Gretchen's Litter at 11 days
Topic: Kindling

They are simply adorable. When I talk to them they all lift their heads to listen, becoming as still as mice. Their coats at this age are dark and velvety and I love to stroke their heads.

There are only three remaining. One got stranded out of the nest box a few days ago and didn't make it through the cold night. I am heartsick over this, as I seldom see this happen once they are 8 days old. But, as my husband says: given enough time, everything will happen.

And so it goes.

Nest box liners are a convenience for the breeder, and I am starting to think I will abandon their use. I use drop nest wire cages, and the does simply make a nest in the massive amounts of hay and do well IF I leave them to it. It is almost impossible to get a FAST look at ALL the babies without bringing the nest out of the cage, though, and this is the reason for using the liners. But, Grindle hated hers' and I think our tug-of-war over it caused one of the bunnies to get lost in the unorganized nest that resulted in their first week. And, now this with Gretchen's litter. It feels like someone is trying to tell me something.

I will listen.

Tortoiseshell bunnies at 10 days
Topic: tortoiseshell

Grindle's litter is blossoming and she is calming down. She doesn't mind me borrowing the bunnies for a picture as long as I bring an offering. Fresh picked oats that are now growing lushly outside the barns is the preferred treat of the day.

These bunnies had their eyes open yesterday, but they keep them tightly shut in bright light. In a few days they will be scampering around the cage, driving their mama crazy. Their colors are nice and dark fawn. There looks to be one guy and three girls...I'll know better at 21 days. I will keep two, or three, does from this litter. Grindle, if you will recall, had a record (for Countrywool) 10 oz at her last clipping, so these bunnies will be fiber machines!

Today it is chilly and dreary and raining...a good day to sleep in. And bunnies grow in their sleep, so I'll leave them to it.

Tortoiseshell bunnies at 5 days
Topic: tortoiseshell

I finally got a good peek into Grindle's litter. She has an exceptionally large nest, and a lot of what Lil was complaining about in the comments is what has been happening to her litter. It started off at 7 healthy kits and they just kept getting lost in the nest. When Grindle went to feed the bunnies, some were swimming through fur trying to find her. We had a few cold nights when they were first born and some just didn't make it until the next feeding although I checked twice a day.

Part of the problem was that Grindle HATED the cardboard liner I put into her wire-drop nestcage. So after 12 hours of her being furious, I took it out. The nest got disrupted early on, and never got packed back correctly until yesterday and by then 3 bunnies had expired.

This bunny making business is fraught with uncertainty. Life is so fragile.

But, here on day 5 we have four healthy, well fed tortoiseshell babies. This color is much in demand by spinners and I cannot believe it is JUST the color of rabbit I need the most of (as does Betsy). So, I am grateful for them and that things are smoothing out in the nest.

Bunnies at 3 days

Here is Gretchen's litter. There are 4 blacks and 1 tortoiseshell. They are exceptionally healthy and wiggly. They are offspring of the lately departed and sorely missed Zwart, so I suspect I will become very fond of them. I am finding her quite a bit protective of these guys, so this may be the last picture for a while as I do not want to annoy her unduly. Some moms don't mind my borrowing the babies, but Gretchen seems to. I will keep my interference at a daily headcount and leave it at that.

I did not get a good picture of Grindle's litter. We are down to 5 in that one as there have been two unfortunate losses due to an over sized nest. Grindle will not let me put in a nest box, so I keep reshaping and packing the nest. Keep your fingers crossed for us with this litter. At this time there are 4 tortoiseshell (I think) babies and 1 black one, who is the runt.

I find that no matter how many litters are born here, I learn something new with each one. Does are picky about different things, and one never knows if interfering to make things smoother is the right thing to do. At least the weather is stunningly cooperative and two more 70 degree days are up and coming.

...And MORE Bunnies!

Gretchen had her bunnies last night. She made the nest before midnight...and when I checked at 3 am they had arrived. Fat and happy. She had 6, but one was stillborn, so she nursed and covered 5.

Between Gretchen and Grindle, there are now 12 new bunnies.

Colors are tough at this point. There are 5 black rabbits it looks like, and the rest are white or torte of some kind. I will know better on Tuesday when they are 4 days old. 6 are staying here as I am dreadfully low on fiber rabbits; 3 are already sold; leaving the last 3 for sale.

I plan to do a second breeding in two weeks. By then Sidney will have recovered and Liebchen looks willing!

Bunnies!
Topic: Kindling
Good and bad news here at the Countrywool Bunny Barns.

Sidney had her bunnies early this morning, and did not have luck on her side. Her first litter confused and overwhelmed her and she did not make a nest, did not feed and cover the bunnies and is 4 steps behind the process. None of the wee ones survived. This is sometimes the case with first litters, and you really can't tell how things will go. So, we hold hope that the next time around will be better for her.

Grindle had seven sweet little ones and has made a wonderful nest and has fed them already. I see two runts in the lot, so I suspect we will be down to five in a week, but you never know.

Gretchen is busy carrying fur around. I expect she'll have her bunnies tonight or tomorrow.

Waiting For Bunnies
Topic: Kindling

Grindle, Gretchen and Sydney are all exhibiting signs of being QUITE pregnant. All three won't touch their regular rabbit food, and wait (im)patiently for me to bring fresh greens twice a day. I think we still have 48 hours to go, and I am getting as antsy as they are.

I love baby bunnies. I always hope for the best, but this is one time when Mother Nature isn't always kind, and one has to be ready to step in and do what needs to be done...quickly.

So, keep your fingers crossed for all of us.

All Hail Zwart

Zwart passed away unexpectedly two nights ago.

He had been fine. He was eating well and bouncing around. He was due for a shearing next week and I had groomed him before I left for the spinning retreat. I returned and he was great and happy to see me, with all systems looking fine. 24 hours later he exhibited slight twitching and seemed depressed in his cage. He did not eat his breakfast at all and I offered greens but no feed for dinner. I decided that on the following day I would let him romp around the yard and get a good look at his behavior. But, in the morning, he was already gone.

I will miss him. He was a dear, dear rabbit, without a mean or wayward bone in his body. A true lover.

When bunnies pass away this suddenly with no outward signs, I suspect a heart defect, a stroke or a real intestinal dilemma, but not woolblock when the stools had been normal right along. Without an autopsy, I will never really know, but he was in prime condition.

My daughter helped me bury him, right outside the doe's barn, where he had spent a happy week with them only 3 weeks ago. Hopefully there will be some Zwart juniors hopping around in a few weeks. That thought does ease his passing...a little.

Handspun Yarns
Topic: Handspinning

Each spring I head to the ocean for a retreat. I need to be by water for a few days to remain sane. I have combined this trek with teaching, and now enjoy the company of like minded folks for a few days. Yes, it's work, but work that I love.

In between the journeys, there is a lot of time to create. As I anticipate the spring, I end up creating yarns that remind me of the rocks on the beaches of Gloucester. I use angora to heather and "quartz" the colors, and variegated dyed fibers to simulate the jumbled look.

I'm packing to head out this week, and will be away from the blog for a while. The bunnies are all clipped and the barns tidied for the duration. When I return in April, we will shift into high gear as we get ready for litters to arrive.

Dyeing Angora...the final result
Topic: dyeing

I tried a few color combinations, but the highlights the angora gave to this natural dark brown wool roving I had was delicious, so I carded all of it up. It ended up looking good at 35% angora. I spun a few sample yards and it is wonderfully soft. There is over a pound of this stuff on the shelf for sale at the shop as I type. I plan to bring it to the Cape Ann Spinning Retreat next weekend, along with a few other spinning blends I carded up. Most contain angora.

Sometimes being the main event is not all its cracked up to be. I really enjoy what angora contributes to a wool based yarn. 100% angora has its place, but I find that 35% angora yarns wear better on a day to day basis.