Rabbit Chores

Every day, I try to spend time out with the animals. It's never enough to just throw food and water to them and walk away.

Very first thing in the morning (too early to be up in my opinion, lol), I go turn on the lights in the rabbitry. I take a quick look around  to make sure there are no immediate problems.

A fews hours later, I do the chores: everyone gets food and water, as well as any nest boxes installed that needs to be put in. I check each nest box and count babies, making sure everyone is accounted for. Our cages are stacked in two tiers, so I scrap under the top layer to knock off all the poop, wasted hay, etc.(when it's not frozen)

About mid-day, I'll go out and check again. Making sure no babies are out that's not supposed to be. Sometimes they do get out, maybe just wriggling out or getting drug out while they were still nursing. If I have does that need to be rebred, this is when I try them. If they breed at this time of the day, we will do a second breeding later. We like to do a breeding with at least three fall-offs, then go out 2-6 hours later to get another three fall-offs. This "double breeding" has proven very important over the years.

Later in the evening, when Dewayne gets home, we go do the second breedings that need done. This is also the time that we put hands on the rabbits. Sometimes, we have toenails to be trimmed, or show prospects that we are working with, taking them out and setting them up in their pose to teach them, and me, what to do. (Dewayne is the expert here,  I am still working on learning this part.) We will also discuss diet changes. We decide what needs to be bumped up, supplements added, or who gets put on a diet, if anyone.

Then, the next critter check comes when it's time to turn off the lights. Since it's winter right now, the rabbitry light is on all day. Quick look around, making sure everyone is ok.

A few hours later, bed time! Sometimes, I can't help it, I have to go check again. Call me paranoid, I don't care.  I can't sleep if I don't look one last time. Especially, if we have a new mother due to kindle. She may not know yet what that nest box is for. She may have them on the wire and they would be dead by morning if I don't check them.

It seems like a lot of work, running back and forth to the rabbitry all day long. Well, it is! It interrupts my day, it wears me out, it makes it very hard to get other things done, but guess what? I signed on for this amount of work when we decided to have the rabbitry in the first place. Dewayne would be right out there with me every time I went out, but for now somebody has to work to feed us, and them. In my dreams, neither one of us would have to be away from the farm and rabbitry. Of course, in my dreams we win the lottery and can afford to stay home. Until then, we'll keep plugging along and enjoying what we do.