We began with rabbits like most folks.... our children raising meat pens for the county livestock show. After two years, we decided we needed to "hop" into this "whole rabbit." To really learn how to raise rabbits, we felt we had to breed and show them full time - all year.  Our daughter, Kasey, raised/showed Jersey Wooly rabbits with a start-up herd of 6 from Lisa Smith. Thus the name on my pedigrees....... KASEY's ------, and B*B stands for Blue Bonnet.

 

The kids are now grown and gone on to new challenges. Since 2000, the family business has become truly mine. My husband still helps with the physical labor management of the herd. I travel to shows all over Texas and the surrounding states with BFFs, Trey King and Kathy Hillery. I retired from teaching in 2013 and now spend all the time I want playing with bunnies, chickens, turkeys, and two miniature goats.

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Over the years, I've learned, along with the children, good herdsmanship. Records of breeding, litters, genetics,  and mail listings are kept on computer using a software program called The Rabbit Register by Evans Software. I use Petrus 50/50 feed (16-1/2% protein), from Louisiana, and provide the herd with a morning snack of conditioning mix consisting of Doc's Rabbit Enhancer, oat groats, crimped barley, sunflower seeds, and a little bit of pigeon feed, flax seed, and B-12 crumbles... all topped off with a squirt of 100% wheat germ oil. The rabbits get weekly treats of apples, plain Cheerios, and/or Timothy or Orchard hay.
 

UPDATE 2009: Marcia Hinkelmann offered me her RED JW project. I received the COD from ARBA.  Please credit Marcia for the "grunt work" on this lovely variety. I am only, in her words, "more polishing than it is tweaking after putting together the remaining pieces of the puzzle."  I failed the presentations in 2011-12: 1st fail for "senior doe not BOB quality"  WHAT!!! This is when I learned politics are part of presentations. I got conflicting explanations.  2nd fail for senior buck having mismatched toenails.

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UPDATE 2015: I am still breeding REDs, having brought in new blood to improve the type according to the new SOP guidelines. and correct toenail color.  I expect to reapply for the COD before 2020........ AFTER I get the variety where I want it. That is on my BUCKET LIST.