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I am always interested in how people got started in their
"rabbit habit" and the following is my story. I have covered everything
from how it all began to how I went from bought rabbits to an established
herd of my own. I am very humbled by having such a quick rise from not
really knowing what I was doing to breeding my very own award-winning rabbits.
I cannot thank the people who have helped and educated me along the way.
I am an active member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association, American Dutch Rabbit Club, Michigan Dutch Rabbit Club, Michigan State Rabbit Breeders Assocaition, Indiana Diamond Dutch Rabbit Club, Hoosier Dutch Rabbit Club and Ohio State Dutch Rabbit Club. Sycamore Rabbitry began in August of 2003. When I, Kristy Hume, realized I would no longer be able to show a horse at fair (due to the fact that my current horse is not the typical "pleasure" horse, but instead, a dressage horse), I decided that I wanted to be involved in Dutch rabbits.
Kristy and her dressage horse,
Toby, during show season 2007.
My younger years! We used to raise blacks, blues & chocolates.
Tom, one of the top breeders in Michigan, showed us several animals to choose from. We brought home three wonderful animals: a black buck (Buster), a blue doe (Tess), and a young, black doe (Panda). We then visited the Stump's rabbitry and brought home
a black buck (Chip) and a black doe (Oreo). Sadly, none of these animals are still with us, but they
live on in their strong impact on my herd. Almost every black or blue
in my barn goes back to these beginning animals! I can't thank Tom and Steven enough for providing me with such excellent beginning stock!
The "Super Litter" Every Dutch breeder loves finding a new litter containing all showable babies. On May 9, 2004, I experienced such luck when Tess had an exceptional litter of six excellent marked, show quality animals, sired by Buster. Three of the rabbits were sold at a young age. Then there
were the three animals I kept until they were seniors: Blue, Daisy
and Priss. Blue has always been spectacular on the show table, and
has the awards to prove it. He has been retired as a breeding buck,
and while he still occasionally finds his way to the show table, I mostly
focus on his babies. Daisy, a black doe, had been winning since she was a
mere 3 months old and received numerous legs and significant wins, just
like her brother. At nearly two years old, Daisy finally got her chance
to settle into motherhood and produced some great babies - her most significant
being Gwen, a black doe who won 3 Best In Show awards in three different
states in 2008. Priss, another black doe, was a beautiful animal, but could never beat her sister. Priss ended up being sold to breeder Mike Smith, who in return gave me one of her babies, a blue buck named Benny who has been my strongest blue herdsire. Needless to say, it was a litter to say "wow"about and these rabbits really helped to get my rabbitry established in the Dutch community both through reputation from their successes on the show table to a solid foundation of my first home-bred breeding stock.
And Then Came the Grays... The original intent was to become involved in only two varieties of Dutch, and I chose blacks and blues. Of course, that didn't last long! At the National Dutch Show in 2005, I got my first gray. After much pursuit, and over a year later, I purchased two more gray does to establish my lines with. Rita, an overweight but wonderfully typed doe from Steve Blythe and Rita Stelzer of South Dakota has been a huge asset to my gray breeding program. She is notorious for her huge litters, usually mostly well-marked. Her babies have been outrageously successful on the show table and as breeding stock. I got lucky on a gray buck, with a very nice gray of
my own in the first couple of litters who became my first gray herdsire,
Broer. I no longer own him, as he was replaced by his son, Basil, who is
not only very successful on the show table, but is a superior brood buck.
I also was very lucky to snatch up an absolutely lovely gray buck
(Laddy) from Erik Ladd of Ohio. He has proven to be an exceptional
show rabbit and sire. Grays
have proven to be an exciting addition to the barn, as
I always seem to be learning something new! 
Additonal "Outsiders"
I have been very lucky to have some wonderful Dutch rabbits born in my barn. Every once in awhile though, I find myself looking for some new blood to bring into the herd so things don't get too closely related. I am very particular about what qualities I am looking to bring into my herd, so purchases are not taken lightly. In my search for a new blue buck, I contacted Pete
Nelsen of Washington. I have always admired his rabbits, and I can't
thank him enough for letting me buy this buck at ARBA 2007! As for Thor,
I hadn't really planned on getting a new black buck, but I only was using
two for breeding in my barn, and when this guy was put in the open seller's
class at NDS 2008 by Al Gerhart of Ohio, I couldn't resist! Al has excellent
quality blacks with LOVELY fur, something I want in my blacks! Thor
has been an awesome asset to my black breeding program. His babies have
been winning left and right!
I picked up a gray doe, Kortney, from Theresa Kortbein (now Schwandt) who took me nearly a year to finally get bred, but her vary first litter through me the nicest gray I have ever bred in my opinion, Basil. Then, over the summer of 2008, I got my gold doe, Dar. She comes from the Bickelhaupts in Ohio. Dar has lovely type and a gorgeous head and ear on her. She has some markings flaws, but her babies tend to be very well-marked and she has produced some big winners for me! Dar is a barn favorite, an excellent mother, and visitors love her "blonde" coat! Thank you Katie and Terri Bickelhaupt! The next newbie in my barn was Harrison. I noticed Al had some black junior bucks for sale at a show in early 2009. Well, I bought Harrison as a junior at the show. He has a few marking flaws, but the coat and type on him are flawless. He has had a successful run ont eh show table, but with his small size I have also been breeding him to my huge gray doe, Rita, and have gotten some very nice steel babies! Another addition to my herd are my three Ed McKinley gray does. Ed is a longtime Dutch breeder in Michigan, but he recently sold off his herd. I had to work, but I sent my parents with a strict list oh what too look for in an animal to the auction. They brought me home three gray does, two of which I kept named them Emma and Ellen (the third doe we couldn't get to breed, and ironically, she was the youngest!). Ellen has been easy to breed and produced some winners. Emma is an easy breeder and I have been so impressed with her babies - they are great! Any most recently at the NDS 2010, I picked up a blue doe, Bubbly, from Briony Barnes of Kansas, and a related blue buck, Mick, from Gene Knieling of Oregon. I am looking forward to seeing what they can bring to my line! I also bought a black doe, Scarlett, from Gene Knieling in the open seller's class. I really didn't need another black doe, but I couldn't resist her lovely type and her bloodlines (she is by a buck I sold Gene and out of a Tommy D doe)! 
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