Mischief

As I have said many times – goats are great characters and usually up to mischief of one sort or another.  Ours always seem to have a fascination with our car – last year’s kids seemed to spend all their time climbing about on the roof.  This year they seem to have other ideas…………

 

Wispa the naughtiest goat in the world looking for somewhere comfy to lie down.

 

Marshmallow back seat driving.

 

 

Crunchie and Honey making sure no-one else can get in.

At times it feels as though we are in the monkey enclosure at Longleat Safari Park – I’m just glad they haven’t started pulling bits off the car yet!

 

Sunbathing goats

Kashmir, Cadbury and Drifter chilling out

 

The weekend here has been gloriously sunny and the goats have been taking the chance to do a bit of sunbathing.

 

Wispa – just for once immobile !

Saturday was so hot that even Wispa (the cheekiest goat kid ever) had to lie down and sunbathe for a while.

Golden Guernsey baby Kashmir

And his twin brother Korma

And twins Korma and Kashmir hunted for shade and ended up retreating under the nearest gorse bush.  but came out to play as the worst of the heat died away.

 

Honey’s first outing

On Sunday Honey was a week old and, because the weather was reasonable, we took her out so that she could have a run around and her mum could have a bite of fresh grass. We have uploaded some videos to youtube of little Honey’s first foray into the big bad world. Click on the pictures to go to the videos.

 

Goat baby number 2

We were surprised yesterday evening, when we went to feed the goats, by the sight of another new goat baby. We knew that mum (Coco) was close but I was predicting probably another week or so. That’s goats for you! Another girl, this one has been named Wispa.

 

Rabbit care tips for new owners

Taking home your first rabbit is an exciting time but, as with any new addition to the family, can be a little daunting to begin with.  Sometimes it feels as though there are more questions than answers.  In this article, we will try to answer some of those questions.

Rabbits can make great pets for children

How big a hutch do I need for my rabbit?

The minimum size for a hutch should be 4′ x 2′.  If this can be divided up to provide interest, so much the better – can you make a box for him to go into?  Or a shelf to jump up onto?  Or divide off part of the hutch with a jump through hole?  Can the hutch have two levels?  The more variety you can provide for your rabbit, the more he can amuse himself and also let you know what he likes.  One rabbit we had used to spend all day jumping over the divider in his hutch – not through the hole which was made for the purpose, over the TOP of the divider.

If you can make it safe, all rabbits benefit from having a run in the garden that they can go out into during the day.  Make sure they have somewhere to shelter from the weather – either too much sun OR bad weather.  The opportunity to hop around outside and nibble the grass is a huge benefit to them.

Rabbits love to chew

Does my rabbit have to live in a hutch?

No, your rabbit can live in your house just like a cat or a dog.  He will need a litter tray which, apparently, they soon learn to use just like a cat.  You will need to be careful of electric cables which a rabbit could chew – maybe enclose them in plastic casing – and also be aware of anything else that he might nibble at.

What should I feed my new rabbit?

First of all, ask the seller what the rabbit is eating at the moment. Whenever we sell a rabbit, we always provide the new owner with a bag of food as a starter pack. This can then be mixed with any new feed and make the transition easier and less stressful for everybody involved. Rabbits can be quite conservative in their eating habits and sometimes treat new food with suspicion – even something that you think will be a treat for them, will only be nibbled at until they are used to it. As rabbits really need to keep food moving through their stomach, a couple of days without eating can be extremely bad for a them. Mixing any new food with something they are already used to can make the move far easier.

As a rough guide, you will need to feed your rabbit either pellets or a coarse mix designed for rabbits, hay, and green food.

Rabbits love to eat weeds like plantain

What kind of green food should I offer?

That is a personal choice for you and your rabbit (they have personal likes and dislikes just as we do). You can grow, or pick wild herbs, weeds and grasses. You can find out what he likes and feed him your carrot peelings, apple cores etc. Or you can buy veg specially for him when you do your weekly shopping. The choice is entirely yours, but he will need fresh feed to keep him healthy.

Some dos and don’ts on green food:

DON’T feed lettuce, cabbage, parsnips, frozen veg, evergreens.

DO try corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, lucerne (alfalfa), sugar beet, radishes, swede and trunips.  Carrots are good as long as they haven’t been sprayed with insecticide.  Strawberry leaves, raspberry canes and leaves, blackberry leaves, and any fruit bush or tree prunings.

From the flower beds you can try them on marigolds, asters, nasturtiums, roses, juniper, sunflowers and mallow.

Will my rabbit need vitamin supplements?

If rabbit feed is provided, then most of your bunny’s nutritional needs should be catered for, but it is always worth providing a mineral lick for him. That way he will take as much as he needs when he needs it.

rabbits enjoy company

What about water?

Rabbits, like all animals, should have constant access to fresh clean water. Here you have a choice between a bottle which attaches to the outside of the cage, or a bowl.

Very often a rabbit will play with his water bowl, tip it over, stand in it, poo in it etc. We have one bunny who, when he was younger, would deliberately tip his bowl over, pick it up and toss it from end to end of his hutch. So bowls need careful watching, topping up and cleaning regularly.

Bottles, on the other hand, seem a little easier but I personally find bottles harder to keep clean – they end up with a limescale deposit in the nozzle and a green film in the actual bottle that can be difficult to remove. The danger that we discovered with bottles comes from the wire with which you fasten them to the cage. We lost one rabbit very suddenly and unexpectedly and, when we had the vet do a a post mortem on her, we discovered that she had chewed off and swallowed a piece of the wire which had subsequently perforated her stomach. So we are now very careful about using bottles with those rabbits we know to be chewers.

Rabbits need worming occasionally

What veterinary treatment will my rabbit need?

Your rabbit will need worming 3 – 4 times per year with an approved rabbit wormer. You can do this yourself although it might be worth asking your vet to show you how the first time if you are worried about it.

Occasionally rabbits need treating for fleas just like any other animal. You don’t need to routinely dose them for fleas, but do make it part of your regular routine to check them carefully.

Rabbits should be vaccinated against mixymatosis.

His nails will need clipping regularly. This is something else that you can do for yourself – get the vet or vet nurse to show you how, and get a pair of proper clippers and your rabbit will soon get used to letting you do them.

Occasionally rabbits also need their teeth clipping. Not all rabbits suffer from this, but look at his teeth when you check him over. Although you can do this yourself, it is probably better to let the vet have a look at them, show you how, and discuss when they should be done.

Do rabbits need toys?

A common misconception with rabbits is that they will contentedly sit in a 4′ x 2′ hutch 24/7 and stare at the walls.  Rabbits “will” do this and it says a lot for their characters that they will survive this where most other animals would pine away.

But and it is a big BUT, rabbits are social, intelligent animals who really need more from life than this.

Treacle the rabbit slinky – jumping too fast for our camera to focus

If you place an object in their hutch, many will find a way to play with it. We use old sections of stove pipe for them to run through as tunnels, objects like plastic feed bowls or hard rubber balls are popular things for them to “fiddle” with. One of our bucks loves a plastic hosepipe hanger. It is lightweight and he moves it around and around his hutch until he is happy and then jumps backwards and forwards over it to his heart’s content.

If they are handled gently, rabbits enjoy being cuddled

Rabbit toys don’t need to be expensive, shop-bought ones. Just remember that, being rabbits, they WILL chew them so try to find things that are safe for them.

Do rabbits like being handled?

In my experience, the answer to this is a huge YES. As long as they have been handled regularly and gently, rabbits love the attention and company. When the apprentice was younger, she would sit IN the hutch of her buck “Smudge” and he would immediately hop into her lap for a cuddle. One of our current bucks, “Treacle” loves to come out of his hutch and jump over whatever obstacles the apprentice sets out for him. Rabbits are all individuals, but they are never “just rabbits” 🙂

Do you have any advice for new rabbit owners? Or are you a new owner and have a question? Click here to comment

Everything you wanted to know about baby rabbits

 

A new arrival

Yesterday saw the arrival of the first goat baby of 2013

The new mum is Crunchie (one of the apprentice’s goats) and the new kid, a female, has been named Honey (short for Honeycomb).

 

Sweet potatoes 1 month on

At the beginning of January, I placed a sweet potato in compost to try to start some slips ready to grow on in cold frames.

Now, one month later, I have a young triffid growing on my windowsill. The potato has sent up some shoots which have grown rather enthusiastically, and it is now time to try to remove them, plant them in their own containers, and wait to see if the potato sends up any more.

The only problem it leaves me with is that these shoots are growing rapidly. Most of the shoots are a few inches long, but it has one tentacle that is about 18 inches and growing daily. It is WAY too cold to move them out to the garden, but they aren’t going to be able to stay indoors very much longer – time to put the thinking cap on I think!

 

A tale of two bunnies

and a cat!

Mischief safe after her adventure

Miffy and Mischiefare two young sisters who share a hutch. They are this years babies so are still quite young and curious. One day, a couple of weeks ago, the apprentice called me in a panic. Miffy and Mischief had escaped! We managed to recapture Miffy quite easily, but Mischief was nowhere to be seen!

After searching until we ran out of daylight we finally accepted that Mischief was gone forever.

The next day we caught a glimpse of Mischief and the hunt started again. She obviously thought this was a great game and danced in and out of the bramble bushes and the shed. Twice I had her cornered and she managed to squeeze past me, and once the apprentice actually had a hand on her and still the little devil got away! We were now totally convinced that, either she would continue to evade capture and “turn native” or the cats (of which we have 4) would find her and eat her.

After a couple of days of this I had given up on ANY hope of catching Mischief, but every time we saw her I felt obliged to at least TRY to catch her. Then on the Saturday morning, after 3 days of hide and seek, we spotted her under the bramble bush gently hopping around exploring. Now, surely, we would catch her?

Shadow

Enter Badger and Shadow stage right. Badger and Shadow are two of this year’s kittens – Badger was born in May and is a big strong cat now, and Shadow (his younger brother who was born in August) is devoted to him and follows him everywhere – hence why he is called Shadow.

Badger

So, we watched with some trepidation as Badger and Shadow set out under the brambles on Mischief’s trail. They crept up behind her……..she spotted them and turned around………they sniffed noses………Mischief hopped a few more steps……….Badger and Shadow followed………..sniffed noses again…….Badger turned around and walked off………Shadow and Mischief followed him……they stopped for a chat. And so it continued for about an hour and all we humans could do was watch in amazement as what looked like certain bunny carnage to begin with, ended up an amazing display of inter-species trust and “something”. I hesitate to call it friendship as who knows what was really going on in the minds of either the cat OR the rabbits, but the cats certainly weren’t looking for rabbit pie, and the rabbit saw absolutely no reason to run.

Having watched this amazing scene for an hour we finally managed to persuade Mischief into a “trap” and caught her once more. I have to say that, in spite of her apparent reluctance to be caught, she was very pleased to be back in her hutch with her sister and I don’t think she stopped eating for about two days afterwards!

I can honestly say that, between all the animals in the yard, they never fail to teach me something new!

 

Choosing seeds

Yesterday afternoon a pea-souper of a fog descended on us.  Probably a harbinger of some colder winter weather I suspect – it had that chill to it.  Wednesday afternoon is always a “get the chores done” afternoon, with no time for any extras.  On the other hand we are usually home by 5.30 on a Wednesday, so it is a nice long evening at home. What better time to curl up with a mug of coffee, a blanket and the seed catalogues.

Unfortunately I have my own inimitable style with seed catalogues, which usually entails taking a page of A4 paper, going through the catalogues and making a list of all the varieties I want to grow this year.  I then add up how much land I have available and set about my list with a hatchet.  Once I have the list down to an amount I can grow, I then price the list – and get out the hatchet again!  Finally I try to work out which veg I will want to eat fresh only, and which I am going to need to find room to store and then try to make a balance between the two.  I am sure this year will be no exception but I AM trying to put a little less on the original list this year.

I have started at the beginning with those veg that can/need to be planted early and will have to have some more planning sessions another time.  So, here goes…………

Leeks – “Musselburgh” (which I have grown before and find great) and I am going to try “Neptune” this year for the first time.

Parsnips – I will grow “White Gem” and “Tender and True”.  I have grown both of these before and have been very happy with them so sticking with those this year.

Cauliflower – I have grown “All the Year Round” in the past and I love the fact that they are mini cauliflowers.  With just two of us to feed most of the time, I full size cauliflower is too much, so we will have these again this year.

Tomatoes – The first one I am going to try this year is call “Hundreds and Thousands”.  It is an heirloom variety with a trailing habit so great for my balcony containers or maybe a hanging basket.  I am also going to try “Gardener’s Delight” – I don’t think I have tried this one before but it sounds good and seems to be happy out of doors so we’ll see how it goes.

Radishes  – I love radish so, in amongst my other radishes, another first for me is going to be “German Salad Radish”.  This appears to look like a radish coloured carrot and is used for slicing for salads etc.  Will have to see how the taste bears up.

 And I am afraid that is as far as I got last night – not a huge amount to show for an evening’s browsing but I got carried away with dreams of all those lovely spring veg for the picking.  But it’s a start – I will choose my onions and then get that lot ordered and worry about ordering the rest later I think.

What are you growing this year?  Are you trying anything new? Click here to tell us

 

A cheery spring thought

Just a few short weeks and we can look forward to lots more of these