Cluckin A Critter Farm, LLC: Wednesday, June 15, 2011...Back From Taunton with New Bunny BGToo & More...

Yes, we now have a BGToo and a new BB in the bunny brothel this morning! We started off yesterday morning by rolling out of bed at 5:45AM ...and by 6:45, we were on our way to Taunton, Massachusetts to pick up our BGToo, (which stands or Bunny Girl Too) who is replacing our original BG. As you recall, BG passed away during the winter from what we think was a heart attack. She was our beautiful Ermine Walsh Giant which we got from Louise Walsh of Evergreen Farms. BG was the only white we had which gave luxurious white angora fiber for spinning and blending with our alpaca fiber, so we wanted to replace her, but upon talking with Louise, found she had no available ermine colored giants at the time. Later, she bred to attain one for Vick, but kept it a secret, in case it fell through and no ermine color emerged in the litter. One fine day a few months ago, Vick got a surprise email from Louise and there she was...a beautiful picture of BGToo...pretty as could be and a look-a-like to the original BG! Louise is such a lovely, caring person and friend to us. We arrived at her farm around ten in the morning and never left until around 1:30 or so...talking, laughing and looking at all the bunnies. We fell in love with another breed...the English Angora, which doesn’t have the usual matting problems of the German & Giant angoras, so we purchased BB as well as BGToo. (BB is short for Bunny Boy)
We will also return one day for one of Louise’s Satin Angoras which are very beautiful. She had none ready to leave momma, or we would have probably brought one of them home yesterday too! You will see from the pictures how beautiful and silky the red satin angora appears... and Louise hand spun a lock of fiber she pulled from her adult (pictured) and simply...rolled it by hand, twisting it between her fingers. It was beautifully colored and SOFT!!!!! The red satin color produces such a lovely colored yarn, which would be in demand without ever dying it.
So......below are the pictures of the newest addition to the bunny brothel. Hopefully, soon we will shift the limelight from these two new comers, to Ethel’s litter if she has one. That should occur soon. She was bred some time ago, but I cannot remember when. Thank goodness Vick keeps the breeding day written in a journal in the brothel. (I know it is soon though...because she is in her box a lot!)
Today, if the incubator is holding the correct temperature, I will set the loaded egg turner into the incubator and start the process again. That will bring a new flock of hatched chicks out on July 7th. I’ll remove them from the incubator and lock them down on July 4th and wait until July 10th before transferring them to the brooder light, food and water. “Lock down” will occur three days before three days before the due day or as soon as the first egg pips. That is when I will remove the automatic egg turner and replace it with a board with holes to hold the eggs stationary (small end down) for piping (using the beak to break the shell) it is then that we will have to monitor the humidity and heat closely to eliminate drowning in the egg (excessive humidity) or sticking to the shell (lacking humidity).
I am also going to begin the long, drawn out process of vacuuming the pool out and adding the last five gallons of liquid chlorine...and swapping filters until it clears and is ready for swimming. After that we can control it with weekly shock and stabilized chlorine sticks. It is then you know that summer is right around the corner. (June 21st)
We will also start to drain, pick clean and refill the garden pond in the front yard. That has been neglected far too long and will be a real bear to accomplish this year. There are far too many flowers in there, which will need to be thinned and moved to new locations. Then we can run the pond and get it cleaned up a bit to resemble the beautiful garden around it and hear the splashing of the cascading water fall into the pond. I guess it will be worth it in the end, but boy will it take some time.......and a lot of picking dead leaves and exchanging dirty, stinky black water. Stay tuned right here.....and we’ll post some pictures.