Judging

I am not talking about the show judging of our rabbits but rather the judging we do to other people. There is a discussion on one of the yahoo rabbit lists I read about animal auctions. I have also read and heard comments about how someone raises their rabbits, children, dogs, etc. I was sitting in the barn earlier, enjoying the bunny energy and thinking about what I would do if my family was hungry and needed food. I had asked my husband if he would be able to butcher our rabbits. I was thinking of perhaps raising some meat rabbits and selling it locally. Perhaps, this would be a way of paying for some of the feed and hay. He told me that he didn't want to kill a rabbit he knew. Hunting wild rabbits was a different thing. I thought about why I didn't think I could butcher myself and found my old excuses of being a "city" girl, of butchering being men's work and realized that I had been raised being removed from the whole meat process. Steaks and chickens were not really alive. I just got them from the supermarket all cut up and appealing looking.

I also thought about our ducks. I love our ducks.
Here is Aflack:

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And Chips:



And the two new ones:



They are a source of endless amusement to me. (I know...it doesn't take much to amuse me anymore ;)). They are laying eggs. At least two a day. I have used them in baking and had a lovely omlet and have eaten them hard boiled. One of my daughters says that she has a mental block about eating duck eggs and I realized that I do have a bit of hesitation on eating the eggs. Eating chicken eggs from the supermarket doesn't bother me in the least. Now, is it because I see the source? Would I have a problem if I had chickens? I am not sure.

There are people who are vegetarians (one of my daughters was one for a year). And different people have different reasons for refraining from eating meat, chickens, eggs, milk etc. If we judge them or label them in a negative way what are we hoping to accomplish? If we judge how someone takes care of their animals (am not talking about neglect that leads to the death or suffering of the animals) what are we really saying? That our way is the best or only way? I can't do that. Well, I try not to do that. If someone raises rabbits for meat or pet food or show or pleasure why do we take issue with that? Rabbit rescue and PETA seem to be especially judgemental of others. And if they feel strongly about it that is their privledge. When they come to my rabbitry and feel I am wrong for keeping my rabbits in cages and not in the house and judge me they cycle continues.

Then I asked myself why I am raising rabbits and I found there are several layers. I love fiber. I love to feel it in my hands. I want to get better at spinning. I begin to see so many ways I can promote fiber. I live near the Navajo Reservation. I see many women struggling to take care of their families...what if we could get a co-op and start selling hand spun, hand dyed yarn? Maybe we could all make a little money and keep alive tradional practices.

I love the challenge of breeding a great line of rabbits. I like genetics and seeing what happens.

I love the energy of rabbits and I like taking care of them. I can't explain it any better.

I am not going to judge why someone raises rabbits. There are probably as many reasons as there are people. I look forward to talking with rabbit breeders to find out what works for them that might work for me. And to enjoy their passion along with my own

Baby Pictures!!!

Sadly, we lost one of the kits in the nextbox. However, the other three are thriving. Here are pictures of them.




We bring them in during the night with full, round bellies and take them out in the morning looking skinny. When I check on them later, their bellies are round and full again. They move around, sort of jerking. My daughter, Anna, wondered if they were having seizures. To me they seem like Mexican Jumping Beans. They are also making little squeeking noises. Overall, we think they are very cute.

Re-bred Daisy to Thor today. Tried to breed Peaches to Obsidian but she would have none of it. So, will let her be awhile. Thor stomped his foot around for awhile after we took Daisy away. He is turning into quite a character.

Have been learning how to knit two socks at once. Have a book by Antje Gillingham called "Knitting Circles Around Socks". I was doing ok until my 16 inch cable came out of the point. I think I got turned around and so will need to try to take one sock off and put it in the correct position. It is really good to knit both socks at the same time though. I must admit to having several single socks because I just couldn't get up the interest to knit another one to match. I am a lazy knitter, I think, and a slow one but I do enjoy it. Have also been making flowers from Nicky Epstein's book for the patients who give birth in the month of May. I think I have almost 50 which is my goal. And then I need to make leaves and sew them together. I am glad I gave myself a long time before they were due.

Well, should go take a nap. I am working nights this month.

Easter Bundles of Joy

I worked this weekend and on Easter morn I was present at the birth of a lovely little girl. I came home and found 4 little bunnies born in the barn. So, a wonderful day of birth. As soon as I can I will get pictures up and show off the bunnies. Their mom, Princess Leia, made a nest for them on the floor of the cage. I had put a lot of straw in there along with the nest box and I had seen her pulling fur a couple of days ago. We are bringing the little ones in at night as it is still getting to the teens. I am keeping my fingers crossed as I know that there may still be some losses but so far their bellies are full and they are warm and moving around.

The other two does I bred at the same time, Peaches and Daisy have not shown any signs of nest making. So, perhaps they didn't get pregnant. I will re-breed them eventually. Meanwhile, I rejoice at the 4 we have.

The ducklings are growing very fast and are very cute. One fell over on her back and couldn't get back up. She was rolling back and forth and making quite a noise. I picked her up and set her to rights and she was back running aroun and pecking at my shoes.

Thor is talking to me again. He seems to like his new cage.

The Great Escape

Thor waited patiently for his chance. He made the break one dark night. He pushed his nose against the bars and voila the door sprung open. He peered out and paused. Then he jumped into the darkness and found himself free on the straw covered floor. Free at last.

Well, that is how I imagined it may have happened. We came out to the barn and found Thor on the floor. He was very happy and not so much when we put him back in. I was changing out cages anyway...I have found that taking the cages to the car wash and blasting them with the high power spray is a wonderful way to keep them clean...but I digress. We had a larger cage that we had recently cleaned and decided to put him in that one. He seemed to like it. Since he had straw caught on his lovely wool I decided to groom him. We were doing well until he decided he needed to be free again. He escaped my grasp and jumped onto the floor. (I groom them on a chair so it was not a long jump). He was happy. We eventually caught him and put him back in his cage. He was no longer happy. In fact, he wouldn't even look at me. He flopped down in annoyance, getting up to drink and eat occasionally. This lasted all day. Poor Thor.

Yesterday he let me pet him so I guess he has forgiven me for the incarcaration. He seems to like his roomier cage and as soon as I can I will get one this size for Obsidian. The other rabbits are smaller so their cages are adequate.

I was reading on some lists about bunny communication. I really believe that all animals communicate with us. Too often, I think, people just don't take the time to communicate with animals (Dr. Dolittle aside). I find the rabbit world of people to be exceptions to that.

Still waiting for babies...it is 4 weeks and 2 days today and this is when they started delivering the last litters. We are checking them every half hour. They have next boxes and lots of straw. Princess Leia was carrying around straw and putting it in the next box to make a nest. But no hair pulling yet. I have turned up the heater at night and so now we just wait. As a labor and delivery nurse I know that babies are born on their own agenda. It is wonderful waiting though.

Bliss

I just returned from the bunny barn. I believe that if everyone could just spend 15 or 20 minutes sitting in the presence of these peaceful animals the world would be a much better place. The warmth of the sun, the rabbits contentedly munching on their food, the little ducklings pecking at my feet and tugging on my pants hem, the aroma of the straw and hay and rabbits, all combined to instill a deep sense of peace in my heart. I wish everyone that feeling.

I have had a lot of responses to my question of color of Peaches. The conclusion is she is a tort. Possibly blue, black, lilac. I have reposted asking what makes a tort? What do you look for? I am trying to wrap my mind around these colors. I am expecting litters this week. Took off the days and am hoping things turn out better than last time. And I would like to be able to tell the colors of the kits. Can you tell their colors when they are born? Do they change as they get older. They say all babies are born with blue eyes and some change. Now, I know that brown and black eyes are common too. I sat in the bunny barn and wondered about that.

I find that I am able to just be in the bunny barn after the work of feeding, watering and cleaning is done. I hope that I will be able to spend more time there now that it is not freezing anymore. Take a respite before I return to the business of working and raising a family.

Well, that is enough rambling for now. Time to return to my knitting.

Bunnie blessings.

Name that color

I am posting a picture of one of my does. I am so not good at telling colors, unless it is obvious. I can tell red eyed whites from all the other colors. :) I was told by the person I aquired this rabbit from that it was a chincilla. But she was not very certain. I would appreciate any thoughts on what color this rabbit is. Thanks.

Finally

It has been too long since I last wrote anything. Unfortunately, I was hit by a killer virus and wound up off from work, in bed and taking antibiotics. Yesterday was the first I felt semi-human. I went out and cleaned out the rabbitry, my family is good about feeding and watering, and reconnected with the bunnies. It is so calming there. I sit and listen to them eating and it is peaceful and quiet.

We are expecting three litters this next week. The last deliviries did not go so well. None of the does pulled hair or made a nest, despite the lovely nest boxes that were provided, and so delivered on the wire. We did not get to them in time. I did have a heater on in the barn but I guess I need to get a bigger one. It keeps the water bottles from freezing. So, this time my daughter (who is on Spring Break) and I have devised a plan to keep very close watch on the does. If they do not make a nest this time I will not breed them again. However, I do hope to at least save the kits.

I am making slow headway on my website. My main helper decided to run off to Canada to grow medical marijuana. Sigh. I do not know why some kids need to follow difficult paths in life and why mothers cannot just stop them from making foolish choices. He is 20 years old though and determined to make as many mistakes as he can. It doesn't stop my heart from loving him and hoping that he makes it through these times.

The other kids are doing ok this week. Have been working hard at school and at home. We hauled gravel to our parking space. We live on a dirt road and there is wicked mud. This pile of gravel should last a few months at least. And we are starting a compost pile so they helped create that.

Have been reading about rabbit vaccinations on some of the lists I read. I would consider some vaccinations if I could get them inexpensively and administer them myself. The only way vaccinations work, though, is if everybody does it. I think that if you keep the animal healthy and it's immune system up that vaccinations are unneccesary. I am deeply concerned about all the vaccines kids need now. I am glad my children are older. Personally, I feel that the only reason they are mandating the chicken pox vaccine is to keep parents from taking time off of work to care for their sick children. But, I digress. I read that in New Hampshire rabbits need to be vaccinated against rabies. How do rabbits get exposed to rabies? I imagine that if they were attacked by a rabid animal they would wind up dead. I sometimes think that officials do not really think things through.

Well, off to other pursuits. Now that the animals are taken care of I suppose I should clean the bathroom and dust and vacuum. Sigh, I need a bigger barn so I can put off the housework longer.

Weather

Living where I do in New Mexico I experience extremes. Yesterday we had a few inches of snow in the morning and a cold wind and warm sun during the day. The day before it got up to 70 degrees. Today, well, started out sunny and warm and now the wind is picking up and bringing with it lots of clouds. The rabbits, of course, take this all in stride and I feel good that they are in a well-built secure house.

We are fencing the area around the rabbit house to have a place for the ducks to wander around. The dog pen in the back gets little sun so it is still filled with snow. I will plant some lombardy poplars and lilac bushes and some roses as they seem to do the best in this soil, sun and wind. I know that the hardest part of caring for the rabbits will be the intense heat we get here in the summer. Humidty is not a problem but heat is. So, I will be getting a swamp cooler to fit in the window and some fans, ice bottles and shading material.

My husband and one of my sons just surprised me by putting up the rest of the fence. How good of them! I was prepared to go out and do it and now it is done. I am planning on surprising my youngest daughter by picking her up from school and taking her to the movies. She is 12 and works hard at school and at home. She has an affinity for animals, especially the small ones. I tell her she should be a vet but she wants to be a chef and cake decorator instead.

I have been knitting roses to give to all the women who give birth at our hospital during the month of May. They are simple and quick. I have some Lion Brand Incredible that I found at the dollar store that is working out very well. I will put a picture up of them when I get my film developed. (Have to get a digital camera one day). I just finished a sweater for my older girl and a hat. Have a shawl I need to get back to eventually. I could knit all day and some days I do that. Figure the housework will be there the next day.

A New Adventure

I am starting this blog as a diary of sorts. Not sure if anyone will read it. And that doesn't really concern me. I see my children getting older...two have moved out and one will be in the next year or two. As many women before me, I have made decisions and done things with the children in the back of my mind. I don't want to cling to or live my life through my children so I am pursuing something that interests me and continues to touch a part of me deep down inside. Something that excites me. Raising rabbits for wool. I have had rabbits in the past and for various reasons had to stop. Now, it is time again.

I went to a local county fair last August with an open mind in search of angora rabbits to start a herd. I found what was being called a french angora. She was sweet and I thought, "Well, this is the direction I am being led." Here is a picture of her today:

Naturally, I later found out that she was really an American Fuzzy Lop/Jersey Wooly cross. I took her home anyway and wound up with the rest of her litter mates because I liked the little girl and the mother looked a bit desperate. So, now I found myself with 5 lovely little rabbits. My daughter found herself a little polish rabbit so he joined us too. I set up an outside rabbitry in the dog pen turned duck pen and just admired them and got back into the swing of having rabbits back in my life. In late November, I was able to build a tough shed and move them inside out of the weather.

I travelled to NJ to visit family over the Christmas holidays and had managed to find a breeder in Missouri who had french angora bucks. We picked them up and brought them back. They are lovely animals with good dispositions and good wool and a good body type. Here is Obsidian:


And here is Thor:



I had decided that it would be a challenge to breed the lovely mixes to good french angora stock and eventually have good and I hope excellent show bunnies and woolers. I know this may take me years and years and years and that is part of the appeal.

I bred the bucks and does (and discovered that one girl was really a boy) in January. Unfortunately, the does did not use the next boxes I had placed with them and the babies were born on the wire and I did not get to them in time. I do have a heater in the barn but it was not enough for the babies. There were 11 kits in all out of three does. I was sad, but figured this was part of being a breeder and so I re-bred them. They are due in mid-March, I am not working and will camp out in the rabbitry.

This blog will be part of a website I am in the process of creating. My oldest son is helping me. I do believe I will be able to learn this new-fangled technology despite being born in the dark ages.

My ultimate dream is to form a local co-op that offers hand spun, hand-dyed, angora, mohair, wool blends of yarn. I know this is way in the future but it is something I look forward to.

Meanwhile, I will be raising the bunnies, plucking the wool, getting better at spinning, knitting and enjoying it all.