Rabbits, squirrels, piglets

I worked last night to put a wire bottom in one of the rabbit hutches I had bought online. They were cheap enough that I thought they would be a good deal but they are not quite what I expected and they lacked any type of floor other than a pull-out tray. So, I took the time to finish out the one that we have assembled so far. Now, when we pull the tray out for cleaning, the rabbit in the hutch will not fall to the ground. They will work for young rabbits and possibly for pregnant mommies but with the size of rabbits Mama and Victoria have, they will house only one rabbit at a time. Hopefully, I will assemble another one tonight and get the floor in it as well so we are ready for the young females Lin wants to give to us. Mama is excited about the exchange – chickens for rabbits – but I know what is coming as she breeds the rabbits. Very soon we will be where Lin is now; too many rabbits for the space we have to house them. One of Lin’s females recently had a litter if eight and another is raising a litter of ten. He has four cages. We will have five, but at least we have time to get prepared before the females he is giving us will be breeding age – two months at least.

I had to shoot four squirrels over the weekend. I tolerate them as long as they are away from the house but once they get close to the house or the well house, I dispatch them. Mama decided to take down the bird feeder that was attracting them so I would not have to eliminate so many. I believe the young ones I have recently put down are offspring of this year’s litters – and there are a lot of them. I have eliminated a lot of them and yet it is difficult to tell that it has made any difference. There are still several in each of the treed areas across the farm. I guess this was a good year for squirrel reproduction. I know of at least sixteen that will not be around to reproduce this year. Sad, but necessary.

Mama is off on a shopping adventure today. She left the house early to make several stops in Denton. I remember some of what she told me she was going to do but most of it is quick stops for an item or two at a select number of stores. The big stops are at Sam’s and Panera’s. But there are stops at several clothing places, Bath and Body Works (I cannot even go into that store because the smells are too strong for me) and a couple places at the mall. She will be worn out by this afternoon when she gets home.

We have company coming this evening to see the piglets. Brittany Wycoff thinks she wants to buy at least one of the piglets so she is coming over to get the pick of the litter. I am elated that anyone wants them and I will be even more excited when they all have new homes. For now though, they are far too small to leave their mommy – who, by the way, is a good mommy to her litter but a very mean mommy towards us. On Saturday, I was helping one of the little one get back onto the building so it could be with Tilly and when it squealed - very loudly – she came after me with a vengeance. I had to take the shovel that I happened to be holding and smack her soundly in the snout to get her to back off. I am not offended that she is protective over her brood, but I do not want her to harm Mama in any way.

Mama is less mobile than I am…and that is not saying much these days.