Lowrance's Lops and Love

Katy's had a rough couple of months health wise, but hopefully we are heading back into going to some shows soon!!! These babies are growing nicely! ❤️Our lights in the barn are dreadful for pictures!! 😒

Katy did great in Waterloo today at the show!! She wasn't up to coming yet after her illness, but we had a super helper putting them on the table for her!!

Show A
1st place Solid Sr buck - black
1st place Broken Sr Buck
1st place solid Jr doe.
1st Place Broken Jr Doe. - BOS

Show B
1st place Solid Sr Buck - black - BOB
1st place Solid Sr Doe
1st place Solid Jr Doe - BOS
1st place Broken Sr Buck
1st Place Jr Broken Doe

Woohoo!!! Showing again!!!

It is with very heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Cinnamon. He was the very first Holland Lop and the love of Katy's life. He was an amazing bunny. He started the entire rabbitry by winning Grand Champion of 4 class Katy's very first 4-H year and passed the day after Katy and Calli won Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion at the fair this year. We were blessed by him, loved him, and miss him dearly. ❤️

Some bunnies are excited to get their turn for attention!!! ❤️❤️

Someone is making sure Mom doesn't move... 🤣🤣

Update:

After switching feed from Heinhold to Rowe...... Our 18 mo battle with no conceptions, dead kits if they did conceive, and generally unhealthy and poor conditioned rabbits is OVER!!!!

Katy has had 2 successful Blanc de Hotot litters, 2 successful dwarf hotot litters, and 10 successful Holland lops litters (30+ babies) in the past 3 weeks!!!! (She had 7 live kits born October through March)

Thank you Rowe!!! It has been an amazing feed for us.. I recommend it to anyone who is having issues!!

Pictures of the cuties in the near future!!!

Katy's new project.... ❤️❤️

Yes, We're crazy!!! ❤️

Only 1 week away... Next Saturday!! April 22nd at the Ag Building... All are welcome! Bring your own bunny or learn how to care for and see different breeds to determine what you want!!!

It's READY!!!! The Fun Show Flyer!!!! Please try to give me a heads up if you are coming, but last minute entries are fine too!!! Hope to see everyone in a few weeks!!!

All orders for Rowe feed need to be to me by Friday!! This order will be $21/bag, 50 # bag. This is rabbit feed... 17% high fiber, 16/18, or 50/50.

Chick a starter is $22/bag

Other livestock - cattle, goat, horse.... Can be ordered as well.

Check out Rowe.com for options!!!

Something so little...but SO exciting after this past year... A LIVE litter!!!!! ❤️❤️🎉🎉

It's coming!!!

St Clair County 4-H and Junior Fun Rabbit Show!!!!!

April 22, 2023

9 am -12 pm? (Whenever we are done)

Agriculture Building at Sheve Park in Mascoutah, IL (North side of the park).

ALL youth ages 3-18 are welcome... You do not have to be in 4-H. Flyer coming soon!

We will have judges and limited rabbits to learn/practice with. We will cover Terminology, standards of perfection (SOP), breed identification, class 4/6, breeding, nutrition, husbandry, pedigrees, and tattooing.

If you would like to come, please let me know! I'll post a flyer soon!

$2 /entry. Soda, water, snacks will be available for purchase but keeping it simple!!! ❤️❤️

Let's get our Youth involved!!!!

A couple of hopeful bright spots... First in what feels like forever!!! Posing practice...

Blue otter 7 weeks
Blue fox 8 weeks...

And 1 very confused blue tort....🤦

Please stay cute, please stay cute......🤞❤️

NFS

Just cute pics for smiles! ❤️

Katy's Hollands are still struggling a lot... But the dwarf hotots are doing great!!

They're sweet and fluffy they say.... Until one's not..... Lucky I really like this one's babies!!! 🤦

The injuries to rabbit people.... 🫣😳

Yep.... Both blue fox... 🤦

But SO dang cute!!!

We did a little something...

After all the issues we are having with feed, we decided to jump in both feet first. We are now dealers of Rowe feeds!!! Apparently I don't have enough things to do, so becoming a feed dealer was definitely on the top of the list!!! 🤣🤣🤣. I am loving the thought of being able to order when I need you and get it fresh without it sitting in a warehouse somewhere....

So full admission.. I just got contacted in an ugly Way by someone who bought a rabbit from us. They bought it back in October. The broken chocolate that I had posted as a doe that I thought was a doe, that multiple of us looked at including dropping it off with this person by transport who showed her that it was a doe - now tells me it's a buck and conveniently can't read the tattoo that was clearly visible when I sent it. Please when she blows up how bad of a person I am, know that I do not take mistakes lightly. I also have no other animals that don't have a good tattoo that I did all of the exact same time. So for 3 months she's had this animal and now tells me she wants a refund. She also can't show me the tattoo because she says it's no longer there. Please please as I tell people multiple times if there's ever a mistake, please let me know. I'm not perfect but multiple people looked at this animal and apparently we all missed it and 3 months later is not the time to be attacking me. At this point there's no proof the animal is mine, there's no proof that she hasn't used it for 3 months as a buck and gotten her use out of it and now wants her money back, so many things. 😢. Crappy mistake by me... 🤬😭

Anyone having issues with rabbits feed, please join us!

We were quiet in 2022... Here's why....

We have been dealing with some feed issues that have left our rabbitry in pieces... We've lost does, pregnant does, SO MANY litters and babies, and it now appears that it went on so long that our brood mamas can't carry litters anymore... Katy is looking to lose about 60% of her herd. Luckily a few new additions (Thank you Cole Rupprecht , Nicholas Hirsch , Todd Naragon and JASH Rabbitry ) and a very few home growns have handled it much better than others.... She's looking at a complete rebuild year... Not sure she will have anything for Nationals at this point... So Very disappointing.. Yes, it was feed related... Not a doubt. Unfortunately I figured it out too late. So... We may be looking to buy good stock to replace some of her losses.. first, she will regroup and mourn for the loss of her very hard work. She loves each one of her rabbits. She built her rabbitry from the ground up...added a few very nice rabbits from several people along the way (Lisa and John, Mari Grace, Critter Co-Op) but worked on constantly approving what she had.. So hard to see your kids hurt. (Not gonna lie..tears shed by me too.) ❤️

Holland lops - pet only. No breeding rights.

Dwarf Hotots can be pet or pedigree.

Anyone traveling this route please keep an eye out!

Katy took 11 Holland Lops. So she had 11 of the 249 that were present. There are 8 categories - Senior Bucks, Senior Does, Junior Bucks, and Junior Does... Then Solid and Broken (color mixed with white) varieties... She had 6 rabbits place in the top 16!!!! 2 in the top 10!!! That is phenomenal!!

Senior Solid buck - 7th
Junior Broken Doe - 9th
Solid Junior Buck - 11th
Solid Junior Doe - 15th
Broken Senior Buck - 15th
Broken Junior Buck - 16th

Amazing Job Katy!!! So proud of what you have accomplished!!!

Awesome job Katy!!!!! Best of Breed AND Best Opposite Breed!!!! Top 2 Youth Blanc de Hotot rabbits in the US!!!

Netherland dwarf, Holland lops, and dwarf hotots are all on the table at the same time!!!

EVERY TIME!!!!! 😂

It's go time!! Hope Katy gets some big wins!!!!!❤️❤️🙏🙏🤞🤞

12 hours later...and lost luggage... Of course the one with feed in it... So will pick up hay tonight and they will be fine until tomorrow... I bet they get some kale too!!! ❤️

Waiting for the dwarfs breeds to get here! ETA... 9 pm.

All of our rabbits are Reno bound! There are approximately 60 rabbits either sold and going to wonderful new homes or bound for Reno for the American Rabbit breeders association convention. This is where we have the chance to become number one in the nation! First car load has gone. Second car load is loading!
Katie and I will be flying out tomorrow morning with two carriers going under the seat on the plane. Medical papers are already with us TSA has been checked with for Katie's feeding tube to make sure I do it right, now I just have to pack!! ❤️

A huge shout out to Kevin Rugen-Jackson for taking the Long haul drive! And my family for continuing to be supportive and taking care of the others while we're gone!!

This broken chocolate doe is being judged.... Do we keep our find new zip code?

Trying to get a nice picture....🤦