Cost of Living

People want emotion. We’re cautioned on one hand to not share too much and on the other to be completely transparent. What’s enough and what’s too much?

This afternoon I listened to Ronnie Dunn’s “High Cost of Living” and empathized while counting blessings.

As we cleared out room for more raised beds and I looked at the list of things to do that will take cash, it can be discouraging. Jobs for others are hard – one part time that was suited enough to apply for brought nearly four dozen applicants and only a handful got interviews. I wasn’t one…and that’s ok but the money sure would be handy.

The crowdsourcing has been a bust, even with some interesting perks. Perhaps more to learn about effectively presenting it. Discouraging…heck yea it is!! There’s people saying how there’s a demand for “real food” and heirloom or heritage raised with transparency. We could hire a model to strip and walk down giving coupons away and fight to get people signed up. We get a nibble of interest then when we contact the person they don’t know what we’re talking about…”umm you contacted me!”

We’re blessed in having a roof and four walls, even if it’s “ugly.” We have the hope and dreams of getting the land in Kentucky complete with paying customers, despite an uphill battle to do so. We have food for the week, a little work here and there but so often it’s touch and go. We have the basics covered. We have food and shelter for us and the critters, and produce coming on.

There isn’t much left for building sheds and other things. There is no health insurance, there is no cable or satellite tv. There won’t be a trip to the CMA fest this year even though it’s a short drive away, because precious funds are diverted towards the national show in October, and it’ll be that long putting aside to go.

Are we down? Heck no!! We are blessed to have a few dozen eggs extra to donate to those who have none – they’ll be given to families who need it tomorrow at a food giveaway. This was possible because of a sponsor a while back who sponsored our Dominique and Rhode Island Reds. We won’t get paid for that and don’t expect to.

Sometimes when things are tight, being able to give to someone else means a lot. These are some good times and we’ll look back one day and wish it wasn’t gone. So it’s time to soak it in, enjoy what’s there, read a book with the rabbits mowing the lawn.

Make a difference for someone. It’s more than a slogan we sign off with on Twitter. We can’t change the Cost of Living – we can decide how we deal with it. And it could be us next month.

Wordless Wednesday – Fresh eggs

Missy: Bunny Hero

So the other night doing chores Connor unlatched a door to the cage of one of the new does. Now I’d tattooed this doe a few days ago, but other than that she’s been fed and watered but allowed to hang out and settle in. That is, until the great escape.

Now yesterday morning Connor came in and asked if I moved the new doe. No. She’s not in her cage. Did I shut it the night before…no I wasn’t in it the night before. Ooops. Escape.

Now we try to prevent escapes for several reasons, but it happens. There is no leash law here, so dogs roam. There are few fences that are tight enough (and affordable!) for rabbits. While we “graze” some of the boys in wire dog crates without bottom liners they have protection around them.

So what we know is there’s a half wild young rabbit that is not eager to be caught that is loose…hiding…somewhere. Could be under a mountain of ‘stuff’ or under the trailer, or under cages or bushes or hiding. Think like a rabbit.

From where she was there are 3 ways to go. Under the cages (not there). Left (where Tucker was…and although he won’t hurt rabbits she wouldn’t know that nor take a chance!) or right. Go right…then to back (quiet) or front (busy – road, etc). We pick quiet. Look back in the turkey pen and in the pen next door see a grey blur. She’s inside a chain link fence – but there’s holes in the bottom that’d let a great dane in on the far side.

Connor goes around with a cage to try to corner her. She slips under the fence…back in with the turkeys. Then instead of the normal cornered…chain link lined with poultry netting – she finds *one hole* in the corner and gets out of there in back. Now outside the trees is a dog (not ours) that will kill critters. I go around one way – she ducks back in the turkey pen and “disappears”. Think like a rabbit – out front. We tried funneling her into a trap – didn’t work. She sprinted past us and was headed out past the vehicles when a black blur rocketed past me…Missy circled around to get on the other side and hold her back long enough for us to get repositioned.

With now three hands we cornered her near her rabbit buddies and re-secured her safely in her own pen. Missy got lots of hugs and pats for making an “impossible” job possible…and much like her mama Freckles and grandma Gael rose to the occasion. She’s fast and small enough to fit in places bigger dogs can’t…and determined enough to keep searching.

For all her quirks (and there are many!) she’s a good hand with small stock, and her smaller size and border collie instincts can be an asset. Being able to outrun a rabbit helps too! She’s a great example of it not taking papers to be a good farm dog, for although her border collie side is rich with great dogs, she has a trace to a trespassing thief of virtue. Freckles was on the back porch inside a chain link fence when he dug in for access in a short window of opportunity. Missy resulted, and several years later remains as a link to some really good border collies. Quirks and all.

What Are Those Grey Rabbits?

Many people are confused by the colors of rabbits, and sometimes it can seem technical in the descriptions! I recently saw a conversation about determining Champagne D’Argent and Chinchilla babies, with the similarity in looks.

Actually they aren’t as much alike as one thinks!

These giant chinchillas from a very young age have a “salt & pepper look” but if you gently blow into the coat the hair itself is different colors from top to bottom.

If you look closely on this bottom baby, just days old and eyes not even open yet, they are dark with a light colored belly, which fills in with the chinchilla colored fur.

The Champagne starts totally black – no light colored belly – and the hair changes beginning as what in a horse would be roan. There are white hairs and black hairs.

These are getting hair in – and it’s solid black. There’s no shade of grey at this stage.

These are just weaned babies – and are getting in the frosted roan hairs, but still noticeable black patches. As they get older they get lighter colored. Compare to a Giant Chinchilla of about the same age:

Above shot shows a Champagne that’s older, with the color transformation almost complete, although he still has dark ears, around the eyes and nose.

As adults – above Champagne, below chinchilla.

From a distance both may appear ‘grey’ – but are distinct. The light colored belly hair is clear on the above doe. The Chinchilla coat may have a brownish tinge but doesn’t vastly change in color from the salt and pepper look. The Champagne d’Argent on the other hand changes a great deal. Young bunnies with comparison to their mother (in front):

Both are beautiful breeds, but very distinct. Both the Giant Chinchilla (as well as American Chinchilla) and Champagne were bred for meat and fur…but they are distinctive in appearance!

Not all “grey” is the same!

Mother’s Day

It’s a day for hundreds of more reminders that mom isn’t here…but that her influence will never die.

Happy Mother’s Day – and remembering those no longer here.

Mother’s Day On & Off the Farm

Growing up I remember one thing I could count on. Whether I was showing cattle or horses or dogs, whenever possible I could look out of the ring and mom was there. It’s not that she was so much an “agnerd”, as some friends might say. It was because support was important and she made an effort to be there. Even when she didn’t really care about the “farm stuff.”She loved flowers but always claimed she had a black thumb.

Years later she maintained that, being there at the county fair when I showed goats and as life slowed her down she supported from afar with showing rabbits and listening to stories.

Mom’s gone now, and it saddens me sometimes that Helen didn’t have a chance to share those memories with Connor. Although there is attempts to make up for that, there really isn’t a way to make up for it. We just go on with what we have.

On farms across America there is great importance placed on the sires – bulls, horses, rams and even buck rabbits – but programs are made or lost on the strength of the females. They raise the next generation (or don’t) and they live with the youngsters for the first weeks and months of life. There are some who raise youngsters that aren’t their own, like Angelia did when a young Silver Fox X Giant Chinchilla was abandoned by the inexperienced mom. She literally saved the baby bunny’s life.

Sometimes that’s enough. For all of those with your moms still with you – call them up, make a memory. They’re gone too soon, and whether it be at 50 or 79 or 95 it’s too soon.

Disappointing Losses & Reality Checks

No matter if we do all the right things sometimes plans don’t go right. First time mamas can be clumsy and hormonal, and in the case of two of our first timers it’s been with extreme results.

Twisty destroyed her litter of 13, while Mistletoe didn’t take the maternal test at all. Two of her babies have been fostered to other does, while the rest of her litter was lost as well. So often I hear people say “how did pigs/animals survive without farmers?” and in many cases they didn’t! The mortality rate in the wild is high and risk is unforgiving.

People see a $150 rabbit or $6,000 cow or other show animal and don’t see the lost animals, or the $20 rabbits that were dinner. With rabbits especially it’s easy to say $80 for a rabbit – wow…and they have 8-10 babies every other month so that’s 48 babies a year, roughly, times $80 is $3840 – and you have 40 rabbits?! Wow…no wonder folks think show people are rich!

Unfortunately in any livestock, that’s not reality. As my friend Ray noted in finding the remains of a lamb that coyotes killed, there’s a side the public doesn’t see. And maybe that’s our fault. Maybe we should tell the good, the bad and the really unpleasant but the truth is I don’t think everyone really wants to know. And until you’ve raised a pair of good animals, looked at the 13 live, active offspring then come out to find a head in the nest box – and the rest gone there is nothing that approaches that. Does the doe care? No. She’s in the front of the pen looking for breakfast! Mistletoe abandoned her babies – equally unconcerned about their welfare. The only reason she has 2 surviving is one was given to Callie and one was still alive, but chilled, and taken away to try to foster to her sister.

These are the low times. It’s temporarily forgotten when relishing that win or national placing – but nature has a way of getting even and although we may domesticate animals we cannot rule nature.

We can put animals in an area to protect them from predators, keep them out of the heat, cold, wet and other weather challenges. We give them good nutrition, daily care and – yes – benefit from them. But we cannot 100% tame the hormones, the instincts and the unknown that makes animals tick.

Wordless Wednesday – Rural Tennessee, Arrington Vineyard

Growing Again – Rabbit Litters

Readers have watched the good, the bad and the downright discouraging here. The great placings at convention followed by the loss of several animals that were more than just investments.

We’re working on support for our barn raising in a different way than many. From small things to large, we’re looking at expanding on several fronts, and the herd grew today!

We’ll soon be separating out show prospects, and working on getting everyone tattooed. We’ve had several litters born in the last couple days – and one left to come. There’s the low of 6 (CB1) to high of 13 (Twisty) with a couple of 9s in there (CB4, Mistletoe). There’s the one that didn’t appear pregnant that was (Pudding) and the one who’s holding out for last (Shorty).

For those who have watched our blog for a while, the litter born last August that was savaged by their mom when they were 2 days old – Shorty, Twisty, Mistletoe and Split are the four does that survived. Split had 11, still has 9 she’s raised so for first time it’s awesome. Split as the name indicates has a split in her ear. Mistletoe’s ears look fine – her toe was nipped – so between her mom (Holly) and…well MistleTOE fit! Twisty – her ear was disfigured and is twisted back on itself. Shorty had large chunks out of both ears cut off – so ears are shorter than the others. They so far are good moms and will more than earn their way despite not being able to show.

Angelia was bred back to Jeff – extra insurance in a month for show bunnies for this fall. Several of the does will be getting a well earned summer break. CB1, Holly and Victoria (Champagne) will have some time off for sure. The does that currently have babies probably won’t be bred again until July, maybe August, with the possible exception of Callie. There are a few first timers and ‘problem’ breeders that will be bred this month, but it’s lining up for some (relative) down time for the hot summer months, save for some meat bunnies which are needed year round.

And it’s not too early to begin thinking of breeding plans for next year’s convention in Pennsylvania. Connor will be adding a few Champagnes and Silver Fox to his herd. Between those we’re keeping and the ones he’s adding it will take room! Good cages for housing aren’t cheap but are important! And a roof over them is also!

We’ll have meat rabbits this summer too – don’t wait too late!

Ag in the Bible ~ Special

Those who have read for a while know I like horse racing, and with yesterday being the Kentucky Derby it’s been a typical spring of watching beautiful young horses become champions. Sometimes the best horse has a bad day, or another is peaking at the right time.

This year I’ll Have Another jumped up to claim the Kentucky Derby trophy. Now what’s this got to do with anything?

Would you buy a horse who won the most famous horse race in the world (or one of them) for $11,000? That’s what a good prospect by Flower Alley ($7500 stud fee) out of an Arch daughter cost…decent breeding. And a year later selling that colt for $35,000 as a prospect in training…they probably thought they did ok. Would you pay $35,000 for a Kentucky Derby winner?

Most say they would – but don’t. They don’t see the value in that youngster that might be. They don’t see the potential that may or may not pan out. They don’t dare to dream about what might be possible. However, someone did buy that colt for $35,000. They did believe in him, train him, began his racing career and yesterday that colt won the Kentucky Derby. It’s easy to say “I’d pay $35,000 for him now” – but in open auction sales only one acted.

Only one saw the potential, the value, the special of what he could be and was willing to pay to have him. Equally, only one sees the true potential of each of us and what we can be – and paid to have us.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Jesus did that. He saw value and something special in us, and paid the price.