Not a lot going on in the rabbitry. Still hot. Still just the 1 litter. Still no does bred. Still waiting for it to cool off. The boys could all be heat sterile.
I'll be getting pix of Foxy's 2 babies soon. They are about 4 weeks old now and so very promising. I think the Smith's buck was just what I needed. They're both bucks and the blue has good deep color. My dilutes haven't been that impressive lately. One buck was so light, 2 judges questioned whether he was blue or lilac.
So I'll talk about guineas again. Just got the latest issue of Backyard Poultry and there's a fun article about guinea fowl. The author talks about what she's learned from her guineas. Kind of like "What I learned in kindergarten". I'll talk about my observations of my flocks.
Yes, I referred to the flock in the plural. There are 3 separate flocks.
Flock #1: The adult pair and their 1 keet that survived hatching in the "wild". These 3 stick tightly together and the only ones that leave the fence for most of the day. Such a cute little family! In the morning, they head for the front yard and proceed to scarf up all the Japanese beetles they find. My gardens thank them! Jap beetles aren't super fast, but it's still pretty amusing to watch the birds take off like a shot and snap them out of the air. Guineas are such funny looking birds when they run.
Flock #2: The 7 from NC that were supposed to be pied. So much for that idea. They are showing some adult plumage now, and it's not there. This flock includes Rooster Cogburn. This is also the flock that forced me to change the dog and cat feeding routine. Cogburn roosts on the porch at night, and even though it's nearly dark when I take the food out, he hops down to grab a bite. I'm ok with that. I just don't want the guineas doing it, and they've gone to roost for the night. Since I changed the routine, they aren't coming up on the porch as much. BTW, I made a "rattle" to spook them off the porch. It's a plastic gallon water jug with some stones inside. I throw it at them and tied a string to it so I could reel it back in. After a few spooks, I can now just shake it at them and they take off. There is at least 1 hen in this flock.
As I write this, Flock #1 just went out front. No, I didn't see it. I heard them on the house roof. I still don't get why they don't fly over the fence which would be much easier. Who knows what lurks in the minds of guineas.
Flock #3: The 4 from the hen's last clutch. Same clutch the wild baby came from. For some reason, they aren't roosting high at night. They settle in under the shrubs around the rabbit shed. Maybe it's too crowded with all the others on the "guinea rack". Might have to throw another one together. I've only heard 1 hen in this one so far.
The only time the 3 flocks come together is in the morning when I go out to tend to the rabbits. After I'm done, I toss out the cracked corn mix for the birds. During that time, they are chasing around as I move around in the Summer House. I mess with them. Heheh. Every time I go to the side where I usually throw out the corn, they bombard the fence and even go up on the metal roof. Which then has the rabbits on alert. It's noisy. I open the corn container but don't give it to them. The next time I walk over there, I get it ready to toss. Then do something else with the rabbits. When I'm ready to leave, I wait until they are at another side and then toss the corn. Mad dash to the feed station ensues!
I find it very interesting that these flocks are so segregated. I don't know how they know, but the adult pair recognize the baby they raised. They chase their other 4 identical keets away.
Update: Found one of #3 dead the same morning I wrote this blog entry. I think what might have happened is that it was seriously injured by an adult. I assume that based on where I found it. There is a narrow space between the shed and Summer House. More than once, I've caught an adult beating up these smallest keets as they move through there. There isn't room for them to move out of the way fast enough. I now have the space blocked. I'm pretty sure it was the 3 week older singleton that was also a hen. That's an unfortunate loss because there's not a lot of hens.
I'm thinking the hen won't lay another clutch this year. Apparently, if they raise a clutch, they don't lay again until it's grown. By then, it will be fall, and too late for any more.
I've seen some ads for color guineas. Notably Royal Purple and Lavender. I believe this is what my first pair was. I definitely want to bring some in. Hopefully next year. I have all the guineas I need right now.
In other news:
I have a new computer! Yay! I took advantage of TN's Tax Holiday last weekend and upgraded from my old XP to Win 7. I'm loving it! XP was getting clunkier by the day. The new one is so much faster and Win 7 is a very slick interface. Almost every operation has been simplified. Bout time, MicroSoft! Not only that, but the eMachine I settled on (great price) is so tiny. My desk has a space on the one lower side for the CPU and the old puter took up most of it. The new one is so small, I can put it on top of the desk which gives me easier access to its functions, like the DVD drive and USB ports. This also means I don't have to pull the desk out to change connections in the back. I'm going to install some shelves in the old CPU space for more storage. Oh yeah and another thing. The eMachine is nearly silent. I read 1 review that said "you can hear it thinking". The only time I've heard a peep out of it is during boot up.
I got a new toy, too. A Netbook that was covered by the tax free weekend. I've been thinking about it since I got mobile broadband. Didn't really need it, but there are times it will come in handy. The occasional overnight rabbit show. When the power goes out for any length of time. I usually end up reading a book by candlelight or the clip-on book light (not very comfortable), but now I can go online or play games when that happens. It's nowhere near as powerful or fast as the desktop, but good enough for the price and size.
Oh wait, one more new thing. I guess the title of this entry isn't accurate. I bought a new domain name. I've owned 2 for a long time, and didn't see myself needing another. As I was backing up and weeding out my bookmarks in anticipation of the new puter, I discovered a site I've always liked was closed and the domain name had gone up for sale. It was originally a decal store with really unique graphics. It can cost a small fortune to acquire a domain name 2nd hand, but the price was very reasonable. So I snapped it up! For now, it's forwarded to my other domain and host. I'll eventually move it over so the URL matches the site. DarkMoonGraphix.com. Stay tuned.
tnt
Friday, August 13, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Random stuff
Still so hot and humid! I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be glad to see the end of summer, but I'm just biding time in the house until it cools off. I'm hoping this hot summer means a warmer winter. The last couple have been too consistently cold, but we should be due for a milder one. I hope. It's why I moved down here.
I have one little litter. Just one. 4 does were due this week, but only one was successful. Foxy Lady x Smith's DA has 1 black and 1 blue. Yay! It's been a while since I got a live dilute. Even better, they're selfs. I would have been ok with agouti, but I learned that plan could go off track when I got the otter in the agouti litter. The agoutis were brought in for type, but the plan was always to keep more selfs. Oh and the only broken in Foxy's litter was a DOA dilute peanut. Figures.
The does that failed went back out to the Summer House, and Foxy has the fan all to herself. She was really antsy at first, which is unusual for her. She didn't pull much fur so I added some from the stash. That was probably a mistake but I wasn't thinking. I should have waited a bit before giving the box back to her. She immediately began pulling it out. I heard furious squeaking and hurried to see what had happened to the kits. She had pulled the blue out with a mouthful of fur! Yikes. The kit seems ok. She settled down the 2nd day and the neighbor doe being gone might have helped. The kits are fed and clean. They've been migrating to the front of the box (probably because of the heat), and what fur is left is bonded to the shavings. I've removed more shavings so they don't bounce out of the box off the thick mattress. Hmmm, maybe Foxy knew it was too hot for fur.
I have no other does bred. It's just too hot so I'm letting it go for now. Besides, even though I've never had a case of heat sterility, it could happen this year. It hasn't been below 85 for more than a day in weeks. I promised to breed a sold doe, but I'll have to warn the buyer it'll be a crap shoot. The buck is going through a rough molt, too. That's said to be a bad time to breed.
Of dogs and cats and guineas:
My routine has been to feed the dog and cats in the morning when I go out to feed the rabbits. Whipper gets his in a dish on the porch. The cats' food goes in a dish in a plastic pet carrier on my work bench. This is to keep the dog out of it. I guess due to the heat, Whipper hasn't been eating in the morning. He just leaves it till evening. I hate that because it gets infested with ants. In the past, I've tried to force him to eat when I give it to him by taking it away if he doesn't. He goes hungry till the next morning. Didn't like doing that because he's not a fat dog, but it did work. I might give him a cookie which he'll eat anytime to hold him over. The cats mob me whenever I rattle the carrier so it doesn't really matter when they get theirs.
Cogburn learned dog food is tasty and comes up to snatch tidbits out of the dish. At first Whipper would nudge him away, but he gave up and ignores the bird now. I didn't mind that. It was funny to watch, and it's not like the roo eats that much.
Then come the guineas. Grrrr. The 7 older keets charge up on the porch when I feed the 4-foots and mob the dog's dish. I've been trying to teach Whipper it's ok to chase them away, and he kinda gets it. Yesterday had me running back and forth and it was way too hot for that! I'm out tending the bunnies, and there the keets go up on the porch. A lot of scrambling and noise as they furiously grab beakfuls and Whipper tries to get them away. I go running back, grab the broom to shoo them off the porch. I must have looked like a crazy woman! This happened several times in the time I was trying to feed and water the rabbits, and I was way sweatier than necessary. I even tossed out the corn for the birds which should have kept them busy, but it didn't for long. Dog food is better. Not only do I not like the guineas on the porch, I can't have them eating all the dog and cat food. Oh forgot to mention. Cogburn also discovered the cat food and goes in the carrier to get it. So of course, the guineas do, too.
Ok fine. New routine. I'm waiting until dark to put out dog and cat food. The birds have gone to roost by then. I just have to remember that's the new routine so I don't forget to feed them.
I'm going to turn out the 4 keets still in the Summer House as soon as I cut the grass. Probably today. I like to mow at least once before I turn them loose so they aren't so startled by the lawn mower. The older guineas aren't concerned.
tnt
I have one little litter. Just one. 4 does were due this week, but only one was successful. Foxy Lady x Smith's DA has 1 black and 1 blue. Yay! It's been a while since I got a live dilute. Even better, they're selfs. I would have been ok with agouti, but I learned that plan could go off track when I got the otter in the agouti litter. The agoutis were brought in for type, but the plan was always to keep more selfs. Oh and the only broken in Foxy's litter was a DOA dilute peanut. Figures.
The does that failed went back out to the Summer House, and Foxy has the fan all to herself. She was really antsy at first, which is unusual for her. She didn't pull much fur so I added some from the stash. That was probably a mistake but I wasn't thinking. I should have waited a bit before giving the box back to her. She immediately began pulling it out. I heard furious squeaking and hurried to see what had happened to the kits. She had pulled the blue out with a mouthful of fur! Yikes. The kit seems ok. She settled down the 2nd day and the neighbor doe being gone might have helped. The kits are fed and clean. They've been migrating to the front of the box (probably because of the heat), and what fur is left is bonded to the shavings. I've removed more shavings so they don't bounce out of the box off the thick mattress. Hmmm, maybe Foxy knew it was too hot for fur.
I have no other does bred. It's just too hot so I'm letting it go for now. Besides, even though I've never had a case of heat sterility, it could happen this year. It hasn't been below 85 for more than a day in weeks. I promised to breed a sold doe, but I'll have to warn the buyer it'll be a crap shoot. The buck is going through a rough molt, too. That's said to be a bad time to breed.
Of dogs and cats and guineas:
My routine has been to feed the dog and cats in the morning when I go out to feed the rabbits. Whipper gets his in a dish on the porch. The cats' food goes in a dish in a plastic pet carrier on my work bench. This is to keep the dog out of it. I guess due to the heat, Whipper hasn't been eating in the morning. He just leaves it till evening. I hate that because it gets infested with ants. In the past, I've tried to force him to eat when I give it to him by taking it away if he doesn't. He goes hungry till the next morning. Didn't like doing that because he's not a fat dog, but it did work. I might give him a cookie which he'll eat anytime to hold him over. The cats mob me whenever I rattle the carrier so it doesn't really matter when they get theirs.
Cogburn learned dog food is tasty and comes up to snatch tidbits out of the dish. At first Whipper would nudge him away, but he gave up and ignores the bird now. I didn't mind that. It was funny to watch, and it's not like the roo eats that much.
Then come the guineas. Grrrr. The 7 older keets charge up on the porch when I feed the 4-foots and mob the dog's dish. I've been trying to teach Whipper it's ok to chase them away, and he kinda gets it. Yesterday had me running back and forth and it was way too hot for that! I'm out tending the bunnies, and there the keets go up on the porch. A lot of scrambling and noise as they furiously grab beakfuls and Whipper tries to get them away. I go running back, grab the broom to shoo them off the porch. I must have looked like a crazy woman! This happened several times in the time I was trying to feed and water the rabbits, and I was way sweatier than necessary. I even tossed out the corn for the birds which should have kept them busy, but it didn't for long. Dog food is better. Not only do I not like the guineas on the porch, I can't have them eating all the dog and cat food. Oh forgot to mention. Cogburn also discovered the cat food and goes in the carrier to get it. So of course, the guineas do, too.
Ok fine. New routine. I'm waiting until dark to put out dog and cat food. The birds have gone to roost by then. I just have to remember that's the new routine so I don't forget to feed them.
I'm going to turn out the 4 keets still in the Summer House as soon as I cut the grass. Probably today. I like to mow at least once before I turn them loose so they aren't so startled by the lawn mower. The older guineas aren't concerned.
tnt
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Night Show
Last night was the Taylorsville Night Show. Just as hot and humid as last year. Came home all sticky and grody. At least I was done fairly early. I hit the road about 11:30 pm and got home around 2:30 am. Really don't like driving that far at night. Ran into some drizzle and light fog which slowed me down even more. I can make much better time home from a show in daylight.
I had nothing to show and only entered 2 pre-molt brokens. As expected, they didn't show well. The only reason I went at all was to sell some buns and guineas. At least that part worked out well. I came home with 4 less buns, and no guineas. Well, I also brought home the new buck that I had to pick up.
The guineas generated a lot of interest! I brought 14 keets. 6 were pre-sold for sure, 4 were maybes that did sell, and the other 4 sold easily. I could have sold all I could bring! I'll keep that in mind for the future and incubate all the eggs I can get my hands on. I'd like to bring in more colors. I'll look into that in the future as well.
I'll have to get real serious about a pen for them if I want to incubate and sell on a regular basis. The grow-out cage works to some extent but it's a hassle. I had to refresh their water a couple times a day because they stomped in it which splashed it out and fouled what was left. The cage was in the way when I was tending to the rabbits. I learned to water the keets after I was done walking around in there. Hmmm, maybe I could rig some sort of cage for the water dish. Something that would allow them to get their heads in but not their clumsy feet.
There is still the one free-range keet following its parents around. I was thinking about plugging the space beside the gate that it was walking through to keep it confined to the fenced yard until it's big enough to fly over the fence. Turns out that little bugger can already fly!!! I looked out yesterday to see both adults and the keet on the porch roof! I had no idea they could fly that high that young!
There's still the 3 I picked out to keep from that clutch running loose in the Summer House. And the older singleton. That one might be a hen. I'll give them another week or two and then turn them out with the rest. That will be a population of 14. Ticks and bugs are history!
Shouldn't I be talking about rabbits? There's really not a lot going on there. I have to move the 4 does that are due this week back into the shed today. They need their nestboxes now.
I lost another baby. One of K10's brokens looked peaked Thursday. Friday it was dead. Don't know what happened there. Might have been the stress of moving the litter out of the shed. On one hand a sad loss (it was the best marked), on the other, I'm ok with it. I prefer to lose weak constitutions earlier rather than later.
Taleah's litter and the otter fosterling are still my keepers. Also still liking Infinite Detail's black.
Oh, do you want to know about the new buck? Against all my attempts to avoid otter, he's a broken black otter. Lil' Bit Farms LB92. Wonderful pattern and darn good type. Another plus is that he carries self and dilute. I sure hope he works out for me. Many thanks to Candy at Root'n Toot'n Rabbitry for this guy.
tnt
I had nothing to show and only entered 2 pre-molt brokens. As expected, they didn't show well. The only reason I went at all was to sell some buns and guineas. At least that part worked out well. I came home with 4 less buns, and no guineas. Well, I also brought home the new buck that I had to pick up.
The guineas generated a lot of interest! I brought 14 keets. 6 were pre-sold for sure, 4 were maybes that did sell, and the other 4 sold easily. I could have sold all I could bring! I'll keep that in mind for the future and incubate all the eggs I can get my hands on. I'd like to bring in more colors. I'll look into that in the future as well.
I'll have to get real serious about a pen for them if I want to incubate and sell on a regular basis. The grow-out cage works to some extent but it's a hassle. I had to refresh their water a couple times a day because they stomped in it which splashed it out and fouled what was left. The cage was in the way when I was tending to the rabbits. I learned to water the keets after I was done walking around in there. Hmmm, maybe I could rig some sort of cage for the water dish. Something that would allow them to get their heads in but not their clumsy feet.
There is still the one free-range keet following its parents around. I was thinking about plugging the space beside the gate that it was walking through to keep it confined to the fenced yard until it's big enough to fly over the fence. Turns out that little bugger can already fly!!! I looked out yesterday to see both adults and the keet on the porch roof! I had no idea they could fly that high that young!
There's still the 3 I picked out to keep from that clutch running loose in the Summer House. And the older singleton. That one might be a hen. I'll give them another week or two and then turn them out with the rest. That will be a population of 14. Ticks and bugs are history!
Shouldn't I be talking about rabbits? There's really not a lot going on there. I have to move the 4 does that are due this week back into the shed today. They need their nestboxes now.
I lost another baby. One of K10's brokens looked peaked Thursday. Friday it was dead. Don't know what happened there. Might have been the stress of moving the litter out of the shed. On one hand a sad loss (it was the best marked), on the other, I'm ok with it. I prefer to lose weak constitutions earlier rather than later.
Taleah's litter and the otter fosterling are still my keepers. Also still liking Infinite Detail's black.
Oh, do you want to know about the new buck? Against all my attempts to avoid otter, he's a broken black otter. Lil' Bit Farms LB92. Wonderful pattern and darn good type. Another plus is that he carries self and dilute. I sure hope he works out for me. Many thanks to Candy at Root'n Toot'n Rabbitry for this guy.
tnt
Friday, July 9, 2010
Wicked Hot
The thermometer said 97 one day this week. 95 most of the time. The yard and gardens are suffering the lack of rain in this heat. Of course, if it rained, it would cool off a bit. Forecast says maybe today. At least the lack of rain also means lower humidity. It could be a lot worse.
Had the 1st casualty this week. A 4 week old baby died. I've never lost a rabbit to the heat before. At least it wasn't one of the more valuable kits.
Yesterday, I moved all the does and litters out to the Summer House except one. King's K10 is still inside because her litter is barely 3 weeks old. She's in the lowest tier at the end near the window, and now has the fan all to herself. I took the nestbox out earlier this week to give her some room to stretch out. I worried I'd lose the kits if they stayed in it. They have a resting board in place of the box. I'll move them outside in another week.
It's sad the the only litter that really matters to me is Taleah's. And the otter she's fostering. K's litter is 2nd in that I want to see the type she throws, even though the brokens aren't exciting for pattern. Infinite Detail's solid black is a maybe. Other than that....all pet quality.
I was going to breed some does but the heat made me back off. I decided to let it go for now. It's just too hot. I have a few litters due in 2 weeks, and not sure how to handle it. The cages outside aren't set up for nestboxes. The doors aren't big enough to get one in there. I do have the 3 larger cages I set up as holding cages for weanlings, but they don't have rodent and snake proof wire like the rest. Keeping my fingers crossed that it does cool off by then.
In guinea news:
Pictures!
These are the 2 "wild" keets and their parents. Now about 3 weeks old. I'm amazed they are still out there. The parents are bringing them to the feeding station now. I toss out the cracked corn/bird seed mix for them and the others. I was doubly amazed to discover the keets can get up on the roost the adults use. It's a wood rack I built for them under the carport outside where the rabbits are. The rig is almost 5' tall! Have no idea how they get up there. Looking at the situation last night, I think they use the wheelbarrow that's there as a jumping off point. Considering the keets are so small and have no flight feathers yet, that's a pretty good trick.
These are the older NC pieds. About 10-12 weeks old...I forget. Cogburn is so happy to have a "flock" again. There is a bit of bickering at the feeding station between the 2 groups. I toss seed out in 2 different place to give them some peace.
This old converted rabbit cage holds the 17 (same 2nd clutch as the 2 free-range keets) I hatched in the incubator. Plus the singleton from the 1st clutch that's about 3 weeks older. This cage works pretty well until they are big enough to turn loose in the Summer House. I just move it around to give them cleaner ground, and rake out under it as needed. It also saves on feed. They throw it all over and can pick it off the ground.
I picked out 4 of the bigger ones that I'll be keeping and turned them loose yesterday. I have at least 1 order for 6, and a tentative order for 4 to deliver at the Taylorsville show next weekend. I'll take all 14 with me and maybe be able to sell the other 4 as well. I won't be turning those loose. It will be too hard to catch them when it comes time to load up for the show, so they'll stay in the cage until then.
This was taken earlier this spring. This turkey strolls into the yard sometimes and the guineas dash out to greet her. It's a funny thing to watch. The guineas are good-sized birds but the turkey looks like a dinosaur towering over them. After the initial meet & greet, they lose interest in each other. Probably because they don't speak the same language.
I fear I may have lost something this morning. I heard the guinea's distress call (not the loud alarm call) that I heard when the cat got one of the keets a couple weeks ago. It was still dark and I don't know why the guinea would have moved off the roost at this time. I hope it wasn't a keet. I also turned out a couple garden bunnies yesterday and the one cat might take them. That would be Abby, the younger one, who hunts birds and other things. Stevie has never bothered garden bunnies and doesn't actively hunt birds. I could live without Abby.
tnt
Had the 1st casualty this week. A 4 week old baby died. I've never lost a rabbit to the heat before. At least it wasn't one of the more valuable kits.
Yesterday, I moved all the does and litters out to the Summer House except one. King's K10 is still inside because her litter is barely 3 weeks old. She's in the lowest tier at the end near the window, and now has the fan all to herself. I took the nestbox out earlier this week to give her some room to stretch out. I worried I'd lose the kits if they stayed in it. They have a resting board in place of the box. I'll move them outside in another week.
It's sad the the only litter that really matters to me is Taleah's. And the otter she's fostering. K's litter is 2nd in that I want to see the type she throws, even though the brokens aren't exciting for pattern. Infinite Detail's solid black is a maybe. Other than that....all pet quality.
I was going to breed some does but the heat made me back off. I decided to let it go for now. It's just too hot. I have a few litters due in 2 weeks, and not sure how to handle it. The cages outside aren't set up for nestboxes. The doors aren't big enough to get one in there. I do have the 3 larger cages I set up as holding cages for weanlings, but they don't have rodent and snake proof wire like the rest. Keeping my fingers crossed that it does cool off by then.
In guinea news:
Pictures!
These are the 2 "wild" keets and their parents. Now about 3 weeks old. I'm amazed they are still out there. The parents are bringing them to the feeding station now. I toss out the cracked corn/bird seed mix for them and the others. I was doubly amazed to discover the keets can get up on the roost the adults use. It's a wood rack I built for them under the carport outside where the rabbits are. The rig is almost 5' tall! Have no idea how they get up there. Looking at the situation last night, I think they use the wheelbarrow that's there as a jumping off point. Considering the keets are so small and have no flight feathers yet, that's a pretty good trick.
These are the older NC pieds. About 10-12 weeks old...I forget. Cogburn is so happy to have a "flock" again. There is a bit of bickering at the feeding station between the 2 groups. I toss seed out in 2 different place to give them some peace. 
This old converted rabbit cage holds the 17 (same 2nd clutch as the 2 free-range keets) I hatched in the incubator. Plus the singleton from the 1st clutch that's about 3 weeks older. This cage works pretty well until they are big enough to turn loose in the Summer House. I just move it around to give them cleaner ground, and rake out under it as needed. It also saves on feed. They throw it all over and can pick it off the ground.
I picked out 4 of the bigger ones that I'll be keeping and turned them loose yesterday. I have at least 1 order for 6, and a tentative order for 4 to deliver at the Taylorsville show next weekend. I'll take all 14 with me and maybe be able to sell the other 4 as well. I won't be turning those loose. It will be too hard to catch them when it comes time to load up for the show, so they'll stay in the cage until then.
This was taken earlier this spring. This turkey strolls into the yard sometimes and the guineas dash out to greet her. It's a funny thing to watch. The guineas are good-sized birds but the turkey looks like a dinosaur towering over them. After the initial meet & greet, they lose interest in each other. Probably because they don't speak the same language.I fear I may have lost something this morning. I heard the guinea's distress call (not the loud alarm call) that I heard when the cat got one of the keets a couple weeks ago. It was still dark and I don't know why the guinea would have moved off the roost at this time. I hope it wasn't a keet. I also turned out a couple garden bunnies yesterday and the one cat might take them. That would be Abby, the younger one, who hunts birds and other things. Stevie has never bothered garden bunnies and doesn't actively hunt birds. I could live without Abby.
tnt
Friday, July 2, 2010
July
Happy Birthday, America.
It's been dry and hot, but not as uncomfortable as the last couple weeks. The dry probably helped a lot there. Rain has missed this area lately, and humidity is much lower. When I went out to close up the rabbitry last night, it was actually cool out there. I imagine the bunnies going "aaah". Maybe I'll breed a couple does this morning since the bucks should feel pretty good after a cooler day and night.
Down to just 4 does on litters in the shed. 3 litters are about 3 weeks old. The other almost 2 weeks. When I checked litters last night I missed the black in the youngest litter. Ok where the heck is it? I have baby saver around the brood holes but it doesn't cover the cage door and I've had kits get out before. I found the kit in the gutter! Glad it didn't make it to the floor, or into the bucket at the end of the gutter. I had cleaned recently, and the bucket was empty so it might not have been a disaster. Well, the bucket was mostly empty. There was still some stuff stuck in the bottom so the kit would have been real dirty. But before that, it might have been hard to find if it had even occurred to me to look in the bucket. I had cleaned out nestboxes and it was full of fur and shavings.
There's not much exciting in the litters. Too many 5-8% brokens and blacks. I probably would have culled the charlies at birth, but some of them are out of the newest opal buck and I wanted to see the type he throws. And there were 1st timers that needed to raise a litter. I guess I'll be doing the Knoxville Fair in a couple months. I was debating because the meat judges piss me off, but it's a great place to unload pet culls.
So what do I like in the litters? There's the himi and black from RR Taleah x Back In Black. I'm hoping BB shortened them up. Taleah is a bit long in the midsection and a short buck works best with her.
There's an interesting black from Infinite Detail x Back In Black as well. It looks like it could be a throwback to I.Detail's dam that came out of the Darkside line. Fur seems longer and that's a trait from that grand dam.
And then there's this damn otter that came out of Foxy Lady x Rhapsody's Burt. I was expecting agouti, dilute, broken, and got a black otter. The DOAs were all those other things. Grrr. After going on about how I don't do or want otter, it's the cutest kit in all the litters. I mean seriously cute! I think it got the stuff I wanted from Burt...head, width. Now what am I gonna do? Oh and worse, I'm pretty sure it's a buck. This is gonna put a big wrench in my program. Oh well, at least I know that pair meshed. Foxy is already rebred to Burt since I fostered the otter to Taleah.
I'm heading over to the Dickson show tomorrow. Not looking forward to that long drive (5 hrs) but I hope to sell buns that need selling. Especially since I bought another buck. Yeah, I did. I'm not getting him till later this month so I'll keep it under my hat for now. I decided to just enter the first 2 shows instead of staying for all 3. The sooner I can get on the road for home the better. I don't have much to show anyways. I only entered 3.
In guinea news:
The adults still have 2 "wild" keets. I'm amazed they are still out there. I'm sure the heat had a lot to do with their survival after hatching. After losing 1 to the cat and then another disappeared, the adults are very protective of them. I've seen the male run the cat away when she came too close, and he also fends off Cogburn. Yesterday, the hen brought them to the "feeding station" for the first time. I have to remember to take the camera out with me when I feed this morning. She hasn't come into the fence much since they hatched, although the keets can and do walk right through the chainlink. She will pace and fret outside the fence when they do. You'd think she would just fly over the fence to be with them, but sometimes they are birdbrains that way.
I turned the oldest keets out into the yard this week. They were too annoying in the Summer House. Even though I clipped a wing before turning them loose in there, they can hop pretty high. Had to run netting to keep them from roosting on the lowest rabbit cages. When I put the youngest keets out there in the "brood" cage, they were immediately on top of it. Out they went. So now I'm tossing cracked corn/birdseed mix out for them, which also makes the adults and Cogburn come running.
Cogburn adopted the older keets as his flock. So there's now 3 flocks in residence and they bicker. Cog and the adults go at it pretty seriously so I have to toss the seed in 2 separate places so they aren't so close to each other. It will be interesting to see if all of them eventually integrate into one flock. I'm going to sell most of the youngest keets. I have a couple tentative orders for them, and will take them to Taylorsville in a couple weeks. Of course the orders were for more hens but I don't think I can fill the orders that way. I'm just now hearing the female call from the oldest ones so I doubt I'll be able to sex the youngest ones in time. Probably have to settle for straight run. Including me.
More bird news:
My canary hen is setting on 2 eggs. After I sold the finches, I moved the canaries out of the big aviary cage into smaller, more easily maintained cages. The pair that were together in the aviary went into the larger of the 2 cages, and the single male into a slightly smaller one. I put a small dish of grit in for them and the hen decided this made a fine nest. Even though I hadn't given her anything to make a nest with. She laid them on the grit. When I cleaned out the big cage, I found more eggs in the tray. She had been laying all along. I tried to get her to use a better nest, but she wasn't having it. So fine, the dish it is. I lined it with some tissue and noticed she had pulled in some string I had given her after the fact. I'll give her a handful of hay today. The tissue alone isn't a very good nest. Sooo...we'll see how this goes.
tnt
It's been dry and hot, but not as uncomfortable as the last couple weeks. The dry probably helped a lot there. Rain has missed this area lately, and humidity is much lower. When I went out to close up the rabbitry last night, it was actually cool out there. I imagine the bunnies going "aaah". Maybe I'll breed a couple does this morning since the bucks should feel pretty good after a cooler day and night.
Down to just 4 does on litters in the shed. 3 litters are about 3 weeks old. The other almost 2 weeks. When I checked litters last night I missed the black in the youngest litter. Ok where the heck is it? I have baby saver around the brood holes but it doesn't cover the cage door and I've had kits get out before. I found the kit in the gutter! Glad it didn't make it to the floor, or into the bucket at the end of the gutter. I had cleaned recently, and the bucket was empty so it might not have been a disaster. Well, the bucket was mostly empty. There was still some stuff stuck in the bottom so the kit would have been real dirty. But before that, it might have been hard to find if it had even occurred to me to look in the bucket. I had cleaned out nestboxes and it was full of fur and shavings.
There's not much exciting in the litters. Too many 5-8% brokens and blacks. I probably would have culled the charlies at birth, but some of them are out of the newest opal buck and I wanted to see the type he throws. And there were 1st timers that needed to raise a litter. I guess I'll be doing the Knoxville Fair in a couple months. I was debating because the meat judges piss me off, but it's a great place to unload pet culls.
So what do I like in the litters? There's the himi and black from RR Taleah x Back In Black. I'm hoping BB shortened them up. Taleah is a bit long in the midsection and a short buck works best with her.
There's an interesting black from Infinite Detail x Back In Black as well. It looks like it could be a throwback to I.Detail's dam that came out of the Darkside line. Fur seems longer and that's a trait from that grand dam.
And then there's this damn otter that came out of Foxy Lady x Rhapsody's Burt. I was expecting agouti, dilute, broken, and got a black otter. The DOAs were all those other things. Grrr. After going on about how I don't do or want otter, it's the cutest kit in all the litters. I mean seriously cute! I think it got the stuff I wanted from Burt...head, width. Now what am I gonna do? Oh and worse, I'm pretty sure it's a buck. This is gonna put a big wrench in my program. Oh well, at least I know that pair meshed. Foxy is already rebred to Burt since I fostered the otter to Taleah.
I'm heading over to the Dickson show tomorrow. Not looking forward to that long drive (5 hrs) but I hope to sell buns that need selling. Especially since I bought another buck. Yeah, I did. I'm not getting him till later this month so I'll keep it under my hat for now. I decided to just enter the first 2 shows instead of staying for all 3. The sooner I can get on the road for home the better. I don't have much to show anyways. I only entered 3.
In guinea news:
The adults still have 2 "wild" keets. I'm amazed they are still out there. I'm sure the heat had a lot to do with their survival after hatching. After losing 1 to the cat and then another disappeared, the adults are very protective of them. I've seen the male run the cat away when she came too close, and he also fends off Cogburn. Yesterday, the hen brought them to the "feeding station" for the first time. I have to remember to take the camera out with me when I feed this morning. She hasn't come into the fence much since they hatched, although the keets can and do walk right through the chainlink. She will pace and fret outside the fence when they do. You'd think she would just fly over the fence to be with them, but sometimes they are birdbrains that way.
I turned the oldest keets out into the yard this week. They were too annoying in the Summer House. Even though I clipped a wing before turning them loose in there, they can hop pretty high. Had to run netting to keep them from roosting on the lowest rabbit cages. When I put the youngest keets out there in the "brood" cage, they were immediately on top of it. Out they went. So now I'm tossing cracked corn/birdseed mix out for them, which also makes the adults and Cogburn come running.
Cogburn adopted the older keets as his flock. So there's now 3 flocks in residence and they bicker. Cog and the adults go at it pretty seriously so I have to toss the seed in 2 separate places so they aren't so close to each other. It will be interesting to see if all of them eventually integrate into one flock. I'm going to sell most of the youngest keets. I have a couple tentative orders for them, and will take them to Taylorsville in a couple weeks. Of course the orders were for more hens but I don't think I can fill the orders that way. I'm just now hearing the female call from the oldest ones so I doubt I'll be able to sex the youngest ones in time. Probably have to settle for straight run. Including me.
More bird news:
My canary hen is setting on 2 eggs. After I sold the finches, I moved the canaries out of the big aviary cage into smaller, more easily maintained cages. The pair that were together in the aviary went into the larger of the 2 cages, and the single male into a slightly smaller one. I put a small dish of grit in for them and the hen decided this made a fine nest. Even though I hadn't given her anything to make a nest with. She laid them on the grit. When I cleaned out the big cage, I found more eggs in the tray. She had been laying all along. I tried to get her to use a better nest, but she wasn't having it. So fine, the dish it is. I lined it with some tissue and noticed she had pulled in some string I had given her after the fact. I'll give her a handful of hay today. The tissue alone isn't a very good nest. Sooo...we'll see how this goes.
tnt
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)