produced REW's and one sable pearl, so I'm hoping there is another sable pearl in this litter - it's one of my favorite French Angora colors.

I'll post more pictures as the little ones grow and get cuter!
 
We had a new litter of French Angora babies born during our recent snow storm! Their mother is aptly named "Snow Mist"; I will have to come up with "snowy" names for these babies! There are 7 kits, born December 20, and all seven are doing great.

The mother, a REW with 2 legs toward her Grand Championship, is Spanish Oaks Snow Mist, and the father is Spang's D'Artagnan, a sable pearl with 6 Grand Champion legs.
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What colors will they be? At just 2 days old, some shading is clearly visible on the 2 at the top; the three on the right look like they are going to be white, but the one farthest to the left - white or not? (One is hiding under the pile.) I'm still developing my eye for color identification, so at this point I'm still guessing.

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At about a week old, the color patterns on the 2 that are clearly not white are emerging. The darker one looks like a sable pearl, and the lighter one (top left) looks like a pearl, but I can't tell which flavor! Will have to wait to see how the color develops - and the eye color - to make a dertermination. No color or shading developing on any of the others, so they look to be REW's.

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At two weeks of age, they are starting to look and act more like bunnies! Their eyes are open - although they are singularly uncooperative at letting me have a good look at eye color, invariably squeezing their eyes tight shut whenever I pick them up! It's too soon to tell much about the light pearl's eye color anyway; I've taken to calling that little one "Smudge", since for a while he/she looked like the whites, just a bit "smudged".... At this point, they are much more active, and close to learning how to jump out of the nest box. At first, baby bunnies consistently seek out each other and coalesce into a pile whenever they are not nursing, but at this stage they are beginning to get curious about their sourroundings, and to go off individually to explore. Very entertaining!

 
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Two Oaks' Kieron, MG's Brendan, & Spang's D'Artagnan await judging of the French Angora bucks during the show at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival
My daughter Lindsey and I attended the show at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival in Berryville, Virginia over the weekend, and it was just alot of fun all around! This show is put on by my local club, the Blue Ridge Rabbit & Cavy Club, and features two Open shows. What a treat to be able to devote the inevitable down time between classes and between shows to exploring a fiber festival! The weather went back and forth between rain and sunshine, but for the most part we had a glorious autumn weekend, and the fall colors were at their peak.

We were joined by our friend, Julie George, with her lovely fawn doe, Dolly, who took BOS in Show A. Julie took most of the photos here, which I never could have accomplished while shuffling multiple bunnies back and forth - thank you, Julie!

D'Artagnan Wins BIS  -  TWICE!!

I just couldn't be more thrilled - and surprised! Spang's D'Artagnan took Best in Show honors at BOTH Show A and Show B on Saturday!! Honestly, I knew his coat was right at prime, and he was looking good; I thought he would likely show well. But I never imagined this!
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D'Artagnan moments before being named BIS at SVFF Show A
 


The barn in which the rabbit shows were held were just at the entrance to the fair, and several of us had our grooming tables and blowers set up just outside the barn, facing the entrance, so we had a good number of fair-goers stop by to ask about and to admire the Angora bunnies. Lindsey's little junior doe, Aurora, is one of those bunnies that just LOVES attention, so she was in her element holding court on the grooming table for a good portion of the afternoon, and entertained young and not-so-young by allowing her admirers to touch her soft cloud of fur. Lindsey did a great job as an Angora ambassador answering questions, and was especially good with the little children. And, oh by the way, her rabbit also took BOS in the second show!
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MG's Aurora attracted the attention of fair-goers on the grooming table.
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As you can see, D'Artagnan is a relaxed competitor, as he "hangs out" while waiting his turn to be judged by judge Chris Howell.....how goofy is that!

 

Over the weekend I let various groups of bunnies out on the deck to enjoy some play time. They were running and frolicing, and kicking up their heels - I love it when they do that, it's just the epitome of joy! Very entertaining watching them play! At one point, 3 junior bucks who had been running around suddenly, as if on cue, lined up in a row one by one to take a break. I had to do a double-take. And then I had to take a picture!

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Also amusing over the weekend was a doe, Adalyn, who if she is not actually pregnant certainly thinks that she is! First I discovered her carrying around giant mouthfuls of hay. I gave her an extra big helping of hay to play with, and she spent the rest of the day very preoccupied with nest-building. The next day it was mouthfuls of wool. Well, she built herself just a lovely little nest, and seems to have gotten that out of her system for the time being. Which is good, because assuming she is expecting, the birth is not yet so imminent as to require a nest just yet. But I guess she feels better knowing she's ready....

 

I finally, FINALLY made some updates to the web site this weekend! I have taken quite a few photographs, and finally sifted through them enough to update the photo of Teagan, my senior tort doe - whose previous picture really did not do her justice at all! - and of Adalyn. I still need to update photos of the other senior rabbits, and add some for the new juniors I am keeping from Teagan's litter. But it's progress, nonetheless!

I also added my new e-mail address: [email protected], and some links to web sites for Waterford, VA and for the Waterford Market, where my eggs are sold. The market really is a charming little place with, in addition to fresh, free-range eggs from Two Oaks Farm, an assortment of yarn and hand-knit items from wool grown and hand-spun by Linda, the shop owner, fresh locally produced lamb, and a variety of other crafts, foodstuff and necessities.

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Spang's Adalyn with her BOB awards
I have gone to three rabbit shows since my last entry. The first two were in Mineral Wells, WV the weekend of May 9. The drive was long, but it was a lovely, mountainous route, and I so enjoyed meeting several other Angora rabbit enthusiasts!! I am sorry to say that I missed the UARC (United Angora Rabbit Club) Specialty show, since it was first thing in the morning and I just could not get there in time. Spang's Adalyn took BOB in the two other shows that day, the Blennerhassett Rabbit Club and the Southern West Virginia Rabbit Breeders Association, giving her 2 legs toward her Grand Championship! Spang's D'Artagnan took BOS in the SWVRBA show.

The third show was put on by my local club, the Blue Ridge Rabbit and Cavy Club, on June 6 in Charles Town, WV. I was the only exhibitor of French Angoras, but I took all of my juniors from the March litter and got the benefit of the judge's comments and verification that none had any DQ's. (I am SO grateful to Lynn Miller and her friends who jumped in and helped me get all those rabbits to and from the show table quickly. I couldn't have done it - certainly not with any aplomb - without their help!)

 

Growing Babies and Some New Things Around the Rabbitry

Eight little tort bunnies explored their new, larger cage over the weekend. 

Two new cages were pre-ordered from Martin's Cages for pick-up at the Baltimore and Howard County Rabbit Club show on Saturday at the Howard County Fairgrounds. This saved the cost of shipping, and the cages were already assembled. I did need to assemble the framework to stack the cages, however. There were no instructions, but it was all pretty much common sense.....it took me a while to find enough "common sense" to actually accomplish the feat, but eventually I managed to get everything in the right place! Teagan and the babies moved to the top cage, and Adalyn moved in to the bottom cage. Everyone seems happy in their new, spacious home!

Oh, and I brought back something else from the show - two more French Angora rabbits......now, how did that happen! Spanish Oak's Snow Mist and Spanish Oak's Diamond Jim are pictured below. Both come with one leg toward their Grand Championship.