CIRCUS LIONS RABBITRY

Well, I've gone back to work full-time after a long stint on unemployment so I've had a lot less time for my bunnies and my blog.  The herd is doing well, though, and my litters have improved a lot.  It's getting harder to pick who stays and who goes and that's been nice.  I have so many bucks that I'm watching/growing out; don't necessarily want or need that many but 1) I'd like to replace my 2 main herd bucks (a black and a blue) with sons better than them and 2) both my bucks throw way too many sons, especially the blue!  HIS father did that, too, producing 80% male offspring no matter what doe he was bred to.  My broken buck doesn't have that trait, thank god.  And I also have a large litter of 8 from my friend's buck right now that has 6 does in it.  C'mon, does! 

Saw my first Max Factor kits in my friend's Netherland litter a few weeks ago.  There were 3 kits - a normal and 2 that had open eyes at birth.  One of those also had deformed back legs.  That one was culled.  The other kit's eyes closed up somehow and it looks fine now at a few weeks old.  The Max Factor gene is like the peanut gene - a kit getting one copy of it is supposed to be nice and typey but a double dose causes big issues.  Unlike peanuts, many Max Factors babies will live but they will be blind and crippled.  I have to admit, the two surviving Nethies look really good; tiny, tiny ears and round heads.  Some lionheads may have the Max Factor gene in there, too, since Netherlands were crossed in to improve size and type.