Basic tips for raising meat rabbits

One of our Champagne de Argent Juviniles.  The color of silver has not yet filled completly in yet.

We raise meat rabbits for several reasons.  One is they taste great and can be raised in small spaces with no problem and little attention from neighbors.  They are easy to care for and produce more meat for the amount of feed than any other farm animal. We also use them as a 4-H project for our children.  We exclusivly raise the breed Champagne de Argent which is a great meat rabbit. Here are some tips for raising them that you only get from experience.


Health

Do not use straw in rabbit cages. If mice have been in the straw their poop and pee can carry infections that will spread to your rabbits. We had this happen! Old newspapers, clean grass hay, or dry wood shavings are the safest.

Wood Shavings as litter: I would only recommend putting litter like wood shavings, clean grass hay, or newspaper in cages for pregnant females for their nesting box. But wood shavings have a drawback. The dust can get in the babies eyes causing eye problems. We had this happen too! Mother rabbits should make their nest out of fur they pull off themselves, more on that later. Putting shredded newspaper into the nesting box may help encourage nest making.

Clean litter trays frequently, at least once a week. Rabbit urine is high in ammonia and can cause health problems for your rabbits if left to accumulate. Keep your rabbits in a well-ventilated area. Rabbit droppings make excellent compost.

Give your rabbit a piece of natural wood to chew; they really like apple wood branches. This helps keep their teeth from growing too long.

For an unknown reason putting a chunk of untreated sheet rock in your rabbits cage makes them healthier. Don’t ask why, I don’t know, but it works.

Always put an untreated piece of board in the cage for your rabbit to sit on. Meat breeds are heavy and the pressure can cause sores called hutch sores to form on the bottoms of the feet.

If hutch sores occur build an outside run for your rabbit. Cover on the top with wire or wood but not the bottom. Let the rabbit run on ground until the sores are healed. Letting the problem go can cause feet problems or even death!

We use wire stackable cages with wire bottoms with trays underneath each rabbit to catch the poop. We use wood shavings in the trays to absorb pee and poop and keep the smell down. It works much better than newspaper or straw. Stackable cages take up less space, are easy to clean, and make rabbit chores go faster. They are also easier to keep in a secure location like a garage or basement. Worth the price in my opinion.

Aluminum empty pop cans are fun and safe toys for rabbits to play with. Rabbits get board too and can start destructive behavior. But be careful, a few rabbits will actually bite through the metal. If you have one of these take the can out and try something else.

Always provide a mineral salt lick for rabbit health. Make sure its “mineral” not plain salt. And stock up, they are cheap right now, but may be unavailable later.

Keep rabbit food secure from mice. They carry disease.
Give pregnant and nursing females oats (about ¼ cup per day), they love it and it helps build up fat stores for good baby production. Also give to babies to fatten them up for dinner.

Kindling/Baby problems



This is the most problematic aspect of rabbits. You will devote more time to kindling (rabbit birth and newborn babies) than anything else in rabbit care. While rabbits are easier to breed and raise than chickens in my opinion, that is only true with a good experienced doe (female rabbit). If you have good mom, baby care on your part is non-existent. Here are some hard learned tricks to problems.



Do not use wood shavings in kindling (birth) box! Give the doe newspaper or clean grass hay if it seems like she is not pulling fur good enough. Putting grass hay and newspaper in may also stimulate her to start building a nest. Do this about a week before kindling (birth).

One of our Champagen De Argent Does

First Time Mothers



Almost everyone you talk to and every book you read will say that first time mothers will always loose the first litter of babies. And frankly this is pretty true. But I have noticed that it is usually due to the mother not making a good enough nest and the babies getting chilled as they are born furless. Also the mother almost never gives the first really good feeding that is necessary after birth, causing the kits to be weak. Put those two together and you have dead babies! So here are ways I have solved this problem. Works in other situations too.



Chilled babies: So you go out and find babies chilled and close to death. Or maybe you think they are dead. Hold on! Unless the baby is actually frozen to the wire they may be just barely still alive. Get them inside and if they are hardly moving submerge them up to their neck in warm (not hot!) water. Be careful to not get the head wet. I have had babies that were so still it took this measure to show me they were alive. And like a miracle they came back. Now after they are moving pretty well take them out and gently rub them with a warm dry cloth, being careful of the umbilical cord area. Once dry put them in a box with a heating pad covered with a folded towel or hot water bottles to keep them nice and warm.



Weakness due to no milk



If momma didn’t feed them right after birth your going to have weak babies who will be unable to nurse the next time, or if momma rejected them and you need to put them on a surrogate mother (more on surrogates later) the babies will need enough energy to nurse once put back with a mom. Here is what I do and it usually works. Make a warm sugar water solution 2 parts water to 1 part table sugar. Put in an eyedropper and put in warmed babies mouth. Do not give to a chilled baby! Wait until you warm it up. Give only one drop of sugar water at a time; it is horribly easy to drown these babies! After two drops stop. More and you risk drowning the baby. You should see them swallowing while feeding, don’t force it. You will see these babies start moving around making noises and looking for food as energy increases. Now you know they are ready to be given back to mom or surrogate mom. If you fear it’s too cold outside bring mom to the babies inside to feed them. Mother rabbits only feed babies once a day. Some moms won’t feed under these conditions and then your going to have to try taking babies out to mom twice a day and bringing them inside until they get fur. Or to solve this problem keep your rabbits in a rabbit barn with heat available, or only breed in warm weather.



Insufficient Nest: Mother rabbits should pull out their fur to make a nice warm nest, but first timers almost always do a bad job. If this happens you’ll have to do it for her. After birth (if you do this while mom is still pregnant you can kill the babies inside her due to her struggling) take mom out and gently pull fur from her tummy and sides. It will come out easy due to hormones and reveal her nipples to babies. Shove all this fur into a nice nest shape and make a hollow with your fist. Put babies in and cover with fur. Now put mom in and watch closely. If she tries to reject them you will know because they will start screaming as she hurts them. Get them out! Now you have a problem. Hopefully you can find a surrogate mom.



Surrogate moms: I always breed more than one rabbit at the same time, that way if one mom rejects or has too many babies to support you can give them to another mom. Most rabbits can only support about 8 to ten babies at one time. And if you are breeding meat rabbits your going to have big litters. If different litters are born too far apart it is harder to get the surrogate to accept them. So breed together. Here is how to get a surrogate to accept different babies. In the morning (not night) take the babies and put them in the new nest. Cover well with moms fur so they will smell like the other babies, you can also rub vanilla extract on moms nose to help mask the scent. Now watch mom closely, if she rejects you will know. Check the babies a few times first day, trying not to upset mom. The more you mess with a new mom the more likely she is to kill her babies.

As I have said meat rabbits have big litters so your other moms may not have room to take more babies. What then? Well, you can keep another smaller breed of rabbit just for surrogating. The smaller lops make excellent moms. We always bred our pet Holland at the same time as the meat rabbits. Smaller rabbits generally have smaller litters, but can still support up to eight babies. Our Holland was a rock! She accepted anything and always took great care of her litters. Also bonus, you can tell whose babies are who’s. This is important for future breeding purposes. If all babies look alike then you will not be able to tell which babies came from which moms for future breeding.



Buck Problems

Most bucks (male rabbits) have no problems except one. Due to living in a small cage they have very little staying power when it comes to breeding. So when you are trying to breed a male to a female he gets tired very quickly. The solution is to give your buck an open space or rabbit run to live on. His muscles will be stronger and he will breed better as a result. Just make sure it is secure from dogs and predators!


Predator problems - Animal and Human

Rabbits are a prey animal for pretty much anything bigger than a squirrel. So securing your rabbits is a major concern. The biggest predators Pre-SHTF are neighborhood dogs. They get really excited when they see a rabbit and kill mode kicks in! Even a yorkie could kill your rabbits simply by jumping at them and barking. Rabbits aren’t the cleverest of creatures and panic easily. When they get really scared they will run circles in their cages and jump up sometimes breaking their own backs! Any rabbit not in a secure cage is a sitting duck for owls, dogs, cats, hawks, raccoons, skunks, badgers, possums, and mean kids. And that is just in town. So my advice is put your rabbits in a rabbit barn. This can be a humble shed, garage, or basement. This will become even more important in a SHTF situation. You will not want people knowing you have meat available.

Heat - The Silent Rabbit Killer

The most tragic thing to come home to is a barn full of heatstroke-killed rabbits. Rabbits can die of heat stroke in 80 weather. That’s it! They are covered in nice warm fur, which is great in cold weather, but sucks in the heat. Here are the ways to avoid heat death.


1. Shade! Never, ever, put your rabbit hutch in direct sun in warm weather. THEY WILL DIE. Put your hutches or cages in the shade of a building or tree.

2. Always provide frozen water bottles for your rabbit to lie on in the heat. I like big 2 liter ones for our meat rabbits because they last most of the day. Keep one in the cage while the other one is in the freezer refreezing.

2. Always provide lots of water in the heat. Use water bottle feeders so the rabbits can’t poop in them or spill them.

3. In really hot weather 90 or above soak the hutch roof and sides in water from a hose several times a day to cool it down.

4. If you notice your rabbits panting take action immediately, your rabbits are in heat stroke! Mist your rabbits with the hose and put frozen water or pop bottles in the cage with them. Monitor to make sure they are cooling down.

5. If a rabbit is lying still in the cage and won’t wake or is sluggish but still breathing it is now in a coma from heat. Get it out and submerge in a bucket of cold water up to the neck. It should revive if not too far gone.

To conclude rabbits are an easy animal to raise once you get the cages and feeders, and much of that you can make yourself. They are also perfect for kids to care for, as they are small, cute, and generally non-aggressive. The worst you will get from a rabbit is a bad scratch. A cow or a pig however, could easily kill or injure your eight to ten-year-old child.



If you had 5 to 10 does breeding every two months you would have a good meat supply for the year. Another major advantage is that you can butcher for daily needs. If you butcher a hog or cow you have to process, pickle, salt, or freeze hundreds of pounds of meat all at once. It’s a tricky business to do safely. With rabbits you have no possibility of spoilage and a nice pelt of fur to turn into clothing. We have seen interest in our rabbits triple in the past months. So much so that I have run out of breeders to sell. Something that has never happened before! People are waking up and looking for ways to ensure food safety. If you are looking to buy breeders make sure they are young (under a year of age) or proven to be fertile, and buy from a good breeder who knows about proper care and feeding.



Good Luck!

The Importance Of B Vitamins for Mental Health

I am not a doctor, but I can tell you what happened to me.  I have been struggling with depression and anxiety for a couple of years now.  After much research and evaluating my diet I have come to the conclusion that I was seriously deficient in minerals and certain vitamins.

One of those vitamins was the B vitamins.  How I figured it out?  Well I started taking a B complex and within 2 hours was feeling much better mentally.  My energy, which has been very bad, went up and was wonderfull.  My mood became much better.  All with one vitamin!  I kept taking it daily and the way I felt continued!  Conclusion.... I was deficient in B vitamins.

  Since beginning a simple B complex vitamin I have noticed a major improvement in mood, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and energy.

Needless to say this is a very important nutrient if you look at what even a slight deficiency can do.  I now also keep a stock of B complex vitamins in my emergency supplies because this is such and important vitamin for mental health in stressful situations.


Here are excerpts from several papers on B vitamins. Honestly I could post pages and pages of the research on it, but if you still have questions just google it.


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that one out of 10 adults in the U.S. suffers from 

depression. Several studies have researched the possible relationship of vitamin B-12 with depression alone.

 In a study published in the December 2002 issue of the "American Journal of Psychiatry," 806 elderly 

people, some randomly selected and some with depressive symptoms or disorders, were evaluated for a 

relationship between depression and vitamin B-12. The findings revealed that B-12 deficiency was not only 

related to depression but may also be a causal factor.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/363331-vitamin-b12-mental-health/#ixzz2M6


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Depression is a common symptom of multiple B vitamin deficiencies.¹ Deficiencies of vitamin B1, thiamine, cause beri-beri. Early signs include symptoms like increased irritability, difficulty concentrating, depression and fatigue. B2, riboflavin, is an essential part of the process that builds neurotransmitters. It’s also involved in making thyroid hormones. In some inpatient populations B2 deficiency has been linked with a trend toward unipolar depression and riboflavin supplementation with improvement.²

Raising serotonin levels helps calm anxiety. Serotonin is made in the brain from tryptophan. B3 (nicotinic acid/niacinamide) and B6 (pyridoxine) are critical parts of the enzymatic pathways that make serotonin.^3,3a

Estrogens can inhibit B6, leading to lower neurotransmitter levels including serotonin.Women on oral contraceptives should take extra B2,6,12 and folic acid^4,5 to avoid being grumpy. Women displaying behaviors injurious to themselves and others just before the onset of their menstrual cycles non infrequently consume substantial amounts of dairy and sugar and show positive responses to B6 supplementation.⁶

But it’s not just a women’s issue. Reports have indicated B6 deficiencies may be a factor in a wide range of psychopathologies including autism, Alzheimer’s hyperactivity, learning disability, anxiety and depressive disorders.^7,8

At levels only slightly lower than normal, a range of symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and poor memory may be experienced.^[7] However, these symptoms by themselves are too nonspecific to diagnose deficiency of the vitamin.

Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency can also cause symptoms of mania and psychosis, fatigue, memory impairment, irritability, depression and personality changes. In infants symptoms include irritability, failure to thrive, apathy, anorexia, and developmental regression.

In love with my new stainless steel teakettle from Lehman's

I just have to let you all know about my most recent purchase.  Now as you know if you've read my blog at all, I generally purchase almost everything used at thrift stores or yard sales.  So when I actually buy something brand new, even something relatively cheap, I do tons of research  read the reviews, and compare prices before I buy it.

My last tea-kettles have all been correll ware kinds found at yard sales.  The problem is that even though I quite like them they are small so that they don't fill up my tea pot when I'm making tea. And they don't have a whistle so my eldest daughter who also loves tea, forgets about it and it goes dry and then shatters.

So I resolved to bite the bullet and buy a brand new whistling tea kettle.  First I looked at what was in stores, but I wanted something old fashioned looking and also stainless steel inside and out.  Then I looked online at wally world and target.  And then finally I looked at Lehman's website since I had to order something else that only they carry.

I saw they had several tea-kettles at the same prices as even cheapo walmart!  But I fell in love with the above tea kettle!  Here is the description.

Our three generously sized tea kettles feature a distinctive two-tone whistle, not the shrill screech of an average tea-kettle  The easy-clean stainless steel body helps keep water hot. Your choice of sizes; ideal for canning or a family gatherings.

• Easy clean stainless steel kettles
• Extra large pour spouts
• Plastic handle stays cool
• Made of 201 stainless steel
• Imported

They come in three sizes and I got the one gallon.  Ok, come on one gallon!  And by the way that is the smallest size available, the biggest is two gallons.  This would be perfect for when the electricity goes out and you need to heat large amounts of water.  It is awesome and I love it, especially the whistle that is so cool.  When I first got it I immediately tried it out and right before it started to whistle gather all the kids around to hear it.  They have never heard a whistling tea-kettle before!  It sounds just like a train, but of course not as loud.  My eldest daughter wants to get one now for her hope chest!

Adventures in Parenting

So many times I have gone to the store for necessities with my children and seen smiles on the faces of people we passed. At times this has slightly annoyed me as I pulled my three year old away from the lobster tank for the hundredth time, listening to his squalls of protest due to the delicate mental health of the “monsters” as he calls them. In my sons opinion they are lonely and need him for company, and by removing him I'm taking away their only reason to keep swimming. This may have quite a bit of truth due to the fact that most people find it very hard to purchase an animal with the purpose of eating it while a little boy stands next to them talking to said animal like its his best friend. Amusement and wonder illuminate the faces of strangers as they watch my four toe headed children (we often refer to them as the travelling circus) chatter, sing , and generally get up to mischief. Comments are always thick on the ground about “having my hands full” and “ aren't they cute“.  I just agree with them and move on.  No need to tell these well meaning strangers about having to fish Lego men out of the fish tank or having to stop the children from feeding the family golden retriever dandelions (he will eat anything)  because it gives him gas (which they think is hilarious).

My son always claims the undercarriages of shopping carts and refers to them as his “creepy cave” , staying under murmuring softly to himself about pirates and the need for a plank and only coming out to make lightning raids on any food items he thinks we need at home. My eldest daughter keeps up a running commentary about anything that comes to mind and the geo-political situations at her school and constant requests for junk food, my youngest girl walks patiently by the cart posing as a innocent rosy cheeked cherub until something comes within grabbing range, preferably when I'm retrieving her brother from the cookie isle thereby giving her time to get packages open. And my youngest son keeps up a constant train whistle shriek, not of unhappiness, that's just his way of letting you know he loves you.

The excursion is ,of course, accompanied by constant remarks, often at top volume on my part , to “stop doing that and get back to this cart right now!“. I have worried in my more energetic and conscientious moments that their antics might annoy people, but it seems just the opposite. I think people see us as some sort of hilarious grocery store entertainment troupe breaking up the monotony of mundane milk and egg purchases. They relish my children’s remarks on the state of the world and their current bodily functions.

My son is especially attuned to his lower bowel and tells anyone close enough to hear about it. Older men find them exceedingly funny and I have often heard indelicate snorts of laughter following in our wake. Older women who have obviously had children smile fondly and say encouraging things to me about how sweet they are and how they miss those days.

Other mothers with children are the most forgiving. We pass each other in the isles and give nods of acknowledgement and wry understanding smiles. We belong to a sisterhood of dishpan hands, disheveled hair, and dark circled eyes. Cart collisions and barely avoided hit and runs are brushed off as every day occurrences to those in the sisterhood.

I have often envied those mothers whose children seem afraid of the cracks in the floor. I gaze longingly at them as they cling to their mothers legs and never stray to the lobster tank.

My children are Olympic class strayers.

When we found out I was carrying our third child I didn't pray for a girl or boy, I prayed for a child who feared water.

“What do they do that I don’t? “ I often wonder to myself. I'm consistent in discipline and rules, don’t allow destructive or rude behaviour  I encourage them, love them, teach them (or at least tell them) right from wrong, and yet they still have an insatiable spirit for adventure and mayhem.

In my darkest moments of mothering I wonder what I did wrong. How could all four of my children turn out to be fearless Vikings whose every thought seems bent on discovery, often accompanied by the destruction of the discovered object? It would be convenient if I could blame there father, but since my mother has informed me that her curse has worked and that they are just like I was at that age theres no use pointing fingers.

In my desperate search for a solution I’ve tried everything from positive reinforcement and encouragement, to dire threats and privilege removal (as well as good ol fashioned spankings for the worst offenses). These have been on the hole a dismal failure. Punishment doesn’t seem to faze them in the least. All my children, we have discovered, have congenital selective hearing defects.

Finally one day after three weeks of sleepless nights due to the annual month long Winter Illness Celebration in which our children take turns being sick the entire month I asked our family doctor if he thought my children were abnormally wild. I knew he saw hundreds of children in his practice and at least could do a comparison for me. I waited in suspense trying to read the expression on his face and he observed the two rambunctious toddlers exploring the examination room. As I saw his face take on a weary look I told him he could be honest as I am not one of those mothers who thinks her children are innocent angels who could never do wrong while they torture the family cat. If there’s one thing I pride myself on it’s the ability to recognize my children’s weaknesses as well as their strengths. At that moment my 2 year old daughter was trying to eat a tongue depressor and my son was using the exam table as a large drum.

Earlier in the waiting room two old gentlemen and a receptionist had been stifling guffaws and grinning to split there faces as they watched me try to keep reign on the two youngest and keep up a conversation with my eldest. Waiting rooms I have found, are booby trapped with all sorts of items not suitable for small children. I sometimes wonder if they do it on purpose for personal entertainment.The doctor who I think must have the driest sense of humour on earth asked why I would wonder that.  I rolled my eyes and explained about my theories on genetic lack of fear and selective hearing defects.

As he watched my children he said they certainly were active and healthy but not abnormal. “All children are different.” he reminded me,” It has more to do with how the parents raise their child when it comes to lack of fear”. “Lots of parents panic at the least little bruise or bump” he said with obvious disapproval. “Those are the children that turn out to be afraid of everything”

Instantly I knew my problem. It was like seeing the light! My philosophy was the exact opposite. I didn't make a fuss over falls or scrapes. If they fell I waited to see if it was a serious hurt while making a comment to them about taking a good one. I have noticed when children are really hurt they always let you know in a particularly ear-splitting way, there’s no way to ignore it. If they cried I comforted them, if not I would dust them off and send them on their way.

This, by the way, is highly upsetting to more faint hearted folk as they watch my toddler hit the ground at mach-4 and bounce back up again with out me even blinking. Several times I have had other mothers jumping in their seats at the sight of Donovan taking a tumble, obviously anticipating screams from Don and hysterical cries on my part. Only to see him get up, look around, and go on to the next entertainment while I calmly watch from the sidelines.

I try to reassure them as best I can, commenting that my children are fine and not to worry, but this is often useless. Even when confronted with the obvious truth that they really are all right and not just neglected as they run around laughing and having a grand old time, these parents sit on the edge of there seats twitching as I carry on with the conversation.. Secretly my husband finds it highly diverting watching other parents turn white as our son does a triple somersault and comes up smiling.

Looking at the problem however produced a realization that it was too late to change. All my children are too old to re-teach fear to. Trees are meant to be climbed, streams explored, poisonous insects examined, and all animals are pettable and maybe even kissable if they will hold still.  While other children shrank away from horses, goats, or pigs at the county fair my children would, if allowed, run up and pet them, get into the stall, and try to hug them. Dogs are considered fun interactive pals, and chickens provide a challenge to stalking techniques requiring teamwork and good communication skills in order to catch one for closer examination. I never showed fear at animals so they learned not to fear them too. An unfortunate mistake on my part as a healthy fear of animals is a great saver of fingers for later life.

Grey hairs for my husband, and years taken off my lifespan have been the result of many near misses and barely averted catastrophes involving water hazards, amazing collisions, and large animals. I have often thought that when my children all grow up I wont know how to go back to a less vigilant style of living. I've grown used to being on a knifes edge, always wondering what’s going on behind those innocent little faces and preparing for emergencies and surprise ambushes in the middle of the night. Silence being the worst sound of all because then you know they are up to something.  My husband comments frequently that we could do combat missions. After 14 years of screaming directed at me, tests in toy diplomacy, sleep deprivation, constant adrenalin rushes, and first aid care I have to agree. At least if an adult soldier were to get sick on the floor I wouldn't have the job of cleaning it up.

Life without children, I have now come to realize, would be a sadly uneventful and a much less interesting way to live. After all, what adult puts the cat in the dress-up box and forgets about it, causing much annoyance on the part of the cat and a frantic search through the house for the source of the yowling on the on the part of the parent? I have yet to experience my husband coming up and telling me in a nonchalant, offhand sort of way that the toilet has flooded over and that I might want to take a look at it, or that the baby has got into the flour bin for the fourth time that week. These are the daily excitements that keep me on my toes and make it to where I can honestly say I'm never bored. Exhausted, frustrated, on the verge of tears and hysterical laughter but never bored! I'll never regret having four very often exasperating , but at the same time impossibly sweet and loving children.

Best Baking Powder Biscuits

On Sunday we go to church and it tends to let out much later than our usual lunch time so I always make a substantial breakfast to get the kids through until we get home.  One essential item is homemade baking powder biscuits.  This is the best recipe I have found and they always turn out light and flaky.  The recipe comes from my always trusty Better Homes and Gardens red and white cookbook that I received at my bridal shower.  I always use butter and many times have to make triple batches to satisfy every ones craving.


Biscuits Supreme

1. Stir together 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Cut in 1/2 cup butter, margarine, or shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  make a well in center.  Add 2/3 cup milk all at once, stir until moistened.

 

 

2. Turn Dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by gently folding and pressing dough 10 strokes or till nearly smooth.  Pat or lightly roll to 1.2 inch thickness.  Cut our with a floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter.



3. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet and bake in a 450 oven 10-12 minutes or till golden.  Remove and serve hot.  Make 10 biscuits.

 

I like the crinkle cut biscuit cutter like below

Bringing Chickens Back Into Lay

We were having a problem with our chickens.  Namely they all stopped laying.  I was getting one measly egg a day from 9 chickens!  This was highly annoying since they still ate as much as usual.  So what I essentially had was some smelly ornamental pets.  I was seriously considering putting them all into the pot rather than keep feeding them.  But first I tried some different ways to bring them back into lay.

First is to put a light in their coop as winter has come.  Chickens lay based on the hours of sunlight they get so by supplement their light in winter you get more eggs.  However this went on for two weeks and nothin.  No change.

I also increased their scratch and scraps in the hopes the extra food would help.  Generally the more food a chicken eats the more it lays.  Still nothing, nada, zip.

That pot was looking better and better.

In a last ditch effort I did something I had read about but never tried.  I gave them Cod Liver Oil in their water.  Fish oil is rich in Vitamin D.  Which is what our bodies make from sunlight.

The next day I had 4 lovely eggs in the box, and every day after that too.  Now we are up to 6 to 8 eggs a day, which is very decent for how old our chickens are and the time of year. 

So lesson learned.  Fish oil works!  Logically it makes sense.  If chickens lay based on the hours of sunlight they get then that could be based on how much vitamin D they are producing sending signals to their brain that it is time to start or stop laying.



Win Garden Seeds for Life!

This is such a great giveaway I had to share it because most of my readers garden.  Bentley seeds is giving away $75.00 worth of seeds a year for life to someone.  Head on over to the giveaway page HERE for your chance to win.  I already entered and hope I win!

Ruby Robin Boutique Review and Give-away Just in Time for Spring!

One of the things I really love is vintage or romantic jewellery   Something feminine without being overdone or fussy.  And that is exactly what the lovely items for sale at Ruby Robin Boutique are.

Here is a little blurb about the artist who happens to live in Ireland!

 Khrystyna Marriott is an avid crafter, crazy cat lady, and the owner/maker behind Ruby Robin Boutique. Her kooky, colourful jewellery is inspired by everything from Victorian literature and art, to the creatures living in the hedgerows where she grew up. All these pieces are made in the comfort of her home studio, where she enjoys drinking coffee in the garden and cuddling cats on her breaks. When she's not making pretty things for the Boutique, she can be found making clothes from old sewing patterns, treasure hunting at car boot sales or camper-vanning  around the country in a big old VW bus.

Her artwork is so adorable!  Just look at some of my faves!

my teen aged daughter loves these rose earrings

Now for the give-away!  Khrystyna over at Ruby Robin Boutique has been incredibly generous in giving one of my readers a pair of earrings.  The ones up for grabs are these adorable Blue Bird Earrings.  I am so jealous!   These will be just perfect for spring!



If you cant wait and want to buy something right now here is a link to her store Ruby Robin Boutique. For your chance to win enter via the Rafflecopter below.  Please know that I verify all entries.

 Good luck and have a happy Valentines Day!

Disclosure: No compensation was given for this review/giveaway.  All opinions are 100% my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Easy Free Printable Monthly Calenders to Help Organize Your Life

I really love the calendars that Darlene over at Time Warp Wife (click highlighted words to go there) created!  They are perfect for putting on your fridge and have spots for to do's, groceries, reminders, people to call, and prayer requests!  And the best thing about it is that they are free!  They are also so simple to print out, I've tried some other "free" calendar sites and it is almost impossible to print them.  All you do is click the link and then hit print. I am really bad at remember things so I need constant reminders just to survive lol.

Enjoy!