Rabbits: An Excellent Homestead Addition

     Now, a lot of people may think that rabbits just make good pets. But to homesteaders and farmers, they can mean so much more. To us, we see the rabbit as the most basic animals to have on the farm.

(Above) Tilia and her first litter of kits (newborn rabbits).

     Rabbits are extremely useful in so many ways. For one, they are very easy to raise. That is, they require less space than larger animals, (although more space is always better for them), they require less food, and require less diversity in their diets compared to omnivores (like chickens). Also, they are very easy to dispatch, versus larger animals such as sheep, cattle, hogs, etc. require more difficult methods of dispatch. For more on dispatching rabbits, go to: https://www.raising-rabbits.com/killing-rabbits.html. Another benefit to raising rabbits for meat, is that they make healthy and easy-to-raise protein for your other carnivorous and omnivorous animals on the farm such as cats, dogs, chickens, and pigs. Not to mention, their pelts are extremely soft and warm, making them very useful too. And for those who are into making yarn, the Angora rabbits have very nice wool that can be used for knitting. For more about Angoras: https://www.wideopenpets.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-angora-rabbit/  or,  https://practicalselfreliance.com/angora-rabbit/ . Of course, rabbits can still make for good pets. Whatever you use them for, rabbits are wonderful, bright little animals to have on the farm! For more on raising rabbits, go to: https://morningchores.com/raising-rabbits/ or https://www.raising-rabbits.com/ 

~Kathrynn H. Murray

Newborn Lambs

(Above) Sass and her newborn ram lambs. (Picture taken yesterday)

(Above) Rogue with her lambs when they were first born

Four New Hair Sheep

Farley's single ram lamb

     We got four ewes (with 3 of them being pregnant) from Yates Colby of Summit Farms. Rogue (1/2 Katahdin 1/2 St. Croix), Farley (1/2 Katahdin 1/2 St.Croix),  Feo (1/2 Katahdin 1/2 St. Croix), and Sass (1/2 St. Croix 1/2 Wiltshire Horn).
     Rouge lambed first, on 6.22.19 (the same day our Jersey heifer calved), with two ewe lambs. (She and her lambs are in the picture below). Farley lambed next, on 8.29.19 with two ram lambs. (One liveborn, one stillborn). Her one liveborn ram lamb is pictured above. The third ewe (Sass) lambed twin ram lambs yesterday (9.11.19). We are so fortunate to have these wonderful ewes and their lambs.

Rogue and her twin ewe lambs

Sass and her newborn ram twins

~Kathrynn H. Murray

Murray Family

The Murray Gang with Auntie Tricia (back right)

Hard Lesson

     On August 22, we had an incident with a litter of piglets. Lilly, our 1/2 AGH and 1/2 Kune Kune gilt, farrowed with 11 piglets. 3 were stillborn, and had obviously died at different stages in gestation, 8 were liveborn, and of the liveborns, one have a genetic defect that caused it to not be able to stand properly. Thus, the piglet died. Also, being born  five days early, (which is very early for a pig!), the piglets were extra delicate, and when Lilly accidentally stepped on one of her piglets, the skin on it's flank ripped off. That piglet also died.  So far, the six remaining (live) piglets are doing well.

     When it was time for us to breed our pigs this year, we placed Lilly in with our boars. However, one was a nephew to her (her brother's son). We did not realize that him breeding her would cause such harm to Lilly's piglets. So, when she farrowed and had all of her sorrowful issues, we learned a good lesson the hard way. We will continue to work hard and learn for our mistakes and not repeat them.

(Above) Lilly and her piglets are now doing well.