Evans Software Review

OK, I've had this blogpost planned for a while, but I just haven't gotten around to doing it.  It's not a very exciting topic.

So you have a lot of choices out there for managing your rabbitry.  And the girls do a pretty fine job of caring for their rabbits.  They don't have a lot of bunnies, so they can keep the pertinent information in their heads.  But I got really tired of trying to download the free pedigree programs or to fill in using the online templates.  It was a major hassle.

I bought the deluxe version of Evans Software's (evans-software.com) because it also includes a genetics processing feature.  The other deluxe features include a taskmaster list (what chores to do that day) and something for judges to track their records.  The genetics processing feature was the only deluxe feature we were interested in.

I cannot compare the Evans Rabbit Register with any other programs because I haven't used any.  I can say that I have been very happy with it and that it has been worth the expense.

The pedigree charts were the most important feature for us--no more entering every detail for every rabbit every time.  The information is entered once, and then you are done.  There are several options in making the charts--size, color, number of generations, various information to include or exclude on the chart, pictures, GC and legs, etc. 

Everything is really easy to edit.

You can track your buyers easily.  This way you have all their information available within a few clicks and you can quickly update them with changes in the registration or Grand Champion status of your rabbits. 

A big selling point for me was the genetics analysis.  You can select two rabbits, and potential offspring colors will be presented.  No more Punnett squares for five different alleles.  You can add one user-defined gene, and you can exclude an genes you don't have in your rabbitry to produce a more accurate analysis that actually reflects your rabbitry.  For example, we excluded the chinchilla dark and Himalayan genes, so those options don't appear in the analysis.  Also included is a booklet on rabbit color genetics with some of the best information I have seen, and all very well organized. 

I would not get this program if I weren't breeding rabbits, and I wouldn't get it if I had only one litter per year.  But once you start having three or more litters, this becomes a very handy tool.  You can use it on as many of your own computers as you wish--you are not limited to loading on one. 

Updates are issued about once per month.