Take the good with the bad

Beauty had her babies on Friday and Missy was due on Monday.  I went to check on them this evening and Missy had her mouth full of fur and hay.  It is so cute when a doe walks around with her mouth full.  It looks like she has a mustache.  So I did a few chores thinking she might have them early and wanted to get things done so I wont disturb her close to giving birth.  Within moments she was in her box and I could tell she was having contractions.  So I stopped with the chores and stuck around.  I heard little peeps and knew she had at least one baby.  I set up a few cameras and went back later.

When I went back she was out of her box.  I could see there were babies in the box and they were all pink (white fur later).  They were not under the fur very well.  I decided to give her more time to see if she would have more or if she would rearrange her nest.
I went back later and seen they were not covered very well at all. I reached in to check on them and they were cold.  I decided I needed to warm them.  I brought them in the house and put them in a box with a heat pad under.  This was not working well so I put them in my bra.  I could feel their cold little bodies.  After a few moments, they started to squirm around.  I rearranged them a few times because it seemed a few were not warming up very well.
After about half an hour it was obvious that two were not doing well.  They were actually bringing the temperatures down for the other ones.  I removed the two cold ones and you could tell from their color they were dead.  I placed them in the box with the heat pad just to make sure.  The others three remained in my bra for another 15 minutes then I took them back out to their mother hoping now they were warm, she would feed them and all would be well.
I want to give this mom a fair shot at taking care of these little ones but part of me also wants to give the kits the best shot possible at surviving.  That would mean fostering them to Beauty.  I will go out and check them one more time and if they are warm, I will leave them alone.  If they are cold, I will warm them, mark them and foster them to Beauty.  Be back soon.
Ok Im back.  I took a treat out to the rabbits and checked on Missys kits.  They were cold again.  Not as much but still cold and not much life left in them.  I decided they would not make it till morning so I put them in with Beauty.
Good and bad to this story.  Bad is obvious.  Missy did not have a very good first litter experience.  Bad, two died.  Good is that Beauty is a good mother and she now has three more to care for.  I hope that in the morning, I will check in her box and find 8 healthy kits.  If not, if there are dead ones, then they were just not meant to live.  If I find three smaller ones still alive I will mark them and pray they grow and all is well.  I will not rebreed Missy for a while because it is cold and we have family celebrations coming up and the timing would not be good for a litter right now.
I do have one major concern.  Mastitis in Missy because she will not be nursing.  It is a risk I will have to take.  Since she did not feed, there has not been any stimulation.  If in nature she would loose them all, she would have to dry up just like she will now.  I pray she is spared any pain and discomfort with both the loss of her first litter (to another doe) and that her milk production does not cause discomfort.
Well it has been an eventful evening and now I can rest knowing the three little pink angels will be given the best chance possible in with Beauty's babies.  I will post more after I check on them in the morning.  Thanks for hoppin by. 

THEY ARE HERE!

I went out to check at 9:40 and Beauty was out of her box.  I looked in and some of the cotton that I had put in there was bloody so I  knew there was something new to see in the box. 

She had pulled a ton of hair!  Good for her cause last time she did not pull as much as a cotton ball worth.  I decided since she had twice that last time I would allow her more privacy incase she was going to have more.  So far, 3 black and two white.  Come back later today for more updates.  Thanks for hoppin by and pray for healthy bunnies!

7 am- no buns yet. Still in the oven (heehee)

I checked on Beauty several times yesterday and last night.  She is due today but wanted to make sure that if she did have them early, none were left in the cold by mistake.
She did super last litter.  Had 10 all in the next box.  All three does had all babies in the nest box.  I know because rabbits, unlike cats or dogs, can not carry their babies around.  And that is why it is so important for me to keep checking on them.  If one is still suckling when Beauty jumps out of her box, it could get "carried" out of the box and she cant bring it back in.  The baby bunnies or bun for short, use each other for warmth.  Mother bunnies do not "cuddle" or keep their babies warm so if it is separated out of the box, it will freeze to death, literally.  They are born with no fur and right now the temps are cold.... around 32 here.

Here is a picture of  new born rabbits and then one that is 5 days old.

They are so cute, dont you agree?  The pink ones will actually be white like the one in the second picture.  As the fur grows, the pink gets lighter because it is covered with the white fur.  The black ones in the first picture will of course have black fur.
So I will be going on there a couple times today and then for sure around midnight.  It would be great to be present when she gives birth but even with 10 babies it can happen so fast that I am likely to miss the exact time. 
I am excited to see the new ones.  I will keep you posted.  Thanks for hoppin by.  Theresa

Hour to hour countdown

Beauty is due tomorrow so I will be going out there as often as possible to check on her.  She let me feel her belly today and I could feel them moving around.  Always a good sign.  She has not pulled any fur yet but she did not pull much last year either.

We have a little snow on the ground and melting snow dripping from the trees and house.  It is a little colder than I was hoping or our first spring litter but rabbits do fine in these temperatures.

This is the outside of our bunny house, wascally wabbits rabbitry, bunny barn, rabbit cage, rabbit hutch.... how ever you want to refer to it. 

This is the inside where the rabbits are.  Notice the window behind the cages.  There are three of them plus half of front is able to open completely to allow plenty of airflow.  Below this window is a screened in area that will also open during the summer.  Ventilation is critical when the temperatures are above 60. A strong urine odor can cause illnesses and discomfort.
 The tarp is an awesome way to keep everything clean and fresh.  Cheap too.  It catches the hay and rabbit droppings so they do not go on the ground.  There is one opening in the bottom where all the urine drains and is collected in a bucket.  This keeps the smell down and also makes it easy to collect the droppings to sell as a cold manure for gardens.  Yes I have sold the poop!  This system helps me keep my rabbit housing smelling like hay! (which is like roses for rabbits!)
Now that summer is coming, I will begin to collect and separate the droppings again.  I will first collect the hay out of the tarp that is usually laying on the top of the droppings.  They I drain all the urine into the bucket by lifting the tarp in each area.  Once the urine is drained I collect what is left- the rabbit droppings or manure.
Since rabbit manure is a cold manure (meaning it can go directly into your garden) I can collect, dry and package.  I dump the manure onto a large sifter and set in the sun.  After a few hours the pellets start to dry and turn slightly white.  I use a rake to rotate them so the pellets fully dry.  As the manure dries the remaining hay is dry.  Whatever hay does not blow away in the wind I try and gather with a small hand rake so only the pellets remain.





Meet the rabbits!  The stars of the show!

Beauty

 First here is Beauty.  Short for Black Beauty.  Her general color is black but at the tips of some of her fur, she has a lighter color which gives her a shimmery look.  Beauty-ful!
She is a very gentle and loving black New Zealand.  Last litter she had 10 babies.  I was able to feel babies moving around in her belly today.  She is not very good at pulling fur so I will add pulled cotton balls to her nest box today.  I really love her.  She is always willing to let me pet her.  If she is in the back of the cage, I can get her to come to the front right away to be pet.  She had all her babies in the nest box last time and raised every one of her kits to weaning.  In case you were wondering, I keep old toilet paper rolls and fill them with hay.  They love to chew on them, throw them around their cage and eat the hay from the ends.  It is bunny fun and can help keep the cage clean.

Missy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Next is Missy.  She is nothing like Beauty.  I kept her from Foxy from last year because she was large and white.  A breeder of 300+ rabbits came to buy a buck from me and really felt she was a male because her head was so large. We checked twice because he was sure she was a male.  Successful breeding proved otherwise:)

 She is named Missy because she is Mischievous.... Missy for short.  When she was younger she would dart around her cage so much she would shake it and make all kinds of noise. She is shy and timid and she does not like my hand in her cage.  She bred really well and I cant wait to see what babies she gives off.  Buck is white NZ, she is white but her mother was grey (also called New Zealand Blue).  She is due next Monday and I hope having a litter will help her settle down.

Buck

Last but my favorite..... BUCK!  Short of Buck Rogers!  He is so adorable.  I have had family members and even a stranger  (someone who bought manure) pet him.  He will practically crawl out of his cage to greet you!
 I will be back with a posting after the babies are here.  Thanks for visiting and hope you enjoy the fun and facts here at....... Wascally Wabbits Rabbitry!  Please comment and hop on by again soon.  Theresa

SPRING IS HERE- New Zealand bunnies are on their way!

It is time for exciting news here at WascallyWabbitsRabbitry!  Spring is here and we are ready for a booming bunny business this spring!

We will do things a little differently this year because there is a big chance we will be able to move this summer.  We will put the house up for sale and depending on where my husband chooses to work, we will be moving.  Our options run from WI (we would just move closer to my husbands work) all the way to Montana.

We have 4 does.  Three from last year (Beauty, Foxy and Thumper) and Missy who is new to the rabbitry.  She is all white just like Buck (our only male).  I hope to get pure white rabbits from Missy and Buck.  They are already bred which is a very good way to start out for anyone interested in raising rabbits. Since we will be downsizing, we will offer two of our four females for sale. 

 BRED adult New Zealand FEMALES:     SOLD

Foxy and Thumper are the two bred females for sale.  Both gave 7 healthy kits last fall.  All matured to adulthood.  Several were sold as breeding stock.

PRICE FOR BUNNIES
Buy when young and pay less.  Parents of all bunnies are New Zealands.  As I put more feed and work into them, the price will go up. 
Reserve now. Pay before the following ages: 

Before:
4-6 weeks old                   $10.00 each                                   
6-8 weeks old                   $15.00 each                                 
8-10 weeks old                 $20.00 each                                 
10-12 weeks old               $25.00 each                                   

12 weeks or older             $25.00 females each
                                         $30.00 males each

Save $5.00 when you purchase 4.  Save $10.00 when you purchase 8!

All bunnies are sold with a two day supply of pellet food and hay.  Owner must supply their own cage, feed and water containers.

Contact Theresa at (715) 790-0000 or (715) 924-2722
theresa125@centurytel.net

Thanks for visiting and feel free to contact me with questions and comments.  Have a very hoppy day!

Rocky Acres Angus- By chance or design?

What a busy December.  We have sold several bunnies to new homes in December.  We even sold one to  a fellow passing by who saw our RABBIT PELLETS FOR SALE sign.

Several of the bunnies went to new homes.  All will be well taking care of and loved. I have only ONE white female bunny left along with my three original adult does (female) and of course BUCK, my white male (buck) which is the proud father of all the bunny babies.  I believe I will keep the one white doe for breeding.

Today I had to stop all plans and make a trip to deliver our last bunny sold.  Thursday we had a man stop by because he saw our sign for Rabbit Pellets sign.  He was looking for a new buck for his breeding colony.  I happen to have one left!  He was without a cage so I said I would deliver.  They have over 300 rabbits and need new bloodline.
What started as a chance encounter might end up being a great opportunity for friendship and business dealings.  The man who bought the last buck from me, Ryan own ROCKY ACRES ANGUS with his wife Gayle.  They have a nice shop set up in Weyerhaeurser, only 7 miles away.  We have many ideas to share and I hope this will build into a wonderful friendship.  After all, finding someone else to talk to about rabbits in details is a little difficult.

 I believe it was by divine design that we have met and I want to bless them and their business.

Rocky Acres Angus
Weyerhaeuser, WI.
715-577-8080
Ryan and Gayle Gregor
rockyacresangus@gmail.com

They raise and sell:  ALL NATURAL GRASS-FED BEEF, FREE- RANGE CHICKENS, PORK, RABBITS AND FRESH EGGS.  They also have a gift shop and are looking into plans for a farmers market in the near future.

 I have requests for bunnies in the spring and will breed again in late February. Until then I pray we are blessed with temperatures above 0 for the sake of the bunnies and mine, all the bunnies in new homes are happy and stay healthy and the contacts I have made with the sales of the bunnies also create new friendships with like minded bunny lovers.
I would also like to say thanks again to my husband, family and friends who have been supportive in all the various way they know how.  Thank you for lending a hand for building, and ear for listening and for your advice and guidance.  You all mean so much to us. 

December update

Hello fellow bunny lovers! 
The weather here in Wi has been crazy.  Tempatures well above normal and even a thunderstorm in December.  Now that most of our holiday celebrations have concluded I wanted to update you on our rabbits.
We did a couple of batches of bunnies to the freezer.  Even had a professional butcher come give us a few tips on how to hop along with the process.  I did not paws for one moment to help in whatever way I needed too. 
The last few weeks have been quite amazing.  We have shifted the focus from butchering to selling.  Another lucky bunny goes to a new home today.  Then, out of 24 bunnies, we will only have 3 left to butcher.
One group of white does went to a nice couple who really are enjoying their new bunnies.  Here is what they had to say:

"Well your three sweet girls seem to be transitioning pretty well so far and will be checking on them a few times a day to make sure everything is ok.  Thanks again."   

While we were in the rabbitry talking about bunnies, they kindly referred to me as the 'BUNNY WHISPER' which means a great deal to me since I feel I have dedicated myself to knowing all I can and doing the best with what I know.  Truly the bunnies benefit from all the time and effort that I put into this project.

Beauty is now alone.  No more babies in with her.  Thumper has one that will be sold today and Foxy has two in her cage.  I was willing to leave a female (doe) in with the does that I am keeping to help keep them social and warm through the winter.  But if they sell that is ok too. 

Have to go now but would love to have some comments from my readers.  Especially the new bunny owners.  Would love to see how your furry family is doing.  I would also love to post any pictures of bunnies, yours, mine.... ours!!  Keep me posted and I will share your stories! 

Thank you to all of you who have been part of this new adventures.  Some have physically helped build, some have emotionally supported and some of you....have even gotten your hands dirty.  I could not be where I am today without all your support.  Love you all!  Theresa