The Kits Died

Well, the kits didn't make it.. This being her first litter, I guess she just didn't know what to do.. She had them on the wire, didn't make a nest, only pulled a mouthful of fur, and I don't think she actually fed them.. She basically did everything wrong.. But like I said, it's not uncommon for the first time to go bad.. I'll just have to get her rebred and hope that next time it goes better.. Daisy still hasn't had hers yet.. Could be tonite.. Could be tomorrow.. Eagerly waiting..

Trixie Has Had Her Babies!!!

She had them between 5pm and 9pm.. She started nesting behavior weeks ago and even pulled some fur.. But then she decided to eat all the hay I was putting in her nest box.. She ended up having the babies on the wire of the cage and I found one dead.. I put the others in the nest box and put some more hay in there and put some dryer lint on a suggestion from another rabbit person on a forum I frequent.. The dryer lint is to help keep them warm since she only pulled a tuft of fur.. Usually they make a cozy nest with their fur in the hay.. I'll check on them again later and see if she ends up having any more.. If not and if the babies feel chilly, I'll bring the nest box in the house for the nite..

Its not uncommon for a first time doe to have the babies on the bottom of the cage.. But since she'd starting nesting behavior early, I'd hoped she would do everything right the first time.. Well, at least the other four seem good and active.. Making funny little squeaking sounds.. Now we'll see how good of a mother she is.. A lot of does will make the mistake of having the kits on the cage bottom and then end up being excellent mothers once their instincts kick in fully.. We'll see how she does..

Now Daisy is due tomorrow so we'll see how she does..

Anyway, here's a pic I took real quick after I put them in the nest box but before I put in the dryer lint and cozyed them in real good..


They're also bigger than I thought they would be.. I guess I was expecting jelly bean size babies because of when I raised pet rats.. But rabbit babies are more like vienna sausage size, with legs and a head.. = )

The kids are already falling in love with them.. I've told them from the beginning that these are meat rabbits.. But now it's going to be really hard for them because they babies will be so cute.. But they have to learn that food is food.. We will keep a baby or two.. Will definitely have to keep a male so I can breed my does again.. But whichever litter I get him from, I might keep a doe from the second litter to slightly expand my breeding stock.. Let's get past the first couple of days though and see what kind of mother she is before we start making future plans.. Wish us luck..

Kittikity 1, Sweater 1

Ok, so I forgot to post the pic of the second doggie sweater I made.. I'm really pleased with most of it.. Might make the neck a little wider and definitely need to make it a little longer.. But I don't know if I'll be making any more for the dogs.. When they scratch they tend to tear up the yarn with their toe nails.. Will definitely work for the goat kids though.. Anyway, here is Bonnie again modeling version 2..

I Wrote an Article About My Goats

Patti Moreno at GardenGirlTV is one of my biggest inspirations with my mini farm.. It was her website and videos that showed me that I could raise my own food on my little plot of land.. She does it on a much smaller space in the middle of a big city..

Well, back in December (I think it was December, might have been November) she asked me to write an article about the goats.. I was delighted, of course.. Anyway, it came out in her ezine in January.. If you want to read it, follow the link below.. It's the only article about goats so you can't miss it.. Read the other articles too.. Always lots of useful and interesting information..

http://www.urbansustainableliving.com/index.html
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Finally Finished the Cage

Ok, so finally finished one of the cages.. Actually, two if you count each section.. It's a two hole cage, meaning it has two section and two doors.. The whole thing is 5ft long.. The section on the left is 36w by 24d by 18 high.. The section on the right is 24w by 24d by 18h.. The wire on the bottom is 1x1/2 wire.. The wire on the top and sides is 1/2x1/2 hardware cloth.. Might go with 1x1 wire next time as the 1/2x1/2 was hard to work with.. Difficult to get the pliers in.. I used J-clip fasteners for everything, including as hinges for the doors which are on the top.. Each door space is 1ftx1ft.. I also made hay racks on each side.. I think I'm going to have to alter them a bit though because the hay doesn't stick through the 1/2x1/2 wire very well..

I don't really care for having the nest boxes on the inside as it takes up floorspace.. Want to figure out a way to put the nest boxes on the outside.. Maybe build a wooden section on the back with wire floors for ventilation and waste control..

Now to finish the other one.. I'm making two since the wire comes in 10ft lengths.. And so I can have more rabbits, of course..