Show News...

On August 23, I went to the Great Lake Rabbit & Cavy Double Show in Charlotte, MI. This is one of my favorite shows. It is not too far from my house (meaning I don't have to leave at 4 am to get there on time), the drive is mostly on country roads (great scenery!), and it is often well attended. This year we had a total of 204 Open mini rex in Show B!! Show A had a little less. Our judges were Brian Hartzell (show B) and John Grimm (show A). It was good to see such a great turn out especially with the high gas prices, etc...

I only took 4 rabbits along to show as those were the only ones ready for a show. I have more in the barn, but it is that time of year for molting.

My junior black doe, Woodland's Luna, did well. At only 3 months old, she placed 1st out of 7 in both shows receiving her first 2 legs. What a great way to start! Even with her baby coat, she already has excellent density and texture to her fur. Her type is great too. I look forward to seeing how this little doe does in the future!

Luna's littermate, Woodland's Star, did exceptionally well. There is a short story that goes along with this doe, but I will tell you the long version. =) I had been on the fence about keeping this little doe. Those that know me are not surprised that at times I have difficulty deciding if I should keep a rabbit. If this is the case, I am often asking them (repeatedly!) to go over the rabbit and help me decide. Well, this was the case with Star. I would post her for sale, change my mind and take her off, and then again post her for sale. I decided to enter her in both shows and see how she did. I wanted to get the judges' opinions on her to help me decide what I would do with her. It turns out that I am definitely going to keep Star for a while! In her first show, she placed 1st out of a huge broken junior doe class of 23. Then she went on to win BOV with just over 60 brokens entered! Huge surprise! She also placed 1st out of 17 in the second show. Two legs on her first day out. Besides having type and fur, she has a wonderful temperment.

It is always fun to do well at a show, but my favorite part of a show is all the socializing with fellow rabbit friends. I am blessed to have such great mini rex breeders around that are so knowledgable about the breed, but are also so funny and friendly.

The next show coming up is the Mid-Michigan RBA show in Ionia, MI. Saturday, Sept. 6 is their double show and Sunday, Sept. 7 is another single show. This is also a great show as the Ionia fairgrounds are easy to get to and the building has PLENTY of room for everyone. Hope to see you there!

"Black Gold"

As a teacher, next week does not signify the first week of September, but the first week of school. Hmm... I also start thinking about my fall projects around the yard. They will include planting spring bulbs, dividing perennials, and most importantly, spreading rabbit manure.

Rabbit manure is EXCELLENT fertilizer for many reasons. It is very high in nitrogen, breaks down easily, doesn't smell, and is not hot like other manures so it can be added right to your plant beds without worrying about it burning your plants. I had always read about how wonderful it was so I decided to liberally spread some over my herb garden and perennial bed last spring. My herbs and flowers grew like crazy. For those of you that have rabbits, you know that with rabbits continually eating and pooping, I have an endless supply of this "black gold".

I (meaning my husband) will be building a compost bin this fall. All the rabbit manure will be dumped right from the trays into the bin. This will keep it more contained and will look nicer.

So...if you're a gardener like me and have rabbits... be sure to add that wonderful black gold to your plants this spring if you haven't already done so. Who wants to throw away free, natural fertilizer?!