Lions and tigers and bears - oh my!

My neighbor told me this morning that her bird feeder was badly damaged and 4 or 5 pounds of seed all consumed sometime during last night. We're thinking it must have been a sizable animal, like a bear! I'm only two houses down, and tonight I made sure that my barn was locked up tight against any nocturnal visitors!

My handyman, Rick, has completed a waist-high rack for the rabbit cages to go on in the lower level of the barn, so once I polyurethane it, the bunnies can move to the lower level of the barn with the other critters. They'll be warmer, with 3 sides of the foundation against the ground or the house, and still get sunshine in through the windows on the exposed side. The cages will be easier to clean, since they'll be at an better height for me to reach, plus the droppings will go right through to the ground for raking up. Several of the bunnies are throwing their coats, and I've been plucking off the loose wool for spinning. They all have thick undercoats, so warmth shouldn't be a problem. The bunns are really enjoying the rose hips I've been trimming off the wild roses alongside my driveway!

The chickens are all getting along a little better - the reds (NH Reds) still sleep on the alpaca side and the buffs (Buff Orpingtons) on the other side, but there's been less squawking and bullying going on in general. Rick got the nesting boxes half done today, and the buffs were all piled up on the construction for the night when I checked on them. Guess they like it! I gave the hens some cut-up apples this week and they had great fun pecking and tossing the apple pieces in a little chicken soccer game.

I'll be getting a third alpaca soon to replace the one I lost - it's a matter of transportation at this point, so I'm just waiting to hear when that will be. The other two are doing well, thank Heavens!

Okay, this has got to stop!

Let's see, where to begin. Where did this month go? Do I say that every month?

Well, the first weekend of October, I added some more angora rabbits to my flock. Hutchery. Rabbitry. What the heck. Two females, sisters, and their daddy. Daddy is named Cloud, beautiful, soft, light blue-gray bunny wonderfulness. The two sisters are Button, because of the round white spot centered on her nose, and Delia, a beautiful agouti color.



So the next day I went to buy a BIG bag of rabbit food and there was a swap going on at the local Agway. I totally fell in love with a little female lion-head I named Anya Rose - she's 5 months old and about the size of a guinea pig. She gets along with the two sisters really well, so she's sharing the digs with them, though she might end up eventually being a house rabbit. At this point, I'm spending more time in the barn than in the house, so she has better company out there!

Last weekend, seven new chickens came to live with me - their owner didn't want to winter them over so I invited them in. The more the merrier! Four hens and three young'uns, gender to be determined. They are Buff Orpingtons, a more golden color than my original three reds. The reds are laying two eggs a day pretty consistently, but I haven't had anything from the Buffs yet. The reds are a little bossy around them, so I've been allowing their tendency to roost in the barn as separate flocks.

I also got two new barn cats on Tuesday. My sister and her husband were able to catch two 6-month old feral kittens that were born under their porch, and they are now living in a huge dog kennel in my barn, set up with a litter box and a kitty tower. I'm working on taming them enough to be able to handle them at least a little, then they'll go to the vet for neutering before I set them loose. No pictures yet - they're pretty shy whenever I'm around.

A rough week

I had a hell of a week last week. As I already blogged, on Sunday I got the three alpacas, and my doe rabbit gave birth. On Monday I woke up with a nasty cold, the kind you don't even want to get out of bed for. The little rabbit baby died on Tuesday. On Thursday, I went down to the barn and one of the alpacas was dead! I went back to work that afternoon, my cold having improved, but one of the other nurses came in at 5 so I could get back home to meet the guy with the backhoe for the burial.

Saturday I got three laying hens, and have been getting 1-2 nice big brown eggs every morning! The alpacas and hens are getting along fine, so I am feeling a little less stressed, though this morning one of the hens was acting oddly and favoring one leg. Tonight, I was going to put her in a separate cage so she wouldn't have to compete with the others for food etc but she looked better tonight and was eating and drinking with the others. I'll see how she is in the morning I guess.

The county extension agent came on Monday to check out my operation to see what might have killed the alpaca - they are susceptible to colic or can die from eating a poisonous plant. I didn't pay for an autopsy so I will never really know, I guess. I need some rain so I can burn the brush pile to eliminate the Yew bushes that are poisonous to alpacas. Maybe Saturday, if the forecast is on target. After that, the field can be reopened with careful monitoring.

Sad news

Sadly, my baby bunny did not make it through the night. We will try again in the spring.

New Baby Bunny

In the middle of the alpacas arrival, my angora bunny Coco decided it was time to give birth! She had one little baby, as smooth as silk, and about the size of a mouse. Baby is about the same color as Momma, a deep gray-brown. Mother and baby are resting comfortably...

They're here!

The alpacas are coming! The alpacas are coming! My barn and field are ready, I just need to arrange their transportation! And get hay - must get hay tomorrow...

These are images from the farm's website - will add my own asap!