Bunnies Move Out

Posted on April 15, 2015 by onedogrunning

The two first litters of the year are now seven weeks old and it’s time to move out!

Each group is now in their own tractor on lawn mowing/fertilizing duty. They will be moved each day to a new patch of grass and their mothers will finally have a break and some more room to themselves. Two hybrid bunnies have been sold, so there are six buns per tractor which is a good number. In about three weeks the bucks and the does will be separated out. From some preliminary sexing, I know that the hybrid litter is mostly does, but the sexes of the Californian litter are still unknown. I’ll probably flip them all over in the next few days to see what I have.

Californian kits

Hybrid kits

I also sexed the oldest Standard Rex litter today and we have four bucks and three does. Here’s one of the blue otter bucks.

Sexing position

I also got a few pictures of the younger Rex litter, they are about three weeks old and at the very cute, cotton-ball stage. Bluefin is still growling every time I take them out, but I’ve been ignoring it and giving her an overdose of petting each time which has helped a lot. She’s such a bratty girl.

Bluefin’s buns

The kit who I thought would be white has turned into sort of a tortoiseshell color. It has a tan topside, a white belly and white/greyish sides with a little grey dot on the nose. I’ve never seen a Rex this color before. Does anyone have any ideas?

Esther, Samphire and Tuna have all been bred again today so I’ll be expecting three more litters in a month. I’ll have purebred Rex, purebred Californians, and I bred Esther to Timmy for the first time, so there will be some Creme d’Argent/Rex hybrids. I’m excited to see how they turn out. Here’s hoping for some neat colors and coats.

After my last post about my struggles getting pedigrees for some of my rabbits, I reached out to another local breeder who was able to figure out Tuna’s pedigree for me, as she owns her parents now. One down, two to go! It’s so interesting to look back into her lineage, there are actually quite a few brokens in there. I wonder if she’ll ever throw any?

Back from the Cold

Posted on April 15, 2015 by onedogrunning

Hello! I haven’t been posting this week because I have been visiting my sweetheart in the cold, cold north again. He will soon be leaving to spend the summer reporting in Iqaluit, Nunavut and we wanted to spend some time together in case I can’t visit him there.

It’s a lot warmer in Yellowknife now than it was when we drove up in February, but it’s still not looking much like spring over there. Here’s the view from his apartment window:

I went from this…

Brrrr! It’s good to be back home again. This trip my wonderful mom flew up from California to take care of everything on the farm for me, since I have a lot of baby animals right now. She did a fantastic job and I’m so grateful for her help. Thanks Mum!

… To this!

I can’t wait to get back into the swing of things here. I have a lot of gardening to tend to and lots of creatures to manage. It’s going to be a busy summer!

Rabbit Buyers Beware – Desiree Michaels / Spirit Moon Farm

Posted on April 1, 2015 by onedogrunning

Well, I didn’t want to have to do this.

When I first bought my place two years ago and wanted to get into rabbit breeding, I located a local breeder online who was a member of Rabbits BC (Rabbit and Cavy Breeder’s Association of British Columbia). Her name was Desiree Michaels and she runs Spirit Moon Farm in Cassidy, BC, not far from me.

The first time I showed up at her farm she was very kind and took time out of her day to show me her many rabbit breeds. She also told me that she was a certified ARBA judge at the local rabbit shows. Even better, she said she would loan me a couple of rabbits to get started with since she had no kits for sale at that time. What a nice lady!

The loaner rabbits were Esther my Creme d’Argent, and Rosalind my former Silver Marten doe. I was very grateful to her, and impressed by her generosity. She told me that Ros was initially a cull from another breeder. I was instructed to let her know if I didn’t need them anymore and she would take them back.

Some of you may remember when I bought my two Californians and my first Standard Rex rabbit early last year. Well, I bought them from the same place. I paid what I would consider a good price for them since after all, they were pedigreed. Because I planned to sell my own pedigreed rabbits, this was important to me. I picked up my rabbits and Desiree said she’d have the pedigrees ready in a few days.

Thus began the year of hell. I tried over and over to get my pedigrees. There was always an excuse. She was busy. Her email wasn’t working. She was sick. Her computer was broken. She had forgotten the tattoo numbers (I gave them to her four times.). I was always polite. Months passed.

I called and emailed over and over, month after month until I finally got very annoyed this January and began calling her home phone and leaving a message each day for two solid weeks. Not once did anyone answer the phone or call me back. I was not only calling about the pedigrees.

I had decided awhile back to get out of Silver Martens and I desperately needed the cage space that Rosalind was taking up. She had been loaned to me and had been a very good doe for me, and I was determined to return her in good condition. She was in excellent health and I was proud to give her back looking so good. A month went by with no response. Sadly, I finally had no choice but to cull her.

Around February, she finally called me back after I had left a final message saying she had two weeks to contact me or I would be escalating things. She called on the very last day. She gave me the same story. She was sick, her husband was sick, she was busy, her email was broken and she lost the tattoo numbers. I gave her the tattoo numbers again. She said she’d have the pedigrees ready by the end of the week. I said thank you so much. Then she asked about Ros.

I told her I had been desperately trying to reach her for weeks and left more than a dozen messages saying I needed to return her doe. She told me I should have just dropped her off. Dropped her off? As in, drive to your farm that I wasn’t even sure you still lived at because you never answer the phone and then leave her in the driveway? I told Desiree that I had tried very hard to return her, needed the cage space and that she had been culled. She was not happy and I didn’t hear from her again.

Today I noticed she has put an online ad up selling muscovy ducks. I decided to call. She actually answered this time and quickly told me she was too busy to talk. I asked her if there was any way I could get a deadline on the pedigrees and she angrily said no. I asked her why, and she said it was because I didn’t give her doe back. I reiterated to her that I had attempted to give the doe back for almost an entire month. Then she hung up on me.

And so dear readers, this is where I stand right now. I have expensive pedigreed rabbits with no pedigree. I made my purchases from someone who is an accredited local rabbit show judge. I thought I could trust her, but I made a mistake in judgement.

This kind of thing could happen to anybody, and I warn any potential rabbit buyers that if you pay for a pedigree, get that piece of paper in your hand at the same time as the rabbit. Buyer beware.

Fred is Sick Again – Naturally Treating Cystitis in Cats

Posted on April 1, 2015 by onedogrunning

After just one time sneaking into the kibble, Fred is sick again. I first noticed while I was in the bathroom a few mornings ago and he got into the bathtub, squatted over the drain and had a little pee. Trying to tell me something Fred? Then he was back to doing the litterbox shuffle, going back and forth from box to box, voiding just a few drops of urine each time.

I wasn’t looking forward to another $200 vet treatment, which last time basically consisted of a shot of antibiotics and a prescription for ~~snake oil~~ special cat food. I decided to do a little more research into natural treatments to see if I could manage his condition myself. A few hours of research later and I decided to try cranberry and goldenseal.

I know from personal experience that pure unsweetened cranberry juice will knock out a urinary tract infection in short order. Fred might not have a UTI, but he is having bladder issues and does have struvite crystals. I was hoping cranberry would help acidify his urine and hopefully dissolve them. Goldenseal was recommended as an antibiotic that helps alleviate infection and inflammatory conditions. Both had been okayed as safe for cats by multiple sources.

I gave Fred a full capsule of cranberry extract in the morning, then a full capsule of goldenseal in the evening, just so his body could process the supplements properly without overloading him with both at once. He is such a good boy and lets me pill him easily. The next morning, he still seemed to be having difficulties passing urine, but was showing no signs of pain or discomfort. He got his cranberry pill in the morning and goldenseal pill in the evening once more. He was in good spirits all day and raced all over the house with the kittens, playing up a storm.

Since he still seemed blocked, I decided to try something new. I had also read many positive reports of people treating cystitis in cats with apple cider vinegar. I know that at any sign of sickness in my rabbits or birds, the first thing I do is put ACV in their water. So far, in two years, this along with good hygiene has cured everything from baby bunnies with no appetite, to quail with bumblefoot.

I chose to mix a tablespoon of ACV with a tablespoon of water, and administer about 2ml by mouth using a small plastic syringe designed for medicating cats. I did this about 3-4 times a day for the next three days and also stopped the herbal pills. Guess what, today Fred is peeing normally!

So I’m hoping we have a natural solution here. Fred must stay on a strictly canned/raw diet. No more kibble for Fred, ever. If he develops problems peeing, I can give him apple cider vinegar and water orally. He doesn’t seem to mind the flavor too much.

I feel if I put ACV in the communal water dish that it will prevent all the cats from wanting to drink, so I may start mixing small amounts into their food and seeing how they tolerate that. I believe I’ll put all the boy cats on ACV since cystitis is more prevalent in males.

Freshly ground bone-in chicken and necks

During my research I was also interested to learn that male cats with long hair and high stress levels are more prone to cystitis. (Not to mention kibble diets of course.) Fred is far from stressed right now, but he was probably the most stressed cat ever while he was fending for himself as a stray. I know he was panic-stricken when he first showed up. I’ve been keeping him away from the girls so no more fighting has occurred. Here’s to getting things a little more calm and normal around here!

Quail Chicks Have Hatched

Posted on March 28, 2015 by onedogrunning

It’s day 18 of incubation and so far 33 chicks have hatched out of 72 eggs. This isn’t too bad considering my adult birds are getting a little on the old side. I’ll be choosing my new breeding flock from these chicks and retiring the older birds.

It was a good hatch this time, no issues, but I did get another chick with bulging eyes, like last time. This chick uses a scanning motion to look around which is very unusual. I don’t expect him to make it. There is also another chick who took three days to come out of his shell and who I finally helped break free. He can’t stand up and will likely not survive either. Other than that, it’s a great healthy clutch. Lots of whites as well as quite a few silvers and tuxedos. Mushrooms is very proud.

Perfect Rare Roast Beef

Posted on March 26, 2015 by onedogrunning

When I think of roast beef, I imagine rare, juicy, perfectly seasoned slices. Too often the commercially available reality is a dry, overcooked, under-seasoned disappointment.

Making the perfect roast beef isn’t difficult, but requires a few important steps. First, select a small, long thin roast, 2-3kg. Rub your roast with a generous amount of kosher salt and spices the night before and allow it to sit uncovered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This will help dry out the roast a bit to ensure a good sear and allows the seasonings to penetrate the roast properly. If you season immediately before cooking you’ll end up with a bland hunk of meat and an over-seasoned exterior. The salt will also help draw the flavorings into the meat.

Let your roast come up to room temperature by allowing it to sit out for 1 to 2 hours before cooking. This is very important for getting it to roast evenly. Sear each side well in a heavy skillet over high heat and then finish in a 425F oven. Finally, allow to rest before carving to allow the juices to redistribute.

The earthy seasonings used in this recipe are in my opinion, absolutely perfect. They are minimal but effective, allowing the flavor and texture of the meat to shine through.

Perfect Rare Roast Beef Rub

1 small roast, 2-3kg
2 T kosher salt
2 t fresh black pepper
2 T mustard powder
1 t celery seed
1 t ground rosemary
1 t ground thyme
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients and rub into roast. Allow to sit uncovered in fridge for 24 hours. Allow to come to room temperature for 1-2 hours. Sear each side in hot oil over high heat until well browned. About 4 minutes per side. Warning – this step will smoke up your kitchen if you’re doing it right. Transfer to a 425F oven and roast for 4 minutes per 500g. Remove, cover with a foil tent and allow to rest for minimum 20 minutes to 1 hour. Slice and serve, hot or cold.

White Squabs Move In

Posted on March 26, 2015 by onedogrunning

You can see the bruising on her beak, she’s the one on the left

Sometimes I get a sixth sense when it comes to the farm. This morning I woke up at 8am after just a few hours of sleep. Very unlike me.

I went outside to put out the trash and noticed a little white body in a puddle at the bottom of the chicken coop. Assuming it was an escaped quail, which does happen sometimes, I brought the trash to the curb and entered the coop to put the quail back where he belonged. Once inside I realized it wasn’t a quail, it was one of the white squabs. She was cold, muddy and had been pecked by the chickens. She had bloody bruises on her beak and the tip of the beak appeared to be fractured. I put her back in the nest beside her sibling and was going to go back to bed, when I decided she was just a little too cold and could probably use a little more help. I didn’t want to risk losing her. I brought her inside, washed her under warm water and wrapped her in a little towel. Then I put her in a plastic dishpan lined with newspapers in the bathroom with a hot water bottle beside her. Then it was back to bed.

Later once I woke up again, she had come out of her towel and was clean, warm and dry. Her beak was damaged, but not too badly. I checked my calendar and found that they were now three weeks old, which is pretty close to weaning age. I decided that this must be the sign that I should take them in for a little hand-taming. I went and retrieved the other squab and set them up both together in an unused rabbit cage in my kitchen. I made sure that the healthy squab got one good last feeding from his mom, and fed the injured squab some whole corn and wheat as they are used to eating in the coop. I also gave her a few syringes of water, which she drank slowly. I’m hoping that these two will help each other to learn to eat and drink on their own quickly and I will still hand feed them a few times a day if I don’t see them eating and drinking much on their own. It’s not too difficult or time consuming to hand feed baby pigeons.

After just one day, they are both already much more comfortable inside and the interested kittens aren’t stressing them out too much. Since I kind of wanted to hand raise them at about this age anyway, I’m pleased to have an excuse to do so. My goal is to have hand-tamed birds that I can handle without stressing them for when I train them for release. Since my flock of pigeons are all loose inside my chicken coop right now, it’s tough to catch any of them without causing a freak-out.

If I had put the trash out the night before as I usually do, I don’t think this baby would have survived. She was probably about an hour away from death when I found her. It occurred to me that if she had been a wild pigeon, simply falling out of the nest at that age is pretty much a death sentence.

Fred Has to Go

Posted on March 26, 2015 by onedogrunning

In many ways, Fred is the perfect cat. He’s playful, funny, gorgeous, well-behaved and so friendly and loving. However there is one problem. He thinks it’s fun to scare my girl cats. For the past while, I’ve been keeping Fred and the two kitten boys upstairs and my three girl cats downstairs. This was initially due to my girls beginning to spray and not feeling comfortable when Momma cat and all her kittens were here. This worked well for quite awhile as Fred gets along wonderfully with the two little boys and is their “Uncle Fred”.

However lately anytime Fred has been able to sneak downstairs or outside he is dead set on terrorizing my girls. Today after doing some laundry I heard cats screaming from the basement and realized Fred was down there. I opened the door and Mushrooms came streaking out and immediately climbed to the top of the cat tree in my spare room, growling like crazy. She had urinated all over herself from fear. I grabbed Fred and tossed him outside. When I went back to pick up Mushrooms and put her back downstairs, she was so afraid that she grabbed my hand and sliced three big holes in, right on the veins. Immediately I screamed and ran for the bathroom with blood pouring out in a trail behind me. I grabbed a towel and pressed it to my hand to stem the blood. Poor Mushrooms was beyond terrified now and I carefully herded her back downstairs to relax. It’s probably the worst cat attack that I’ve ever experienced save for one time as a very young kid. It’s also not like Mushrooms at all.

It’s hard for me to make the decision to let Fred go. He came here as a very thin, neglected, abused and dirty stray months back, and I nursed him back to health. He’s in great shape now and unfortunately with health came attitude. I love Fred very much and he is my loyal buddy when I do the farm chores, always inspecting everything I’m doing and waiting patiently at the coop door when I feed the chickens. He often gets called “Friend” instead of Fred. I love how well he plays with the boy kittens and I love his predominantly low maintenance attitude. However, my three girl cats were here first. They are already unhappy enough that two of the kittens still live here, and I am unwilling to put them through being constantly chased and attacked by Fred. Fred needs a new home.

Bluefin’s First Litter, and I Got to Watch

Posted on March 24, 2015 by onedogrunning

Minutes before kindling

I had some excellent luck today and was able to witness the birth of Bluefin’s very first litter. I had checked on her a couple of times earlier this morning and afternoon, since that’s when my does usually kindle. No fur, nothing. Was she going to be a day late? Not kindle at all maybe?

Here she is in the middle of giving birth

As I went into the barn at about 7pm to do my chores before it got dark, I noticed she had scattered some random fur around and had some bedding in her mouth. She was looking frantic. I straightened up her nest a bit for her and about five minutes later, in she went and began whining and having contractions. I was very pleased that since this was her first time kindling, I could be there to take care of any problems that might arise.

Turns out she didn’t need my help at all and about ten minutes of unhappy twitching and squeaking later, she had delivered seven healthy and clean kits. Fantastic!

I’m always amazed at how chill my rabbits are even with two big dogs and a bunch of cats perpetually wandering around their cages. We were all there watching and she didn’t care at all, just got down to business. When I gave her a big dandelion plant as a treat after she was done she pounced on it like a lion.

So here are some rare shots of Standard Rex kits only minutes after being born. It looks like we have three black otter, three blue/blue otter and one self white! I’m not sure if the white kit will turn out to be albino or what, but I am super excited to have a new color turn up in a litter. Hopefully Bluefin takes good care of them… I know I’ll be monitoring their progress closely.

Thanks for reading!

Hybrid Kit Update

Posted on March 21, 2015 by onedogrunning

I couldn’t leave these little guys out. Although they are the same age as the Californian kits, these little buns have decided to hang out in the nestbox longer. They also appear to be a bit bigger than their purebred half-siblings, but that’s no longer a surprise.

We have two agouti kits and the rest are black with varying degrees of lighter brown ticking. So far this has been the standard for these crossbreeds. I just love the agouti-colored rabbits with their little black ear tips and black eyelashes. I think I’ve always liked brown birds and animals, not sure why.