Category: Homesteading / Farming

A Kit Struggles To Survive

~ Carrie

Undersize_KitWe checked on the rabbit kits today and found that one of Ava’s looked like it hadn’t been fed in a while – it was skinny and wrinkly. In comparison to its littermates, it’s also much smaller. Ava has the litter of 11, so we moved the “runt” to Loretta’s nest box in the hope that she would foster it.

In the meantime, we ran out to the grocery store to buy goat milk and heavy whipping cream, along with bottlefeeding supplies, to try to hand feed the kit. It’s pretty much “gloom and doom” on the web regarding trying to hand feed young kits, but we wanted to give it a little help; if it doesn’t make it, it doesn’t make it. We know there may be reasons why the kit won’t make it – maybe it has some physical problem we can’t see.

Continue reading “A Kit Struggles To Survive” →

Kit Escape Artists

~ Carrie

The two rabbit kit litters are nearly a week old. Everyone is still alive and kicking (literally), and their fur is coming in – the pink ones are now white, like their mother. In a few days, their eyes will open.

Given their age, it was an unwelcome surprise to discover one of Loretta’s kits on the floor behind her cage yesterday. It was a big and healthy one, with a good-sized frog belly. While we didn’t know it was hers for certain, the kit didn’t appear injured (Ava’s cage is stacked above Loretta’s), so we tucked it back into Loretta’s nest box and figured it was an anomaly. Not so. Continue reading “Kit Escape Artists” →

A Puddle In The Tractor

~ Carrie

It’s stormy today. Even though it was warmer and the ground began to dry out yesterday, today’s rain made it all soggy again. And the ducks are happy as can be!

Mud makes for good earthworm-hunting, so the ducks and the chickens should get their fill today. They’re constantly on the lookout for tasty bugs, even pausing to grab one on their way back to the coop in the evening.

Even though rain and wind were in the forecast, the teens went out in the tractor this morning. We figured the double-thickness tarp on over the tractor would shield the chicks, as it had worked effetively for our first chicks. When we checked on them this afternoon, though, one chick was standing in a puddle – runoff had pooled in a low spot. Lessons learned: place the tractor on high ground only, and chicks will stand in water even if a dry roost is available.

No one seemed disappointed to head in early today. Tomorrow’s supposed to be partly sunny, so we’ll try again.

Sunny Days And Chicken Tractors

~ Carrie

Chicken_Tractor_FieldThe teens have been going out in the tractor daily. We’re glad they’re out, they’re glad to be out, and the rabbit does are undoubtedly glad their noisy neighbors are out during the day.

The grass is already greening up, and both the adult and juvenile chickens are enjoying the tender shoots. We ensure that the teens have chick grit in the tractor so they can “chew” up the grass (and any other edibles, like bugs) in their gizzards. Continue reading “Sunny Days And Chicken Tractors” →

Rabbit Kits Update

~ Carrie

While we try to minimize disturbing the new moms and kits, we need to periodically check on the babies to ensure that all are still alive and healthy. Today’s check revealed 20 very squirmy, growing kits.

Ava has the larger litter (11), and one kit’s belly looked less full than its littermates’, so we put that one on top when we placed them back into the nest box. Continue reading “Rabbit Kits Update” →

Duck Egg Update – One Week To Hatch

~ Carrie

It’s hard to believe it’s been a month since the Muscovy eggs went into the incubator. Since they usually take 35 days to hatch, they have one week left.

We started with 7 eggs. Two didn’t develop and we removed another last night that had stopped developing some time ago. The eggs that continued to develop were nearly completely dark – full of duckling. The one we pulled was only about a third dark, way behind the others. The eggtopsy showed that the embryo had likely “quit” a couple of weeks ago.

If all goes well, the four ducklings will hatch in about a week and will eventually join the adults in their free range adventures. Speaking of the adults, they’re enjoying the sunshine and their wading pool today. Actually, all they need is some squishy mud that they can drill their bills into. If only we were all so easily entertained!