Morning Glory Angoras

It's been a while...;)

2009-03-02T19:40:00.003-05:00

Well.... see how good I am at this blogging thing? LOL...I am going to give it a try again, try really hard to get in the habit of posting here regularly:)

It's been a long time since I posted! A few of the things that have happened since I last posted are:

I moved! At the end of July 2008 I moved to the Great Smokey Mountains of western NC;) I love it here...I am SO happy!! Look at some of the pictures I have posted on my myspace site (It's FUN...lol;) ) www.myspace.com/mtlaurel .

I am STILL trying to find a house to buy...you would think with the housing market the way it is, that buying a house would be easy:( But no...not here lol. It's as if this area is oblivious to the housing market crisis/status/dilemma/etc. This place is in it's own little world, and apparently isn't daunted by what's happening elsewhere regarding prices/demand/etc. of houses lol!! So, I'm still searching....and living (me, Jessie (my 23 year old daughter), Luke (my 22 month old grandson), my 4 dogs, cat, bird and rabbits in the basement) in my parents' little cottage behind their house. It isn't really all that little...but it IS one huge room lol...I'll try to post some pictures of it here;) It's a cute cottage..... but not so cute at this point lol;)

In January I started school:) I added a smiley just to be nice...I really LOVE grooming for a living and would be happy to do it for ever...but I realize that as a single woman I really shouldn't rely on doing that into my old age lol. So, I'll groom for now and am going to school for accounting. I don't like the "sedate" part of accounting, but honestly, I DO really enjoy accounting as a whole;) So, it'll be good:) I'm in my first semester, and have all "A"'s so far;) I don't feature that changing... I like the challenge of striving for the best;) It's just a personal thing with me, I don't feel like I failed if I don't achieve the "best"...but it's a fun thing to try to reach;)

Before I left GA, I sold all of my Giant Angoras to a breeder-friend in WV. (If anyone is looking for Giants, feel free to email me and I can direct you!:) ). I really, really loved them, but they were just more work than I knew I'd be able to handle with all the upcoming changes in my lifestyle (like having to go back to work LOLOLOL). But, I kept my French Angoras, and have since sold a few and bought one (hopefully I'll be adding one or two more to my herd very soon:) ) and am happy with the foundation that I have within the French breed. I also kept one German doe (JG's Hoffnung) who is a killer rabbit......in so many senses of the word;) She's got luscious, dense fiber, is a fantastic Mom, is sugary sweet (when she's sweet) and is as fierce as a vixen (when she's not sweet) ;) I love her personality...she's so cool;) Anyway....just recently, Janet Gruber (Jan's Giants) sent an awesome buck to me for Hoffnung;) He's so sweet, mellow, perfect gentleman (so many of the Giant and German bucks are:):) and HIS density is greater than I've ever seen:)..I can't wait to get them bred. lol, for now, Huffy (Hoffnung) is being a little witch, refusing service, even though she's so ready to be bred it's silly. She'll come around...I'm going to let them run in the house some tomorrow or the next day and see what that does for her. Ok, anyway...short story long, I now only breed French and Germans:)

I have a big grooming day planned for tomorrow, as I plan on going to a show in Dalton, GA this coming weekend (I think it's like FIVE shows...three open and two angora specialties!) . A couple of my guys need big time grooming, most are in pretty good shape. I'm really looking forward to this show....last one I've been to was back in Sept. or Oct....the NC Mountain State Fair show. As soon as we get back from Dalton, two of my French girls are getting bred. They are both over due. I am really impressed with these two, so I need to get litters out of them asap. I will also have a few babies out of them available if anyone is interested.....:):)

As I'm grooming tomorrow, I'll try to remember to take some good pic's to post here. Wait till you see MG's Bailey's "grown-up" pictures....she's turned into a beautiful girl:)

Lauren

Dying Angora Fiber

2008-06-02T19:39:00.005-04:00

Today I brought out my stash of white angora and decided to dye it. After it's dyed, dried and separated by hand, I will then card it on my drum carder into one ounce batts. These batts will be offered for sale either here or in an Etsy store. I started an Etsy store months ago, but never did anything with it, but figure that with all this fiber I've been hording, now would be a GOOD time to add it to my shop;) Anyway, I thought I'd take pictures of my dyeing as it progresses so everyone can see the transformation from white fluffy fiber to a wet gunky mess and then into a nice fluffy, beautifully dyed fiber:)

First picture is of the white angora as it came off the rabbit. I clip with scissors and store the fiber in totes with a sachet of lavender until I either sell it for decide to use it for my own purposes:)

I forgot to take pictures of the wetted fiber in the dyepot (off to a GREAT start, aren't I? lol), but the following two pictures are of the fiber after it just came out of the dyepot. There are 4 ounces of each color....looks like a horrid mess at this point;)

The above fiber is layed out on screens over my spare bathtub to dry. After a day or so, I will start gently separating the fiber, thus, starting the "fluffing" process;) I'll post more pictures after it's dried a bit and I start hand separating it.

Aren't these colors fantastic?? I'm always thrilled with the way the angora takes on the dye. Right now I have another 8 ounces (in two batches) soaking that I will dye tomorrow. I think I'm going to do one batch of it brown and one batch turquoise. lol, I hate to be boring, but I'll probibly post pictures of those as they develope as well;)

More later:)

Lauren

French Buck pictures

2008-06-01T12:04:00.005-04:00

I finally got pictures of the two French bucks that I have listed for sale in my previous post.

The first picture is of the opal buck. At 4 months old, he is showing great potential. His wool density is fantastic, texture is as well, keeping in mind that he is only 4 months old and is still in baby coat:) He has good crimp to his coat, and a very promising type. He's very gentle and enjoys attention/being groomed.

The next picture is of the chestnut buck. He also shows great promise (in case you can't tell, I really wish I could hang on to both of these boys lol...but I can't:( ) has the fantastic density of his brother above, as well as a bit more guard hair at this time.

For more information on these two, read my previous post...there is detailed information there:) Or you can email me at mgangoras@aol.com.

Have a great Sunday!

Lauren

For Sale

2008-05-27T08:50:00.012-04:00

I have a few really nice Angoras for sale; a few NICE Giants and two fantastic French bucks. I had originally intended to keep all but one of these bunnies, but I am going to be relocating sooner than expected and now need to minimize my herd. I will keep the parents of these bunnies, so once I am moved and situated, I can rebreed and hope for this same quality of offspring again:)

First are two show quality Giant Angora does, MG88 and MG86. They are 4 months old and showing GREAT potential. Both are SO similar that I have a very difficult time finding a reason to chose one over the other (that's why I was going to keep them both!). These girls have excellent density and wool texture at this point, both are showing crimp in their coats, are well furnished and have very nice type. Both have are very friendly and inquisitive, come to the cage door for loving and are very laid back during grooming. They are still in full baby coat at this time. Price is $125.00 each with pedigree. Following is a picture of one of these girls...they are identical lol.

Next is another Giant Angora doe, MG84, who is also show quality with the same great wool qualities as her littermates above. This doe is priced a bit lower as she does not have the abundance of ear tassling that her sisters do and is two ounces smaller than her sisters. She does, however, have a personality that just won't quit lol. She's the type that hangs out of her cage to be pet (would just fall out if you don't watch her lol), rubs on your hand like a cat, etc. She is showable, but would make someone a wonderful housebunny or wooler/pet;) Her price is $100.00 with pedigree.

Next is Saro. She's a Giant Angora doe out of Walsh's bloodlines. Her wool density/type is absolutely awesome!!! The only reason I'm offering her for sale is that I also have her sister and I do need to reduce my numbers some:( Saro is 12 months old this month, I clipped her down yesterday and she's ready to be bred:) She's a very sweet girl, grooms easily and gives an abundance of luxurious fiber. Price is $125.00 with 1 leg and pedigree.

French Bucks: I am offering for sale two french bucks who are showing great potential. They are out of Spang's Tasha (tort) by Somerhill's John-Luke (chestnut). Tasha can be seen on my website, and I MAY have a picture of John-Luke there as well. At 4 months old, both of these boys weigh either 7lbs or 7lbs 2 oz, and are SOLID:):):) They've got it all...density, crimp, bodies, personality:) (I'm so excited about this litter lol) One buck is Opal, the other is Chestnut, both are pedigreed and will be eligible for R/W/B registration:) Price each is $80.00 with pedigree.

If you would like more information, pictures, etc. on these rabbits, please email me at mgangoras@aol.com. I will offer discounts for multiple purchases and am located in GA near Savannah. I can deliver to western NC if arrangements are made soon enough:)

Have a great day!!

Lauren

Giant Litter and Upcoming Columbia, SC show

2008-04-24T18:03:00.003-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I made the first cut from my current GA litter. I already have two nice bucks, and will be breeding two other Giant does in about a month and a half. The one little buck in this litter didn't show promise of being better than either of the two I have, so I let him go. He now resides in Florida with a very nice gal, as a pampered pet;) I'm VERY happy for him and for his new Mom!

Yesterday, I made a second cut. There are three does remaining, and one of them is a couple ounces smaller than her sisters, so I've decided to sell her. She has great density and wool quality (so far...she is only 12 weeks old:) ) and her personality is something else;) She is unbelievably sweet and demanding of attention:):) Her price is $100.00, and of course she will come with a pedigree:)

I am going to a show in Columbia, SC on May 31st, and will most likely clip and breed my other two Giant does right after that show. That will officially end my show season, and the rabbits will be off...making babies or just chillin'....for the summer:) In the fall we'll start the shows all over, including some new babies:)

About the Columbia show... The show is being hosted by Southern Pride RBCC, and it is a Double Open, Double Youth, Double Cavy, Dutch Specialty, Mini Rex Specialty and Angora Specialty....!!!....all in one day; Saturday, May 31st at Caughman Road Park, 2800 Trotter Road in Columbia, SC. Trammel Trail Treasures will be there! Judges include Stacy Easton, BIll Patrick, Michael Franke, George Long, Don Peterson and others! Breakfast and Lunch available, big raffle. Show Secy is Christy Posey, cposey@wildblue.net . To request a Show Catalog, contact Sandy Bennett at sbennett@gwm.sc.edu, 803-755-3122 or go to www.geocities.com/southerpriderabcavy
For more information on the Angora Specialty, contact myself at mgangoras@aol.com or Show Secy, Angie Kolifrath at akolifrath@gmail.com

Guess that's it for now:) Watch for posts coming about my French litter and French litter due in THREE days:):):)

Hope everyone had a great day!!

Lauren

Babies and stuff:)

2008-03-30T18:41:00.004-04:00

I spent today, with a huge amount of help from Rik, hanging cages and rearranging the rabbits to make room for babies who are now ready for their own cages.

The French litter out of Tasha x John-Luke is coming along so nicely. Big beautiful babies with heavy, meaty bodies and showing nice density in their coats:) They were weaned two weeks ago, and have been sharing cages two and two. I don't want to take a chance on them doing damage to each others coats, so today was the day they all became "big bunnies" and got their own cages;) They are a very outgoing, hearty crew, and actually seem to like having so much room all to themselves and not miss their siblings in the least. All have been nosing about their new cages, standing up on back legs to explore the tops of their cages, nose to nose with their new neighbors, etc. At dinner time, all were ready for loving and food, just like always. I'm very pleased with how quickly they took to independant living;)

The Giant litter is a little younger than the French litter, but equally as hearty and beautiful:) Today I separated the buck and doe who were sharing a cage. I still have two does together simply because Rik and I ran out of steam this evening to hang that one last cage!! Tomorrow;)

At this point I know that I will sell at least one doe and the buck from the Giant litter. I believe the doe is spoken for, but I will let those on my waiting list know that the little buck is available.

In the French litter....gosh..HARD decissions!! I'm going to have to hold off for a while in deciding on them;) In the meantime, I have a nice REW doe who is going to be bred to my Chocolate Tort buck in a day or two...soon as I can get her clipped down. So, I will have more French babies available as well.

The front pasture is finally getting green...finally is in need of mowing. I intended to mow this weekend, but this dang flu is giving me fits:( One minute I think it's fading out, the next I feel worse than ever:( Bad news lol. Yesterday, durring a "feeling good" hour, I got some weed-wacking done around the barn. Was going to do around the garden fence as well, but ran out of string. Tomorrow;)...just like that last cage lol.

UARC news...we are currently giving the website a MUCH needed update, and stirring ourselves out of our winter hibernation to get things going and active again. All of the BOD memebers are working on plans for upcoming Specialty Shows....we are working on plans for Specialty shows in GA, SC, WVA and PA. Keep an eye on the UARC website or this blog for additional information. As things get firmed up, we'll post all the details:)

Guess that's about it for now. I hope everyone is experiencing the beginnings of Spring as we are here in GA:)

Lauren

Babies

2008-02-24T19:22:00.007-05:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted here. When I first started this blog, I did so not being quite sure if it was something I wanted to do or not. In the mean time, I've decided that it makes sense to update my blog on a regular basis, as opposed to updating my website all the time, so I will be updating her regularly;) Please bear with me while I figure out how to properly place photos and such:)

At the moment, I have two litters of Angora babies. The first born was born on January 24th, 2008, and is a French Angora litter out of a tort doe, Spang's Tasha by a Chestnut buck, Somerhill's John-Luke. Both are really nice rabbits and I have high hopes for this litter. Here are a few pictures of them:

Second litter is a Giant Angora litter, born January 27th 2008, out of JG's Hoffnung by MG's Jericho. Hoffnung (Huffy) is a beautiful GA doe who came from Jan's Giants. Jericho is one of my babies, out of Hoffnung by AA's Martin.

Hope you enjoy the baby pictures! Some of these babies may be available for sale in the future. If you are interested in any out of either litter or would like to be kept in the loop as to which do become available, please feel free to email me at mgangoras@aol.com.

Lauren

September 3, 2007

2007-09-03T20:36:00.001-04:00

Oh, it's finally Fall !!!!!....at least in my book;) September always counts as the beginning of Fall to me;)

I'm not going to be very good at this blog thing if I don't remember to update it more often;) Since I've last posted, I have made a long run to Pennsylvania to pick up two Giant Angora babies (both does) from McMahon Rabbitry in Brushy Valley, PA. Along the way, I delivered about 15 angora rabbits. My first stop was in NC, where I delivered a nice buck, second and third stops were in Virginia, above Richmond. After that, I met with a lady in PA (she drove down to meet me from New England), and at the same stop, I picked up my two Giant does. After that, I drove back south to Summersville, WVA to deliver the last of my hitch-hickers;) My daughter Jessie and grandson Luke (who was only three months old at the time) rode with me, making the trip MUCH more enjoyable:):):) Luke is a GOOD little travler, even at such a young age;) So....despite very frequent nursing and diaper stops and a flat tire on our rental van, the trip was fantastic!!!! All bunnies arrived to their new homes with a minimal of stress, I met lots of wonderful folks and had a nice little getaway road trip;)

I MIGHT just have another road trip coming up....will post here when my plans are more definant;)

As for my rabbitry....all is well, I'm extremely pleased with the rabbits that I have aquired and bred over the past several months:) I do intend for my rabbitry to be a mainly French Angora Rabbitry, however, at the present, I have more Giants than I do French;) Three of these are babies out of one of my does, who was purchased from Jan's Giants in PA:) They are only 7 weeks old right now, too young to know MUCH about, but I can say that so far, so good!!! Out of this litter, I will eventually have at least one buck for sale, so check back here and on my website, www.mgangoras.com often;)

The next show I plan on attending will be on September 15th in Greensboro, NC....the Sandhills Rabbit Fanciers show, which is a TRIPLE open show!!! The folks associated with that show have been really helpful and friendly in our correspondence:and have graciously offered to sanction Angoras, even though they were not initially sanctioned):) I have never attended a show hosted by these folks before, but if my initial impression counts, so far, I would feel pretty confident recomending it;) Oh...it's an AIR CONDITIONED show hall!!! How great is that???...especially to us Angora Breeders!!! Sounds like it's going to be a GREAT show!!! I hope other Angora breeders will plan on attending:):):)
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Guess that's it for now. I'll get some pictures up here before TOO long....and in the meantime, check out my pictures on my website at http://www.mgangoras.com/ !!!

Lauren
Morning Glory Angoras
http://www.mgangoras.com/
ARBA member, UARC President

Getting Started...

2007-07-28T19:10:00.000-04:00

Well, I've decided to jump on the blogger bandwagon and start a blog for my rabbitry:) My name is Lauren Waters, and I own Morning Glory Angoras, which is an Angora Rabbitry located in rural east GA. I raise French and Giant Angora rabbits for show and fiber production, am a member of ARBA and UARC (am also President of UARC, United Angora Rabbit Club). I live on 5 acres with my husband Rik, my adult daughter, Jessie, and her two month old son, Lucas Wyatt. We are in the process of building a house..hopefully it'll be done shortly after Christmas. In addition to the rabbits, I have four black and tan miniature dachshunds, four parrots, and a couple cats. In the future, I hope to start a heard of Boer Goats, maybe a couple dairy goats as well. Besides my Angora interests, I also LOVE making handmade soaps:) Maybe in the future, I'll add some pictures and information on my soap here as well;) But for now.....

On this blog, I will post items that will hopefully be of interest including club stuff (UARC, United Angora Rabbit Club, www.unitedangoras.com ), shows that I will be or have attended, etc., as well as pictures of my rabbits, babies I might have for sale, and general "stuff" about what's going on here in my rabbitry. My posts here will not be on a schedule for the first few days, while I fill in my blog, get some pictures posted, etc. After that, I hope to post twice a week.

Today I learned a big lesson about what one of my does will and will not tolerate! She is a Giant doe, aptly named Huffy, and has always been very protective of her cage. When I go to feed her, I have to stop, call her to the front of her cage and pet her (while she acts for all the world like a cat being pet) before attempting to refill her feeder, give her hay, treats, whatever. More than once, when I didn't go thru the order of events that she dictates, she has growled/spit/hissed and at the same time pounced on my hand with both front feet;) LUCKILY she's kind enough NOT to use her teeth LOL...but a fast moving, pouncing, growling rabbit can sure scare me;) Today, I decided to move a little 3 1/2 month old French Angora buck into the cage next to Huffy...he was sweet as always and totally oblivious to her. She on the other hand (and to be fair, she does have a two week old litter , but come on....he doesn't even have his "boy parts" yet! ) started staring him down, running around her cage, climbing the side of her cage between him and her, etc....all while he calmly expored his new cage and ignored her. Finally, she jumped up on top of her nest box to stare him down, so I gave her and him a big handful of hay to distract them. He dove right in to his in a far corner, while she burrowed beneath hers, to sit and glare at him with a big pile of hay on top of her head lol. After about 15 minutes, I realized that she was NOT going to "get over it", so I moved his water bottle, dropping pan, feeder, hay and finally him back into his old cage:( Guess he's going to have to reside on the New Zealand side of the rabbitry for a while longer;) (My rabbitry is an Angora rabbitry, but I also keep a line of New Zealand Whites for meat.)

Guess that'll do it for now:)

Lauren