Spring Gardening

Spring is here and that means I haven't been online much.  We have been busy getting our new garden plot started.  We are in the process of buying my mom's house and we have so much planned for it it's overwhelming!  The new garden plot it where the old chicken run used to be plus a little more.  It's about 25x35 and we are shoving as much as possible in there!

Yes, that is me digging a garden with a baby strapped on my back.  I am woman, hear me roar!

This is what we have so far.  Nicely tilled and straw on the pathways.  The large area with straw on the right is already planted potatoes.  

We also have a broody hen!  I got some fertile eggs from a local woman for her to sit on so we might have more baby chicks soon.  Praying she will be a good mama!

Edith our hopeful mama

Fiona 3 month(ish) update

Fiona is in the middle of a roaring 3 month growth spurt.  She is eating constantly! 

Seriously.

Every hour on the hour she nurses for 30 minutes.

How am I supposed to get anything done?

She is also smiling, laughing, cooing and adoring peek-a-boo and tickles. 

My precious girl in her Easter dress!

I Think I'm Officially Crazy!

My mom talked me into our newest venture - raising rabbits!  Yes, really.

We plan on selling them, but mainly using them for meat. 

Yes, I know.  Bunnies are cute and furry.  There is actually a long tradition of raising rabbits for meat that has for some reason fallen out of style the last few decades other then a resurgence during WW2.  The Dutch probably would not have survived the Nazi occupation if it were not for their backyard rabbits!  Rabbit meat is low in cholesterol and fat and a domesticated rabbit is all white meat!  A buck (male) and two does (females) can give you 300 lbs a meat a year from their litters.  Not shabby!  And since the kits are ready to eat at 10 weeks or so there is not a lot of investment compared to other meat animals. 

People have difficulty with the thought of raising their own meat.  Our society is so far removed from where meat comes from.  At least I know that my meat had a very happy and comfortable life.  Think those poor animals you get from the grocery store.  They were practically tortured!  My animals have fresh air and treats and cuddles and then one bad moment.  Or at least that is the idea. 

So here are our newest additions, these will be our pets/breeders. 

This is Captain Jack - a Broken Black New Zealand.  He's our buck!

This is Mocha.  She's a Flemish Giant/Dutch mix.

And these adorable babies are Captain Jack's babies with another Broken Black New Zealand.  They are too small for us to figure out their sexes yet.  We plan on keeping two of them and we have possible homes for the other two!

This is Claire's favorite baby.  We are definitely keeping him/her.  She's been calling it Cloudy.

 

Claire with one of the spotted babies.  Daddy already had me promise that we will keep one of those!