Rabbit and Goat Treats

                                  The Finished Recipe!

My Rabbits LOVE them and so do my goats!!
So if you have the time and want to make your own Rabbit food/Goat treats
Here is how I did it! you CAN use Grass that you have mowed with your lawn mower..However..if you use fertilizers, weed killers, or pesticides on your lawn..DO NOT use that grass!!  If however your grass is organic..then by all means..just be sure to wash it with lots of water and let it drain in a sieve.

Ingredients;

6-8 cups of FINELY cut up CLEAN grass

2 Cups  unsweetened applesauce

1 cup rolled oats ( not instant)Mine has some flax seed in it.
2 cups flour ( whole wheat is best but mine is mixed)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup or molasses
1TBS ground agricultural mineral block or equivalent

Mix your dry ingredients together then add the wet...get right in there with your hands and blend well!

With a Tablespoon..scoop out and place spoonfuls on your dehydrator trays..

 ( you may want to brush the trays with a bit if oil first) You CAN do this in an oven also..just place the scoops on a parchment lined cookie sheet...Dehydrate at your highest setting until dry and crispy! Or in an 150-170 DF oven until the same.

Like I said..if you have the time, patience and the GRASS..you can make this as a replacement food for your rabbits..but otherwise..they make an AWESOME treat that your rabbits ( AND GOATS) will love you for!

CHEERS!!

Something different...Making my own Rabbit food!

Rabbit Cookie Recipe

8 Cups finely chopped grass ( weed killer and fertilizer free)
2-3 cups flour
1&1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cored and finely chopped apples
1 cup molasses and/or PURE maple syrup
1 TBS ground mineral block ( broke off a piece of the mineral block I use for my goats and ground it in the spice grinder)
Mix all ingredients and press firmly into muffin tins.
Turn out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for several hours..until completely dry.  If you have a dehydrator I would recommend using it.

I Do have commercial feed for my rabbits..However I like to give them treats..and this is a healthy snack that has most is not all they will need for a healthy diet.  I will add these to their diet gradually and see whether or not they like it..and also to see if their digestive systems will tolerate it well..if so..I may just make my own from now on.  These Rabbits are my breeding stock for my meat rabbits.  Therefore I want them to have healthy and tasty nutritious food. So I will update this blog in a few days after I have tried them out!

Cheers!

The NEw Babies!

I Missed the whole thing!!

                      Presenting Clover and Blossom!!

I missed it all..Being shopping day..I went shopping..came home had a nap..went to the barn to check on things..and there they were..As pretty as flowers and twice as sweet..both girls..as far as I can tell...I washed mums udder and being her first time I had to tie her up to  let them latch on..but I am hoping she will clue in fast!!  Do I look like I gave birth myself or what? Can you see me with Grandbabies??

Isn't Life a WONDER???

Here are a couple of new photos!

CHEERS!!

Spring ...HOLD ME BACK!!

Counting my Blessings!!

Tomorrow is May 1st 2011!!
I am SO very excited..and despite the fact that I am still recovering from surgery..I am eagerly looking forward to year two of our journey towards becoming more self sustainable!  I say MORE self sustainable because only having a half acre..we cannot truly go full throttle..but other than animal feeds..and grains..we are hoping to come pretty darned close!

The Garden is going to almost DOUBLE in size this year..and also..getting creative with our growing space..such as container gardening for Squash and potatoes...

This is one of my containers that I have planted potatoes in..it came with the house and is an inside out tire...We have put mulch and compost in the bottom..black earth..seed potatoes..then compost and earth mixed on top! Then there are my tomato plants which I am growing in hanging containers...

For Now they hang in My porch Waiting for a couple more weeks of warm weather!

We have a new flock of chicks that will be laying in September.

Three Goats one of which we are hopping is pregnant...A young steer who will soon be big enough to butcher...3 Turkey chicks on order and 40 meat chicks also coming in that order...I have two new little black currant bushes ( will take 3 years to produce..but I am patient) and two new beehives with the bees on order!

And this spring we even tapped our few maple trees and got some of our own maple syrup!

We Now have rabbits for breeding..Which has more than one benefit..as
Rabbit droppings having the highest nitrogen content of any of the commonly available barnyard manures, such as cow, horse, pig, etc. There is the meat which we enjoy..and the fur I am determined to learn how to process.

They are all now properly housed in the barn and Have lovely pine nesting boxes to sleep in at night...I was just out there and raked out from under their cages and spread it on the garden! Tomorrow the rest of the muck, straw and trampled hay from the steer pen is getting spread on the garden.

I would say my life is pretty much WONDERFUL!!! I am a lucky lady.
For those of you who can watch videos..Here is a tour!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjcaCgwmDIM

I hope everyones lives are as blessed as mine!! And I hope you enjoyed this Blog Entry!!

CHEERS!!

The Barn!

The Barn is Done!

Well Folks..I promised an update and here it is!! The barn is Done and we have 3 Goats in one of the pens..being as we only have a half acre..the barn is small..but it more than fits our needs! It was mostly built by my husband..but on July 10th Family came and helped lay the floor..start the fence and build the hay loft doors! The ground floor is 12x18..the main part being 12x12 with two 6x6 box stalls.

The one on the left holds tools and hay right now..and the one on the right houses the 3 billy goats gruff..you can just see Tweedle Dee peeking between the slats of the door! The left stall will House a one month old calf come Sunday!

Here are pictures from start to finish!

There is is Folks! Isn't it a beauty?? Complete with a 50' by 50' fenced Paddock for them to romp in!!

Took just a little over a month to complete..with my husband working evenings and weekends!

Cheers!

Since This was posted..we have a new occupant in the barn!!

Meet Red!

Livestock!

Goats and Turkeys and CHickens... OH MY!!

Well I'ts happening folks! The small Goat barn is rising...

And It is going to be wonderful! Howie has been working on it almost every night after work and most of the weekend!

Last night went went and bought the fence posts to fence in part of the front wooded area!

Last week we visited my new friend lynn..she raises goats and is arranging the purchase of two Alpines for me from a friends of hers.  I can't WAIT to start making Goats milk yogurts and cheeses!!

In other news I have 6 turkey poults!

Three are large whites that came from the hatchery and are almost 3 weeks old...

And Three more hatched from my incubator..they are a heritage turkey..they will not grow as big..but but they lack in size..they will make up for in flavour and beauty!

For those of you who don't already know..the chicken chicks I hatched and was raising for meat we invaded by a weasel..and out of 10 birds..I have two left.  They will soon be going into the hen house as a part of the laying flock..and a very kind lady down the road who is ordering a large flock of meat chicks..has kindly offered to sell me ten at the beginning of next month!

So my freezer will not lack!  Also in the fall my lady friend who raises goats..also has a dairy farm..and has consented to selling us a hind quarter of beef in the fall...we had decided to no longer eat beef because we could not find anyone local to buy from..and also..because the meat in the grocery store..more often came from the US..and we don't agree with their feeding and raising methods of "beef for sale"

But this beef is Hay and grass fed and after having a sample of it..we wanted some.

CAN"T WAIT!! 

On a final note..last night while we ate dinner..a bid old wild turkey came sauntering out of the bush into our yard..and walked straight up our driveway! He was to fast or I would have caught him on camera..but Having raised turkeys in the past..I would say he weighed WELL over 25 pounds!!

Welcome to PARADISE!

Anyway I will update the garden section later today!

CHEERS!