RABBIT KINDLING. BEFORE...AFTER...NOW WHAT?

Animal Husbandry.

Just the idea gives me butterflies in my growing baby bump. And no its not my second baby girl doing somersaults! 

The words take me to a nostalgic time of old fashioned men and women heading out to the barn in hope of what treasures they may find. The gift of new life and the promise of food to come for their families table. Oh the excitement of attempting to catch these mamas to be as they welcome their young into the world. I imagine old flannel blankets wrapped around an orphaned lamb, a proud first time cow cleaning her stumbling calve, or a farmer peaking into the nest in search of fresh hatch lings. The practice of breeding ones farm animals for production is an old and true trade.

As I stepped into my muck boots, tucking my sweat pants in oh so fashionably, I was overcome with excitement! Get me outside ASAP! I quickly tucked my messy bun into Carhartt hood as I strode outside. No matter what I'd find, I was looking good..... 

Okay, back to the task at hand...

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!

after months of anticipation...........

...................................................................................................................................................................

CHESTER IS FERTILE AFTER ALL!!! Now a daddy of seven New Zealand kits.

WOO HOO! I knew ya had it in ya buddy!

As many of our readers already know, on Tuesday we welcomed a bundle of new babies onto the homestead! They weren't as cute as some we've seen but they've certainly been anxiously and at times impatiently awaited. If you need a little background on my rabbit breeding mishaps check out this post! Quincy the rabbit pimp, the struggle is real.... trust me. Rabbits bredding like, well rabbits, was not as easily achieved as I anticipated. So, as you can guess I was more than insanely excited when my friend Lexi noticed our rabbit Belle had pulled a substantial amount of fur Monday afternoon..... You can also guess why the blog has been neglected this week....

DUDE!..... that's A LOT of fur......

Yessssssss!............ victory dance commencing.....

By the crack of dawn Tuesday morning we had 7 healthy kits. Squirmin' and a squeakin'! Since this is my first kindling experience I spent a matter of a few hours on Monday and Tuesday reading up on kindling and kit care. For those of you who don't know, to kindle is the act of the doe giving birth to kits, or baby rabbits. Just as cows calve, horses foal, sheep lamb, and rabbits kindle. So... I have all these kits... Now what?

Belle is a great mama, I was told this by her previous owner, and am happy to now be experiencing her calm and cool technique. She had no problem with me reaching right into the nest box to check her babies out. It is important to check for any cold or even dead kits, to either make an attempt at saving or be remove from the nest, if you don't the mama could eat them. It is imperative that the kits stay close together and properly insulated with enough of mamas fur and whatever bedding material you chose. We have been giving her fresh hay daily to maintain the nest and for intermittent munching. Bottomless food and fresh water are paramount for a nursing mama and provided daily, in addition to rations of alfalfa which we incorporated after the hair pulling was noticed.

This may seem crazy but does only nurse their young once or twice every 24 hours. The proteins in their milk increase with the age of the kits, giving them enough for energy and growth. Other than the daily checks I've been performing, and since Belle is an attentive mother, no interventions or special treatment of the kits is needed until weaning. In just 5 days of life, I have been amazed at how exponentially they grew from just one feeding a day. Born pink and virtually hairless, they are now getting whiter and accumulate more fur everyday. And boy are they ever getting cuter! For now I will just be doing my routine daily checks and let mama do her thing.

The babies eyes will open in a week or so (about 12 days old) and in just a few short weeks they will be jumping in and out of the nest box independently. At that time they will begin wandering out to eat some pellets and whatever leafy greens (fodder or weeds) I've given them. At 6 to 8  weeks the kits will be weaned and moved into their nursery where they will plumpen up for an additional 4 to 6 more weeks until proper butcher age. Their nursery will hopefully consist of whatever pastured pen we've thrown together to allow grazing on the tons of grass sprouting all over the property. Hopefully it will be devised to be moved to a new location daily. As you can see I've put great thought into it...... More on that later.

I'll post about here on the blog about all my haps and mishaps, let me be your trial run! It's always nice to watch someone else screw up so ya know what do avoid right?

And please by all means, feedback is warmly welcomed. Leave a comment or email me with your trial and error stories.

Fryer rabbit recipes???

Q

WHAT THE FODDER?

Recently, we've been encountering more and more people who want to know what the buzz with fodder is all about.

So what, you water it and just watch it grow? 

Well, in an essence yes.....

Fodder came into my life at the perfect time. I had seen these 'fodder systems' begin to stream across my Pinterest page more and more. I had to know what this was...

Basically, fodder is sprouted grains or legumes that can be fed to all kinds of livestock.

I could go on and on about the bonuses of maintaining a fodder system. Ok maybe I will just a little, here's as short a list as I could make:

1. Fodder can be grown in the dead of winter.

2. Fodder only takes 8-9 days to grow.

3. 50 pounds of seed can be turned into 300 pounds of fodder. 

4. Whoa! Should I just stop??? 

5. Fodder is very affordable (depending on location) From my supplier I get 50 lb. bags if barley for $10. That's cheaper than a bag of organic hog feed, and it gets multiplied by 6!

6. That's reason enough right?!?

7. Our fodder is GMO-free. 

8. And organic.

9. Horses and cows eat it, after acclimation. The hogs LOVE it. The birds (chickens, waterfowl) LOVE it. On day 7 the rabbits receive clippings from the top, and devour it! All of my livestock eat it. 

10. Need I say more???

There's nothing like it..... Other than a fully sprouted pasture, I don't know about y'all but I don't have one of those in December, do you?  Didn't think so....

The only draw back to fodder I can see feeding is that's it's another commitment. Adding another task to an already busy homestead can be risky, but this one is so worth it. To keep on schedule you need to start a batch a day, in order to harvest for feed everyday. That's only if you're trying to feed solely fodder. We have chose to supplement with fodder currently. Our system is small and the homestead fund weighs I favor of some heavier tasks at hand. 

These days breakfast for the farm hogs consists of the fodder with a scoop of organic local hog feed. Dinner of combined fodder/kitchen scrap mixture. The birds all get their scratch feed mixture thrown daily as they free range and if we have enough fodder for the day they'll get a big chunk to spend the day on. Our rabbits also have a supplemental pellet/fodder grass mixed diet. We also provide the bunnies with feeder or orchard hay at all times.  When feeding livestock on fodder its helpful to incorporate grains and legumes, evenly if possible, into their diets in order to balance vitamins and minerals. Adding rations of diatomaceous earth can also be very beneficial to their digestive systems.

Since I began my fodder adventure about 6 months ago I have learned a tremendous amount. I've been lucky enough to learn a great deal from our supplier. He loves just 2 miles away and is full of fodder knowledge, and is more than willing to give it. Lucky me! If I haven't said before, farm tasks are my favorite.... so naturally, learning more about them is even more my favorite! Being open to ongoing education is a key aspect of homesteading, but I'm sure ya'll know that. So, I am always looking for better more efficient ways to accomplish our bazillion homestead chores. Yada yada yada back on topic Q!

Here's me excited to feed our new bunnies fodder for the first time couple months ago! BTW they loved it, now they can't get enough!!!

Recently I visited a local dairy, while tasting their fabulous milk, the owner gave me a tour of their fodder system.

Take pictures, measurements, make yourself at home.

He then strolled off to assist his friend with an automobile mechanical repair. 

And, of course, I have read and read..... and read about fodder until my eyes hurt. But nothing compares to seeing it in real life, and having those face to face exchanges. Yeah yeah I might be talking sprouted grass but hey, this mama doesn't get off the farm often these days. I'll take fodder conversation where I can get it! Above all I'm grateful for his generosity with knowledge and transparency of start up cost and up-keep of his system. 

My most recent take away lesson in fodder is bleach. Nasty smelly wonderful bleach. I've tried direly to remove bleach from out household for some time but it keeps making it way round and always proves it's worth. It's so harsh that when someone told me to put a little in the fodder water I was flabbergasted. 

In the water that grows the food I feed to my animals?!?!?

Heck no I won't!!!  

But in all honesty I should have listened...

Why?

The mold came....

Yup, this wonderful fodder gets really moldy really quick. And boy howdy does it ever stank!!!

Okay, I give up! I'll put a splash of bleach in there! You got me. 

Fortunately the pigs and chickens don't mind the mold too much but horses and cows won't prefer it. I urge you to experiment and test your own theories before you decide to use bleach. Then give me some feed back, would ya??? I would love to find a non bleach remedy for the mold. 

Luckily it's a small amount. Here's how I incorporate the bleach into my fodder routine:

1. I weight out the desired seed into a large container, using an old stock pot currently

2. Fill with water, add 1 tbsp bleach, stir, soak 10-15 minutes

3. Rinse barley thoroughly, refill container with water, soak 12-18 hours

4. Strain off seeds, pouring out water and chaff

5. Pour seeds into trays, drawers, tubs, whatever growing container you chose, and spread out evenly. We are currently using some plastic storage drawers. I'm looking into changing this up a little possibly (further posts about upgrades to come)**you will have previously made drainage holes for water to flow through

6. Water twice daily, rinsing water over seeds

7. No light is necessary until day 5-6, natural window light counts. Fluorescent light also appropriate

8. Feed on day 8-9

As you can see this is a very simple system, but it works very well for the small scale farming we do. And there are many more styles and procedures out there, I am an amateur folks. I simply want to share the knowledge I have thus far with the hopes that my trial and error helps in anyway. If we incorporate more animals later we may upstage to some fancy fodder system with a water pump and everything! Girlfriend can dream can't she?!

Until then I will simply rinse my fodder daily making sure no standing water is left, and yes I'll use a little bleach here and there to kill mold.

Fodder is such an efficient, healthy, and cheaper way to feed livestock our livestock.  Plus, it gives us gardening guru's some therapeutic attention over the frigid gloominess of the winter months. I highly recommend doing some research on fodder costs in your area to assess its affordability and integrity in comparison to your farm or
homestead.

^^There's me..... again^^

Way to excited about fodder.... again....

Happy sprouting folks!

Q

100th PAGE VIEW!

Hi Ya'll

When I began this endeavor I was worried that no one would ever find my meger little blog tucked away in cyber space.

Well that is inherently not so! Just today the HD Homestead blog hit its 100th page view! Woot Woot!

I am happy to say that I don't rely on page views to fuel my drive for this blog. I rely on the support of my family and friends, my handsome bearded fiance, our loving little Irish gem (and her soon to be little sister), and the piece of ground we have been so lucky to work and mold into the perfect setting for our budding homestead.

Thank you to all of those of you out there who may have passed over my blog intentionally or otherwise!

Stead updates:
This week we experienced some very unfortunate weather. What felt earily close to hurricane force winds swept across the property with a vengeance destroying most everything in its path.

We rose to quite a disaster. Several sheets of metal roofing had been ripped from the barn, esposing part of the hog pen to the elements, needless to say the pigs enjoyed a little mud play in the still quite warm blustery weather. Anything and everything that was ever left out anywhere on the property was plastered along our northern fence line. Six count em' six of our beautiful aspen trees met their demise, but will be salvaged, cut, and sold for firewood. That's a homestead homerun, free wood from a terrible storm? We'll take it! And one whole bale of hay cast to the 4 winds, my poor lover man did his best on that feeding disaster.

Other than the said state of our homestead from the storm we will be trying to cross a few more things off our list this week:

We will be moving the hogs into a larger pen out under the pole barn and setting up a permanent piped watering set up for them.

I am beginning to condition our two mares... from the ground that is, I can barely wait to throw my leg over ole Sweet Pea after baby girl Gardner makes her appearance in late May.

Continuing our general yard work is a must, as we have so many leaves and other debris to clear out of the garden beds and the water feature.

I have accumulated a large amount of cardboard boxes in order to start creating some new garden beds which I will begin working on this week.... I will be sure to make a full posting on my progress.

I also want to start some seeds indoor this week, our fodder room... which isnt currently growing any fodder.... but has a great deal of open counter space and great window with sufficient sun exposure... If anything I'll set up a grow light to help germinate the seeds.

Holy cow its already February! Much to be done...

Dreaming of Summer riding...
Quincy

YOU USE BAKING SODA TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH...? And SO MUCH MORE!!!

Call me crazy but for a while now I have been brushing my teeth with baking soda!

Say what???

Oh yeah and I'm loving it!

I don't know about ya'll but here on the HD homestead we try to be as frugal as we can, and that usually means mama cuts out the simple consumer pleasures and goes for some DIY homemade ones! And in this case its homemade tooth paste. Not that paying $4 a tube isn't much easier and a way of instant satisfaction not to mention the vast flavors, textures, and brands available just down the road at your local store. I feel I can use that $4 more efficiently somewhere else, don't you?

But wanna know my secret?

I rarely go to the store, aside from our once monthly big shop for food, our others necessities are usually shopped in once a month. I have eliminated those "runs" to the store that turn into a $50 exchange. I know myself way too well, well enough to know once mama is in the store all bets are off and there's no telling what might end up in my cart when I only went because I needed deodorant.... 

Instead I leave with the deodorant, (if I wasn't too distracted to remember) a jalapeno cheese round, because girlfriend simply cannot resist jalapenos, some treat I knew Ireland would have to have, I'll usually stumble on some fruit to snack on throughout my shop (low blood sugar pregnancy problems), and maybe my favorite salad dressing! I go through it so fast and have yet to find a recipe that replicates it perfectly, ole Newman really knew what he was doing! 

I can use that $4 better somewhere else... Yesterday I spent $.96/ syringe on 4 syringes to vaccinate/de-worm our pigs, once each this month and then once each a month before slaughter.... See! And I always try to buy more than I need when it comes to the homestead animals giving me less to think about later. Indefinitely re-purposed money in our household goes in our homestead fund, and saved for something more important than a tube of toothpaste. 

Now that I'm done rambling!!! 

There are so so so many DIY tooth paste recipes on the web these days! Take your pick! Personally I chose to simply store a pint mason jar full on my bathroom vanity. I just wet my brush and dip the brissels in the soda and go to brushing. Once I got past the initial tasteless grit I really began to enjoy it, especially the cheapness of that whole idea! We already have baking soda in our house. 

Hint: to liven up your brushing add a drop of your favorite essential oil to the BS once you've gotten some on your brush!!! I use evergreen or peppermint :D

(this post contains affiliate links)

Aside from the small box residing in my fridge for deodorization, I keep one of these bad boys on hand! It is such a multi-use product that you cannot go wrong with, not to mention the work it did on some major stains on my carpet , with this recipe:

In your own or borrowed (in our case) carpet deep cleaner, we used this one, combine 1 Tbsp baking soda, 1/3 cup vinegar, and hot-boiling water....

I doubled up on the portions since I had some really bad set in animal stains and it worked like charm and it deodorized better than any carpet shampoo I have ever used without leaving that wet carpet yucky smell!

Boom there's my baking soda tangent ended!

Seriously try your hand at some baking soda magic.

Finding new ways to be frugal,

QB