Record keeping questions for the breeders...

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dmmcnair

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Joined
Jun 4, 2004
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Location
Lexington, Texas, USA
As ya'll know I am starting to breed Cals for4H...I will continue to breed for show and supply to other 4Hers in thearea, but I would like to know what type of records I should keep onthe animals, and what type of record keeping the breeders on the forumuse...

Right now I have the demo versions of Stibbar and Pets-on-Track programs...to see which I like, but I can't tell yet.

Do you keep any info on the cages?? A notebook?

What type of info do you keep on the rabbits?

How long do you keep it?

Do you mark your kits? How?

Do you weigh the kits? When? How often?

Do you tattoo your rabbits with a personal rabbitry tat? That goes on the right or left ear?

Do you register your rabbits?

Any other info/suggestions would be appreciated...

Thanks all, I hope that I will be able to do as well a job as I've seen on some of your websites!

Dawn
 
I use Evans software ... if you can afford it, the software and the customer service/support are just awesome!

I know each individual rabbit out there, but to make it easier forthose that don't - I put cage cards (with name, DOB, Variety and Sex)and number each cage.

I keep all sorts of records - breeding records, litter data, genetichistory, Show wins, registrations, medical, financial, Oh my - whatelse? - records of rabbits I've sold, chore lists, and receipts.

I tattoo my rabbits ... each breeder has their preference of what theyuse to identify their rabbits, but for me - I tattoo the first 4-5letters of their names and it goes in their left ears. Whenthe rabbits are registered (if registerable) their registration numberor registrar insignia goes in their right ear.

I start weighing the babies at around 2-3 months.... just about thetime they should be making Junior weight for show entries.I'll weigh them again about every two weeks when theyareabout 4 1/2-6 months old... to make sure they are maintaining bodyweight and condition... and aren't going over weight limits.

I get as many of my rabbits registered as I can - Qualifications forbeing registerable include: they must not haveanydisqualifications (mismarks/bad teeth/mismatched toenails/and within weight limits). The rabbits must also be atleast 6 months old in order to be registered.

If you haven't already been told, when you join ARBA,theysend you a wonderful publication called "Raising BetterRabbits & Cavies" free. I highly recommend it toanyone looking to breed... and it also includes a chapter on Companionrabbits. It's also available on their website for purchasehttp://www.arba.net/pubs.htm

I hope I answered most of your questions.

Pam, others - did I leave anythingout?

 
Thanks, I just joined the ARBA, TRBA, andCTRC. I'm still waiting for the book from the ARBA.The tattoo in the left ear is used for the rabbit show right??

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to use for tats on therabbits...I think they tatto the rabbits for validation???? Pam is thatwhat your county does??? I'm going to have to ask and get that clearedup.

When do you separate your litters? Do you keep the does in a cage for awhile before they get separated? The bucks need to beseparated pretty early right? About when? Don't need anybrother sister matings.

I have been told that I could keep the kits for the pens with the doe until show time.

I am breeding 4 does for our project....over the course of 3days...they will be bred to beowulf who was bred to Jenna on the 4th,depending on how these kits come out...I have 3 other bucks on standbyif Beowulf is sterile...I'm praying that my bucks are not sterile!

Do any of you have worm beds?? I've been thinking of starting a wormbed or two until I can plant my garden...that has to be raised becauseof all the darn gophers we have!
 
Right now I have the demo versions of Stibbar and Pets-on-Track programs...to see which I like, but I can't tell yet.

I use Evans. It's very easy to do and has a number offeatures including genetics, pedigree printing with graphics, taskreminder, winnings, andlabel printing.


Do you keep any info on the cages?? A notebook?

I have breeding card info on the does cages. We write downthe ear number of the buck they were bred to, the date, if theypalpated positive at 14 days, the number of kits in the litter, and thenumber of kits that lived in the litter.

We also have a large calendar hanging up. We record thedate the doe is due so I know when to put the nest boxes in.

Each rabbit also has a tag on it's cage with it's name, tattoonumber, sex, date of birth, sire & dam, breed and variety.

What type of info do you keep on the rabbits?

Just the pedigree and winnings info on the Evans program.I can go back approx. 20 generations on the pedigrees of some of ourrabbits.


How long do you keep it?

Forever

Do you mark your kits? How?

I mark foster kits with a small tattoo mark in the right ear

Do you weigh the kits? When? How often?

No, however if you are doing Cal meat pens, you'll want to keepgrowth rates and become familiar with the weight gain of yourlines. Meat pens must fall within certain weight limits.

Do you tattoo your rabbits with a personal rabbitry tat? That goes on the right or left ear?

The breeder's tattoo goes in the left ear. We usuallytattoo the rabbit's name or part of the name in the ear. Ihave both the stone and weston tattoo sets as well as a couple of thebattery type tattooers. My favorite tattooer to use is theelectric "people" tattooer.

Some counties put a special tattoo in the ears of the meat pen entries.

Do you register your rabbits?

Many of our rabbits are registered -- I am an ARBA judge and my daughter is a registrar.

The tattoo in the left ear is used for the rabbit show right??

correct

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to use for tats on therabbits...I think they tatto the rabbits for validation???? Pam is thatwhat your county does??? I'm going to have to ask and get that clearedup.

Some 4-H counties do not require tattoos. They just usethe coop number written in marker in the right ear. A legibletattoo is required in the left ear to exhibit at ARBA shows.

When do you separate your litters? Do you keep the does in a cage for awhile before they get separated? The bucks need to beseparated pretty early right? About when? Don't need anybrother sister matings.

We wean at approx. 6-8 weeks of age. Rabbits can mate as early as 12 weeks of age.

I have been told that I could keep the kits for the pens with the doe until show time.

Yes. Sometimes they may begin fighting as they maturethough. Remember, that you can also combine rabbits fromdifferent litters for your pen. (each county has it's own rules, so besure to check)


Do any of you have worm beds??

We don't have worm beds.



** You'll want to be careful not to over feed/over finish your pens, or they will have soft flesh.

Pens are judged on the following considerations in this order:

1. Meat Type, 2. Flesh Condition, 3. Uniformity of Pen, 4. Fur

 
Thank you both soooo much, that clears up a lot.

Pam - I am assuming if you use the people tattooer that youare still tattooingblock-type letters and numbers in theirear...my dad is a tattooer, and I may be able to get one fromhim. And we can combine kits from different litters for thepens, that's why I am using 4 does...crossing my fingers thateverything goes okay.

I am curious about another thing...I was told not to free feed the doesuntil they kindled, so how much should the kits be fed once they areeating solids?

Thanks again, I know it's a lot of questions, but I want to do thisright from the beginning, the less mistakes the better! I'mreally hoping that one day we will be able to supply the 4Hers herewith the best quality rabbits, that's why my whole herd is from showquality stock.

Pam, one more question, there are two does that Justin may show, but one has a nick in her ear...will it be a problem?

Dawn
 
dmmcnair wrote:
Thank you both soooo much, that clears up a lot.

Pam - I am assuming if you use the people tattooer that youare still tattooingblock-type letters and numbers in theirear...my dad is a tattooer, and I may be able to get one fromhim. And we can combine kits from different litters for thepens, that's why I am using 4 does...crossing my fingers thateverything goes okay.

I am curious about another thing...I was told not to free feed the doesuntil they kindled, so how much should the kits be fed once they areeating solids?


Pam, one more question, there are two does that Justin may show, but one has a nick in her ear...will it be a problem?

Dawn
Click to expand...


Yes -- Ido the block type lettering with the electric tattooer.

A nick in the ear is normally not a problem unless it is very large and distracting.

It's true that you don't want to over feed the doe because it can leadto kindling problems. Depending on the feed and theindividual lines, the meat pen can be kept on full feed or after theyare weaned, give them only what they will eat within 30 minutes (1 timeper day). Some people use oats in the feed to give them afirmer flesh. A major problem can be feeding them high fatfoods and conditioners to try to get them to miniumum wieght.This can result in a soft flesh condition and poor coat.Also, some lines may have a tendency to get soft or flabby over theshoulders.'

Pam
 
I'm gladyou started this thread Dawn. I learned some things I didnt know. I usea Ketchum tattoo gun for my buns (size 5/16) You can buy them as smallas 3/ 16.I use this size on netherland dwarfsthough.You'll probably need a bigger size or one of thebattery operated ones Pam mentioned. Either way I prefer the ones withthe safety release. That way if the rabbit jerks...the gunautomaticallyreleases.....so you dont rip the ear. (which canbe a disqualification if it's badenough)

Lanna
 
I have tags on each cage,I dont weigh before sixmonths usually,I have a calender that all breedings are recorded on,Ihave a notebook that i record all sales including who bought what andwhen.a pedigree book were i keep all pedigrees,a seperate book for anyanimals that have passed away.All rabbits are tattoed in the leftear,most of my breeding stock has been shown at least once before ibreed it but none are registered.I have records going back manyyears.bluebird
 
Thanks all for all the information....

I went out and got a large 3 ring binder to keep info on all therabbits, until I can afford a program on the computer. I amgoing to call my dad and see if he has any tattooers he can give up orif he can find me a deal on one. I got 4x6 cards and 4x6 ziplock bagsand will attach those to the feeders on the cages.

Pam- have you ever tried colored ink??? I was thinking of colorcoordinating kits and does...like Jenna would be red and her kits wouldbe red name/number.



Thanks,

Dawn
 
dmmcnair wrote:
Thanks all for all the information....

I went out and got a large 3 ring binder to keep info on all therabbits, until I can afford a program on the computer. I amgoing to call my dad and see if he has any tattooers he can give up orif he can find me a deal on one. I got 4x6 cards and 4x6 ziplock bagsand will attach those to the feeders on the cages.

Pam- have you ever tried colored ink??? I was thinking of colorcoordinating kits and does...like Jenna would be red and her kits wouldbe red name/number.



Thanks,

Dawn
Click to expand...
Using color coding on record cards is a good idea. Theplastic cage tags fromhttp://cagetags.com/ are verypopular. We use them forsale tags and I like their"Take Me To The Show" tags. I print out name tags on thecomputer and use contact paper to cover and protect them. Thecardstock record tags I print out hold up rather well.

If you are referring to tattoo ink . . .

Black ink is the only way to go. Red fades easily and greenis nearly impossible to get out of the coat (I've judged a number of"green rabbits" LOL)



Pam
 
I purchased a tattoo ink from a human tattoo inkcompany. Although, like green, royal blue can be hard to get out offur. Just another tattoo color to stick out there. :)

[shadow=blue] ~*~Amanda~*~ [/shadow]
 
I guess I'll just stick with black, althuogh youwould think that black would be just as hard to get out as any othercolor! I sure would hate to have blue and green rabbitsthough...well maybe at Easter it would be okay! ;)

Wouldn'tit be nice if we could tattoo a logo?When we get upand running and actually producing good quality rabbits I am going toname my rabbitry SunRise Rabbitry and I already have a cutelogo. My son came up with names for the does,Icouldn't think of any, and now we'll be having kits coming out of ourears!!! Is there an easier way of naming them that is not as impersonalas just numbers? Can you give me any examples of your rabbits' names?

When I told my hubby that I was going to get a tattoo gun from my dad,he told me he expected me to give him a tattoo!!!!:shock:After some practice ofcourse!:D He's been after my dad to starton his tats for the kids! (and I mean tats on himself for each kid, nottats on the kids!) Although with as many as I have I probablyneedthem!

How do you tattoo them? Burrito style?


Thanks,

Dawn

PS...Can I have some mana to feel loved??? I read the mana post...I feel all left out! :D
 
I tattoo the rabbits by swaddling them in a towel.

Some breeders tattoo a small logo in the right ear. Iwouldn't tattoo logos in the left ear as a judge may consider it to bean "illegible" tattoo and disqualify the rabbit. I knowjudges that have chastised exhibitors who had a smallclovertattooed in the rabbit's left earalong withthe earnumber (sometimes done to mark meat pen entries).

Also remember that alogo tattooedin the right ear may interfere with the placement of a registration tattoo.



Pam
 
Thanks Pam...no logos here, it would probablyturn into some kind of blob anyway!! Right now I'm reallytrying to find a way to mark them so that I can tell them apart!! Atleast until the show, you know?

I figure since these are all first kindlings that I will weigh each week at least. I wonder how sharpies work?

Hmmm...I keep coming up with all these questions for 4H, and I know youprobably can't answer most of them due to the fact we are in differentstates.

When do you foster? How many kits is too many for one doe?

Maybe I can come up with some numbers just for 4H. Like4H01JEN. Or is that too much? I don't know...but Iguess I'd better figure it out...Nov 21 is the big mating dance!!!
 
I wonder how sharpies work?

Sharpies work ok if you remark the rabbits daily -- red and green show up better than black.

Hmmm...I keep coming up with all these questions for 4H, and I know youprobably can't answer most of them due to the fact we are in differentstates.

The rules actually vary widely by county.

When do you foster? How many kits is too many for one doe?

We foster if we lose a doe or if she only has 1 kit. Eightis a good size litter for commercial breeders. If the littersare much larger, it can be very draining on the doe, and there is toomuch competition for the kits to get optimal nutrition.

Maybe I can come up with some numbers just for 4H. Like4H01JEN. Or is that too much? I don't know...but Iguess I'd better figure it out...Nov 21 is the big mating dance!!!

Shorter ear numbers (5 or less) are more convenient for showpurposes. We tattoo the names (or part of the name) of therabbit in it's ear. You may want to putyour initials and a number such as PN1, PN2, and PN3 for your penentry.



Pam




 
Thank you so much Pam...you are saving me from amajor brain meltdown! Thereis so much to learn, and just not enough time to learn itin!!!
 
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