Silver Fox Rabbit Colors.

Meat rabbits. They've been our most successful endeavor.  Since we're diversity loving geeks, we chose the Silver Fox rabbit breed. The American Livestock Breed Conservancy says it best: "Ensuring the future of agriculture through the genetic conservation and promotion of endangered breeds of livestock and poultry."

Silver Fox rabbits are a beautiful breed, bred for both meat and fur. We have blue and black Silver Foxes and we're working on the other colors, especially chocolate.

My kingdom for a litter of chocolate Silver Foxes. But since I don't have a kingdom...

For those new to the Silver Fox breed, there are two accepted colors, blue and black. Why do I say accepted? Because when Walter P. Garland said "ta-da!" the finished product was either blue or black, like the rabbits below.

Black Silver Fox 

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Blue Silver Fox kit

 Okay, maybe he never said "ta-da," but you take my meaning. Today, the only acceptable color for showing is black. The blue was dropped by The American Rabbit Breeder's Association (ARBA) for lack of entries. The blue is still considered acceptable among Silver Fox rabbit breeders because it is one of the original colors. Those who keep true to the original color standard often call their stock "heritage" Silver Fox, not to be confused with the Silver Fox as a heritage breed. More power to them. You never know when original bloodlines will become important to the survival of a breed.

There's more to the palate than blue and black.

Although some breeders mark Silver Fox colors other than blue or black as taboo or at least very bad form, a few are experimenting with the new chocolate variety. In fact, Meara Collins currently holds certificates of development, or CODs, on both the blue and chocolate Silver Fox colors. That means it may soon be possible to find both blue and chocolate Silver Fox rabbits showing right alongside the blacks. Diversity AND equality!

Chocolate Silver Fox lap angel still developing her silvering

Another color not under COD is lilac. Lilacs are a double recessive of chocolate with a dilute gene. Yeah, I know, genetics can make your brain twist. Or lock.

A lilac Silver Fox has a pinkish glow to the eyes and the fur is a soft silver with a browney tinge. Maybe that's not the best description, but it's my own. Unfortunately, they're so uncommon that if you look up lilac Silver Fox you won't come up with much.

The last and most despised color is white. Most breeders don't mention it as a possibility. Go ahead and look up the colors. Count how many mention white. Very few, right? White does show up and that shouldn't be surprising since the famed Mr. Garland never disclosed which breeds he used to create this amazing rabbit breed with the stand up fur. A few Silver Fox breeders do keep white rabbits. White rabbits dress out more easily than darker colored rabbits and commercial meat producers generally accept only white rabbits.

I said despised, didn't I? White Silver Fox are the redheaded step children among Silver Fox breeders. I can't tell which is more hated, white Silver Foxes or those born with the dreaded white star. I'll say the white star, since for almost every breeder I've met, white star's are an automatic cull. I think some believe it is a sign of the vienna gene, which causes blue-eyed whites. It is definitely a mismark under the breed standard and it does tend to carry through the generations. For this reason, I name starred Silver Fox kits "lunch."

This isn't to say you won't find a few Silver Fox breeders proud to flaunt their white bunnies. It's just that if you choose to do so, be prepared for some breeders to frown at you. Don't make yourself all blue in the face waiting for a COD either. The most common reason I see for the antipathy toward white Silver Fox is the difficulty in rating the silvering. How can you note the evenness of silvering if you can only see it in certain lighting from particular angles?

Whatever colors a breeder promotes or just has show up in their lines from time to time, let me go on record as saying disclosure often means the difference between a rabbit breeder with ethics and one without.

All of this to say, we finally have a litter from our one chocolate doe. We bred her to our black, chocolate carrier (there I go with genetics again) and the reward is six kits.

I see four blacks, a blue and maybe, just maybe, a lilac. Maybe one of those blacks is a really deep chocolate. A girl's got to have her fantasies.

Turkeys. Who Told Me I Could Raise Turkeys?

No one told me, I just decided. Kind of the same way I decided I could raise rabbits and pigs, but those are stories in themselves. We've dragged ourselves back into a good place and we're trying again. We're serious about this homesteading thing and are better informed, stronger emotionally and financially, and ready to get down to business.

With so much chicken related success...okay, maybe success is too strong a word. A few bobbles aside, we're keeping them alive and healthy and they seem pretty happy, going about their chicken lives pecking and pooping and jumping each other for sport. Having eaten many yummy eggs and finally managing to keep some meat birds set me thinking I could probably raise turkeys too.

Blackhead, Newcastle Disease, Influenza, And The List Goes On

Turkeys are pretty delicate creatures, especially when they're young. Research tells me chickens and turkeys don't mix for that reason. Chickens carry diseases like blackhead, which they throw off but which kills turkeys. Not a fun proposition, buying a bunch of turkey poults only to have them turn black in the head and then keel over.

Okay, so their heads don't really turn black. The real symptoms involve gross, watery poops, ruffled feathers and stunted growth. The name comes from a bluish look to the head caused by cyanosis. Apparently, that doesn't happen all the time, so I won't bother looking for any blue heads. By that time it'd be too late anyway.

My best bet is to keep the poults in a clean environment and away from chickens and soil until they've built up some immunity. Parasite management is key in poultry raising. When I think about it, it's pretty essential in any situation where we keep animals in confined spaces. Imagine no toilets and having to slog through your own poop until someone came along and scooped it away. If poop scooping wasn't someone's idea of a fine pasttime, you'd probably get pretty sick. Lots of bugs enjoy poop and quite a few of them make you sick.

How'd Turkeys Ever Survive and Evolve?

They didn't. Not the way we think of them, those forty plus pound creatures that grow to such ludicrous sizes  they can't breed on their own or even continue breathing much past butcher weight. Those white turkeys born on most commercial turkey farms were bred for fast and furious meat production and need help breeding and producing eggs. If you want to know what they call free range production of these creatures, take a look.

That's why I chose a turkey breed from the listing on the American Livestock Breed Conservancy. I'd like at least a good chance at keeping a flock of natural breeders that won't keel over from the weight of their own meat. Well, that and my need to get away from commercial production meat. I chose bourbon reds.

Teaching Turkeys To Eat and Drink

Normal turkey poults learn from their mama. When she isn't around, as in this case, they have to learn the most basic of skills on their own or die. Usually they die, so I used a couple of tricks to make sure that didn't happen. Water is essential, that's obvious, and they should have it pretty quick after coming home. So how do you teach a poult to drink?

Turkeys, like most birds, love shinies. Can't you just see it, turkeys wandering the woods, beaks thrusting back and forth on their tiny turkey heads, searching for yumm...oh, look! Shiny! Peck it!

I wonder how many wild turkeys that behavior kills. In captivity, I can use turkey curiosity to my advantage. I fill my waterer with clean water, add a little apple cider vinegar to help with those nasty parasites - hey, it can't hurt - and drop a few shinies in the bottom. Worked like a charm. Turkey poults came from all over the brooder just to peck at those shinies and each one came up with a beakful of water. Lesson learned. I'm keeping the marbles in there awhile because they just can't stop diving for the shinies, which means they drink more water, which helps clean out turkey systems while it hydrates.

I applied the same principle to the 28% game bird starter. Sprinkle some over a mirror and on a piece of tin foil and turkeys can't resist pecking. Now they've learned to eat.

As you can see from the picture, the feed area already needs a cleaning. This picture was taken first thing in the morning, so you can see how much work turkeys can be when they're young. If I left the area like this for long, I'd have sick turkey poults. 

Fascinating Turkey Poults

Maybe I'm an oddball, but I love watching turkey poults. They've only been here a couple of days and I'm already having a tough time not staring at them. Creepy as that sounds, it's a learning tool. Turkey poults fall out on their sides to sleep. I only had to run over in shock once to figure out they weren't really dead.

Watching them peck and strut also keeps me aware of their needs. If turkey poults are too hot, they'll flock away from the heat lamp. Cold turkeys pile, which could be a death sentence for those on the bottom.

As much as I've learned about poultry, I can't claim expertise in turkeys. I'm brand new to this, but experience is the best teacher, so wish me luck.

Pigs and goats and chickens, oh my!

In case you missed the update, the little potbellied piggy at left, our Moro's full brother, is coming to live with us sometime next month. His owners were told he would never grow bigger than a mid sized dog, and that owning a potbellied pig is like owning a dog. It wasn't mentioned that he'd need vaccines, tusk and hoof trimming, or the fact that a two year old potbellied pig will test its boundaries. Once they discovered this may well turn into a one hundred pound animal with a mind of his own, they decided to rehome him. They plan to have kids and are uncomfortable with the idea of a large animal around small children. If they feel that way they are correct, especially since they are having a great deal of trouble with the little one now. They're having him vaccinated and neutered before bringing him, as well as bringing a playpen, potbellied piggy moisturizers and shampoo, more potbellied pig food and harnesses. They love this little guy...how could I resist?

As for Moro, she's doing great. She uses her litter box faithfully, potties outside as soon as I bring her out there, and knows sit, beg, come, up, and spin. She's also a bit of a firebrand. Last night, she insisted on burrowing under Paul's armpit. When he wouldn't let her, she tried to bite him to put him in his place. He shoved her the way an older pig would, so she barked at him. I thought I'd fall over.

Oscar will provide Moro with potbellied piggy company and an outlet for her dominant personality. The current owners will be happier to know he is on a farm, with his sister, and they can come visit since they live in Atlanta.

Loose horses

Rural living can be interesting, in it's way. I was enjoying a hot bath and a book when my husband popped in to tell me the neighbor found loose horses on his property and he'd be going to see if they were ours. Either way, he'd help round them up and put any strays in our round pen.

 Needless to say, up I jumped to dry, dress and check for myself. All three horses were still in the paddock, Paul nowhere in sight.

I waited, and put hay in the back of the truck (just in case), and before long, I looked out again to see the sheriff's car and a pickup in the drive. I followed the bobbing lights to a brown and an appaloosa being put in the round pen, our own horses running around like nuts in the paddock.

There they sit, munching hay, safe from traffic and hunger. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Mini Farming With a Baby

Just found this, started a few YEARS ago, unfinished and unpublished. I think the subject matter itself might explain why...

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How hard is it to have a mini farm and a baby? That depends on the available help.

For me, it is becoming quite difficult.

I love the great outdoors and cleaning the poop of various animals just isn't a hardship for me. But how to do this with an infant?

When we decided to add another family member, I thought I had it all worked out. I could ride early in the am, as well as get some chores done, finishing up in the evening, when the hubby came home. The reality is quite different.

Khavien is as sweet as he can be, but as unpredictable in his moods and habits as any small child. I can't expect that he will be asleep early in the am. I can't expect him to nap when it is most convenient. I knew all this, but apparently wasn't as aware as I should have been. We're programmed to forget such things over time. Otherwise, we wouldn't do it but once. Maybe not a horrible idea...but I digress.

As for the hubby, he has a job. It's the same job he's had the past few years, but things seem to be stepping up. I'm grateful he's working for a growing company, especially in the current economy. But lately the job is keeping him from home quite a bit more than I expected. By the time he gets here, it's already too dark to do anything outside. He sleeps as late as possible in the mornings to make up for the rest he's losing at night. This does not make for easy critter care and enjoyment.

I could wear Khavien in a carrier, and I do, but that's tough when the ground's frozen. Also, it's difficult to work with a twelve pound child stuck to my front.

I could have his big sister watch him, and do, but only for brief periods. I'm a firm believer that a child should not be held responsible for another child. It isn't fair and it breeds resentment between siblings. I can't have that. Family First.

Where does that leave me? Scrambling to make use of the few available moments I have to feed and clean animals. It isn't enough. Rachel helps out a lot, albeit sometimes reluctantly. But she can't, for example, scoop the paddocks without supervision. Large animals are dangerous and I won't risk her being injured. We're not enjoying our mini farm nearly as much as we'd like, and I'm fighting to keep up the level of care for the critters.

I know it will get better. Before long, Khavien can ride on my back in the carrier. When the weather warms, he'll be able to sit and play in a playpen nearby while I care for animals and garden. Riding in the evening will be feasible with more daylight hours. But for now, I'm feeling hard pressed to keep up with the needs of our animals, not to mention the property.

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Perhaps it's time for an update.

He's now almost four. We have goats we milk morning and evening, pigs to feed and fatten, ducks and geese and guineas, oh my, and yes, we still have the horses, and of course the rabbitry.

The garden still hasn't materialized, but slow and steady wins the race, right? Fencing comes first, and eventually we'll manage some greenhouses and aquaponics tanks.

The boy is now old enough to use the TV as a babysitter - yes, we know, but educational shows are pretty good these days. We also have memberships in a few good sites such as ABCmouse.com and Mimio.com, which have him practically reading.

There's the Kindle Fire with Plants vs. Zombies and Fruit Ninja on it, which could keep him quiet for hours, if we let him have it that long. He's able to hang out in the goat yard and play with rocks, sticks and a wooden sword and shield while cleaning is finished. Likewise, his sister is old enough to be responsible now and then, and though raising him isn't her job, we do try to make it worth her time when we need to ask her to help. All in all, when he isn't bringing his mom a book to read or chasing bubbles in the yard, there's stuff to keep him busy and happy while we get on with the work required.

My job has gotten better, so I'm not out all hours of daylight any more. I handle the morning milkings, and loading the hay to the cart, and whatever the Boss asks when I can, but she's still Foreman of the Farm. I just keep us in insurance.

The adventure continues. :)

The Folly of Creating a Riding Arena Without Professional Help

Never, ever, attempt to create a riding arena without consulting professionals. On second thought, consult the pros, then have them come handle it. I failed to do this and am left with an area - I won't call it an arena - that is just ride-able, with care, and far from the all weather arena I'd hoped for.

I made the mistake of allowing someone experienced in clearing only to scrape out my spot and then dump what I was told would be adequate footing for riding.  Let me tell you, manufactured sand doesn't come close to some nice crushed granite, or M10. But it would have been serviceable, had this person graded the area correctly, and dumped the appropriate amount. Five inches is far too much. I knew this, and requested less, but the man decided I didn't really know what I wanted and did what he was told would be more appropriate. He was wrong.

My next failing was in not rushing to put in fencing, or at least edging. I was too busy trying to figure out how to scrape away some of the overly deep footing, since the idiot I had dump it in the first place wouldn't come back and do so. While waiting to get this done, much of it sloughed to the left. Fine, but it didn't do so evenly, of course.

Why didn't I drag it and salvage what I could, you might ask? I tried. I bought a decent drag, and my husband bought a tractor for me. A garden tractor. It isn't heavy enough to pull the drag through five inches of sand.

To make this long story a bit shorter, what we have now is an area that used to be filled with sand - which at least had the benefit of providing my daughter with a fun place to play - and which is now a grassy and uneven mess. I say mess because it is not at all the lovely arena I imagined. Can I ride on it? Sure. Is it anything like what I'd hoped and planned for? No.

I'm not going to gripe and complain (well, I will, but not too much). I'll just make the best of it, filling in those areas that need it and being glad I at least have the space in which to ride. It's more than I'd expected, really. And the area that was once too rocky and dangerous to ride on is now at least serviceable.

Lessons learned? First, when you find a contractor, find out what experience he really has in doing the job you expect. Get references. Call them. Create and sign a contract that details exactly what is expected. If this is too much for the contractor, find another. If your arena builder looks at your horses and behaves as if they're the first he's ever seen, that is a big clue.

Second, don't cut corners. Do not attempt to do it cheaply vs. doing it correctly. You won't get what you want and will end up spending more money to correct mistakes.

The floor

We finally finished it. Sorry, this photo is a phone snap, but it should give you an idea. :)