More Bunny Pics (and Video!)

This morning I decided to take some "real" pictures of the new babies. Since I didn't want to leave my scent on them I used a clean pair of cloth gloves that I had rubbed in the mother rabbits fur to handle them. While I had the gloves on I tried to count them - but it's not easy! I think there are 8 or 9 in there. In a week or so it'll be easier because they'll be a LOT more active! They are only a day old but are already starting to get white peach fuzz all over their bodies. Surprisingly, they also make a LOT of noise! If you turn up your volume when you watch the video you should be able to hear them :)

We have BUNNIES!

Well, she's done it! This morning I was in the yard doing my morning rounds and I glanced at the rabbit hutch and saw PILES of white hair everywhere. I peeked into the nest box and saw them! I have no idea how many there are (there are at least 8 in there... maybe even 10) . I know the picture isn't that good but I didn't want to disturb them too much. Hooray!!

Egg Freshness

How do we know if an egg is fresh?

As an egg ages the air cell at the top (the fat end) of the egg enlarges - so an easy way to test the freshness of an egg is is to float it! The maximum suggested storage time for whole eggs in a carton is 5 weeks. You can store hard boiled eggs for 2 weeks.

This is also interesting:

Caloric Content of Eggs

• PeeWee: 47 calories
• Small: 56 calories
• Medium: 66 calories
• Large: 75 calories
• Extra Large: 84 calories
• Jumbo: 94 calories

How To Peel A Hardboiled Egg - The EASY way!

Instructions:

1. Cover the eggs with water and boil on low for about 12 minutes
2. Cool the eggs by placing them in cold water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ice. The baking soda raises the pH level and reduces adherence. If you choose not to use baking soda, be sure to move the eggs into cold water with plenty of ice immediately after boiling
3. Crack the top of the egg and remove a small piece
4. Crack the bottom (wide end) of the egg and remove a small piece
5. Hold the egg in your hand and blow vigorously into the narrow end of the egg, which will expel it out the wide end

Doesn’t get much easier than that! Just be ready to catch it when it comes out…

Here is a video to show you how... It's really amazing!

Our New Kitten

I forgot to mention in my last post that we got a new kitten! One of our cats dissapearred last month and our older cat Elvis just hasn't been the same... So my MIL was on the look-out for a new cat to bring home. She saw this little girl at the feed mill and told me to go pick her up! We've named her Molly and she is a SWEETHEART! Now we have two black cats... Aren't black cats supposed to bring luck?

She isn't allowed outside yet

She is getting ready to pounce

Here are Elvis and Lucky
Lucky has been gone for a month... We don't think he'll be back. :(

Edited 10/17/08 To Add: I found out from one of our neighbors that her female cat has Feline Leukemia and has had it for some time. This is the same female that Lucky had a litter with this summer. The last time we saw Lucky he had lost a LOT of weight, even though we were feeding him very well. So, we think he died from leukemia. Poor kitty... :( We will be getting Elvis and Molly vaccinated for this!!!!

Fall Is Here!

The leaves are changing, the nights are getting cooler and rooster are coming out of the woodwork! As it turns out we have 13 roosters!! Can you believe it?? I had to build a bachelor pen to keep some of them in so they weren't all pestering the hens. We are going to keep 5 roosters.. Most of the others are going to live with a nice older man who likes to keep roosters as pets. He has a lot of land and a chicken guarding dog to watch over them. But for now, they are staying in quarantine. We are keeping "Hans and Frans" the 2 big white easter eggers as pets who we will let roam around during the day.

The Bachelor Pad

Choo Choo with HIS emerging comb.
He has a tiny little crow too (we're keeping him!)

Rambo - He's going to be VERY handsome!

Hans or Frans... Can't tell them apart!!

Audrey Hepburn who THANKFULLY looks to be a hen!

Our still unnamed Danish Leghorn

Last but not least in my latest news... Cher looks like she is FINALLY preggers! She has been gathering up any straw or grass that we've given her and has been lining her nest box with it. She has never done this before so I'm HOPING we'll have some babies in the next week or so! Cross your fingers!!!

Here's "The Dane" again... I thought this was a funny picture...
Looks like he's sticking out a massive tongue!

Ok, even I think this is ridiculous...

Pet Your Chicken Over the Internet. Literally.

by Peter Mychalcewycz, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 9:44AM

Before anything else is said, we feel obligated to state the obvious: This is the single greatest technology ever created. Now moving on...

The geniuses at Mixed Reality Lab, Singapore, have devised away to provide your pet poultry with all the TLC it can handle, from wherever it is you might be. Simply put, they have made it possible to pet your chicken/rooster while away from home. How is this possible? We're soooooo glad you asked.

Essentially, this is an advanced, two-part cybernetics system that uses both visualization and tactile sensation to achieve its goal.

Part one is the office system. This consists of a "doll" (model chicken) which moves around on a mechanical positioning table. The doll moves around according to the actual chicken's movements in its respective location(your home, backyard, etc). The owner pets the doll. This leads us to part two.

Part two consists of a "pet dress" worn by the chicken which actually transmits tactile sensations to the chicken when the doll at your office is petted. When you pet the doll at your office, the chicken in your backyard gets the sensation of being touched. It's a real-time interaction. Cool right?

We understand there is probably no market for this, and frankly my dear, we don't give a damn.

(Swiped from www.switched.com)