Multipling like rabbits…

…and they are not even breeding yet.

When we decided to start keeping rabbits again – after a break of about 25 years – we looked around for an attractive (as well as meaty) breed.

So we travelled two hours North to bring back Rory, the Silver Fox Buck

We then set about trying to find him some ladies and at that point discovered that there are not many people in the UK breeding Silver Foxes.

We eventually tracked down an experienced breeder three hours away and yesterday drove off to collect a pair of does.

We were exposed to a lot of rabbit lore and an offer we could not refuse:

Five for the price of Two

So Rory is joined by two does – Heidi and Anna:

and another pair of does together with a young buck – Easter, Lettuce and Stewart:

They are all installed in temporary accommodation

and Rory has been visiting

as has Jessie

Lunchboxes and Lusciousness

Lunchtime at Gribin Isaf means a quick forage round the beds to see what is on offer

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A quick potpourri of the more domesticated blooms currently around us..

It would be possible to fill this page with Lily pictures. They are growing just inside a polytunnel with some blooms towering overhead so they assault the senses on entering:

The Carniverous plants are at the other end of that polytunnel

– that last picture is a flower on a Venus Fly-trap.

The Hydrangeas are just coming into flower. They lurk amongst the trees and emit a blue glow, particularly at dusk

This little flower has been trapped between the house wall and the boot box but is determined to squeeze out

It is amazing what can be made from air, water and a bit of phosphorous.

When babies grow up…

Gribin Isaf is 900 feet above sea level and catches any passing breeze so we don’t get the same heat as some places

only 31.7 degrees in the shade at 2 pm today.

Jessie had the right idea

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In the Spring it is very easy to send off for some eggs to hatch. The image in mind is something like this

Well that was the end of March and several incubator fulls later one is reminded all youngsters grow up

Pullets have to be kept separate from the main flock until they are big enough to hold their own

so extra fences have to up

houses moved

Jessie has to inspect

while Bert is not impressed by his new neighbours

Young cockerels have to be separated

until we decide who will kept

(well might he be pleased with himself) We are getting better at removing cocks at a younger age – we have learned that if you leave it too long it is more of a challenge

It is always interesting to add new breeds

This year we have hatched Silver Duckwing Welsummers, Crested Cream Legbars, Gold Laced Orpingtons, Welsummer Partridge and Partridge Orpingtons along with some French Marans from our own flock.

Next Spring we will have forgotten about all the extra work and will be wondering what to try in the incubators…

A Ducks Tale

When we decided to keep ducks at Gribin Isaf we chose Cayugas

because they are so beautiful

We hatched eggs in an incubator to increase our flock

And then one batch of eggs resulted in a solitary duckling – Solo

You can’t learn how to be a duck by yourself so we scoured the area for company. All we could find were Muscovy ducklings.

The Muscovies grew up and we quite liked them

So we bought in some Muscovy eggs.

But only one hatched

Company was needed

but all we could find were Aylesburys

They grew up and we quite liked them

One of the Muscovies, Cagney (friend of James) went broody so we let her have some of her own eggs, plus some Cayugas.

She managed to hatch two…. one Muscovy and one Cayuga…. both…. Drakes.

She was a very good mother – and Muscovies have to sit for longer than any other duck – so when she went broody again last month

we let her sit. Which she did with great dedication, only moving once a day to have a wash and brush up on her stump

However, we suspected the eggs were not fertile (later proved correct) so this week we had to track down some Muscovy ducklings

for her to take under her wing

to make all her efforts worthwhile

She is taking the job very seriously

Which is why our duck flock is a bit mixed

Two legs good, four legs better…

…eight legs amazing

The web-building dance:

Of course six legs is the most successful number, especially when accompanied by two wings

Following the demise of our bee colony last Autumn, victims to wasps, this Spring we started off two new hives.

Last month we could see no sign of brood in the first hive and were all set up to move some over from the second.

However a recent inspection

gave evidence of egg laying

The Queen of hive two was easily spotted

as was evidence of her industry

So we are now planning multiple wasp defenses for the coming months

This guest of summer…

All the people around us say Swallow numbers are down this year. We will have to wait to see if this is a a blip or a trend.

It was late in the season when one pair finally moved into the woodshed

They seemed to be first-timers as they were easily disturbed and we had to move out all the feed bins to minimise disturbance.

They did not even have to make their own “pendent bed, or procreant cradle” as they took advantage of the ready made nest

She did manage to successfully hatch four eggs

The day before yesterday they were coaxed out of the nest and on to a beam

They have been on a few experimental flights, mainly learning how to fly through any handy doorways leading to sheds or the house.

Mainly though they prefer sitting on the beam

And this evening they were all back in their nest out of the rain.

Flowers, fruits and fellow foragers

A quick round up of some current Gribin Isaf life:

Flowers

These lilies dominate the entrance to the tunnel, towering overhead and filling the air with sweetness

The perennial sweet pea plant, also in the tunnel, also adopting giant dimensions

The Creeping Jenny is doing what it does

Fruits

We transplanted a lot of the raspberries at the end of last season but they do not seem to have suffered

The other soft fruit is definitely for sharing – mainly with the blackbirds

The first tomatoes are forming

Strawberries keep coming

Fellow foragers

Some of the other animals that are sharing these delights.

This froglet has been hanging out in the tunnel

Grass-go-round

Its that time of year again:

when summer grass is stored for winter forage.

In some ways, the farming next to us follows the same simple system it always has

Sheep and cattle graze the growing grass and then during the summer some fields are allowed to grow so the grass can be cut

and stored for when the cattle are inside later in the year

and brought back out to the fields to supplement what the sheep can graze when the temperature drops.

Compared to much agricultural technology these days the machinery used next to us is fairly basic

However there are two changes to this cycle which have drastically changed the diversity of life in this landscape. The switch from hay to silage with its earlier cut and high level of fertiliser used has greatly reduced the variety of species and habitats.

In addition, the field next to us was ploughed up a couple of years ago and sown with a commercial grass seed – something that happens to all silage fields every few years – eridicating any native species trying to get a foothold.

So, today the Kites come low

looking for small mammal casualties and the cattle wait in the wings

– they will come in to graze the uncut edges and then the mucking out from their winter quarters will be returned to the field.

We have one less Woodpecker tonight, thanks to the Sparrowhawk, although human intervention might have meant it lived to see another day minus some of its feathers.

Dry for the harvesting but a light dampness a couple of days ago brought out a welcome visitor

Coals to Newcastle?

One way of judging goings on at Gribin Isaf is the “how mad do our neighbouring farmers think we are?” index. Keeping rabbits comes fairly high up when there are already plenty in the surrounding fields. However we are looking for something meatier.

Although deciding on the delightful Silver Fox breed for our new project may make that a challenge.

Our breeding stock so far consists of one rabbit – Rory the Buck

Choosing this comparatively less popular breed might be providing an additional challenge in that tracking down some does to which he is not related may mean travelling a long way.

Meanwhile he is in temporary solitary accommodation

and although he shows no concern at all about inquisitive dogs

he can trigger Jessie’s barking-at-small-furry-things response to the extent where she gets quite hoarse, so we quickly had to make a bit of a buffer zone

Before long this was extended

so that, when Jessie is not looking, Rory can come out to play

He is very happy being handled

enjoys a variety of challenges

and a range of tastes

So, if you know of any Silver Fox does near you…

…do let him know.

Sensual Delight

A quick round of some recent sensual stimuli…

Tastes – now and coming soon:

The visual delights of flowering blooms

and when the light fades the scents swell – Honeysuckle, Wisteria, the Mock Orange

and the thousand blooms

of the rambling rose

And no more satisfying sight than a large fresh hedgehog dropping

Rabbit Picture of the Day

Rory upends his salad bowl to find the tasty bits.