Line up at Stock Show AA challenge was Whincup & Grindey 1st and 2nd with adult whites, Sally May, Bourne Stud 3rd with a smoke doe 4th Whincup & Grindey with a Chocolate, 5th Christine Hamilton with a gold, 6th Orrey Pike with a blue, 7th Sally May with a lilac.

Coloured challenge 1st Sally May, with a smoke, 2nd Whincup and Grindey with a chocolate, 3rd Christine Hamilton with a gold , 4th Orrey Pike with a Blue, and sally May with a lilac. The full breakdown will be posted in Fur and Feather.

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It is always good to watch how your Angora rabbits develop over time and photographs are a good way to document their process. Despite trying to assess which one may have a better show coat or body type from a very young age, this does not always help if they turn out to be a rabbit who is messy or one who chews their coat.

Here are some of my babies developing well and grooming will be the key in preparation for their show day, too much can damage the coat so grooming needs to be done carefully to ensure you maintain as much of the guard hairs as possible.

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Meet Maple and Albie, they are both neutered rabbits who are used to living indoors and need a new home and have now found one.

Maple is a two-year-old who is fully vaccinated and spayed and bonded with Albie who is 18 months old and also fully vaccinated and neutered. Maple is ringed while Albie is not.

I can confirm they have now found new homes, thank you to everyone who offered.

For those “up North” the National Angora Club will be at the Cumbrian Wool Gathering next weekend. Free spindle spinning lessons on the stand (unless me and my mobile telephone are permanently attached to that card machine. I am never sure why people want to pay by card for 90p worth of felting wool! ) Angora wool and spun wool for sale, spinning and carding demonstrations, and , of course, members talking about rabbits!

Everyone likes baby rabbits, but they grow up so fast. In the wild, the mother would abandon them at 25 days old, already expecting her next litter. Our rabbits are cared for by their mother for much longer- and have a much better chance of survival!

Should we come out?

Five 3 week old baby English Angoras, thinking about leaving the nest.

Definitely worth emerging! Trying out kale and grass, with their mother Blue Colorado.

Four weeks old

The breeding hutch is fitted with a rabbit shelf, to allow the mother to jump up and get some peace and quiet. In the wild she would only visit the babies for 5 minutes, once a day, to feed them. The 4 week old babies have taken it over! At least she has the rest of the hutch to herself. Here she is wondering where they have all gone.

Seven weeks old

An afternoon out on the lawn with their mother. The babies have just come back from a visit to the vet’s for their vaccinations. They deserve a treat.

Luckily no signs of stress!

Eight weeks old and time to leave their mother

A week later, and it is time for Colorado, their mother, to go back to her own hutch. She doesn’t seem to mind, and is still on extra rations. After feeding 5 babies, she needs building up! The babies are now developing their ear tufts, and their coats need more grooming. These are Classic English Angoras, with short fur around their eyes, fringes between the ears and wool on their cheeks.

This little rabbit is staying, and needs a name. Here she is, enjoying some barley straw, back in the hutch. Skyrack rabbits have Western or James Bond names, but these are running short. Octopussy has been to the vet’s, but is it wise to take a Pussy Galore? And no-one can ever spell Shenandoah! A newer Bond film gives the little rabbit her name. Meet little Blue Jinx!

Time to part

Another sad moment. The last picture before the little does are split up into different hutches, three in one and two in the other. They need the room! They will still go out on the lawn together every day, but in adjacent pens. There are just two still waiting for good homes. Enquiries via the Club website contact page or via www.skyrackangoras.co.uk

The National Angora Club will be at Wool@J13 in two weeks time, with Angora knitting yarn, books and spindles for sale. Free spindle spinning lessons on the stand, as usual. I do hope some of you can come.

We had only 11 entries for the Stock show today and 10 angoras made it to the show from only 3 exhibitors.

Richard Grindey for Whincup & Grindey won Best In Show (BIS) with their magnificent white. Orrey showed a younger white with an amazing silky texture and I showed some rarer coloureds.

It is always a great experience to groom together with angora folk and enjoy the wonder of the exhibition angoras.

Christine Hamilton had best coloured with her adult blue doe.

Well done to all an amazing effort by all.

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