Larsen Poultry Ranch - homesteading journey

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Pictures from last night. Such grumpy bunnies!

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Action shot

 

[Bruce]

How can you tell they are grumpy?

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

How can you tell they are grumpy?

They look like they are squinting and angry, lol. They look like that when they first start opening their eyes and I guess also when you take pictures with flash.

They are actually pretty curious and skittish. I'm trying to socialize them a bit, but they don't like being picked up much. I'm going to have to decide keepers soon and separate them it from the mommas once they are 6 weeks + old.

 

[Baymule]

What pretty bunnies!

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Update from Saturday: all bunnies have been weaned and no issues so far. The bunnies are skittish, but Paprika's kits are also curious, so I'm hoping they will be friendly. If the brown one is a doe, I plan to keep her; my friend has dibs on the red/orange if it's also a doe. I've been trying to figure out what colors Cinnamon's litter turned out to be, but it's hard to recognize the colors on the Rex coat. I know two look like the same color as Sugar, and two are lighter gray. I think the last one looks like a chestnut/castor, but it also seems lighter in color than I remember Coffee being. If I have time tomorrow before work I will get some pictures.

I bred Frost with Pepper, only 2 fall offs but she wasn't cooperating. I then bred Expresso with Coffee; they had 4 fall offs! They were both willing and this will be the first litter for both of them. Due date is March 11 if I counted right.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Cinnamon's kits. Five total, two darker gray, two lighter gray, and one brownish.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Current guesses on the Rex colors are an opal, two sable agoutis, and possibly two dilute sable agoutis.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Well, I was able to sell three REW does from Paprika's litter last Sunday. Couple of people said they were interested in the buck and then flaked. No interest in the Rex kits. Guess we are going to be butchering Sunday. I am keeping the Opal Rex, I think it's a doe. Also keeping the chestnut and red Paprika kits, both does. The red will be named Cayenne and will go to my friend within a month or so. I'm thinking I might name the chestnut Sage. Haven't thought of a name for the opal yet.

I did learn how to tattoo bunny ears, but definitely think I need a bunny bag or box, it's really hard to hold them still even after using numbing spray on their ear. I don't think practicing on a banana peel was enough practice before doing it for real. The first and fourth tattoos were aweful. The middle two looked great. I still need to tattoo the three I'm keeping and my older rabbits.

Coffee has been haystashing and remaking her nestbox. She and Pepper should be due around the 10th of March. I'm thinking I will breed Paprika and Cinnamon this weekend, that would put them exactly 3 weeks after the first set. Toffee and Sugar still haven't been bred at all. I'm hoping to use my friend's buck this coming month on Toffee, and I haven't decided whether Sugar should be matched with that same buck or with Expresso. I think that will depend on what we end up with in Coffee's litter.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I am thinking I will try to show some rabbits this year, but a bit concerned on how to quarantine after the show. I found out there's a show mid March less than an hour from me, but that weekend we have to attend a wedding. At least I know it'll be there next year too, so I can plan for that.