Sunrise Inspiration Rabbitry

02/01/2025

I have been enjoying this winter. Enjoying it like I did as a kid. Marveling in the beauty of nature.

There's no spring fever like there has been in past years. No impatience for warm weather and sunshine to return. No bitterness towards the cold nights and windy days.

I've learned to accept each season as it comes. Not only in nature, but also in my life. I truly believe that this is one of the secrets to being happy. To just take things as they come, and not worry about next week, next month, or next year. Living in the moment, for the moment.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't plan or dream. I plan and dream a lot. And I do the best I can to work towards achieving those dreams. What I am saying is this:
Stop worrying about the little things. Let them be. Stop worrying about the things you can't change - like the weather. Don't let those little things steal your peace. Live for the day. Tomorrow will take care of itself.

01/30/2025

01/30/2025

Meet the Grow Outs

These are the 4 Mini Rex kits that I am holding back from the most recent litters.
TS2 is Sharon's doe that I will be holding back at least until Sharon has another doe. Then, if all goes well, I will keep the best typed doe.
TS3 will be staying to help continue the bloodline I'm working on. (Unless I get a better typed buck out of another litter)
TD7 and TD9 are up for discussion to be added to the Momma Project. I've been trying to decide which one to keep. Personality wise, they are both keepers. Type wise?... This is where it gets hard. TD7 has nice body structure and reminds me a lot of her mom. Out of the two, she seems to have the better type. TD9 is smaller, which I prefer, but her type doesn't seem to be as good. So, I will let them grow out a little bit more before making my final decision.

01/24/2025

Introducing…

SIR’s TD2
Mini Rex
Blue Otter Doe
Out of 5FF’s Darla x Tarry
DOB: March 11, 2024

This is the doe that I held back from Darla and Tarry’s 1st litter. I plan to get at least one litter out of her, furthering my research on if mothering skills are genetic. We'll see where things go from there. Her status here depends on how her younger sister and Sharon's daughter grow out.
(I will be introducing my other hold backs next week.)

01/24/2025

The Momma Project

A couple years ago, I was thinking about good mothering skills. I was thinking about it because I had just had a discouraging bout with a doe who wasn’t being a proper momma.

I remembered the first doe I had, Lily. She was an excellent mother. She always took when bred, always delivered on Day 31, and always cared wonderfully for her babies. I kept a daughter out of her, and they were almost identical in mothering skills - right down to delivering on Day 31. This got me to wondering… “Are mothering skills genetic?” “Can I consistently have good mother rabbits by keeping daughters from does who have good mothering skills?” I decided to find out.

Fast forward two years, it’s 2024 and I finally have a mother-daughter pair to try my theory out on. That pair is Violet and Darla. And again, mothering skills are identical - down to the day of delivery. So, my experiment continues.

Now, in 2025, I plan to take this to the next step. I currently have three of Darla’s daughters. Let’s see if they prove or disprove my theory…..

01/20/2025

Meet the Mini Rex Crew!

These are the rabbits in the Mini Rex Program. With their help, I hope to create a quality bloodline.

Johnny Denver - Broken Blue Otter buck.
Violet - Blue Otter doe. My OG doe. She's now retired but gets to live her life out here at the rabbitry.
Rose of Sharon - Harlequin (brindled) doe. Another OG doe who is nearing retirement. She will also get to live her life out here at the rabbitry.
5FF's Chubbsy Wubbsy aka Norman - Broken Blue Otter buck. Out of Violet x Johnny Denver.
5FF's Darla - Broken Blue Otter doe. Out of Violet x Johnny Denver.
Tarragon - Castor buck.

01/15/2025

2025 Mini Rex Program Goal and Plan

I always knew that I wanted to keep offspring from Violet and Sharon, my first pedigreed does. They both did excellently for me, and were perfect for someone just starting out in the rabbit world.

My desire to keep offspring increased when I got Johnny. He is such a friendly, laid-back buck. Something that he passed down to his offspring. This helped solidify my goal. I wanted a bloodline of rabbits based off of these three rabbits.

I started the project back in 2023, keeping a buck and doe from the only Violet x Johnny pairing. Violet was then retired, and her daughter, Darla, took her place.

Now, I see that Sharon is nearing the end of her production days. I would love to keep a doe from her, too. So, since you never know when a litter will be a doe’s last, I will be keeping a doe from every litter Sharon has, starting with the most recent litter born in October. My plan is to then w**d out the very best does (both in body type and genetics), and continue from there.

01/14/2025

So true!!

01/13/2025

Litter Updates!

Darla x Tarry
Mini Rex
DOB: October 27th, 2024

Darla's kits are doing great! I've decided to hold back Darla's two does. We'll see how they grow! The others have all gone to their new homes.

Sharon x Tarry
Mini Rex
DOB: October 28th, 2024

Sharon's kits are doing well. I have decided to hold back the buck and one doe. The other doe has already gone to her new home. I'm excited to watch these kits grow!

(It's hard to get good pictures when they move around so much😅)

01/10/2025

Litter Announcement

BWR's Misty and DM1 both had their kits on January 3rd. Misty had 10, and DM1 had 8. Sadly, no kits survived.

I'm a bit disappointed, but these things happen when you raise animals. These does will be rebred in hopes for a February litter.

01/06/2025

Nest Box Update

About a year ago, we built new nest boxes. We made the sides and top out of wood and the bottom out of vinyl. I have always used all wood boxes before, but I needed something bigger for the Silver Foxes.

That's when we built the new boxes, making them longer(29 1/2 inches), but leaving the height(7 1/2 inches) and width(7 1/2 inches) about the same. They biggest difference with these new boxes is the bottom. The thought behind the vinyl bottoms was that it would be easier to clean and wouldn't stain like the wood bottoms did.

It has now been about a year since I started using these nest boxes. Here are the pros and cons I have found so far.

Pros: 1. The longer nest boxes help keep the kits from falling out of the box.
2. The boxes short height makes it easy for momma to jump up on, giving her a break from the babies if needed.
3. The bottom of the box is easily removed, which makes for easy cleaning and adaptation.

Cons: 1. The vinyl bottoms stain just as much as wood bottoms.
2. The bottoms are almost too easily removed, even falling off if not moved right. However, I think this could be fixed if I used nails instead of staples.
3. It takes extra time to put the bottoms back on after cleaning.

Do the pros outweigh the cons? I'm not sure. Can improvements be made? Absolutely. I want to experiment with different ways to attach the bottom. I also feel like I need to make some adjustments to the height and width of the box for my bigger Silver Fox does.

01/03/2025

2025 Homestead Plans

I’m keeping the homestead plans simple this year. Last year I had so many plans and ideas, and I ended up biting off more than I could chew. So, this year, I’m cutting way down.

As for the garden, the plan is to only plant four crops:
Green Beans
Potatoes
Beets
Lettuce

I also plan to grow some sage, as I have had it in the past and miss having fresh sage available.

As for other homestead projects, my dad is working on expanding the chicken coop so that we can get more laying hens. I’m curious to see where my dad will want to take the chicken adventures. ☺

What are your homestead plans for 2025? Tell me in the comments!

01/03/2025

2025 Rabbitry Plans

This year, I want to focus on being present with the rabbits. To take time to really enjoy them. My life has been moving pretty fast over the last couple of years, so I want to take some time to just enjoy one of my hobbies.

Secondly, I plan to gradually make improvements to the rabbitry’s set up and systems. I really want to put my focus on getting things running efficiently, so that I have more energy to put into producing quality rabbits.

What are your plans and goals for 2025? Tell me in the comments!

01/01/2025

Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025

2024 was a full year. I feel like I went through so many different seasons. There were so many ups and downs this past year. I learned so much about homesteading and rabbits, but mostly about myself. Looking back, it might not have been my happiest year, but I do think it was one of my most successful. That's how much of a difference I see between New Years 2024 and New Years 2025.

2025 is here now, and I'm feeling good about it. I don't have any elaborate plans. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm going to hope for the best.

12/27/2024

30 Days of Happiness: Day 20

How it works: Everyday you share a picture that makes you happy. Take inspiration from the past and the present!

You can also nominate a creator each day. Each creator can than start doing their own 30 days of happiness.

Today, I nominate: Oyster Bay Farm

Today's picture is of Freckles, the first tri Mini Rex I ever had. He made my tri dreams come true.🧡🤍🖤

12/26/2024

30 Days of Happiness: Day 19

How it works: Everyday you share a picture that makes you happy. Take inspiration from the past and the present!

You can also nominate a creator each day. Each creator can than start doing their own 30 days of happiness.

Today, I nominate: New Morning Farmstead, LLC

Another favorite picture. This one is from Summer 2023, and features Roosevelt (gray kitty), Tommy (Orange kitty), and the last tri kit produced here at the rabbitry.

12/25/2024

30 Days of Happiness: Day 18

How it works: Everyday you share a picture that makes you happy. Take inspiration from the past and the present!

You can also nominate a creator each day. Each creator can than start doing their own 30 days of happiness.

Today, I nominate: Morning Sun Homestead

A cute bunny face to bring a smile to your Christmas morning.☺️

12/25/2024

30 Days of Happiness: Day 17

How it works: Everyday you share a picture that makes you happy. Take inspiration from the past and the present!

You can also nominate a creator each day. Each creator can than start doing their own 30 days of happiness.

Today, I nominate: Merrick Farmstead LLC

A dog that always positions himself conveniently around food preparations. Gotta love 'em!😘