Massively behind on updates

Oh my gosh things have just been crazy here. It is coming closer to the end of equine breeding season, so things are all in a rumple trying to get a couple of mares fully ready to go and bred AI to a couple of stallions in the southern states. It's a fine balance of trying to catch the mares folicials at the right time and getting the stallions shipment here in time. It's not a quick and easy process in the least.

I'm also facing a scare with a mare with some major gastro upsets. We're started her on an ulcer medication this week, as all her blood panels and physicals have everyone stumped. Everything is normal and well, besides her insides being gassy. And though owning horses is expensive, it becomes particularly more stressful when a few thousand in unplanned veterinary bills pops up on the radar. It's pretty much a fact of life, we love our animals but sometimes extra care and emergencies happen.

Back to the bunny front, things have been alright here, although they could have been perfect. I did have some major issues with a brand of feed I had been using for the last two years. I switched feeds after several bunnies started to not look well, in fact I lost a great deal of youngsters because of the contaminated feed. I have calls into the company and feed samples from the bad batch sent. It's somewhat of a fruitless effort but should be done. Many of these feed mills for different companies process many types of animal feeds in the same machines. If the machines are not cleaned properly between types of feeds, mixes can be made. There is also a chance of inferior or contaminated ingredients being used.

Playing with the rabbits recently has been on the back burner. I've mostly been checking them and giving a few pats before focusing myself back on the horse barn. Its been painful to see the bunnies after having some pass away. I lost the beautiful little otter buck I posted on this blog a few weeks ago. He was one of my pride and joys. I plan to rebreed his parents once everyone is back up to snuff. In some ways, I wish I could have done more to prevent something like this. After raising these rabbits for fifteen years, every three to five years I run into a bad feed lot with the brand I am feeding. It's tough, and the feed companies offer little sympathy. I think they tend to focus on the fact I'm a breeder and not on the fact that I love my animals dearly and this just isn't right. I think it also is related to it being rabbit food and in their eyes, not a extreme investment in the first place.

I know this because recently I opened a bag of my horse feed (completely different company mind you, one that actually only mills equine feed) the bag had some odd looking chunks in it, which ended up being not well ground beat pulp. Not a huge issue but enough that a horse could possible choke or that the amount of water needed to fill the beat pulp could lead a horse to colic/impaction. (When horses are fed beat pulp it is soaked in water, as the pulp absorbs a great deal of water , great stuff, but if it is fed dry you risk making the horse quite ill when the digestive tract slows to a halt without the movement of fluids and the amount of space the swelled beat pulp takes up). Anyhow, the company flat out told me they had a problem with their supplier for beat pulp and have since cut off business with them. They then over nighted me a bag from a different one of their mills. Then also sent my local store two more bags for me to pick up, until they get the supply in the store restocked with non chunky beat pulp feed. They were nice and understood it wasn't just a empty concern. It is possible my tummy upset mare I wrote about above may have her problem due to the possibly chunky beat pulp feed, but we're pretty sure it's not the feed. I was impressed and confident with McCaulley's feeds for their response and actions. The rabbit food company on the other hand, not on my good list. It's a big name in animal feed and plan not to disclose it until I have things settled out with them. However, I can say they have an extreme amount of recalls on all feeds for other animals (from household to farm). So, in the mean time, I've opted for a feed made locally, by actually, some farmers I've met in passing and that are known by my boyfriend. I have been purchasing it from the mill, but feel better knowing where the ingredients are from and where it was made, because if I have any sort of problem I can be at their doorstep too boot. hehe.

On a more important note I suppose, breeding season for bunnies has halted here. With the bad feed, any does I had bred, aborted early (major issue I had with the bad feed). I am waiting to rebreed any bunnies until they have been on the new feed for at least two months. This means no babies until the fall, which is pretty depressing for me. It's better for the bunnies to wait though. I have some really fantastic juniors though, so I'm hoping that something in there will be nice.

Mean while, I'll be needing to go through the herd for downsizing possibilities. Because I keep so many of my litters, I've hit a road block of having, well....too many bunnies. And no it's not impossible to have too many. I feel it's too many when I do not get to spend time and love for each bunny. So a major downsizing will need to come into play. Of course, it couldn't hurt for my veterinary budget either at this point.

Other things keeping me overly busy.... opening a small business of selling gourmet dog treats. I love to bake and love making fabulous little treats for puppies, which have been well approved by many doggies to date. I've also been playing with the idea of making kitty treats and possibly adding bunny treats to the list as well (I've always made them, but perhaps there is a market for them?). In my lack of spare time, I fantasize about learning to crochet. I have the books, the hooks, the yarn....and patterns but no time. Someday...it will happen. Till then, my dream.. is well a dream.

I've also dabbled with painting and drawing once again. I did portraits in college of animals and such, and would like to get back into the idea of doing so. I think with the economy the way it is, that many of my joys and passions are really just not probable, as individuals are not really focusing on the "extras" in life right now. I know, I'm the same. I've become quite a penny pincher in some ways, although I'm going to brake my rule and give myself a treat. I'm going to watch a afternoon showing of Wall-E. It just looks so cute and I don't want to wait for it to come out on DVD right now.

Give your bunnies all a big hug and a kiss on the nose, and horses too. ^__^