Just a quick rabbitry update in between chores. The kits are all doing great and should be opening their eyes soon. I'll probably plan to take new pictures of them on day 10 or so. They are so cute! I've also decided from here forward I'm going to try to weigh them every 2 weeks and see how they compare to each other and to other breeds. So I'll start at 14 days as a baseline, then 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks. Rabbit fryers are usually processed between 8-12 weeks of age (when they weigh 4-5.5lbs), though higher weights are usually for more typical commercial breeds like New Zealands or Californians. I am curious to see how Harlequins compare and whether I can improve on their growth through my selections. Hopefully I will have several keepers as replacements for older stock though.
Speaking of the older Harlies, Kari was bred to Spock today successfully at least 3 times. I also placed Valkyrie with Apollo, though I never saw completion with the pairing this time around. I'm giving them a break and will try again later tonight. I'm hoping to also breed Apollo to Kurayami, but I may end up breeding one of my chocolate bucks to her if Apollo is still preoccupied with Valkyrie. I think 2-3 litters at a time is a good number for now so the does can help each other if someone has too many kits, not enough milk, etc.
I can't believe it is almost 2015! I better start writing my goals list soon!
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