Relatively Good News

[amberfocus]

My laptop has been repaired and is ready for me to pick it up. The sooner I can abandon this monstrosity that calls itself Windows8 the better. So I will have my good keyboard back just as my broken finger has healed and I can type again, at least for patches of time, without having to favor it too much.

How much writing I'll actually get done is up in the air. I've got two litters of kits due in the next couple of days and one of the mother's is a first timer, 1 litter of kits that we will start weaning tomorrow, one pair of rabbits to be bred tomorrow if I want the kits born before it gets too cold, and 3 of the three week olds have to be treated every day 3 times a day due to weepy eye. Fortunately it is only in one eye on each of them. Unfortunately they are too young to be isolated, but there has been no spread from the one in Piper's litter and there are 2 in Sweetie Belle's litter, but no signs on her other seven kits.

I am figuring that Serenity will probably kindle a litter of 8 or 9 like her sister did from a breeding with Leo and Lola will probably kindle a litter of 6 or 7, since she is more like her mother Piper. It's hard to say with Lola though since this time she was bred to a different buck. Our current rabbit population is at 36 and I can see it hitting 50 by the end of the weekend. We do have one litter that will be ready to go in another week or two. And some that will be ready to go in 4 to 5 weeks.

Anyhow, there is a lot of work ahead for me, plus homeschooling, but I am going to try to sneak some time to myself for writing. I want to finish The Watchmaker's Daughter as much as people want me to finish it.

Comments

[stillbrainfried.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

I'm really glad for you, especially that your finger is getting better (because, you know, I'm one of these people *grins*). Joking aside, it must have been difficult to care for your family and your little farm when you can't move your hand like you're used to (and have to), so I'd say, really good news!

[valiant-queene.livejournal.com]

I'm super happy your finger is feeling better! And I wish you luck with the kits!

[susanb03.livejournal.com]

congrats and good luck!

[nymph-of-anduin.livejournal.com]

*reads and then re-reads amount* oooh my gosh, do you even live somewhere with enough room???
WHERE ARE YOU KEEPING THESE.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

We live on 3/4 of an acre, so it's a microfarm. We have a fairly large rabbit shed. Almost a mini-barn. It can hold 15 cages that are 3 feet by 3 feet long. We only have 11 cages occupied at the moment because most of the kits (31) are quite small (2 litters at 4 weeks old and 2 litters newly born). They stay with their mothers until they are 8 weeks old, then are moved either 3 or 4 to a cage until the are 10 weeks old, then separated further by sex if need be until they are 12 to 14 weeks old.

We have 3 outdoor hutches and 12 rabbit tractors (outdoor moveable play pens that are six foot by 2 1/2 feet by 2 feet tall). We also have a nice chicken coop and 11 hens. And a small shelter for ducks, but we didn't raise any this year.

[nymph-of-anduin.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's quite a nice little setup! :O
May I ask what you do with the rabbits exactly? Like why are you breeding them I mean?

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

A few are raised as breeding stock or for 4-H kids to start out with. 3 are pedigreed for show. One is a pet. Mostly they are meat rabbits. We grow as much of our own food supply as we can here.

[develish1]

wow that's a lot of rabbits, they'll take over at this rate, lol