A bit of an update

Baby rabbits are now 9 days old (confirmed 6 kits). They should be opening their eyes tomorrow or the next day. They are HUGE compared to when they were born. They have their fur, and they are so soft. 1 black one & 5 white with spots. Momma's doing very well this time!!

Tina Turner was re-introduced to the coop the evening of the 20th. The next day the other hen(s) were still pecking at her bum, so I rubbed vicks on her, and we haven't had any issues since. Since she was on antibiotics, her eggs are not being consumed by humans for 3 weeks. I am, however, feeding them to the pup so they don't go to waste. They are still being logged in the amount of food we raise. LT is thoroughly enjoying that treat.

We've been planting seeds like crazy. Hubba bought more plant & aquarium bulbs for my grow light set up, and we'll be borrowing 2 more light fixtures for them. I'm just running out of room. On a good note, everything that has been planted & should have germinated by now has.

My redneck greenhouse is holding up well. It was more or less a test to see if the plastic would hold in this Wicked Wyoming Wind. I don't have any use for it for still another couple-few weeks. I wanted to get it done ealry, so if it fell apart on me, I would have time to come up with another plan.

Hubba started buying 2X4's to build the greenhouse. When we moved in all of the old windows & doors from the house were under the porch. Our plan is to clean them up, paint them & use them for a greenhouse.

Baby rabbits!!!

Or as Hubba says "Congratulations, Granma."

Sometime during the night of 3/18, morning of 3/19, Bunnicula gave birth to at least 6 kits. As of last night before bed, there was still movement. After our last experience with her & babies (which I realise is normal), I've done my best not to mess with them too much, but I still remain a little not-so-optimistic. I was advised by a friend who has raised rabbits for meat, to use tongs to carefully lift the fur to see the babies. Giving momma-doe a carrot keeps her busy while I do the task. Each time I have opened the door to her hutch (to see if there's movement), I've made sure I had "something to do" so she doesn't get suspicious. I've given her carrots & added feed or water to her hutch.

I'll report back as things progress. Unfortunately, Mary will no longer be with us soon. I'd like to try her just one more time, but I'm really not hopeful at all that she'll conceive. Hey, on the bright side- I'll get to learn how to butcher a rabbit.

If Bunnicula cares for her babies, as she's supposed to, we'll be choosing a female rabbit from her litter. When breeding for pets & meat, you can & can't inbreed certain family members (I'll get to that in another post). When I told Hubba of my plans to keep one of the litter, and why, he suggested I keep 2..... just in case. Sometimes that man amazes me.

Prolapsed vent, redneck greenhouse, pregnant rabbit(s) & May 21st....

Prolapsed Vent.....

A few days ago I had an egg that was bloody. Occasionally, we get eggs that have a streak or 2 of blood... no big deal. Last night when I let the girls out to range the yard, there were drops of blood on the patio.... So I began checking rearends. Tina Turner was bleeding. I came in & jumped on google, and everything about bloody bums pointed to prolapse. Tina is my most standoffish hen. She just doesn't like people much & prefers to run from us. So, I had to bide my time until they roosted for the night.

I started scurrying around the 'stead- finding the chick waterers, antibiotics & kennel crate. I added the antibiotics & some raw apple cider vinegar to the water. I dug through the fridge for soft food & found some leftover brown rice. I mixed the rice with some dairy kefir. I put shavings in the crate & laid towels over the top (to keep it dark in hopes she won't lay, which can further aggravate the prolapse). I had just turned my heat lamps off earlier in the day, but knowing she would be alone & have only her own body heat, rather than the help of 9 other chickens, I set one up aimed at the crate, in hopes she'd stay warm through the night.

Once they were all in, I closed the inside door to the coop, and made my move. She didn't like me touching her, but once I had my hands around her wings, she calmed, knowing she wasn't going anywhere.

This morning when I check her at 6:15am, she seemed to be doing alright. I need to bring her in later, wash her bum, "put the vent back in place" & rub honey on it. Wish me hope. This is my first chicken "crisis." Prolapse if left untreated can be deadly in chickens. If left with population, the other chooks can let cannibalism get the better of them & peck at the vent until the affected chook bleeds to death.

Definitions of prolapse on the Web:

• slip or fall out of place, as of body parts; "prolapsed rectum"
• the slipping or falling out of place of an organ (as the uterus)
  wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• Prolapse literally means "To fall out of place". In medicine, prolapse is a condition where organs, such as the uterus, fall down or slip out of place. It is used for organs protruding through the vagina or the rectum, or for the misalignment of the valves of the heart. ...
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prolapse

The redneck greenhouse....

Hubba has been saying for quite some time that he would be building a greenhouse for me..... Well, he hasn't even started, so yesterday I took matters into my own hands, and I produced the redneck greenhouse!!!




Pregnant Rabbits.....

Yesterday I also placed nest boxes in the doe hutches. Everything I've read says to place the boxes just a few days before EDD. I'm still pretty sure only one is pregnant, and she started pulling fur almost as soon as I placed the box.

May 21st.....

Last but not least, the lady from the feed store in Rock Springs called me to let me know that she had an estimated arrival date for the new chicks & poults!! May 21st. She was trying to order early, so she could get them early, but they wanted to send partial batches throughout the next couple months. She told them "No. I have people coming in from out of town, and they need to be here all at once." So May 21st, was the soonest they could ship everything she's ordered. She's a wonderful lady & very receptive to her customer's needs.

Planting seeds

Sunday, 3/7

36 Genovese basil seeds

Tuesday, 3/9-

Tomatoes:
5 each- Tumbling Tom, Orange banana
6 each- Black Moor, Isis Candy
7 Rhoades Heirloom
3 Cherokee purple

Broccoli:
6 Calabrese
12 Romanesco

Wednesday 3/10

Flats of
Buttercrunch lettuce, Baby's leaf spinach, Giant Noble, Bunching onions (24), mesclun, Rocky top mix lettuce

Saturday 3/13

Flats of Yellow of Parma & Red of Florence onion

I built an indoor greenhouse yesterday, so I'm hoping this will extend my season. A little later I'll get today's seed flats into the greenhouse.

Tuesday 3/16

Thyme (sprinkled in 4-4" pots)
Thai white ribbed eggplant
Catskills Brussel Sprouts
Green Macerata Cauliflower
Early Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Monday 3/22

More basil (sweet leaf) & parsley

Tuesday 3/23

Peppers- Purple Beauty, Rainbow Mix, CA Wonder, Sweet banana, Jalapeno
Big Mammoth sunflower (24)

Saturday 3/27

Peas- Little Marvel, Alaska
Tomatoes- Omar's Lebanese (Keenan's pick), Mountain Princess (Tristen's pick), Gajo de Melon (Sebastion's pick), Green Zebra (my new pick for this year)

Sunday 4/11

Alaskan peas transplanted to garden
Tomatoes- 15 each- Fuzzy peach, black krim, Amish paste, yellow pear

Please pass the ketchup.....

I should know by now to find out the correct info, I should just do it myself. We've been told all along that we were on a scant tenth acre. For some reason I got a wild hair up my butt & decided to measure the backyard myself. We're at .14 of an acre in the backyard alone. Of course, I did not subtract the house, shed or garage that sits in that rectangle from my measurements, so technically yard space itself is below 1/10th. And the front yard? Can't use it because of the deer. Not for food anyways. And it's postage stamp sized anyway...... The tax assessor lied.....

But if you'll pass the ketchup, I'll eat my crow, and will be working soon on making the measurements written on this blog correct.

Garden plans 2010

Garden plans 2010 (seeds to sow/number of plants desired)

Tomatoes:

Black Cherry- 5/3
Cherokee Purple- 3/2
Rhoades Heirloom- 7/5
Orange Banana- 4/2
Black Moor- 6/4
Isis Candy- 6/4
Yellow Pear- 5/3
Amish Paste- 15/10
Thessaloniki- 5/3
Black Krim- 5/3
Omar's Lebanese- 8/5
Big Zebra- 8/5
Mtn Princess- 8/5
Gajo De Melon- 8/5

Tumbling Tom- 5/3 (Container)

Peppers:

Rainbow Mix- 15/12
Jalapeno- 15/12
Banana- 15/12
CA Wonder- 15/12

Cucumbers:

True Lemon- 12/8
Tendergreen- 12/8
Marketmore- 12/8
Bush Champion- 12/8

Beans & Peas:

Ky Wonder Beans- 20/15
Jade Bush Beans- 20/15
Pinto Beans- 20/15
Royal Burg Beans- 20/15
AK Peas- 60/45

Squash:

N Eng Sugar Pie- 8/5
Luffa- 12/8
Zuke- 12/8
Crookneck- 12/8
Patty Pan- TBA (waiting on a swap)

Melons:

Sugar Baby W- 10/6
Katanya W- 12/8
Far North M- 12/8

Carrots:

Chantenay
Little Finger
Nantes

Corn:

True Gold Sweet 100/75

Other:

Copenhagen Market Cabbage
Pak Choi
Rutabaga
Evergreen bunching onions
Broccoli Calabrese
Romanesco- TBA (waiting on a swap)

Herbs (Some will be in containers):

Oregano, Dill, Parsley, Sage, Cumin, Stevia, Feverfew, Echinacea, Cilantro, Lavender, Basil, Chamomile, Borage, Thyme

Greens (Containers):

Rocky Top Lettuce
Butter Crunch Lettuce
Black seeded Simpson
Giant Noble Spinach
Baby's Leaf Spinach

Perrenials/Trees: grapes, strawberries, raspberries, elderberry, cherry, apricot, plum, blueberries.