After a month of anticipation, both of our selected does kindled on Monday the 13th. Sometimes, kindling goes smoothly and both mother and babies are fine…other times, it doesn’t go so well. Happily, we only have good news to share.
Our American Chinchilla doe, Siobhán, kindled first. She had one litter previously, and half of the litter didn’t survive; naturally, we were concerned that it might happen again. Fortunately, she exhibited behaviors this time that showed that she was preparing for the births (like haystaching) and she pulled fur prior to kindling. She had seven healthy, vigorous kits, and they were nestled into a nice bed of fur…on the cage floor. Silly girl! Continue reading “A New Litter of Rabbit Kits”
It snowed here a few days ago. It’s fun until the snow lingers, like it has, due to the cold. Walking on it packs it down, and the sporadic sunshine melts it a bit, so it becomes icy…which means it’s really slippery, and no one wants to involuntarily ice skate while holding a basket full of eggs. You might think that the rabbits need to come inside with temperatures below freezing and snow on the ground, but they actually do just fine in cold temperatures, if you take specific measures to ensure their comfort.
It’s that time again – this year is coming to its end. We like to look back at the year because you can forget how much you learned and during that period. We also like to recognize our accomplishments, as well as identify needed improvements. We characterize 2016 as our year of learning on the farm.
Rabbit meat is delicious, low in fat, and high in protein. It’s mildly-flavored and can easily substitute for chicken in recipes. Since we grow our own here at the farm, we’re always looking for creative ways to prepare tasty rabbit-based meals.
A cold snap is upon us. The temperature was 10 degrees but “felt like” -2 degrees when we got up this morning. It made us glad we’d refreshed the duck coop bedding yesterday so they would stay warm and dry.
We like easy recipes for tasty meals, and one-pot meals are a bonus. One such meal is congee, a savory rice porridge (but not like oatmeal) that’s true comfort food.