I have a big rabbitry project lurking in the wings, but the last couple days just haven't worked out to tackle it, so I redirected my attention to other smaller tasks that have been patiently waiting their turn.
The overall weekend project I was able to get done was streamlining the rabbitry. I had several rabbits up for sale; those that I didn't have a use for in my Fun Fur or Chocolate Chinchilla programs were offered up pretty cheaply for others to buy and take home for their own fur or meat producing programs. I'm happy to say that all but 2 found new homes; those 2 are bound for Camp Idylis (freezer camp). I did decide to pull 4 from the sale list as the end of the sale drew near; I will use them in my Fun Fur to see what they can contribute, and then decide their fates at that point. DONE!
First up, securing the donated clean Christmas trees (goat and rabbit treats to munch on); THANK YOU to my wonderful neighbors and extended neighbors for those! I kept one wedged snugly next to the feed bin area, and the other 2 I moved to either end of a small metal hammock frame and lashed them down at either end to help keep the whole thing balanced, and out of my daily work zone. DONE!
After that, I noticed that the cement walkway through the rabbitry has some built up hay and mud across it, so I grabbed the heavy metal rake, and started clearing off the walkway. I wasn't able to get it all removed, but I did make some noticeable progress, so I'll continue working on that through the week as time and weather allows. PROGRESS!
Next, mixing the chicken scratch. My poor flock has started to lose condition, with the cold weather and slim foraging, so today was the day to get them plumped back up and happy again. I'd purchased Pea Mix, Crushed Corn, Flax Seed, Rolled Oats, Whole Barley - but they were being stored in the garage, so they fell into the out of sight/mind category. They'd all been opened and used somewhat, so I loaded all the partial bags into my big heavy duty cart and hauled it out to the feeding bins, then poured equal amounts into the feed bucket, and dumped that into the metal bin. This way, when I use the bucked to scoop out the day's scratch, it will already be mostly mixed together, saving me time overall. Their scratch bin is full, and I still had about 10# of flax seed left over, so I took that back into the garage until the next time I need to fill up the bin. DONE!
On my way back to parking my heavy cart, I noticed that the firewood shelter had collected too much water (now ice), and it was stretching the bungee cords that secure the tarp roof. I went into the shelter and pushed out against the ice pouches, tipping the ice out and onto the ground outside the shelter walls. Although the sagging roof still needs to have the bungees replaced and the roof tightened down to prevent a repeat of this problem, at least now with the upcoming melt, water won't be collected there, dripping down into the shelter. PROGRESS!
By this time, my back was really complaining at me, so I thought it best not to push my luck further, especially since I have my barn work job tomorrow, so I'm going to focus on drinking plenty of water and resting up for that.
Here are the lucky second chance rabbits: