Here at Rough and Ready Rhinelanders entries have just been completed for the ARBA National Convention in Minneapolis, MN in November. Arriving along with myself and my daughter Elyse on Saturday the 6th will be 24 Rhinelanders and 6 Tans. The 14 Black Rhinelanders will be entered in the show and the 9 Blues are being presented for their 2nd attempt at their 2nd try before the ARBA Standard Committee.
2010 saw all my attention focused on producing superior Blue Rhinelanders for their 2nd presentation. I had very few missed litters and produced over 200 blue or blue cross Rhinelanders since the San Diego Convention.
All Rhinelanders are fed Purina Show with no added supplements or hay. Thanks to Purina's superior nutrition and generations of breeding Rhinelanders to Purina show, I was able to count on extremely high conception/birth rate producing many litters of 13-15 kits per litter. Due to the high cull rate on this marked breed and the need for only exceptional animals, I had kept fewer than 10% of the Blue Rhinelanders produced, as all had to be perfect not only in type, but in color and markings. The 7 best juniors will travel to Minneapolis along with 2 returning seniors from 2008. Four jrs out of the 7 will be chosen to round out the presentation of 6 blues on Wednesday Nov. 10th.
My junior Rhinelanders receive 4.08 oz by weight per day and show seniors receive 5 oz. At these feed weights there is no need to monitor weight gain, Purina Show provides all the necessary nutrition for proper growth and muscle development, yet allows the Rhinelander to maintain an athletic appearance. This amount fed has been even more important now that I am not able to spend as much time monitoring my rabbits since being hired at a job that requires a 3 hour RT commute. I am able to count on the rabbits maintaining their condition and growth rate even if someone else feeds for me on occasion allowing me to continue showing every few weeks.
Can't to see everyone in Minneapolis!