Does & Rabbitry

Yes I know I keep going on about these two things, but other than the garden, my job searching, and my tiny WAHM business, that's all I've got these days. The 2 does I'd expected to kindle this week went right on time. It's a nice change. We officially have our first Mini lop babies in the rabbitry. Though I know the first doe had 6 (I think), I'm not certain at all about the second. All I know is they are live and there are a bunch. It's too cold to get a really good look just yet, but maybe later on today. There are 3 more does due Monday, 1 of which is my eldest's old AFL doe. Fingers are firmly crossed because although the doe has had a litter before, the breed has been fickle for us and it's been a very long time. Plus that doe never raised a kit before, the first litter didn't make it. Should be some real beauties in the nest, if they make it, since both parents are multi-legged GCs.

I picked up a few more supplies for the new rabbitry yesterday. Enough stilts to put the rest of the hanging sets up and off the fence. I started with just 10 of the paving stones I want to use. I'll be getting those in increments. I also picked up a piece of poly roofing to try. It's lightweight and opaque, to help keep the sun off during summer. It wasn't as expensive as I had been fearing, though I still don't know if I could afford to use it in the whole rabbitry. That would mean 10 of the 12' lengths for each side. That would be close to $300 just for roofing! Again, it might be something I can get a piece at a time until I have all I'll need. The problem though is they'd have to be stored until I have all that I'd need. Hmm, if I use those, I'd probably have to build a more supportive roof as well... more beams in the roof than I had planned. Well, there's still plenty of time to work that out. I'm not even ready to take down the fencing yet!

It's also looking like I'm going to need to find another home for Frankie, the old gander. He's decided he's the boss gander. At this rate, I'll never have young Sebs as long as Frank and Shirley are determined to mate only one another. I don't know if I'll get anything this year anyway or not. The young guy, Templeton, just doesn't seem to have the confidence to even [i]try[/i] wooing Shirley. We'll see I suppose.

More does due

Aruba (blue MR doe) finally kindled 4 babies... all blues! It was rather a surprise seeing as how the sire is a black (dominant). Only 1 baby was a peanut, and I removed that after a couple days. Now there are 2 more does due this week. One due tomorrow and the other the following day. Unfortunately, I've run out of space inside for them to kindle, so they have to bear it in the rabbitry. Fingers are crossed because while the temps have decided to climb during the days, it's still plummeting at night into the 20's. At those temps, and with windchills driving it even farther down, a new kit could very easily and quickly freeze to death.

On another not, I did finally get one of the hutches up on 'stilts' as planned. Except for the minor glitch of them sinking into the soft soil of the pen, and a wobbling problem I can't seem to mend, I like the new alteration. I have 5 'hanging' sets that will be going on stilts. I'm hoping to get them at a more comfortable height (this will put the cage tops at 48 inches from the ground) and stop the bending that has been slowly warping these cages into unusable messes. It's a slow process though, I have to find some inexpensive way of keeping them from sinking. Right now I'm using wood, but maybe bricks would be better. It's a plan-in-process and I'm accustomed to making fast design changes when I'm working on new ideas.

The New Rabbitry, in detail

My plan is to use a set of 20 X 20 panels that I've had for a long time, these will be the walls and will hopefully lend a measure of protection to the rabbits they have not had for some time. These will be wire lashed together and generally require little support as they are very rigid. If they do, I have t-posts available for just that purpose, if I can find them all. The roofing is the most complicated aspect of the whole rabbitry and will consist of a simple wooden frame set on special concrete blocks, to this frame I plan on securing an ordinary tarp. And yes, I realize that I'll need to replace the tarp periodically. Because I'm just not a big fan of mud, I plan on placing flat concrete stones down the aisles between the hutches. The stacks themselves will be placed on treated wooden runners to keep them from sinking. Overall it's a fairly simple plan, now if only it can be executed!

Incidentally, I do plan on keeping some of the large hanging cages currently in use, however I will be altering the method by which they are hung. There is simply too much weight on them due to the poor roofing arrangement and it is causing the wire to bend and the end cages to warp severely. My plan for these is to use u-posts as cage legs, though I haven't determined yet whether I will need 4 or 6 per cage. These posts aren't expensive, but I'm starting out small to test them. I'll need to devise a lighter roofing system as well, but haven't quite gotten to that part yet.

Incidentally, this new rabbitry will be mobile to a certain extent. Not in that it could be moved around continuously, but that if (or when) we finally move elsewhere, this particular rabbitry will be able to be moved with us, and quite easily. I'm also hoping it will solve the dilemma I have had in the past with cleaning. All these cages will have pans, the walls will have cheap roll-up/down sides to protect against weather extremes. Yes, I think this new design will definitely have advantages.

Tired again

It's been a very long day. I'm still waiting on the other doe to kindle her litter, but in the meanwhile the first litters have opened their eyes and are binkying all over their cage. It appears the two chinchilla babies are both bucks and the Angora baby is a doe. I wound up removing the Holland Lop peanut so there is just one baby remaining in that litter, a black tort. The mother has been acting strangely lately, so I hope she's alright.

I haven't palpated anyone else lately, I've just been a little busy. The rabbitry will be completely re-organized to a place outside of the barn. I'm still working out the details, but it will likely involve the partial removal of the poultry pen currently in place. However, everything must be done in it's time and according to available funds. At the moment, both are tight. Meanwhile I need to try and get those additional stacks completed so I can move rabbits out of the barn to begin cleaning them up and cleaning the barn out. I'll likely use the barn for storage rather than housing. It will be better for me and better for the rabbits I think.

Ready for Spring!

I am so ready, the past week has been gloriously warm and it really puts one in the mood to do something spring-ish. The indoor seedlings are sprouting, the garden is plotted, the rabbits are kindling. But now the weather forecast has it becoming cold again! So much for digging the garden this week. And the danger to young bunnies goes back up again.

Speaking of rabbits, this is truly turning into a go-around. One of the expectant moms kindled her litter on Valentine's day (yesterday), but there was only 1 viable kit and 1 peanut. It's my first Holland lop litter in years, and at least there was a good kit in the nest. However, with that small triumph came another disappointment. My seal Mini-rex doe, for whatever reason, aborted her 2.5 week litter. She's been re-bred, but still it concerns me as I don't know why she aborted. The other doe that was expecting still has yet to have kindled, though she's played in her nestbox plenty.

How much can one mama take?

I hurt. My stomach muscles are very sore. I think the reason is that I've been having a lot of allergy induced coughing, and I've strained my already overstretched stomach muscles. As a result, every cough results in excruciating spasms through my upper stomach. I really don't know how much more I can take. Well, yeah I probably do. I'll keep putting up with it because there's nothing that can be done about it. And to be frank, it's really not quite as painful as labor. I do worry about the potential impact on the little one inside, but he/she seems to be alright thus far. Still active and moving about.

Rabbits Bred / Evil Doe

After a show is the best time to breed does, because the slight stress tends to put them in a more receptive state. It's not so great for bucks though, something to do with scents I suppose. Anyway, I took advantage of this opportunity to get a lot of the does that were old enough to bear litters bred. The following were bred on Sunday:

White Rex to Jasper (terminal breeding)
Choc Rex to Jasper (terminal breeding)
Cal Rex to Jasper (terminal breeding)
...Jasper was a busy boy!

Baby Blue to Evan (Mini-rex breeding... colors are anyone's guess!)
Adam to Eve (BEW breeding)

I had picked up a new chin buck, Palmer, but want to let him settle in and bulk up a little before trying him with the ladies.

I also attempted to breed my eldest's doe to her buck. I didn't really believe how evil this doe was until now. The thing BIT me in the center of my right palm cutting a large hole. While it's not deep, it is painful. That rabbit has now earned itself a short leash. If she produces no babies or is not at least expecting by the next show, she will be going. I don't put up with that kind of nonsense from any rabbit.

On the other hand, there are 2 rabbits expecting litters this Friday. Wish them luck!

Making Changes

It's a slow process, as I knew it would be. I got the necessary cage parts to finish those cages I had mentioned previously. My intention was to alter these cages and keep them close to the house to better encourage my waning interest in the rabbits. However, there is one slight problem I hadn't foreseen. That is the level of my neighbor's nosiness. They mean well, we have good neighbors overall, but I'm slightly paranoid about people knowing what I do/don't have on this property. So I'll need to figure something out to keep my nosy neighbors slightly in the dark about what I'm doing here. Though I've honestly always felt that if everything is being fed and cared for, it's really no one's business what is kept. However, not everyone feels the same and I have had to defend myself in the past from people claiming I keep 'livestock' on this property, which is completely untrue. I keep poultry and rabbits, both of which are permitted according to the city ordinances.

Anyway, I did manage to convert 3 of the cages that were already stacked. These are housing my new BEW Mini-rex. I have another set of 3 waiting to be converted next to the others. My plans are still kind of loose, but they somewhat involve using cheap shower curtains to block the weather. It's still a loose design in my head, but it'll come together in the end.

The Show

The show on Saturday was a big state convention. I felt a little dwarfed as I stood beside my fellow breed giants. I've gone to this show many times over the years, watched as it escalated. It's a good show, though it used to be a double, and it used to be reasonably priced. There were a ton of beautiful rabbits there, lots of old friends to greet. I didn't do so well on the table, but I did pick up a trio of BEW Mini-rex and an additional pair of chinchilla Mini-rex to add to my already existing herd. As usual the kids did better than I, with my 2nd placing 3rd of 7 in an open class of Havanas and my eldest... well she doesn't know how she placed, but we know it wasn't last!

My second also picked up an addition to her herd, a chocolate Havana doe she's named Ginny. And we sold the Angora doe. Since she tanked this litter and since I was already on the fence with regards to keeping/selling them, I decided to just make the cut. I had hoped to sell the pair together, put a great price on them in the hopes of that. But apparently, it wasn't meant to be. A lady bought the doe, but wasn't interested in the buck. Too bad, since he's actually the better of the two. Still, I'll see about selling him at the next show... in six weeks.

Deformed Babies

It's a rare occurrence, but deformities happen in all species. It stands to reason that eventually, something would pop up in my herd. The Angora had her babies last Friday. At first I wasn't sure, because she was in her usual spot in front of the nest. But then she suddenly hopped out and I got a good look at a tragedy. There were 3 large and very dead babies in the front of the nest. At first I thought she had trampled them to death, but on a closer inspection I realized that 2 of them had severe deformities of the head. The third was excessively large, but still warm. It was probably a DOA. A little farther back in the nest was one single live baby. I scooped the baby out of the nest and into my portable warmer. I then removed the nest from the cage and took the live baby upstairs. It's only hope was the other doe delivering soon. I found a small bucket and carefully wrapped the baby in as many soft towels as I could find, hoping that would be enough to keep it alive. The other doe did not kindle before we left for the show that night.

My fingers were firmly crossed when we got back. Even though it was extremely late and I was worn out thoroughly, the first thing I did on return was to check the baby. If it was already gone, there was no point in checking the other doe. However, luck was with me. The little baby was alive and seemingly well, if a bit thin. I then ran down and checked the other doe. Sure enough, she had put 2 nice little babies in a thick handful of fur. I ran back upstairs and got the baby and added it to the other doe's nest. So far, the baby seems to be doing well, still thinner than it's pseudo-nest mates, but coming along nicely. It looks to be a lilac tort.

No Babies

Incidentally, those 2 does I've been waiting on since Monday evening are still making me wait. They've each pulled a little fur and are now quite comfortable sitting in the front of their nestboxes. Enjoying an occasional nibble of the straw from the nests, but otherwise not really showing any interest in giving up the babies I can feel.

An Odd Situation

So I had an appointment today. I was supposed to go to a breastfeeding class, which I thought was utterly ridiculous. Having nursed 3 children successfully for 2 years each should certainly qualify me to skip such a class. Geez, I could probably teach the class! When I mentioned this to the lady, she looked at me for a moment, then asked me if I'd be interested in a job as a breastfeeding peer counselor. I told her "sure," because even though it would be part-time, every little bit would help. We'll see if anything comes of it though. I've become quite skeptical of employment opportunities of late, and with good reason.

I hear that in the city nearby there has been talk of switching to a 4-day school week, or alternatively simply mass school closings and layoffs. What kind of education will those children be receiving if that happens? Bussed outrageous distances and crammed into already overcrowded classrooms. How does that help this struggling economy. Putting even more people out of work. That's fewer taxes being paid, more people having to request government assistance, and a heavier burden on our already overburdened economy. it's a snowball, the problem will only keep getting bigger if something doesn't give soon. I hope these short-sighted officials think through the long-term consequences before doing anything rash. Though I doubt that will happen, I don't think it ever has in the entire history of this country! But I'll get off my soapbox about this particular issue. I leave most of the political smearing to my eminently intelligent other half, who has... shall we say, very decided opinions on all things political in this country.

It's Snowing!!!

I just wanted to say that. LOL

So Bored

I am so utterly bored at the moment! Honestly, how do people do it? I had a busy morning, put in for several jobs, checked on the expectant does, put in a pick-up order with the cage supply place, and soon I'll be leaving to pick up the girls from their various after-school functions. Other than that though there's been a lot of down-time today. Not fun at all. It's to the point that I'm thinking of casting on another pair of capri or shorts just for something to do! Now that's bad.

Incidentally, the does are both still pregnant. No babies yet, but it is still quite early. The Angora doe removed every bit of straw material from the nest and had strewn it all over her cage and the ground. The other doe was slightly better, she even pulled some hair and partly lined her nest, but then I suppose either she got cold or bored and she was just sitting in the front part of the nest when I last checked. Probably trying to keep her tootsies warm.

It is cold, but not devastatingly so, like it has been earlier this season. The weather place is still calling for snow, but at this rate, I highly suspect the only flakes we're likely to see are the guys doing the forecasting!

Uh oh... I'm off to get the girls! TTFN

Rabbits, Gardening, & the Wacky Weather

Wow, it's hard to believe that in just 4 days I'll be expecting the first litters of rabbits that have been born here in a very long time. The expectant moms-to-be are a Mini-rex and an Angora. I'm not sure why, since I was so close to selling them, I chose instead to let the Angora reproduce. Though perhaps it was because I made the actual sales decision after she was bred. And the thought of selling a bred doe doesn't sit too well with me. I'm sure if I were to get unhappy enough, I would sell a bred rabbit, but then I would have just a single doe expecting. The Mini-rex girl is a nice doe, but not a great mother, and expecting a small litter too. So this is the Angora's chance to prove to me she deserves to stay. Neither are first time moms, but for both it has been a very long time between litters. Though that's true for all my rabbits these days.

I finally got the seeds planted yesterday that I wanted. Except for about 5 seed types, because they have been soaking overnight to aid in germination. I think I went a bit overboard though, I planted between 4 & 8 pots for each plant type. Three different kinds of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, plus squash, watermelon, cucumber, and beans. Now a lot really will depend on whether or not anything comes up from these plantings. So I'm not as concerned as I possibly ought to be. My indoor gardening skills are somewhat lacking, but I am trying to improve them. Of course, even with all these advance plantings, there are still 3 packets of seeds that have yet to be opened. The beets, onion, collards, and lettuce need to be sown directly into the soil after all danger of frost has passed. Therefore, it will be at least another month for those. Now what worries me is where to put everything, if indeed the plants germinate and thrive.

What's been really interesting though is the past day or so. Saturday was as cold as could be, yet yesterday was warm and sunny. And even though the weather station is calling for rain today, it has dawned warm and sunny, with nary a cloud in sight. Naturally that doesn't preclude the possibility for a rainstorm to come in later, but I refuse to dwell on possibilities and will instead enjoy the present beautiful weather conditions. It truly does lend itself to working outside, processing rabbits, breeding rabbits, cultivating soil, or even just a bit of spring cleaning. I'm sure I can find something useful to occupy myself outside so I can enjoy the unseasonable temperatures. Especially since they are then forecasting snow for tomorrow. I did warn that this weather is being wacky!