Happy New Year and 2015 Goals

First, Happy New Year!

Do you have any resolutions or goals to work towards? Here are some of mine:

1. Improve on needed qualities in my herd, which is primarily type and commercial traits. Many of my litters have had some nicely marked kits without even truly breeding for it, but I am looking for full hindquarters, shorter shoulders, deeper loins. I'd also like larger litter sizes, improved growth, and adequate dress-out.

2. Replace foundation stock with offspring and cull, cull, cull. This one is very difficult for me. I have grown very attached to my older, original Harlies and I am sure I will do the same with their offspring, but I have to move forward if I am ever to attain any of my other goals.

3. Reduce cost of feeding/pursue more natural feeding methods- I am going to try to do this via a combo of natural food items and traditional pellets/hay. I don't have the time or ability to go 100% fodder, but I want to use my garden and some fodder/forage for the herd more than I have in previous years. When I first started, I paid ~$12/50lbs of feed. Now I pay almost $20 for the same food.. it is becoming more expensive to raise rabbits.

4. Update my cages and build a rabbit tractor or hutch. I am putting new floors in what will become 36" grow out pens for juniors. I am replacing older metal trays with concrete mixing tubs so I can dump rabbit manure into the garden directly. I'm also looking into building a rabbit tractor and/or an outdoor hutch- still trying to decide on plans. 

5. If Harlies are not meeting our needs, then move them out and find a breed that does. My husband is very skeptical that Harlies will be able to work for us with our homesteading interests as he remembers them eating a lot and growing slowly with a type that is completely different from NZW. Unfortunately, he isn't wrong in that thought process. If we didn't get litters from the older stock, it would be the perfect time to transition, but we did- so I am going by their growth and dress-out for an "official" way to track. I want to keep them, but I know where he is coming from when there are several other breeds that may be significantly better suited in the long haul. Time will tell!