Thursday, December 11, 2008

Rabbitry News

Well, there hasn't been a ton going on in the rabbbitry other than letting everyone chill and gain back condition after me being away for convention.

But there are a couple new developments:

1. The December 6th, CRBA Show in Mount Vernon was tons of fun. I love how relaxed and chill it is. I only entered 4 jersey woolies, no chins. So I didn't have much to show at all. Buns did ok, but most were moulting, out of flesh condition (due to convention trip), or too young to compete. So just waiting on them to develop more. The next show I plan on attending is the January 31st show in Saint Helens, OR.

2. Well, there is hardly any kits in the barn right now. 1 Litter of chins out of AT6, 5 kits, and 1 litter of woolies out of B-mac's Lady Bug 3 kits. So to have a couple does due Today, December 11th, and a few more due on the 17th is pretty exciting.

Does Due December 11th: (TODAY)!
SC-M an' M's Zoli X Wiebensohn's Togo **KINDLED 10 kits December 11th.
JW-Rolling Hill's MacKay X Erb's Spencer **KINDLED 2 kits December 11th
JW-M an' M's Coconut X Erb's Spencer **KINDLED 3 kits December 11th
JW-M an' M's Star-Struck X M an' M's Zane **KINDLED 8 kits December 11th

Does Due December 17th:
SC-Hutchin's 051 X Wiebensohn's Togo
JW-M an' M's Frida X RM's Grasshopper
JW-M an' M's Ashlind X Meadow's JS1

Does Due December 24th:
M an' M's Queen of Cartoons X Erb's Spencer

Does Due December 26th:
M an' M's Martini X RM's Grasshopper

Anyways, I hope everyone else's buns are doing well. And I will keep you posted on new babies.

Until then,

Toodles,

-Ashley

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Show Results, the past couple shows, other than Convention

Just a quick summary of how the past couple shows have gone, before and after convention.





Shows Results:

West Puget Sound Rabbit and Cavy Club, Sept. 27th, 2008

Show A:
Best of Breed: RM's Grasshopper, 5th leg
Best Opposite Sex of Breed: M an' M's Tootie Fruitie, 5th leg

BOG Tan Pattern: M an' M's Queen of Cartoons, 1st leg


Show B:
Best of Breed: RM's Grasshopper, 6th leg
Best Opposite Sex of Breed: M an' M's Tootie Fruitie, 6th leg

BOG Tan Pattern: M an' M's Zane, 11th leg





Northwest Rabbit Breeders Association, October 4th, 2008

Show A:

Best of Breed: RM's Grasshopper, 7th leg
Best Opposite Sex of Breed: M an' M's Queen of Cartoons, 2nd leg




Show B:

Best Opposite Sex of Breed: RM's Grasshopper, 8th leg

BOG Tan Pattern: M an' M's Zane 12th, Leg



Evergreen Rabbit Breeders Association, November 8th, 2008

Show A:



Best Opposite Sex of Breed: M an' M's Zane, 13 leg




Yep, more posts to come soon.

Until then,

Toodles,

-Ashley

Convention +

WOW, it has been a long time since I blogged. This is because of all of the craziness that took place before, during and after convention.

So I guess I need to summarize everything!

ARBA National Convention, Louisville, KY, October 26-30th, 2008 M an' M Rabbitry Open Show Results:

6th place Self SR Doe out of 53, M an' M's Tootie Fruitie

1st place Tan Pattern Senior Doe, M an' M's Queen of Cartoons
BOG Tan Pattern out of 44, M an' M's Queen of Cartoons
8th place Colored Wool out of 22, M an' M's Queen of Cartoons

17th place Shaded SR Buck out of 28, M an' M's Bebop

13th place Standard Chinchilla SR Doe out of 25, M an' M's Zoli

Convention was a BLAST! It was absolutely crazy, but tons of fun! Shonna and I transported almost 70 animals to convention, and another 45 or some home. That was interesting to say the least. The animals did well, and lost very little condition. Even though it was a 3 day trip. Shonna drove days and I drove nights. On the way there we had planned to drive 12 hours a day, 6 hours for each of us, but the first day we only managed to do 10, as we had 3 drop off/pick up locations which took some time. We had planned to get at the convention center later Friday, but that was cut short, as we continued to get behind schedule. So on Friday we had 15+ hours to drive. Shonna and I ended up pulling and all nighter, and arrived in Louisville, KY at 8:30 am Eastern time Saturday morning. We checked into the hotel room just wanted to crash, but of course fate would not allow that to happen. As I walked along side my bed it was like wadeing though water. The carpet was soaked and the room stunk! We were so tired though, that we just went to bed and dealt with it in the morning. Luckily we were able to change rooms after we had gotten a few hours of sleep.

Once at the convention center at about 5pm Saturday, it was even crazier as everyone came and picked up their animals. Gee, it was insane! My phone was ringing off the hook for about 48 hours straight!
Sunday was another full day of animals being picked up and finishing getting animals in their coops.
Later that evening, Shonna, Alyssa and I went out to dinner with George and Jessica, some awesome chin friends of mine in Orlando, FL. It was so much fun, and they were just a pleasure to be around. They are practically family, such awesome people! It was quite sad that they had to leave early Tuesday morning and were not able to stay longer.
Finally, once most of the animals were picked up on Sunday, it was time for the show Monday. It was great getting to finally meet Brian, Daykota, George and Jessica, Mary and Molly, Sandi, Laura, Amanda and Deidra. That was the best part of convention. Finally being able to put a face to a name, and being able to hug so many friends that I have made over the years all over the nation. The judging went good. It was tons of fun being a runner for the wooly table and hanging out and talking to all the people. The chin table was a little more interesting, and I decided that I wanted to see how my woolies are doing, so I was not able to see how my chins did. Bummer!

It was a major surprise to have M an' M's Tootie Fruitie, Black Senior Doe to receive 6th place out of 53! Especially when she was just coming into senior coat, and had no density or length of coat. I was also thrilled to have M an' M's Queen of Cartoons not only place 1st in her class, but also win BEST OF GROUP Tan Pattern! I was ecstatic, especially this was only the second year I had ever entered any animals in a national convention. And to go from 6th place out of 12 Tan Pattern SR Does to BOG Tan Pattern, was a huge improvement.


M an' M's Queen of Cartoons
Best of Group Tan Pattern Open Jersey Wooly
ARBA National Convention 2008

Finally after the judging day, Monday, we were finally able to get some sleep.

Tuesday was a little more lax, as I cleaned convention coops, and Shonna and Alyssa cleaned carriers back at the hotel, after we went to the National Jersey Wooly Rabbit Club Specialty meeting. Best in Show was nice, the Kentucky Club could have done a little better with announcing all of the exhibitor names, thats for sure. I was excited to see that Randy Shumaker and Allen Mesick were chosen to be Group judges. Allen was a group judge for youth, and Randy was a group judge for open.

Anyways, so the next highlight of the convention trip was the Jersey Wooly Banquet. It was fun getting to hang out with the Bledsoe Family during the banquet. Here were my banquet results:

Open District 1 Overall Sweepstakes Champion
5th Place Open Herdsman
1st Place Tan Pattern SR Doe Open
Best of Group Tan Pattern Open

Anyways, Thursday was checkout. It was a bit chaotic to say the least, as Shonna and I had to find about 20 animals that we had sales slips for, of about 10+ different breeds. But we made it out and begun our long journey home.

Sadly, I was getting sick by Wednesday of convention, and by the day we left Kentucky, I was developing a head cold. For the next couple of days Shonna drove days, and almost the entire time that she drove I slept, and then I would wake up just in time to drive nights. Even with all of the sleeping, I kept getting sicker and sicker, and Monday after we got home, I was pretty sick.

We got home Sunday morning at about 1:30 am. Luckily Shonna's husband Duane was there to help us unload everything and sort through all the stuff.

It was a fab-u-loss trip, and was tons of fun. But the animals and I are glad to me home, and back in our routines.

Until, I have the time to post again,

Toodles,

-Ashley


Thursday, October 2, 2008

Upcoming Bun Shows

Well, convention is sneaking up very quickly. Fall shows have just started picking up. It was nice to finally get to a rabbit show, since the last one I had been to was the July 12th, Monroe Show.

The Bremerton show went very well. It was a lot of fun seeing bunny friends again after a couple of months. M an' M Rabbitry animals didn't do too bad either! LOL... here were the results:

Show A:

Best of Breed: RM's Grasshopper, Broken SR Buck, 5th leg, shown by me.
Best of Opposite Sex of Breed: M an' M's Tootie Fruitie, Self JR Doe, 5th leg
Best of Group Tan Pattern: M an' M's Queen of Cartoons, Tan Pattern SR Doe, 1st leg

Show B:

Best of Breed: RM's Grasshopper, Broken SR Buck, 5th leg, shown by me.
Best of Opposite Sex of Breed: M an' M's Tootie Fruitie, Self JR Doe, 5th leg
Best of Group Tan Pattern: M an' M's Zane, Tan Pattern SR Buck, 11th leg

So yeah, it was a great show for the woolies. Many new exhibitors, and good numbers in the classes.

The next shows that M an' M Rabbitry buns will be attending are as follows:

October 4th, Monroe, WA, Chins and Woolies
October 11th, Kennewick, WA, Chins and Woolies
October 26th-30th, Louisville, KY, Chins and Wooiles
November 8th, Yelm, WA, Woolies

Its going to be a super fun year with lots of surprises.

Plans for convention are going well, and everything seems to be working out great. It should be a super fun trip, and a wonderful experience.

Until more rabbitry news,

-Ashley

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The digital camera is finally back in action!

Yep, my camera finally works again! Yea! And I used it almost immediately! I needed to get out to the barn and take some pictures of some super cuties!

Here is a really promising juinor wooly that will be hitting the fall show tables soon:


M an' M's Sugar Coating
Blue Junior Doe Jersey Wooly
Leapin's Eclipse X M an' M's Daffodil
This little girl is super adorable!

There are also a couple litters that will be ready to leave by convention. They are pretty cute and are also showing promise:

M an' M's Bebop X M an' M's Ashlind:


Blue Otter Buck *FOR SALE*




Lilac Buck




REW Doe




Smoke Pearl Doe



Lilac Otter Doe *FOR SALE*

M an' M's Bebop X M an' M's Frida: + FOSTER CHILD (M an' M's Bebop X Kay'z Kassidy REW BUCK)


Cute little line up:
1 Lilac, 2 Blues, 1 Black, 1 Chocolate, and 1 REW Buck

REW Buck is *FOR SALE*


Adorable Little Blue Doe!


Another Pic of the cuties!



Other news: Bremerton Entries were due today, here is a quick summary of what I entered:

Broken SR BUCK-RM's Grasshopper
Self JR Doe-M an' M's Tootie Fruite
Self JR Doe- M an' M's Sugar Coating
Tan Pattern SR Doe- M an' M's Queen of Cartoons
Tan Pattern SR Buck- M an' M's Zane

Even though Bremerton Entries just went it...in just a day or so I need to start filling out my convention entries! Karli and Jenna were both over today helping decide who all I should show at convention. I was surprised that I had quite a few that we felt were worthy of contending.

I will post what I decided to enter for convention tomorrow or in the next couple of days. I don't want this post to be too big!

Until I post again,

Toodles,

-Ashley

Monday, September 15, 2008

Convention is Right Around the Corner

Indeed it is...Convention is coming up so quickly it just amazing!

But that isn't stopping any activities from happening around here. We plan on hitting a couple more shows before Convention, and then some after too! Bremerton on the 27th of this month will be a nice change as its been a lot of fair activity lately. Also Monore on October 4th, and Kennewick shortly after.

Shonna and I are still figuring out all the details of the convention trip, but it looks like we are going to get it all worked out. Remember we are offering transport, so let me know if you need anything to get to convention or back, or even round trip! Who knows!

Most of the buns are moulting and getting in new coats, so once that is finished it will be nice that the barn wont be so fuzzy for a while.

Also sadly this post or the next couple will most likely not have any photos in them. I accidentally dropped my digital camera on our concrete patio, and its not very happy now...So until I get a new camera...no pics!

Anyways, its pretty late and I just wanted to make a quick note that M an' M Rabbitry is going to convention with standard chinchillas and jersey woolies.

By the way, lots of animals are available right now in the wooly department. With an addition of a few that have since been weaned, a little siamese sable buck and a rew doe.

Take care, and I will post again soon!

-Ashley

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Forgotten Post

Ok, so I have a quick post today that was actually forgotten at the end of June. Yeah I know its been a few months, but I still thought that it was worthy of some recognition on the blog.

Anyways, so here it is. The results of the Washington State Rabbit Breeders Association Sweepstakes Results:

They handed out the placings on mouse pads, so it was kind of neat, plus an extra $50 never hurt any. Sadly it was my last year in youth, so I probably wont do as well next year. Here is my results:


Anyways, that is it, until more rabbitry news pops up!

-Ashley

Monday, September 1, 2008

Babies Babies and more Babies

Well, since the last post not a lot has changed other than some more babies have been born!

One Jersey Wooly litter and one Standard Chinchilla litter. With a few more due in the next day or so.

Here is a quick little summary of the litters:

Jersey Woolies:

-M an' M's Frida X M an' M's Bebop:
*Black Kit, Lilac Kit, Smoke Pearl Kit, Blue Kit, Chocolate Kit

Standard Chinchillas:

-DC's DC1 X Wiebensohn's Togo:
-5 kits



So here is a current kit tally:

Jersey Woolies:

-M an' M's Ashlind-5
-M an' M's Frida-5
-Rolling Hill's MacKay-1
-M an' M's Coconut-1
-M an' M's Daffodil-1

Total: 13 Wooly Kits

Standard Chinchillas:

-AT8-6
-DC's DC1-5
-Coon's Morena-4
-Hutchin's 051-5

Total: 20 Chin Kits

OVERALL TOTAL: 33 Kits



Anyways, when I have more M an' M Rabbitry news I will post again,

Until then,

Toodles,

-Ashley

Friday, August 22, 2008

Growing Juniors

Well, there has been a lot of babies born at M an' M Rabbitry lately, and everyday it seems like there is more on their way. ^_^

Here are a few of the cuties that are looking super promising!



Blue PreJunior Jersey Wooly Doe
Leapin's Eclipse X M an' M's Daffodil
This little gal is such a cutie! I can't wait to see how she matures!




Siamese Sable PreJunior Jersey Wooly Buck
M an' M's Bebop X Rolling Hill's MacKay
Another real cutie! This guy might just stick around even though he is a shaded.



REW PreJunior Jersey Wooly Kit
M an' M's Bebop X M an' M's Coconut
Opps, I forgot to sex this one! Oh well. This little thing has some time to grow yet...but looks like it has a pretty good start.



Cute Pic of the little REW above



5 Standard Chinchilla Kits
DC's Zel X Hutchin's 051
This kits are looking really nice, and I can't wait to see how their type develops!



Can you count all of the ears?


Anyways, I will keep the blog updated with new pics and happenings at M an' M Rabbitry as new and exciting things emerge.

Toodles,

-Ashley


Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Haven't Blogged for Over a Month!

I can't believe how time has just flown by! I didn't realize that I hadn't blogged in over a month until I looked at my website and realized that I hadn't updated it since the end of MAY! Eeeeeek!

Since my last blog about the Monroe show, there have been quite a few litters born, lots of cute upcoming juniors, and a lot of for sale animals!

Here are some of the litters that have been born:

Wooly Litters:

M an' M's Daffodil X Leapin's Eclipse -Blue Kit

Rolling Hill's MacKay X M an' M's Bebop -Siamese Sable Kit

M an' M's Coconut X M an' M's Bebop -Ruby Eyed White Kit

M an' M's Ashilnd X M an' M's Bebop - Blue Otter Kit, Smoke Pearl Marten Kit, 3 Smoke Pearls

Chin Litters:

Hutchin's 051 X DC's Zel -5 kits

Coon's Morena X Wiebensohn's Togo -4 kits

AT8 X Wiebensohn's Togo -6 kits

Don't Worry More does are due on the 26th of this month, so more and more kits will be coming! Chins and Woolies alike.



Also, there have been a ton of buns moulting due to the recent heat waves. But one little wooly has managed to begin to make the transformation from junior to senior. This picture was taken about 2 weeks ago, but when it finally stops raining I will take a more recent photo, as her coat is longer and more even now.


M an' M's Queen of Cartoons
Black Otter Junior Doe
WWR's Peewee X M an' M's Ashlind

The next blog I post in the next couple of days will have a recent list of animals for sale and hopefully some information on animals that will be available for sale to be transported to National Convention later this year.

Toodles,

-Ashley


New Standard Chinchilla Stock

In the past month or so I have acquired some new standard chinchilla stock that has yet to be mentioned on the website, or on the blog. These animals are very nice quality, and I hope to get some nice animals out of them.


Wiebensohn's Togo
Standard Chinchilla Senior Buck

Wiebensohn's Togo's Ring Definition

This little junior buck is really nice good solid type and wonderful ring definition. He is going to be a very promising animal that I hope to incorporate into the herd soon.



Wiebensohn's Tango
Standard Chinchilla Senior Doe

Wiebensohn's Tango's Ring Definition

This little doe is very nice. She has good type, but her most notable features are her stellar ring definition and surface color. She is a very cute little doe. Once she grows up a bit more she will be incorporated into the chin breeding program.


AT8
Standard Chinchilla Senior Doe

AT8's Ring Definition

This wonderful senior doe came from Margaret Cummings. Although she is not from Margaret's stock, the doe's sister has blended in well with her herd, so I am assuming the same will happen with mine. She has a great coat on her right now, nice ring definition and surface color. Plus very solid type. Because I wont be going to any bunny shows for over a month, I decided to breed her to Wiebensohn's Togo. That should be a very nice combo, and we will see how everything turns out.

******Update! At8 Kindled 6 healthy kits and is raising them well!

Also, in the next couple of months I plan on increasing the Standard Chinchilla herd up to 15 holes for breeding stock. Yes, I know that doesn't really seem like a whole lot, but before the addition of these three buns, I was only at 5 animals for breeding stock. So it will be a really nice treat to be able to increase the herd that much. Plus, more high quality stock will come out of M an' M Rabbitry that way.

Anyways, I plan on updating the site soon, with new pics and information about new litters!

Until then,

Toodles,

-Ashley

Monday, July 14, 2008

Tons of Fun with Jersey Woolies and Standard Chinchillas

Well the monroe show was fun even though it was a bit warm for the buns. It was still a great time seeing good friends again.

In SHOW A I was amazed to find out that there were 23 standard chinchillas entered! And I had only entered 3! Liz and Margaret were both there, and it was thrilling to see all of their wonderful animals. Liz had a really cute little junior buck who has just stellar surface color! He had waves all the way up to his shoulders! It was a sight to see! It was wonderful to have classes as large as 10 junior does! Those are some firsts for standard chinchillas at a show other than Washington State Convention.

Overall, the chins did pretty good. I entered Scott's TP2 Junior Buck who placed 2 of 4, and Scott's TP3 Junior Doe who placed 3 out of 10. I also entered M an' M's Zoli, my favorite little chin girl...(she is my baby ^_^)...and she took Best Of Breed even with her never ending moult line! Cliff Dick really did like her, and I was happy about that, as I think she is a pretty nice doe too! M an' M's Zoli now has her 2nd leg. Here is a picture of Zoli before she started getting her moult line.


M an' M's Zoli
Best Of Breed Standard Chinchilla
GNRCG Show A

By the way, there were no standard chinchillas shown in the B show. Its just something weird about the chin breeders, they just don't stick around for show B. ^_^

So, as for the woolies, the numbers were also pretty good. There was about 15 or so woolies, so a few animals got legs.

Here were my results.

SHOW A:

Best of Breed: M an' M's Tootie Fruitie (3rd leg)
Best Opposite Sex of Breed: M an' M's Bebop (8th leg)

SHOW B:

Best of Breed: M an' M's Tootie Fruitie (4th leg)
Best Opposite Sex of Breed: Kay'z Karter (out of my stock, owned by Alex of WA state)


M an' M's Tootie Fruitie
Self Jersey Wooly Junior Doe
Best of Breed GNRCG Show A and B

M an' M's Bebop
Shaded Senior Buck Jersey Wooly
Best Opposite Sex of Breed GNRCG Show A


One more thing I would like to add to this post is a couple pictures of this super cute little Blue doe M an' M's Empress, out of Leapin's Eclipse and Rolling Hill's MacKay. She is going to be really nice, and I can't wait to put her on the show tables.

M an' M's Empress
Blue Junior Doe Jersey Wooly
Leapin's Eclipse X Rolling Hill's MacKay


Isn't she just a doll!

Anyways, in the next day or so I will write up a post about the new Standard Chinchilla stock that has been incorporated into the M an' M Rabbitry herd. They are some pretty nice animals, and have a lot of potential.

Until I post about the new chin stock,

Toodles,

-Ashley


Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Jersey Woolies and Standard Chinchillas Entered at the Monroe Show

So I had a bit of a tough time deciding to who to enter at the upcoming show in Monroe July 12th. I have a lot of nice junior jersey woolies that could be shown, and a lot of nice standard chinchilla juniors but I had to make up my mind and pick who would be the best competitors on the table. So here is what I decided to enter.

Jersey Woolies:

-M an' M's Tootie Fruitie -Self Junior Doe
-M an' M's Psyche -Tan Pattern Junior Doe
-M an' M's Martini - Tan Pattern Junior Doe
-M an' M's Bebop - Shaded Senior Buck
-M an' M's Electrify -Self Junior Buck

Standard Chinchillas:

-M an' M's Zoli -Senior Doe
-TP3 - Junior Doe
-TP2 - Junior Buck
*Karli still has TP2 and TP3's pedigrees, so I don't know their names!

Anyways, the monroe show should be a lot of fun this weekend, and I hope that the buns do very well. The buns are looking pretty cute though, so I expect that they will place well.

I leave you a very funny picture of M an' M's Snaps. (BatWoman)


M an' M's Snaps
Standard Chinchilla Junior Doe


Until I post again,

-Ashley

Monday, July 7, 2008

Major Cleaning!

Last week I went through the barn and really noticed that there needed to be some MAJOR cleaning! Things were getting a little too fuzzy with the recent heat waves that set everyone into fast happening moults. Thus, I called up Tawnee and we planned on today for the major clean. And so we did.

We took all the the cages out of the barn, cleaned them, washed them out, and sanitized them making them super clean! Although the barn is a total mess due to all of the moving cages around and stuff, at least the buns are clean and happy! Tomorrow's chore is to organize all of the stuff that is thrown about the barn since the BIG clean! The buns were happy to get back into their cages after being in carriers for most of the day, and they were very happy to get back their toys which had be cleaned. They had a lot of energy to burn off from being in the carriers, and new clean toys was a great way to do it.

Today was super tiring, but I am glad that it all got done. Bun entires for the Monroe show are going to be sent in tomorrow. I just have to make some last minute decisions on the standard chinchillas to see who exactly I plan on entering.

Also, in the next few days I plan on updating the website with new for sale buns and edits to the Jersey Wooly and Standard Chinchilla stock, as there are some new additions, and some animals who have left the rabbitry for other breeding programs.

So I end with a couple pics of M an' M's Frida X DR's Titan's litter, 4 blue otters and 1 Blue (Very cute)


Look at that little face...don't you just want to gobble it up! CUTE!



Cute Cute Cute! I love these Blue Otters!



The Whole M an' M's Frida X DR's Titan's litter! Super Cute!



Anyways, until I have the time to get more pics of the upcoming cuties, or update the website,

Toodles,

-Ashley

Friday, June 27, 2008

Upcoming Jersey Wooly Juniors

Well, ever since that boom of standard chinchilla litters about 3 months ago there really hasn't been a whole lot of chin activity, but the jersey woolies haven't halted in their production one bit! The litters just seem to keep on coming...and the does keep on breeding.

So, due to the numerous litters at M an' M Rabbitry, there are several very promising juniors that will be good show contenders, as some of the senior stock is moulting, and older juniors wait to get their senior coats on. Here are a few of the cuties!


M an' M's Martini
Black Silver Marten Junior Doe
Sadly her dam decided to nibble on her coat a bit...so she may not be hitting the show tables for quite a while. But for the meantime, we will wait and see how she is growing before making any final decisions on this little girl.



M an' M's Martini surveying her surroundings...CUTE!


M an' M's Psyche
Sable Marten Junior Doe
M an' M's Psyche is looking pretty cute! Every day I look at her and things that I thought weren't that great are improving. So we will see as she matures just a bit, and then space and other deciding factors will be taken into consideration. So far things are looking pretty promising that she will stick around.

M an' M's Psyche -BOD Shot




M an' M's Rocket
Ruby Eyed White Junior Buck
This little guy is the last of the best of this round of wooly litters. More kits coming up of course. But this little guy is super promising. It seems that M an' M Rabbitry is a little short on bucks in the wooly department at the moment, so he may stick around to fill the void of Self Stud Muffin. Of course that is when he grows up...just a tad...^_^

Anyways, its not long until more buns are born...here are a few combos due to kindle in July.

July litters due:

Standard Chinchillas:
DC's DC1 X DC's Zel (cute combo)
DC's DC2 X DC's Zel
Hutchin's 051 X DC's Zel
M an' M's Zoli X (buck from Scott...need to get paperwork from Karli)

Jersey Woolies:
M an' M's Frida X M an' M's Bebop
Rolling Hill's MacKay X M an' M's Bebop
M an' M's Daffodil X Leapin's Eclipse
M an' M's Coconut X M an' M's Bebop
Bunnies in the Box's Sophie X RM's Grasshopper

So YES! Plenty of more super cute buns will be born this summer!

Until more bun news,

-Ashley




Tuesday, June 24, 2008

WA State Convention: Friends and Fun!

Now that everyone is home and is settling in again from a long and tiering weekend, I finally have time to write up a blog about Washington State Convention.

The trip went well, and the weather was very mild for Eastern Washington. We lucked out again this year with some very nice wind and pretty reasonable heat. Of course we still brought with us some fans and such to keep the buns cool after coming off the show tables.

Karli and I also got to see some of our good ol' friends again. I swear I did more chatting with friends than I did even showing and attending the rabbits for the entire weekend. But it was good fun seeing them, and also meeting several new breeders. Plus, my grand parents who live over in Soap Lake, WA came over to visit with Karli and I on Sunday, and brought us lots of good home cooked food! Thank you Grandma Janice and Grandpa Orville!

The banquet was also very nice. Between Karli and I listening to the Royalty and sweeps awards, Shonna and her husband shared some very funny stories with us. ^_^ Karli did well for her first year at the Royalty Competition and I am sure that she will do even better in 2009.

So finally I will post the show results.

For the chins. Considering that my juniors were still in baby coats and that my senior doe Zoli was moulting, I think the chins did pretty well. No legs, but they placed where I thought they would in the competition against the older, more developed juniors. I also picked up a buck and a doe from Scott, and he ended up taking M an' M's Cassidy, and M an' M's Kangaroo. So I am super excited to see how things mesh! Breedings will occur VERY soon!

For the woolies, it was quite surprising. I only entered 4. M an' M's Bebop, M an' M's Tootie Fruitie, M an' M's Zane, and M an' M's Demi (Ear Change for M an' M's Queen of Cartoons). Anyways, when we got to the show room Friday afternoon, I really didn't think my woolies would do anything. The hair was falling off of M an' M's Zane and M an' M's Tootie Fruitie's faces. M an' M's Tootie Fruitie, had also chewed off half of her coat, and M an' M's Demi was only 8 weeks old. So yeah things didn't look like M an' M Rabbitry would pull out many wins this year, but I sure was pleasantly surprised!

SHOW A:
BOB Jersey Wooly: M an' M's Bebop, 7th leg
BOG Self: M an' M's Tootie Fruitie, 1st leg


SHOW B:
BOB Jersey Wooly: M an' M's Tootie Fruitie, 2nd leg


M an' M's Bebop, Smoke Pearl Jersey Wooly Senior Buck



M an' M's Tootie Fruitie, Black Jersey Wooly Junior Doe


It was pretty surprising that Tootie Fruitie pulled out a BOB win out of about 30+ woolies. That was really nice!

Also, in youth M an' M's Fruit Loop, Blue Jr Doe took BOB for Tawnee. Congrats to both of them!

M an' M's Fruit Loop, Jersey Wooly Blue Junior Doe owned by Tawnee of WA State


So, overall it was a super fun weekend filled with lots of good times with friends, family and good show results!

By the way, I have decided to apply for my registrar's license so wish me luck!

Until I post again,

Toodles!

-Ashley

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Washington State Convention is right around the corner!

Yep, time is flying by, and I can't believe that it is almost Washington State Convention already! Its just crazy.

Well, the standard chinchillas are all looking pretty good, some better than others, of the 5 I entered, most should do pretty well on the show tables this weekend.

As for the woolies, of the 4 I entered, there is really only one animal that Is really going to do well. The others are just juniors with baby coats or a senior who is just about to blow coat, and his coat is a bit discolored. But overall it should be tons of fun, and It will be great to see some good bunny friends again that I haven't seen in a while.

Today and Tomorrow I am doing quite a few breedings. So more woolies and more chins should be bred for beautiful babies to show at national convention.

Also, M an' M's Ashlind's kits are looking pretty cute, and are just to the point of starting to come out of the nestbox. This was a combination of M an' M's Ashlind X M an' M's Zane, so they should be pretty cute!

There is also some very cute woolies and chins that are almost old enough to wean, and once I return from WA State Convention, I will wean them and get pictures up on the blog and site.

Anyways, I hope all is well with everyone else's rabbitries and that you have lots of kits to choose from.

Toodles,

-Ashley

Friday, June 13, 2008

A Perfect Harmony: Jersey Wooly and Standard Chinchilla Rabbits

For some time now I have rethinking the breeds that I raise. Karli has often said that I should just sell out of the standard chinchillas and just focus on my jersey woolies. Yes, it is true that I do better with my Jersey Woolies, then I do with my Standard Chinchillas, but that is due to the lack of exhibitors in Standard Chinchillas, and the extremely rare chances for legs.

Anyways, I really do think that having both the Jersey Woolies and the Standard Chinchillas are a perfect harmony, and this is why! (I have also included some random cute pictures that haven't made it to the blog or the site yet)

Yeah, I do agree that both the Standard Chinchillas and the Jersey Woolies have their pros and their cons, just like any of the other rabbit breeds.

For one thing the chins do eat A Lot more than the woolies, and with the increase in feed costs, and my increase in production, the feed bill has gone WAY up. They also take up more room and require larger cages. Because they are a bigger rabbit and pack down more food, they poop and pee a lot more than the jersey woolies do, and cleaning their cages is usually more often, as the trays fill up much quicker. Another thing is that the Standard Chinchillas only come in one color. I have always thought that breeders who can do one breed in one variety are very disciplined. And as you can see...that definitely isn't me!


Funny Looking M an' M's Miss-D-fy

This is not to say that the woolies aren't immune from their share of pros and cons! The woolies of course are a lot more work in the grooming department. Wooly juniors typically can only be shown for a good 4 weeks, before they have to retire to the back of the barn until they get their senior coats in. The woolies also tend to make their cage's very hairy! So even though I have to clean chin trays more often, it actually takes me longer to clean the wooly cages because I have to get all that hair off! Especially when animals are moulting....Eeeeeek! The last thing that I can think of that sometimes gets on my nerves with the woolies is feeling their bodies. If an animal has a super dense coat...sometimes I just get so fed up because I just cant feel the body to know which animal to breed him or her too!


Look Mommy, I'm Batman!
Cute nose marking on this little broken...even though she did have pretty big ears!

One thing that I especially like about the Standard Chinchillas is that they have a pretty long junior showing season. Once they are in coat at about 13 weeks, they stay in coat until that senior fur starts coming in. The chins are practically grooming free. Also, I love that with the chins I almost don't even have to feel their body to know what their type is...I can "see" it! And when I am fed up with trying to feel wooly bodies I just go to the chins and just look at the type and play with them. The Standard Chinchillas keep me sane.


A young M an' M's Cellophane

But I must give credit the woolies as they bring me a lot of joy too! Although their coats are more work, and grooming is more often, when I get a really nicely conditioned wooly, I am very proud and it means a lot to me. Plus, the woolies come in a ton of colors, and just raising Tan Patterns, Selfs and AOVs there is plenty of room to play with colors and be surprised to see what pops out of the nestbox!


Line o' Chins

Overall, I think the Jersey Woolies provide me with that Fancy, and Fantasy elements that the Standard Chinchillas do not, but the Standard Chinchillas provide the element of Sanity, and thus it all seems to work out. In the next few months or so, I do plan on increasing my Standard Chinchilla stock, as I really do want to work on them a bit more than I have in the past 2 years. Though, that is not to say that I will be down sizing my woolies to accommodate the increase in chins. I actually plan on increasing my wooly stock as well, in order to progress my woolies a little faster by devoting more holes to breeding does. Therefore, in the next couple of months I plan on acquiring more cages to expand the herd.

Anyways, I just thought that a post was in order to explain my interesting combo of rabbit breeds that I have decided to raise.


M an' M's Fruit Loop
now living with Tawnee of WA State

Therefore, Until I post again,

Toodles,

-Ashley

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Convention Time, OR and WA that is...

Well, its seems like yesterday, but it has almost been a week since Karli and I started our trek down to Newport, OR for a Triple Open All Breed Show at Oregon State Convention. It was a lot of fun, and the weather was really nice! Not too warm and actually sunny!

Overall the buns did pretty well. M an' M Rabbitry Rabbits nearly sweaped the Jersey Wooly Competition winning all BOB and BOS awards for all three shows except for one BOB Show B.

Karli's buns also did very well. Taking a few legs home for RIS Show A, BOB AFL Show B and BIS Youth.

Of course the Standard Chinchilla population in Oregon is virtually nothing, so no legs for the two chins that I entered, but I was very excited to have Cliff look at some of my upcoming juniors that will be seniors at National Convention this year in Kentucky.

As for M an' M' Rabbitry Wins at Oregon State Convention, here is a quick synopsis.

SHOW A:
BOB- M an' M's Ariel - Self Sr Doe Owned by Nancy Jordan (4th leg)
BOS- M an' M's Zane - Tan Pattern Sr Buck (10th leg)
BOG- M an' M's Bebop - Shaded Sr Buck (5th leg)

SHOW B:
BOS- M an' M's Ariel - Self Sr Doe Owned by Nancy Jordan (5th leg)

SHOW C:
BOB- M an' M's Bebop - Shaded Sr Buck (6th leg)
BOS- M an' M's Ariel - Self Sr Doe Owned by Nancy Jordan (6th leg)

So overall it was a great show, with a very funny and memorable banquet! (Karli, I have pictures of you on my phone when you volunteered in the skit ^_^)

As for Washington State Convention, it is coming up super fast! Only hours until it is exactly a week until Karli and I leave for our trip to Ellensburg.

Most of the woolies are in breeding or moulting, but I did manage to find a few to enter.

As for the chins, well thats a whole nother story! I have 2 junior bucks and 2 junior does that are entered and 1 senior doe. I hope to take all three classes that I entered, but we will see when the time comes. These juniors just look awesome! Ring color, type, the only thing I am waiting on is surface color. Lets just hope it comes in before National Convention when they get their senior coats in!

Anyways, Hopefully Karli and I will come back with some stellar wins from Washington State Convention!

Also, in the past couple of weeks, there have been a lot of babies coming out of the nestboxes. Ooodles of babies to be exact! There are some very promising animals that will do well on summer and fall show tables, thats for sure!

When I get some time, after this quarter is over tomorrow, I plan on working on some cages, fixing the navigation menu on the blog, and taking some pics of the cute juniors!

Until then, just check out the site as it has pretty recent pics and some very cute juniors that are going to be GORGEOUS once they get their senior coats in.

Until I post again,

Toodles,

-Ashley

Saturday, May 31, 2008

WOW- SUPER BUSY TIME!

Well, its been almost a month since I have had time to blog, and its been over 2.5 months since I updated the M an' M Rabbitry website. So after 5 people e-mailing me to see if animals that were on my for sale page were still available I decided that I really needed to update the site.

Over the last couple of days in my little, but worthwhile free time I managed to take some pictures of new seniors, juniors and nestbox kits. Then last night I went for it and stayed up till 2:30am making the necessary updates! It took a while, but it looks great now!

http://www.1webspace.biz/manmrabbitry/

Make sure and stop by the site and check out the adorable nestbox kits, and M an' M Rabbitry's upcoming juniors. They are going to be some very competitive animals in a few weeks!

As for shows. YEP, Karli and I have been attending quite a few! After Monroe, WA on May 3rd, was Astoria, OR May 10th, and then Bremerton, WA May 17th, and then Portland, OR May 24th. So non-stop showing in May!

The buns did well at all the shows, but animals that are moulting and juinors just can't compete with those lovely senior animals! Even so M an' M Rabbitry managed to pull out a couple wins.

At the WPSRCC's show in Bremerton, WA on May 17th, it was extremely hot! The buns were a little toasty, but still put their show spirits on.

At the Open A show M an' M's Melodrama got his 4th leg for BOB and in the Open B show, M an' M's Bebop got his 4th leg too!


M an' M's Bebop
BOB Open B at WPSRCC in Bremerton, WA May 17th



M an' M's Melodrama
BOB Open A at WPSRCC in Bremerton, WA May 17th


M an' M's Queen of Cartoons also got some very good comments from Cindy Wickizer, so she is going to be sticking around for a bit longer to see how she matures.

Buns have been producing! YEA! I have a very cute little standard chinchilla buck from Hutchin's 051 X DC's Zel combo that I am keeping. M an' M's Popstar is his name! He can be seen on the Standard Chinchilla Juniors page on the website.

There are also a ton of Jersey Wooly kits in the nest boxes too! The nestbox page has all the current numbers and litters, with some pics of the older kits.

One of the most anticipated litters was M an' M's Ashlind's litter. She kindled May 29th, and had 1 Blue Otter, 1 Black and one REW. The litter was Sired by M an' M's Zane, so lets hope they are all pretty cute!

The next show on the list is Oregon State Convention, a wonderful triple show that Karli and I will be going to for the first time this coming weekend June 7th and 8th.

The other show that we will be attending in June is the Washington State Convention June 21st and 22nd. So another awesome show, that will be TONS of fun!

I hope that M an' M Rabbits do well at both state conventions, but most animals are moulting or in breeding, so some of the best animals are out of commission. Oh well, these upcoming juniors are pretty cute though!

Overall, its been a super busy time, and once college is out for the summer, June 13th, I will have tons more time to devote to the buns and showing!

Until then,

Toodles,

-Ashley

Monday, May 5, 2008

A few wins at Monroe, and a few *NEW* additons

So the Northwest Rabbit Breeder' s show at Monroe, this weekend was a lot of fun, but super tiring.

Karli was supposed to go with me, but she got sick, and Tawnee was supposed to go with me also and she also got sick, so I went to monroe along. Not like I haven't done that before...LOL...

But because no one went with me, I ended up showing everyone's buns! In addition to having Leslie look at some of Karlis animals, I had to show her 6 fuzzies in both shows, 12 jersey woolies in both shows and then my chin in both shows. Eeeeeek...it wasn't so bad except for the fact that I had to write for all of the 3 breeds at each show! Yeah a mighty busy day I must admit. Also in addition to the showing I had to pick up both Karli's and my orders at Woody's Wabbits, and try to figure out how it was all going to fit in the vehicle!

Anyways, so it was great seeing a lot of good friends again. The wooly numbers weren't that high this time. Kendal was off showing at Silver Marten Nationals in CA, so he wasn't there and there were no youth breeders either! The only woolies that were there were the woolies that carpooled with me. Since I took a self sr doe of Alicia and Alivia's, a agouti sr buck of Tawnee's and a tan pattern sr buck of Alex's along for the ride. So at least there was enough exhibitors for Best of Breed to get a leg. There were 12 woolies each show.

Anyways, here are the results:


Best of Breed Show B: Leapin's Eclipse
Self Sr Buck
Yea! Finally that 3rd Leg! Granding Time!

*CINDY WICKIZER even commented that he would have done very well at Jersey Wooly Nationals this year with his current coat! (Cindy was one of the judges at 2008 Nationals)*







Best of Breed Show A: M an' M's Zane
Tan Pattern Sr Buck
9th Leg! Yea!

As for chins, sadly Margaret did not enter, so it was just me and Liz for show A and just me for show B. I only entered one chin, M an' M's Zoli, but she took Best of Breed in show A out of 10 chins! Hopefully we will have more competition at Astoria, OR, this coming weekend, since I know Scott might bring a few.

Anyways, I also took a couple other pictures today of juniors that are growing up nice. Here is one that is looking super promising!

M an' M's Queen of Cartoons
Black Otter Junior Doe
CUTE!
I am super short on space, so she is For Sale, just because I have so many juniors I need to wean soon!





She has a really nice coat...for a 9 week old...so I just had to take a picture of it!



Also, as for NEW ADDITIONS:

FT's Canadian Mist X M an' M's Melodrama Kindled May 3rd, 2 Smoke Pearl Marten Kits!

DC's DC1 X DC's Zel Kindled May 3rd, 6 kits, 1 DOA and 5 happy and healthy chin babies!

Due May 5th, is M an' M's Coconut, and Bunnies in the Box's Sophie, so those are two highly anticipated litters!

Anyways, entries for Astoria, OR show get e-mailed in tomorrow, so I will post who all is going and if any more does kindle!

Until Tomorrow,

-Ashley