Farm Fresh: Animal Updates - Rabbit Kits, New Chicken Tractor, Ducklings, and Broody Mamas

 The first Silver Fox kits from our March litters got their tattoos and started leaving for their new homes this week. 

I did a little demonstration on rabbit tattooing for a new rabbit owner this week. 

While I was preparing for that I checked on the Silvers and two of the new mamas had their kits.  Neither made a nest and all 10 were on the wire in the cages or on the floor of the rabbit hoop house.  We gathered them all up and warmed them. Two of them came out of their cold comas and we put them in a nest box with the fur that their mama had strewn all over the cage. The other 8 never revived. I put the 2 living kits in with the mama bunny (doe) who pulled the most fur, thinking that she would be the most likely to figure out the mothering thing.  I checked on them this morning and she did not feed them. I am about ready to give up on helping keep the Silver breed from going extinct.  The Silver Foxes are much better mothers.  I will rebreed all 3 Silver does and give them one more chance. 

We are testing out a new possible tractor system for ducks, chickens, and rabbits.  Wood is so expensive now and also HEAVY.  This little dog playpen was very inexpensive, can be folded up and stored away in the winter, and only weighs 50 lbs. It's modular so it can be expanded to double this size.  It has stakes for wind, but can easily be pulled to a new spot of grass. Plus, easy to set-up and no building required. We don't have to worry about predator pressure since we have the dogs.  So far I give this little test house two thumbs up! We'll see how it holds up and then probably buy a few more. 

The muscovy ladies are going broody left and right.  They have chosen some very creative spots to keep the dogs from getting their eggs. 

This lady found a box of the straw that we used for winter cat houses on a table in the barn... I'm not sure how she will get the ducklings down when they hatch?! We will need to keep a close eye on her so that we can help. 

She was really mad at my efforts to adjust the straw so that there is a lip of box to keep the ducklings from falling out.  Her hissing face:

Another muscovy made a nest under an empty rabbit cage.  It looks huge! She pulled in a ton of straw and pulled out plenty of down to line it with. 

Handsome big daddy muscovies prowling around.  They are not very hard on the plants, but they love the high tunnel.  I know it is warm and was their house all winter.  I keep shoo-ing them out though, since they have accidentally broken a couple young tomato vines. 
Beardy had a "play-date" of sorts.  Last week we went to visit our friend who has a two year old girl bearded dragon. She was huge! -- compared to Beardy anyway.  We brought her some dubia roaches to try out and some potted mustard greens.

Uncle P left us a lot of presents when he moved. The kids are so happy to have a trampoline and I got another fridge/freezer for the basement. 

More than a year ago Uncle P gave us their old smaller aquarium so that brother S could have some fish.  It was used as a terrarium for a short while last winter and spring.  Brother S finally got serious about getting his fish this year.  He cleaned it all up and put the pump together.  He ordered and paid for some parts - tubes and filters that we still needed. Then finally, he was ready to go to the pet store to pick his fish.  We bought some live plants and clay substrate (my idea - gardens everywhere! and I think real plants are better for us all).  Brother S decided that he wanted a blue beta fish. He named him Beethoven.