Garden bird netting

 Well, I said I'd get a pic of the bird netting over the garden... what better way to see it than through the rain 'they' said we were getting!

Garden

Cat House aka Water Pump House

Guess I'll have to take another pic of the garden once the snow melts and the netting lifts back up over head height.

No kits yet, I check on her 3+ times a day. Today is technically her first due date so between today (27th) and the 31st -- sometime.

Garden begins and Kits are imminent

And so it begins.... the garden is being put in. Weed fabric is down and we put a bird net over the top ( I didn't think to get a picture of... later, I will.

Weed fabric. Garlic strip on right under straw for winter

Uncovering the garlic for sunshine and ~20 mm (3/4") rain 'they' say we're getting.

Gertrude is setting up her nest and she was pulling hair yesterday which usually means kits are imminent. Nothing as yet though.

Here are some updated pictures of them all:

Peter

Gertrude (with nesting box)

Nesting box is being renovated to accommodate the babies (kits)

Mabel 

(seems to be getting a double chin so we'll see)

All 12 chickens having a blast in the chicken run

We are super excited to get our first set of kits from Gertrude anytime now. Also quite hopeful that Mabel is pregnant too but I am still unsure about her. She will be going to freezer camp anyway because she attacked Peter and we don't want to breed aggression. 

 

Expect the Unexpected

If you've been here awhile, you'll know something is up....

More to come, very soon.

Mable attacked Peter

Warning: Sensitive details of rabbit breeding.

If you recall me mentioning it...

Doe rabbits will sometimes attack the Buck and detach their genitals while the Buck is attempting to breed.

Wouldn't you know it -- sure enough, Mable did.

No problems with Bambi or even Gertrude but Mable - went for the gusto.

I always but the Doe in 2 days back to back. Only for an hour each time and the 1st day I only left Mable in with Peter long enough to see him have 2 goes at her. Because I had a lot on the go that day and didn't want to forget to take her out - knowing I would put her in again the next day to be sure he had impregnated her, I opted to remove her - and good thing too.

Fortunately, on day 2 - I was there and able to separate them immediately because she was having none of it.

Problem for her is that no one wants to breed aggression, so she will have to be culled with her kits. I will hold back one of Gertrude's kits for my second breeder. 

We are not able to breed them over the summer as it is too hot for rabbits and the males actually go temporarily sterile so the new kit will have time to grow to breeding age without any problem ( 16 weeks) by fall.

Sooooo, yeah... you know.

On par with how we are, we had a little something something to celebrate... more on that later.

Off we went to 'town' for dinner.

I chose Barbacoa, never heard of it or tried it before but - WOW!

Barbacoa burger

Very nice decor

Dry ribs. Amazing but small portion.

Woodfire cooking

This place was incredible. Our waitress Haley was fantastic, the food was beyond delicious. It was the best meal out that that I can ever recall.