Handsome little Buck 2 with the propeller ears has gone to his new home. He's the only one in the entire litter that ended up with one up and one down ear. Now it's just Doe 3 and Buck 4 left to find homes from this litter.
The three Harlequin/New Zealand kits looked good when I checked on them this afternoon after our rain storm had passed. Mom is diligent and gets stressed out when I open the nest box, so I only check once a day right now. I think she'll calm down a bit as the babies get older. They've got adorable markings. I'm excited to see them grow.
Following the dog attack this week, I bought lumber, had it cut, and have worked for two days now on assembling a new stand set-up that will house all of the bunnies farther up off the ground, and offer a more organized space, and the possibility of fencing to avoid future issues. It's about half done. The main stand is set up, but the second level and the roof are not on yet. This is my first big project that I've designed myself, so it's pretty fun seeing it come together as we put our sweat and time into nailing everything together. It's 16 feet long and when it's all set up, it should be nice and warm during the winter, and able to be opened for a breeze in the summer.
Today I tried Stew to Porkchop one last time. This will be her third breeding attempt. I watched them successfully pair three times, but pairing was witnessed the last two breedings too. If Stew fails to produce a litter this time, she will be sold.
I'm planning to breed Paris to Porkchop tomorrow, and Sweetheart to Porkchop on Tuesday (as weather permits). This should produce two or three litters in October, which will be the last until next year. These are all test breedings. For Stew it's to determine if she'll be staying. For Paris, it's because waiting for next spring may put her over the proper age to begin breeding, and for Sweetheart it's to confirm if she can carry a litter, since she was supposed to have been pregnant when I brought her home. As of next year, I do plan to switch up which bunnies are paired with which, but as of right now, all of my other bucks are under age. All of the males should be ready for next year when I will start breeding them again.
The three Harlequin/New Zealand kits looked good when I checked on them this afternoon after our rain storm had passed. Mom is diligent and gets stressed out when I open the nest box, so I only check once a day right now. I think she'll calm down a bit as the babies get older. They've got adorable markings. I'm excited to see them grow.
Following the dog attack this week, I bought lumber, had it cut, and have worked for two days now on assembling a new stand set-up that will house all of the bunnies farther up off the ground, and offer a more organized space, and the possibility of fencing to avoid future issues. It's about half done. The main stand is set up, but the second level and the roof are not on yet. This is my first big project that I've designed myself, so it's pretty fun seeing it come together as we put our sweat and time into nailing everything together. It's 16 feet long and when it's all set up, it should be nice and warm during the winter, and able to be opened for a breeze in the summer.
Today I tried Stew to Porkchop one last time. This will be her third breeding attempt. I watched them successfully pair three times, but pairing was witnessed the last two breedings too. If Stew fails to produce a litter this time, she will be sold.
I'm planning to breed Paris to Porkchop tomorrow, and Sweetheart to Porkchop on Tuesday (as weather permits). This should produce two or three litters in October, which will be the last until next year. These are all test breedings. For Stew it's to determine if she'll be staying. For Paris, it's because waiting for next spring may put her over the proper age to begin breeding, and for Sweetheart it's to confirm if she can carry a litter, since she was supposed to have been pregnant when I brought her home. As of next year, I do plan to switch up which bunnies are paired with which, but as of right now, all of my other bucks are under age. All of the males should be ready for next year when I will start breeding them again.