Farm Harmony

Sometimes everyone just gets along and it's awesome.

The rabbits and chickens decided to hang out together in the high grass while Champ watched the littles in the pen next door.

My little Snaggles still kept watch just in case.

But Jellybean seems perfectly comfortable letting the older hens hang out in her pen and help with landscaping duties.  

Falling Behind and Catching Up

A lot has been going on in our little world so here's an update:

We managed moved our little farm over onto a newly graded 1/2 acre of land as mentioned in the Carolina Red Clay post from July.   Thanks to the torrential rains this fall and early winter, the red clay is still winning.

After the craziness of moving a 10' x 20' building, two coops and a dog house, all the runs are set up and really working out well.  Our goal this winter is to upgrade the coops, add some ramps, a more permanent pond and renovate the building into a cute little barn.

Four little ducklings all ended up being drakes. At least they were consistent, right?  We are down to two, Edward Gray (formerly Anna Gray) and Sunki.  The two other huge Pekins went to a happy home down the way to keep a single drake company.

The new chicks from a local hatchery have been a learning experience.  We lost one chicken early on, and then two of the three pullets left ended up being roosters.  The roosters are both beautiful birds and mild mannered, but roosters none-the-less.  We paid a premium  because of the breed, a premium in hindsight which was too much to pay even for a pullet.  Needless to say we will be returning to our local farm store for future chicks.
 

As for the rabbits, they received their own portion of the run partitioned off with fresh grass and an open hutch.  They dug out.  So they were given another portion with a wire bottom.  They figured out how to open the door.  Now we have three free range rabbits who live under the barn and sometimes in their hutch.  They seem quite happy to come and go as they please and I no longer have neighbors enjoying the antics of me capturing rabbits with a fishing net.  We decided we either have the smartest rabbits in the county or the dumbest coyotes.

With the new year upon us, we hope and pray that our family continues to be healthy and happy and our little farm continues to grow.  Happy New Year!

One Hutch

For a while I managed four hutches with 10 rabbits.  Now I'm down to one hutch and 3 rabbits.  My husbands says I'm cruel.  Not for setting the wild adopted rabbits free who I still put out feed for and are finally growing again.  Not for selling the twin boys who Jelly Bean had in the spring.  No.  I'm cruel because I neutered Oreo, our buck.

According to my husband, and I quote, "You've taken away the one thing he was REALLY good at!". I admit that Stephen has a point.  I realize that most sayings referencing rabbits are about the one thing that Oreo is no longer able to do.  Given that, I feel no guilt whatsoever.

Oreo, like most neutered animals, has picked up some weight and his temperament is fantastic. The procedure had a quick recovery time and was relatively inexpensive. Oreo has realized that things don't work how they used to but seems to be okay with the trade off.  Not counting all the attention and extra treats he received after surgery.

The rabbits loved their new setup and I only had to clean, water, feed and heat one group of buns. It was nice to see all three snuggled up without the concern that more are on their way.  But paradise was short lived.

It seems Jelly Bean is experiencing hormonal issues and refuses to let Shortbread anywhere near Oreo.  Shortbread, also a female, loves to dig and figured out that tunnels made a quick escape to greener pastures.  After covering her tunnels and placing Shortcake back in the lot, I figured out it wasn't only the lack of grass that was the issue.  Jelly Bean attacked her sending fluffs of white fur through the lot.  I managed to move Shortbread to the ducks' run for the short term.  Now how to handle the females.  According to online sources, either Shortbread has come of age and/or one of the two are in heat.  Either way, the aggression is there and my dream of one hutch may be over.

Carolina Red Clay

It's been a busy year, so busy that my last blog post was in March.  About that time, our family started an exciting project that has surrounded us with red clay since.

In the fall of last year a timber company came through and harvested 100+ acres of pine trees behind our property.  They cleared almost an acre of pines for us at the same time.  After clearing the underbrush we finally had a grader come in, dig up over 40 stumps and cut in a new gravel drive. The plan was to move all the animals out in the newly graded area and create a little farm.

We decided to stick with the housing we had but it would have to move.  So much easier said than done.  Our grader assured us he could move our existing 10' x 20' building.  It ended up on it's side.

After many calls, signed releases and outright pleading, a company that specializes in moving buildings managed to the building across the culvert. 

Mom and I decided that we could move the large coop with "runners".  That didn't turn out so well either. Thankfully a local contractor came to the rescue along with his Skid Steer. Oh, what I could do with one of those beauties!  Dad stepped in with a tractor to move the other coop and doghouse. With fence panels in place we have a little farm taking shape.  The building needs repairs but things are starting to pull together.  We have four lots within a 30' x 30' area, one each for the ducks, rabbits, chickens and dogs.

The hens spread mulch and worked up straw in their pen.  It was necessary to even up the baked ground and cut some of the heat.  

The ducklings were not nearly as helpful but were too adorable to fuss at.  

Shade has been an issue but an old 10' x 10' canopy is standing in for future fruit trees. Grass is slowly replacing the red clay everywhere but inside the pens, of course.  There is still a lot to work to do to reach our dream farm model but I love the new setup and will hopefully share more updates soon!

Fair Weather

My husband will be the first to tell you that I'm a fair weather farmer.  I don't like to be out in the run when it's 100 degrees outside but I especially despise the cold wind that's blowing this time of year. He will also divulge that this is the time of year that I sweet talk him most often into caring for our animals.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm, cold weather forced me to make a few modifications to make sure the flock was as comfortable as possible.

In North Carolina I watch for:

1.  Temperatures below freezing for more than 24 hours and/or single digit temperatures.  My animals can warm back up during a sunny day and water can thaw, but not if it's continually below freezing.

2.  Extreme winds and wind chills.  Those breezes drop the temperatures inside and out and take what little heat has been conserved and whisk it away.

3.  Multiple days of wet and cold temperatures combined.  Dry hutches and coops beat wet every time.  Sitting in a nice sunny window or perch can bring body temps back up but continued clouds, cold temperatures and wet birds is concerning.

My solutions?  Insulation, plastic and heat lamps.

The rabbits are surrounded by a full bale of straw stacked in and around the walls of their converted hutch.  It insulates and is inexpensive to replace.  Clear plastic has been stapled over the windows and doors.  A old quilt covered by a waterproof tarp adds a little more insulation to the roof in hopes of keeping that heat inside the house.

The chickens get the same plastic over wire coop windows but I've found that shavings work a little better as insulation in their space. When temperatures really drop, a heat lamp is turned on in the main coop and birds are transferred over.  The rabbits came inside for the first single digit nights but a heat lamp has been added to their space now too.  Quite honestly, there hutch may be cozier than my house when that red light is glowing.

After our first real snow of the year and record low temperatures, I'm certainly ready for fairer weather!

Hoop House

It seems that all my "farm time" of late has been spent on housing.  The chicks are full grown pullets. The baby kits are rabbits. All of them are overcrowded, at least by my standards.  Hoop houses caught my eye late last year.  They seemed like a way to not only extend my growing season but keep my sweet chickens from decimating my garden. Of all the designs I found I noticed a few issues I wanted to avoid:

1 - Weight.  I wanted a house I could move by hand and by myself.

2 - Height.  I'm 5'9" and would prefer to avoid back problems while feeding or cleaning up after the animals.

3 - Door Style.  It's hard to put a square door in a arched opening.  Most of the house I saw either had awkward openings or added a tremendous amount of weight with plywood ends and full sized doors.

Based on a chicken tractor found here, I adjusted my design and ended up with what I feel may be a near perfect hobby farm structure that can be used as a chicken tractor, rabbit hutch or raised bed.   I used a single cattle panel and runners so that I could control the weight and easily move the structure.  The cattle panel was arched so that the inside height was over 6' shortening the base to 6' x 6'.  Both ends were hinged to create arched fold-down doors and full access.

The hoop house uses a 4' x 16' cattle panel anchored with barbwire staples to two 8' treated 2x6 runners.

Two 6' treated 2x4's and notched angled braces complete a sturdy base.

PVC pipe attached with pipe straps to hinged 1x4's become the base for arched doors. Chicken wire connected with "J" clips and staples covers the cattle panel and PVC arch to keep critters in or out as needed.

Eye bolts and a sturdy rope make the whole structure mobile.

With a tarp over the back half, a upcycled wooden curtain rod as a perch and a pet carrier as protection against summer thunderstorms, the hoop house was intended as a chicken tractor for the Freds.  Then I saw this:

So the Fred's are in with my older hens, never having set foot in the newly constructed hoop house.

The next pressing issue was more square footage for rabbits.  Remove the perch and the hoop house would make a perfect summertime hangout for the rabbits.  The pet carrier would still keep the rabbits protected and they would love the constant access to fresh grass.  But, thanks to some leftover lumber from our basement renovation and extra hardware cloth, the buns have a brand new raised hutch that will withstand our winter temperatures and minimize rabbits holes.  

My original interest in hoop houses became the current use of my new structures.  Six foot square raised beds hold just enough vegetables for a late summer garden.   My hens are extremely frustrated that they can't take dust baths by my sweet peppers this year or pick the cherry tomatoes straight off the vines.  A second hoop house will hold fall veggies. I'm excited about being able to cover the houses with plastic and harvest well into the winter months.

Now I am officially obsessed with hoop houses and their seemingly unending versatility. Let me know what you think of my design and any ideas on door improvements.  The fold down arched door is easy to construct but you have to walk on it and the not-so-sturdy chicken wire to access the beds.

In Focus

The week's photos from our little hobby farm.

Honeysuckles in bloom.

Our Buff Orpingtons strutting in the clover.

Buttercream enjoying some spring rye.

Blueberries to enjoy in a few weeks.

Our adopted wild rabbits getting braver by the day.

Straw Play Pen

Problem: Jellybean's hutch is getting awfully small with a full grown mama rabbit and 8 kits.  The portable exercise pen made of 1" welded wire is currently acting as the older chicks run.  The baby bunnies will slide right through the 2" squares of the dog kennel run we use for the older rabbits.

Solution: Extra bales of straw from the twin's farm themed birthday party. Stacked tight in a small rectangle, they become the perfect barrier for keeping little buns closed in.  Mom and the five oldest babies get to stretch their legs and chill out on the cool ground.

Bonus: Our three little wild adopted buns get the run of the hutch.  They are still too wild and quick to set loose just yet.

In Focus

My favorite blogs give me great information but I go back time and time again because of the beautiful photographs.  Although I can't compete with the amazing images by The Chicken Chick, Fresh Eggs Daily or Farmhouse38, here are a few of my favorite photos from the last week or so.

Robins Egg Blue

Chick Huddle

Curious Buns

Freckled Boy

Breathing Room

My dad built me an amazing hutch last spring with plenty of room, for two rabbits.  Now there are nine.  So, we decided to let the five oldest buns experience a little bit of the great outdoors while Jellybean and the adopted kits had a reprieve from the overcrowding.

The oldest are still too small to be let out in the kennel with it's 2 x 2 square openings so the handy dandy exercise pen was once again put into service.

They weren't really sure at first what was going on.

Shortbread decided to hold very, very still.

Fudge was wary but hungry.

Cookie Pie and Buttercream stuck together.

My oldest kept an eye on Jellybean's oldest while the little wild buns enjoyed an empty hutch.

Rabbit Tricks

Oreo lived in his hutch and Jellybean in hers.  One sunny day, I let them out in the run together to stretch their legs and they got along beautifully.  Jellybean followed Oreo around and Oreo was a perfect gentlemen. They both seemed so much happier to have company so I started letting them out more frequently. Apparently their relationship changed at some point.

Now, I am not completely naive.  I had considered the possibility of new additions but had done the research on the gestational period, how the mother rabbit would line the nest with her fur, and how her personality or appearance might change. Jellybean had done none of this.  She was the same bunny she had always been and because of the wet weather had been in her hutch for well over the 28-30 day gestational period. Jellybean kept her secret well hidden.

The kits I discovered were precious little fur balls with eyes wide open and ears standing up straight.  This meant they were at least 10-14 days old.

They were even trying to eat pellets and figure out the water bottle.  I found a little white kit pushed out the nest the Friday I discovered the litter who hadn't made it.  The next morning I found the little brown baby that looked just like it's mother the same way.

I have never raised rabbits or puppies or any mammal for that matter other than my own three children. But, I realized something must be wrong and assumed that milk or the lack thereof, would be the first place to start. After a quick trip to Tractor Supply armed with kitten milk replacement and tiny bottles, I became a nurse maid to five little balls of fur.

Jellybean seems relieved to see me every time I come down with towels and warm bottles in hand.  She's more calm now than she's ever been, checking on each baby after I feed them. Whether she weaned her first litter too soon because of their sharp little teeth or her milk dried up for some unknown reason, I'm happy to report that both mom and the babies are all doing wonderfully.

And next time, if there is a next time, I will pay much closer attention to my very tricky rabbit.

Double Hutch

As mentioned before, we are in need of his and her rabbit hutches. Oreo currently has a hutch and thanks to Papaw, the twin bunnies are going to get one just like it.  Currently, Oreo is rocking blocks.  Yep, four concrete blocks are the very sophisticated platform for his hutch. I thought we might step it up a notch with a double hutch design.

The idea is that the platform will be made to fit both hutches, side by side, and constructed from reclaimed  4 x 4 and 2 x 4 treated boards. The roof will be a 2 x 4 treated frame with supported plywood in the bottom. Instead of going with more corrugated asphalt roofing, I'm going to try a green roof.  A waterproofing roofing membrane will go on top of the plywood.  Then a thin layer of gravel for drainage, landscaping fabric, good quality potting soil, and finally plants will follow.  

The hutches will be sandwiched in between the elevated frame and the green roof with the option of adding in a plywood floor when the weather turns to cold for the nesting boxes to do the trick.  In theory the roof frame would be easy to remove to access the hutches or add the plywood floor as needed.  The weight of  gravel, soil and plants not to mention the lumber could add up quick. I'll keep you posted.