NH Homesteader's journal

[NH Homesteader]

My husband had angoras and giants of some sort as a kid and he said they weren't that bad. But again, New Hampshire. Also the well bred for fiber angoras are not as adaptable as his probably were!

 

[tortoise]

Uff, I hear you about colony versus cage! I was/am ALL for colony. Buuuuuut.. so .. I had 4 foot by 6 foot pens in the barn set up for groups of rabbits. I kept rabbits in large pens, especially in winter when I'd put deep bedding in and they'd burrow into it. Later I moved to more caging because I was trying to control breeding better - I hadn't had a litter in 6+ months. i always put does into the large pens at least a week before they were due so they had lots of space, more bedding, and multiple nest boxes to choose from. No litter for a year. I gave up on rabbits.

DH later found that a colony of RATS had set up right outside of the rabbit pens. We believe the rats were eating newborn bunnies. There was one morning I checked on a rabbit that had been due to kindle the previous day. She had swollen teats and milk. No nest, no babies and all the does in that pen were acting very strange. I bet it was rats.

So now I have VERY mixed feelings about rabbits and colonies. I think they're superior for welfare, but then there are potential management problems.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Oh RATS! I hate them!!

I agree there are potential problems. A big part of the reason I don't like rabbits- I'm not satisfied with either way of rabbit keeping!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Well someone who has a gang of pet goats wants my wether. But no one wants my doe yet. Grr. It's breeding season, people! The price is only going to go up if she kids here!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

What's up with that? But, if the wether sells...you'll have him off your feed bill. I usually don't feel bad about feeding something that can produce!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Yeah totally true. He's small and DH wants me to keep him, but he's too small to live with Clifford next year and the does literally roll him trying to get to the feed dish. He's maybe 30 lbs. Peppermint has to be pushing 90 by now. He needs a pet home!

Yeah Lilly is fine, I just am impatient once I decide to sell someone. She'll help buy hay. Or she'll give me kids and milk in the spring.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Wow these people are driving an hour and a half to get a stunted wether! Lol! It is leaf peeper season though, so a good time for a drive. Should be coming Saturday.

I had second thoughts about selling him until I watched Peppermint and Clifford throttle him at dinner today. Poor dude!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

WooHoo! Congrats on one less mouth to feed....in order to make room for more mouths to feed, lol!

 

[NH Homesteader]

People should be coming in the morning, we have to go trim his hooves before they get here. And we have to do Clifford's but I don't really want to touch him, lol!! He was being all sweet and really wanted attention today and I was... Not thrilled!

Also realized the mini twins are due for CDT and my Nigie has pale eyelids... Again! This goat is a walking parasite factory! She never loses weight, or acts weird, nothing... Just pale eyelids like, all the time. If I keep her I might have to spring for a vet to do a proper fecal and see if I can try something I haven't thought of...

And in my rambling I just realized I haven't upped their copper intake and that probably isn't helping. Hmm... Gotta go read some feed labels. @Mini Horses and @frustratedearthmother do your bucks eat the same food as your does? I need to look at ca: p ratio right?? I was considering putting them all on the dairy goat feed and feeding less... But he's in there at the moment...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I haven't worried about Ca ratio since I showed goats...and that's because I was pushing them really hard and using all kinds of supplements and throwing everything all outta whack. Mine do eat the same thing that the girls eat but it's not an excessive amount of feed and they have hay and a little browse. I don't worry toooooo much about mature bucks anyway - I've only ever had an issue with a wether.