Thoughts, Plans, and Cogitations

I don't know if you're aware of this, but my blog silence sometimes indicates deep cogitations.  Well, sometimes, or about half the time, or at other times, maybe more like most of the time it does.  In any case, it recently does.

Are you lost?  I'm just saying that my recent blog silence is to be attributed to recent cogitations.  That's my vocabulary word for today.

Cogitations about what?

I'm going to tell you.

I think i go through stages.  Well, of course i do.  Everyone does.  The stages i'm talking about are in reference to this farming business dealio.  We'll expand and add and hatch things, and let things be born, and then get rabbits, and then......everything just has to hold still for a while to let us get a handle on things.  And then, after a while, things will be pretty much handled, the kitchen will get clean, the chicken coop will be pleasant (as chicken coops go), and then suddenly, we'll just really need to make some additions.  I've hit the add-something stage.

Friday, i was standing in the kitchen, washing dishes, ruminating on the satisfaction of meals made mainly from food we've grown or raised (which is quite a feeling), when my readiness welled up inside of me, and i decided, "it's time to get a milk goat and some bees!"  This was an important moment in my brain.  These have been goals of our for a very long time, but i haven't been ready to really tackle them until now.  Milk and honey would add so much more!

Bee Hives

Image Credit:  TassotApiaries

Nubian Milk Goat

Image Credit:  Dairy Goat Journal

When my hubby got home, i told him about my ruminations, and he agreed.  It's time for milk and honey.  But we need to build a fence first - at least before goats - and that's a couple of prioritized steps away from right now. 

O.k.

Then, on Saturday, i was reading a thread on BYC and saw a picture of some newly hatched ducklings, posted by a fowl-lover in Michigan, whom i know only as Kedreeva.

This is Ping, Kedreeva's micro duckling.

Image Credits:  Kedreeva

Is that not the cutest thing you have seen, ever?

I have not ever, in all of our musings and plannings of farming and food sovereignty and experimentation and general fun, EVER had any interest in raising a duck.  Ever.  Until now.

But suddenly, i really wanted to hatch some ducks and see them at my house.

So, i started reading about ducks.  In fact, i spent a large portion of Saturday, in my pajamas, reading about ducks.   First thing i learned is that most ducks don't like our weather.  Oh dear.  But then i found out that there's one breed of ducks, Muscovy, that's indigenous to Central and South America and handles our weather just fine. And then i found out all sorts of things about Muscovy ducks that made me think that they fit perfectly into our arrangement, plans, and outlook.  And then i got really excited!

My husband agreed that we could get some (like two) ducks if they didn't take away resources or preparations from our plans for the other animals.  And then i found someone who would give me Muscovy duck eggs for FREE, as soon as she has some.  I'm so excited.  I guess that should have an exclamation point.  I'm SO Excited!!!!!  There. That's better.

Muscovy ducks come in many different colors and varieties, but ours will likely look something like this.

Image from Craigslist Ad

Image from Craigslist Ad

I know.  Now you want some ducks too, don't you?

Enough about ducks (for now).  Because there are more cogitations to share.

This one is about rabbits.  I know.  We already have rabbits.  But this is about the improvement of their habitation.  We really know nothing about what we're doing except what we read and personally experience, right?  Well, we would like to raise our rabbits largely on the grass and vegetation that grows abundantly  around our property, but it is generally unsafe to "free range" your rabbits.  They might not come home, and they will probably have their babies someplace where you can't find them.  This makes the notion of raising rabbits for food kind of silly.  We had also read that if you let them live some place where the actual ground is their floor, they will probably dig out of it.  Harumph.

THEN, this weekend, i read something very exciting.  I read about real live people who have had great success keeping their rabbits in "rabbit tractors."  Like this.

Or possibly, like this.

These cute little shelters allow the rabbit owner (me) to pull the bunny to a new location every day, or when the vegetation runs out, so that the bunny always has fresh food to eat, and she doesn't have to live in a wire cage her whole life.  

I think i will be much happier about raising rabbits when i feel that they are living a more rabbit-like existence.  I will also spend less time dreading the chore of cleaning out nasty rabbit cages.

And hubby says this idea is great.  We'll add it to the plans asap.  Woohoo!

One more cogitation to tell you about (if you're still reading this).

Soap.

Image Credit:  Triangle.com

I'm going to learn how to make my own lye, and then i'm going to have to find someone who will give/sell me their animal fat, and then i'm going to make real homemade old-fashioned, soap.  I may start tomorrow, if i get a good night's sleep tonight.  That's very very exciting!  Don't get too excited though.  If i start tomorrow, and i make really good time, i might have actual usable soap in like 6 months or something.    I'll letcha know.

Very exciting stuff!  Now i'm going to go stare at my rabbits for a spell; maybe i'll tell them about rabbit tractors!