Because I Don’t Already Have Enough Irons In The Fire…

After a hiatus, I have agreed to resume writing for The American Preppers Network.  I feel very honored to have been asked to participate in this project.  Please do watch for my articles there.  I sent in my first (in a long while) submission this morning.  I called it “Sourcing Seeds, Saving Seeds and Walking the Tightrope, It’s All a Matter of Balance.

I’ll be submitting one article a week for them.  Geez, people, I can hear you laughing from here.  I know, I don’t even manage to submit an article HERE every week.  What can I say?  Even my wife calls me a Wingnut.  Ah, love, sweet love.

Besides that, the only other news to report is that the garden is coming along well, just a little behind because of my post surgical limitations.  I’m starting to catch up now.  Also, the aquaponics systems should be back online next week.  I’ll take some pics of that for your dining pleasure.  We have a litter of American Chinchilla bunnies to go with all the baby pigs and baby goats.  Spring is such a wonderful time on the Homestead.

Brittan has been busy with her flower and kitchen gardens as well as mowing the grass and a little auto maintenance, among other things. Her chiropractor is regularly amazed at her strength and muscle tone. We chuckle about it, but she really is S T R O N G!  And she is a dead shot.  I pity the fool who messes with my woman!

Finally, I’ve coined a new word for where we live.  Technically, we’re somewhere between the suburbs and rural America now.  So I call this neighborhood, ‘Sub Rural’.  I am not changing the name of the blog, though. No way.  No How.

Have a great Thursday, everyone.

 

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Fall: The Perfect Time Of Year, And The Perfect Time To Start Raising Rabbits

American Chinchilla Rabbit

The days are getting shorter.  The nights are slowly cooling down.  I’m loving it.  In fact, I’m taking my morning coffee out to the front porch about 5:30 a.m. and enjoying the early morning cooler temperatures.  Autumn is my favorite time of year and here in Georgia we have long, very long autumns. It’s one of my favorite things about living here.

Fall is also the time of year we start looking ahead to next year.  We review what went well, what went poorly and what didn’t go at all. It’s the season in which we breed our goats, our cows and our rabbits.

Rabbits love this time of year, too.  From September through May they are in their element.  They thrive in cool and cold weather.  Their coats take on a warm, soft extra layer and their hormones kick into overdrive.  We begin our breeding program the first week of September. That’s sort of my unofficial start of autumn.

Rabbits hate summer. They don’t do well in the heat.  We try and keep them in shady locations where they can get any breezes that might blow and we put plastic jugs of ice in their crates to help keep their body temperatures down.  Despite those extra efforts, over the years we’ve lost some good rabbits and even entire litters of babies to heat stroke. So we rarely have any litters from late May till we breed again in September.

Sure, it impacts our profits, but Our Edible Suburb is about much more than profits. Animal welfare is one of our priorities, too. Each of our does will have a maximum of three litters a year. This way they remain healthier, are less stressed and we prolong both their breeding lives and their lives in general.

Besides, meat is only one of the reasons we raise rabbits. Their by-product is as important to our operation as is their meat. Rabbits produce copious quantities of the finest manure on earth.  It is high in nitrogen and trace minerals, but is not ‘hot’ like chicken manure so it doesn’t have to be composted.  When it IS composted it is the richest, most nutritious garden food you can imagine.  You can kick it up further by using it to feed red wiggler compost worms and let the worms convert it, or at least some of it, into worm castings.  Talk about a feast for your soil!

Even in the dead of winter, the middle of the pile is toasty warm and the wigglers will keep working. We keep our compost pile going year round, so that in the spring we can add a nice thick layer of the stuff to our raised beds.  Even the most inexperienced gardener can have success by using composted rabbit manure.

If you start in the fall, one or two rabbits will give you enough manure for a couple of raised beds by the time spring rolls around.  Unless you’re looking for pedigreed rabbits for showing, you can get a pair of rabbits very cheaply at your local small animal auction, from a local breeder, or even off of Craigslist.

If you’re planning to breed, mature bunnies will cost a bit more, but will pay for themselves in just a few months in either meat, manure or both. Since most does will produce 6 to 8 offspring in a litter that are ready to be processed by 12 weeks, it won’t take long to have your freezer full of nutritious protein, or have your compost heap filled to capacity.

We started with about 12 rabbits. We had a mixed bag of young and mature.  We grew out some of the young males for the table and kept all the young does along with a couple unrelated mature males.  That first winter we had rabbits everywhere. There were weeks we had multiple days with two or more litters arriving.  It was work, but it was also fun.  That next spring we had our best garden ever.

If you have a small space, or are not interested in meat, you could consider some of the dwarf rabbit varieties.  Some of them are really cute, make great pets and can be wonderful with

Dwarf Rabbits

children.  Despite their tiny size, they do a great job in the manure department.

Fall is upon us. If you’ve been thinking about adding rabbits to your farm or garden, now’s the time to get started. If you’ve got questions, please feel free to send them our way. We’d love to hear from you.

For those of you already raising rabbits, we’d like to hear from you, too. When did you get started and why? What has your experience been? Don’t be shy now.  You’re among friends.

 

 

 

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Kindle

While out at the farm this morning, unloading feed and hay, Brittan flagged me down from the rabbit pasture and asked me to hurry down.  It seems that our rabbit does, Nibbles and Amber had kindled overnight.  It was a bit of good news, bad news.  Both girls had built beautiful nests.  Amber, though, had only had one kit and she killed it.  I won’t disturb you with the details, but she did and ever so effective job.  That’s two litters in a row she has rejected after building super nests and giving birth with no trouble.  That is not good at all.

Nibbles, on the other hand, has 6 warm, snug little bundles in the comfort of her nest box.  I checked on them just a few minutes ago and they are warm and wiggly, just as we would expect them to be.

It was Nibbles sister, Helen that was taken by a predator over the weekend.  We will likely keep a doe from this litter and name her Helen II.

I never get tired of new baby animals around here.

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Update on Bunnies

About 10 minutes after I finished my post last night, I heard Brittan call out, “Come here quick, Misty is eating something weird.  Is it a baby?”  Turns out, our little gray psycho was eating a placenta.  In a matter of a quarter hour, she produced 7 little bundles of dark gray, wiggling matter.

Since she had taken everything out of the nest box and built a nest on the wire, we had do a quick move of everyone.  I held Misty, who was unimpressed by the activity, while B moved straw, fur and babies back into the nest box.  I quickly placed Misty back with her babies.  She sniffed around, found them and returned to active duty as if nothing had happened.

I checked on them this a.m. and apart from moving the whole bunch of them to the front corner of the nest box, everyone seems well.

Since I was already being invasive, I decided to check on Helen’s kits as well.  Under her watchful gaze, I gently pulled back the fur covering her little ones and counted five.  They are quite wiggly and warm.  Since I was apprehensive I may have miscounted.  There may be 4 or there may be 6, but 5 looks like the right number to me.  After checking that they were warm and seemed to have eaten, I quickly covered them up, apologized to Helen for the intrusion, and came in here to tell you about it.

This is all very exciting for us.  We’re still nervous, mostly because we’ve read that mortality rate in winter kindle is quite high.  It makes me wonder if I should bring home the does we have out at the farm.  On the other hand, we’re trying to be as natural as possible and the does out there have plenty of straw for their nest boxes.  I’ll probably err on the side of natural.  If we lose any litters, I will not breed any of the does again until February, so they can get through the worst of the winter.

I do love this farming gig.

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Moving Day for the Rabbits

Today was a big day for our E of E rabbit crew as they moved from the burb out to the farm.  We have been testing the Rabbit Rangers for a couple weeks and they are a big success.  The bunnies love them.  Feeding and watering are a snap.  They are easy to move and the top opening makes catching rabbits much easier than a front door crate.  Brittan did an awesome job on them.

We have the rabbits paired up for a few days hoping for some little rabbits in a month or so.  The Rabbit Rangers allow a lot more room so we can leave the doe in with the buck for an extended period of time which should improve our chances of success.

B and I are very fond of the bunnies and are looking forward to some cute baby New Zealands in a few weeks.

 

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Breeding Rabbits ON PURPOSE – Not as easy as I thought

We’ve all heard the derogatory statement, “breeding like rabbits”.  The idea behind the slur, of course, is that rabbits breed indiscriminately, constantly, prolifically.   Maybe in nature that’s true, but here in the burbs, life has not been so reproductively bountiful.  We’ve had back to back misses in the rabbit breeding plan.  Sad but true.

We have pregnant goats (we bought them that way), at least one, and probably both of our ewes are pregnant, and there is a darned good chance our jennet donkey is expecting, but our rabbits are letting us down.

By the calendar, they should have kindled (given birth) yesterday, but neither doe has even begun nesting.  Oh well.  If they don’t show any signs by tomorrow, we’ll try again.  Ironic, that what I assumed would be the easiest part of self sufficiency would turn out to be one of the most challenging.  But that’s life, full of surprise and irony.  Some of it good and some of it just makes us scratch our bald heads.

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Now On Display…..The “Rabbit Ranger 2.0″

Rabbit Ranger 2.0

We’ve been racking our brains for months trying to figure a way to get our rabbits full time on pasture, but nothing seemed to work right for us.  For a while we gave up and brought fresh pasture to the rabbits in their cages, but that is time consuming and does not fit our model of wanting animals to enjoy their lives in a natural way, yet protected from the elements and predators.

Then a month or so ago, we saw a video clip from Tim and Liz Young down at Nature’s Harmony Farm in Elberton, GA that got our creative juices going.  In the clip, Tim introduced their new “Hare Razr”, which would allow their rabbits to live their lives safely in a pastured environment.  We loved it.

B and I watched it several times, and using the “Hare Razr” as a model, made our adjustments and created the concept for the “Rabbit Ranger”.

Rabbit Ranger 1.0

Brittan is the carpenter around here.  She loves the smell of sawdust in the morning.  I’ve lost track of the number of evenings I’ve come home from fighting rush hour traffic to find her grinning ear to ear, holding a jig saw, sander, hammer or all of the above, high in the air, like a surgeon in the middle of a brain transplant.  She has created some wonderful and useful things for our home and farm.

There are two versions of the Rabbit Ranger in field testing now.  She was not happy with RR 1.0.  The second version is lower to the ground, has more grazing space and a handle to ease moving it.  Both versions have a raised nesting area in the back, with a hardware cloth floor, where the bunnies can give birth and raise their young off the ground.  That section is covered by a piece of tarp.  Inside the open area there is an inner perimeter framed with a chicken wire bottom that allows grazing but prevents the rabbit from digging out.  The central grazing area has a open bottom allowing the rabbit to graze a play freely.

Under Construction

The Rabbit Ranger will make it possible for us to keep all of our New Zealand White Rabbits permanently on the ground, resulting in happier, healthier rabbits and lower feed costs.  The will live like rabbits.  I can tell you that after only a few days, we have noticed improvement in the rabbits’ contentment and temperament.  They are happier.

We have two doe bunnies outside now.  Both are expected to kindle in the next week or so.  At least that’s our hope.  It will be nice to know their babies will be raised in this environment.  In the meantime, B is ready to build two more Rangers, one for each of our bucks.  The woman is amazing.  You can keep your Hollywood “Real” and “Desperate” (or is it ‘real desperate’) “Housewives”.  Mine ROCKS!

Field Testing

 

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Eat Fresh. Eat Local. Eat Sustainable. Eat Rabbit.

If we were only dealing with nutritional, environmental and sustainability issues, Americans would be lining up to buy rabbit meat.  After all, Rabbit is lower in calories (795 per pound) than chicken (810), turkey (1190), lamb (1420), beef (1440) or pork (2050).  It is also lower in cholesterol. A study by the Department of Food Science, University of Bologna, Italy, published in the fall of 2009 said, “Rabbit meat is often recommended by nutritionists over other meats because it fits well with the current consumer demand for a low-fat meat with a high degree of fatty acid unsaturation and low sodium and cholesterol levels.”

Rabbits are easy to raise, and reproduce rapidly.  Statistically, 6 lbs of rabbit meat can be produced for the cost of 1 lb of beef and on a fraction of the land.  Even a large scale rabbitry does not create the environmental challenges of a traditional feed lot.  The by-product of any rabbit operation (manure), is environmentally beneficial, as it is a 100% ‘organic’ fertilizer and does not need to be composted first like most manures (But it composts very well, too.)

Rabbit tastes great.  Like chicken and turkey, it is a mixture of both dark and white meat.  The dark meat, however, is milder than its avian counterparts.  As with other pastured (grass fed) meats, the cooking process is different than grain fed meat.  Rabbit is a true slow food and comes out best if cooked at lower temperatures for longer periods of time.  It is perfect for the crock pot or slow roasting.  I like to marinade rabbit overnight in salt water, put it on the smoker for about 45 minutes to an hour, then toss it in the crock pot with some bbq sauce. The result is some of the best pulled bbq you will ever eat.  Add some coleslaw and a bun and you are will find yourself in Q heaven.

I began this article with “If” for a reason.  Sadly, many omnivores (vegetarians and vegans have their own reasons, and I won’t take time to debate those) miss out on the rabbit experience because of what I call, “the cute factor.”   If I had a nickel for every time someone said, “How could you eat a bunny?  They’re so CUTE”, I’d never have to work again.

I agree that rabbits are cute, at least young ones.  But so are sheep and cows.  Even piglets are cute as buttons.  But for some reason, the smell of frying bacon trumps cute.  With rabbits, it’s a whole different story.  People who wouldn’t bat an eye at a juicy hamburger or a plate full of buffalo wings will practically break down in tears at the thought of eating a rabbit.

No one ever says squash is too pretty to eat and yet I don’t know of any flower in any garden that is more spectacular that a squash plant in full bloom.  From my seat, food is food, whether animal, vegetable or mineral.

There is no argument against ‘cute’.   It can’t be defeated in a debate.  Logic doesn’t matter.  So I won’t even try.  But if you are looking for tasty, nutritious, sustainable, cost effective, natural meat, please consider rabbit.  The rest of the world has figured it out.  America is lagging.  I hate lagging.

For readers in driving distance of Acworth, GA who already enjoy rabbit, or who are willing to try it, stay tuned.  East of Eden Farms will begin supplying rabbit meat this fall.  It will be priced the same as our pastured chickens.

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Beautiful Day in the Neighburbhood

Mornin’ Y’all.  What a beautiful morning it is here in the burb.  The photo is pirated.  We have no trees here, and it’s overcast.  But I wanted to create a mood.  Today started about 66 degrees, some clouds, a bit of humidity and a gentle breeze.  It was a glorious start to the day for doing chores.

After such a difficult spring with the seeds and seedlings, the garden is coming along well.  A few of the tomato plants still look deformed, but most are healthy and some are already heavy with fruit.  After a brief battle with blossom end rot, everything is under control.  We have harvested some broccoli, squash and zucchini and enjoyed them for supper last night.  The strawberries are about finished.  Brittan will harvest the last batch today.  I’m thinking we’ll need to plant more next spring.

We have bush beans and wax beans appearing among the blossoms, as well as the occasional pepper.  The squash and melons are loaded with blossoms.  I am taking that as a good sign.  All in all, the garden is in good shape.

The rabbits are so much fun in the morning.  They get quite excited when I come down to clean the cages, because that means….breakfast.

After nearly a year of trial and error, we are finally creating compost in quantity.  I am very pleased with it.  We have traditional enclosed compost bins (HOA rules), rabbit manure compost piles and worm compost.  We are up to three small worm colonies.  They aren’t producing a great deal yet, but the quality is quite amazing.  I have learned that the worms don’t like fresh food.  But once the scraps begin to decay a bit, the little wigglers are all over them.  They are especially fond of rotting fruit like apples, pears and mangoes.

The chickens may go out to the farm early.  They are growing, eating and, well, crapping at herculean rates.  It’s about time to get them out of the basement and on to some pasture.

Speaking of chickens.  Two weeks ago, Brittan was so terrified of them, she wouldn’t even pick up one of the day old chicks.  This photo that I snapped on Sunday afternoon suggests the fear has waned. Click on it and see what I mean.

As for the sheep, I need to get in the shower, get ready for work and go check on them on my way.  They are a welcome addition.  They make me laugh every day.  6 weeks ago, I thought I hated stinky, stupid sheep.  Now I’m totally addicted.

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Reflections From First Rabbit Processing

Warning: This post contains information which may be unsettling for some.  It could cause outright apoplexy for PETA types and many vegans.  Read on at your own risk.

Saturday was our first rabbit processing day.  We only had two to process, because we have decided to keep an extra female.  Our little herd consists of two bucks and three does.  This is just the right size for our small operation.

I have been a hunter pretty much all my life.  I have ‘dressed’ rabbits before, along with turkeys, squirrels, grouse, deer and even a possum once (long story from long ago), not to mention many hundreds of fish.  But I felt a certain uneasiness as the time approached.  This may sound odd, but while I have no qualms about killing animals for food, I am terribly concerned about hurting them.  I am inexperienced at taking life with my bare hands and I was afraid of botching the act and causing undue pain and stress on the animals.  In the end, my preparation (I had a detailed plan of action and had mentally rehearsed multiple times) and prayers paid off and the killing went off without incident.

I’m glad there were only two to process, because I was mentally drained before I ever got started.  If I’d had 6 or 8 to do, I don’t know how well I’d have held up.  Future processing days will be faced with much less apprehension, but never with giddiness.

As I was cleaning the rabbits, I took note of some things that pleased me.  First, the bunnies were of good weight.  One of them had a couple small bits of fat, but nothing to speak of, yet their bellies were full.  That means we fed them right.   Their stomachs contained some pellets, grass and hay, which spoke of a certain rabbit contentment.  They had been treated well.  I gave a quick thank you prayer to God and thanked the rabbits for their sacrifice as well.

If I have developed a philosophy in my rookie season of animal husbandry it is this:  a. Respect  your livestock.  They are living beings, designed by the Creator with valuable roles in creation and in the food chain.  b. Treat them well and feed them right. c. When it comes time to process them, make sure your grip is firm, your blow is true, your blade is sharp and your heart is pure.

B and I are omnivores.  Meat is a part of our diet.  An important and enjoyable part, I might add.  But over the last six months or so, it’s role has morphed.  We respect our food in a different way.  These days we actually consider how the animal was raised and how it lived out its short existence.  We were tasked by God to manage his creation and we want to do that well.

Also, because ‘pastured’ meat is so expensive and our own flocks and herds are not yet productive, meat is more of a side dish than the main course.  We eat less of it and appreciate it more.

For those who are interested, one of the rabbits processed yesterday will become slow smoked barbecue and the other one will become a nice spicy curry.  Yum.

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