A rabbit for the garden...

Two weeks ago I attended the Mount Forrest Fur & Feather sale, my original intention was to pick up fertile chicken eggs and maybe some quail eggs, but right at the end I saw a little rabbit with blue eyes, and I knew he was the new "one". His name is Henry!

As far as I can tell, he's a Lion Head x Angora cross. Super fluffy, very docile and sweet. When I think about the suburban or urban "farmstead", the rabbit is a great multi-purpose animal, providing natural fertilizer, meat "potentially", fibres for knitting (from English Angora Rabbits), and they love to eat the  chewable kitchen scraps your chickens can't eat. The rabbit is a great starter if you want to keep animals, easy to care for and they give right back to the garden.

A small pet rabbit is cheap to feed and house, a gentle loving pet and gives just as much green pellet fertilizer as you feed it which is about 2-3 pounds from a small rabbit. You can litter train rabbits or keep them on small wire so the pellets fall into a pile below the hutch. Rabbit manure is one of the only form of manure you can directly amend into garden beds, or sprinkle around plants. You can also create a compost tea from rabbit droppings.

After a nice bath Henry has all settled in.

Obviously I took advantage of the fresh daffodils in this photo session!

That "Awe" moment in the blue-bells

So fluffy you can't even see his eyes from the front view. Such a sassy bunny.
Can't wait to be using Henry-Bunny Brand Fertilizer!

Key things to remember before you get your own rabbit! They can live between 6-12 years, dwarf rabbits living the longest and so forth. You should still take your rabbit to the vet which can be costly and getting them fixed is a great idea for smell, health and birth control. Be careful, if you have a boy and girl bunny, you know what they say! Breeding rabbits can be fun, but finding homes for all those babies can be the tricky part! Keep it simple and enjoy your rabbit(s)!

Updates from the Micro-Farmstead: April 2014

Spring seems to be here. Soon, the fresh green and new life will be back! Eggs are coming in more frequently after a long spotty period where I only got a few eggs a day, and they've been able to forage in the yard on the warmer days.

Maple syrup season is coming to a close, strong winds and low sap flow have knocked my sap bucket off the tree in the strong winds and crazy storm weather. Twice I had to run after it, rolling down the sidewalk or stumbling against the tree base. I got about 2 cups of syrup and a cup of maple sugar! Operation Urban-Tap a success!

I hatched my first batch of chicks over at Summer Girl Chicks! The hatching is well underway for the season and I excited to be adding a few breeds here on the micro-farm. I seem to be more drawn in by egg colour verses the breeds rarity or special looks. The new chicken run will be going up soon and the soil is nearly warm enough for the earliest plantings and direct sowing. I hope to be posting more on chicken keeping, it really is one of the easiest and most sensible homesteading acts one can achieve.

Green eggs from my "Greenie" hens. 

Easter Egger chick that will lay a blue egg.

Olive Egger and a "Greenie" chick

Its official, I'm done buying seeds for the season! Aside from maybe a lettuce or a greens mix "re-fill" in the near future, I have what I need for the season, more then I need really, but growing a little bit of everything can be so fun. Yard clean-up and seasonal prep continues, I always have new plans and ideas, I can't wait to share. It's going to be a great season, I can feel it! A busy one, but a great one.

On a sunny day this week, I'll be going around checking out the local "big" stores for those little garden centre gems and edible garden ideas. As much as I hate to perpetuate consumerism, I also understand that we have to make the best of what resources we have, and for many beginner or thrifty gardeners, buying supplies from a Canadian tire or the reduced section of a grocery store chain garden centre is a great way to change spending habits for the better. Companies sell what the people will buy... and as a trend that seems to be more and more edible plants!

So much to see and do, for a second there I thought winter had me.