Uglies.

Our line of hollands definitely goes thru a gangly awkward stage. It usually starts at around 6 weeks and lasts until 9-10 weeks and then they start to pop. Once narrow faces start to get cheeks and foreheads. They become chunky again. I know quite a few breeders who cull when they wean, we couldn't do that. We have to have a bit of patience and a few empty cages on the bottom row.

Case in point, Cheyenne's first baby. Man was he a cute baby! Something happened at around 4 weeks, it's like he got beat with the ugly stick. *How bad was he? Bad bad. His once cute loppy ears went straight up. And wow his face. It was so narrow and uuugly. Poor Cheyenne, I didn't have the heart to tell her.

Because he was Cheyenne's first and Rory's only, he got weaned and put in a bottom cage. A week later while feeding I discovered he was starting 'the change'.

His cheeks popped and his ears dropped again. I'd forgotten how cute his ears were while they were sticking straight up!

Mom keeps telling me I need to take pictures while they are at this stage, and she's right. Most people wouldn't believe me if I told them what 'so and so' looked like at that stage. I really need to do that with our next ugly duckling.

If you're just starting out in rabbits it's important to learn how your line develops! Don't be in a hurry to cull out your first litters. Some lines mature slowly and only get better with age. Others seem to peak at 4-5 months and go downhill from there.

*3 bonus points or a gold star to those who recognize this quote and where it came from

Melanie