People like me!

Tonight as I was leaving work, this little reminder popped up on my iPhone.  (I'm not sure how this happened, because usually my phone doesn't alert me for anything.  Perhaps my smart phone new I was sad yesterday...)  The phone was reminding me about an informational meeting for an event called EarthFest.  I was intrigued, and only 1.5 miles from the event, so I drove down to the meeting spot, nervously went in and WOW!

EarthFest is an event that was held last year in Dayton, Ohio and had nearly 1,000 visitors and over 30 free workshops on everything from bee keeping to lasagna gardening and a bunch of stuff in between.  It's an all day affair and sounds absolutely amazing.  I volunteered to teach a class on backyard meat animals, if they have workshop space still available, and I won't lie the thought of helping others learn to be more self sustaining excites me.

Perhaps the coolest part of the evening was meeting the 20 some people that were there with the same interests as me!  I met other urban farmers, beekeepers, pottery enthusiasts, and even other chicken keepers.  (And this was just the people I was able to talk with, there were more people that I didn't get to interact with, but I will next time!)  And one very kind woman, Mandy, invited me to meet with a group of urban farmers that are meeting this weekend.  I am pretty excited!  And to think, I thought I might be bored without dog rescue.....

Responsible Meat Eater

My passion in life from the time I was 5 years old has always been animals.  I have loved them since before I can remember, and I was always that kid that brought home every stray that need a warm place to sleep, and a meal to fill it's starving belly.  As I grew into adulthood that part of me never changed.  I still bring home every stray in need.  Anyone who knows me, knows my passion and I can't think of anyone who would question that.  Because I write about my farm life and rescue on my blog, sometimes I catch heat from equally passionate people behind the scenes.  These people don't always agree with the fact that I raise animals for my consumption.  Thankfully I have broad shoulders and I am able to take whatever comes my way via passionate people.

Usually when dealing with these passionate and somewhat radical people, I can internalize and remind myself "it is all for the animals", however I am really struggling with this issue this week.  I was contacted by an animal advocacy group over the weekend and was asked to help with the seizure and removal of several hundred animals, including many farm animals.  I told them I would help, but after the conversation I felt like I was being judged by the organization because I eat meat and raise my own animals to sustain my life.

In the end, although I was literally 1/4 mile down the road from the seizure, they declined my help.  I would be lying if I said that my feelings weren't hurt and I wasn't offended.  Here is an animal advocacy group that I have worked with several times on recent situations, questioning my ability to foster animals all because I eat meat.  I felt like I was being compared to the cast of Twilight.  "Don't let her foster your animals or she might eat them!"  I don't like having my love for animals questioned anymore than they like to eat meat!

As strange as it sounds, it is my love of animals that makes me want to farm.  For many years I was a vegetarian.  I wasn't a vegetarian because I didn't like meat.  I was a vegetarian because I hated factory farming.  I did not want to eat meat that had been stuffed into cages, never being allowed to touch grass.  I did not want to eat eggs from chickens with physiological issues due to living in small cages, with wire bottoms and no sunlight.  I did not want my dietary choices to contribute to the cruelty of animals.  It wasn't good for my soul.

It is because I love animals that I choose to raise my own meat.  I have to know my food personally.  In my opinion that is the only way to farm.  I want to know my dinner from birth to death and everywhere in between.  It is imperative that I know where my animals come from, ensure that they were treated kindly and that they were respected.  I have to know that they were free to run around, feel the grass under their feet, the sun on their back and that they, in the end were thanked for giving their life to sustain me.  I am not the type of person who doesn't know how they die either, and even that has to be humane.  I have watched this process several times, and am comfortable in the fact that I was with them until the end and they don't suffer.  I do not take any aspect of this farm for granted.  It isn't my style and it isn't why I do this.  I farm to nourish myself and my family with whole food that was raised in a humane environment.  So don't get mad at me and shun me because I eat meat.  I am being a responsible consumer.  Do you think less of the person who works along side of you as a volunteer and buys her chicken from her grocer's freezer?!  I think not....

I would be a poor excuse of a person if I didn't treat these animals with the same love and respect that I feel I deserve myself.  The fact that I eat meat bears no prediction on my desire or ability to rescue animals.  Just as these people are concerned for animal welfare, I am too!

Sweet Sustenance

In my last life I never worried much about the weather.  It didn't matter to me if we had a flood or drought.  I bought all of my food from a grocery store and the only livestock I was feeding were a few dogs and cats.  All of your views suddenly change though when your food and the food of your livestock depends on the weather.

Last summer I became obsessed with the weather.  We suffered from a drought for most of the summer and it really affected the corn and hay production.  In fact, there was hardly a second hay cutting period due to the lack of rain.  As I watched my friends in the northern part of the state pay $10.00 a bale for decent mixed hay, I started to get nervous.

I started calling other horse owners and farmers trying to secure hay to get me through the rest of the fall and winter.  I could only compare this game of cat and mouse to the days of Beanie Babies.  Remember those?  We all thought we would strike it rich by collecting those things and we would stand in line for hours to get the newest poly-fiber filled stuffed toy.  I was so stupid then,  I couldn't use those stuffed animals for anything, but hay?  That is needed to sustain the horses and rabbits for life!  Luckily, I was able to secure 90 bales of nice quality grass hay for $3.75 a bale.  Quite the deal for peace of mind and sustenance!

This has been enough to feed the rabbits and horses since late summer, and I am hoping it will be enough to feed them until the first cutting this year.  Tonight we pulled down and stacked the last of the hay for 2012.  36 bales of the sweetest smelling hay I have ever laid hands on.  Peace of mind never smelled so good!

And the winners are!

Thank you everyone for your submissions!

The winners of the Name the Bunny Contest are:

Barb Hladick with the name Beenie for the brown rabbit and Erica Arnett with the name Genevieve for the white rabbit!  Congrats ladies and send me your addresses so I can get your soap out to you!  

Contest: Name The Bunnies!

6 days old and huge!

Last month I wrote about our New Zealand doe, Andrea, who was making a nest and was obviously in labor.  I went out the next morning fully expecting a nest full of babies and there was no babies in the nest.  This confused me because in all my years of having rabbits I have never had a doe go through all of the trouble of making such an elaborate nest and not have any babies.  I waited a week because the gestation of a doe is 28-32 days, and I just wanted to make sure there was no possibility of babies.  On day 38 when I went to take the box out, up jumped a baby bunny!  Scared the bejeezus out of me!

Andrea had two babies, one white and one fawn, and they were huge!  These 2 kits have made me laugh ever since they have been born because they are so advanced for their age.  It is as if they were born 1 week old!  Their eyes were open on day 5, which is about 5 days earlier than normal.  They were out of the nest box at 9 days old, which is about a week earlier than normal, and they were using a water bottle at 2 weeks old! I have never seen anything like these two girls, and they need names!  So, what can you folks come up with for 2 very smart/active/female bunnies?  If I pick your bunny name you will win a bar of homemade soap!  Winners picked on Thursday Nov. 6th, so come out and vote for your favorite bunny name!  

I am Emily, and I approve this message!

Autographs and a Fountain Coke

This morning was supposed to start off uneventful enough, however as soon as my alarm sounded I knew that was not going to be a reality.  I was running very late taking Katzya to school, so I quickly threw a sweatshirt over my pajamas, a headband in my hair, and drove her to school in all my glory.  If you can picture this, my hair resembled a Brillo pad that had been caught in the garbage disposal.  It was a hot mess! I had no time to brush my teeth, and I was wearing pajama pants that were adorned with some outlandish cartoon characters on them.  I was honestly a fair candidate for one of those People of Walmart photos.  

After dropping Katzya off at school I decided I would run past McDonald's for breakfast in order to speed up my morning routine.  As I pulled up to the speaker one of the women that I have known for years says, "I didn't know you were famous!"  I laughed and was a bit confused.  At the window, another woman said: "Hey, are you Emily?"  I confirmed that I was indeed Emily, and was slightly confused as to how she knew my name.  (I am still half asleep at this point and the fountain Coke has not kicked in yet...)  She excitedly tells me that she saw me on television Thursday night, and she was very excited about the blue eggs that I was talking about.  I immediately knew that the urban farm documentary they had taped here at my house must have been on the air!  I thanked the woman for her kind words and drove to the next window where another woman exclaimed, "It is you!  Can I have your autograph?!"  Of course, like the half asleep but still quick witted person that I am, I quickly replied: "Seriously?!"  I realized right away she was serious and signed the paper that she handed me.  Stellar!  This is how I look the moment people determine that I am worthy of signing their napkins?!  

For those of you that have asked, and those of you that just want a good laugh I have added a link to my video interview below.  (Click on the picture of the rock, Mom!)  Minus my hair, I think it turned out pretty well....

Video and show credits go to Whitney Davis at KIT-TV.

Babies are a comin'

Went out to the barn tonight to put all of the livestock to bed, and one of our New Zealand does (Andrea) was making a nest.  She was also showing very obvious signs if being in labor.  Tomorrow morning I should have baby bunnies when I go out to feed!  I will keep you posted and  I will for sure post pictures if she allows me too.  I am sort of curious about this girl as I palpated her and did not feel any babies.  There must be something in there because rabbits don't usually go through all of the work of making a nest to be wrong.

life is hard, death is harder

On Sunday, one of our rabbits gave birth to a single kit.  She didn't pull hair or make a nest.  She didn't get her milk in.  (I can feel that there are other kits in there, but so far she has not had anymore babies and the vet said there is really nothing that can be done except wait.)  My plan was to separate this little guy from the doe since she didn't want anything to do with him yet, wait for her to kindle the other kits and then put him back in with the rest of the litter.  I had been having one of the Angora does, Wooly Wilma, foster and feed him.  Things were looking okay, I thought....

We went out tonight to check on him and he was not doing well.  He was crying and he was cold.  I knew there wasn't much that we could do for him.  We tried to warm him up, we talked to him, prayed he would have a peaceful journey, and waited.  It wasn't long until he passed away in Katzya's hands.  I don't question why he died because I know that all life means death, the question is always: when?  Evidently he wasn't meant for this Earth right now.  

The hard part is looking back and wondering, did I do something wrong? Could I have done something different to save this one?  The hardest part though is looking at the tears streaming down your child's face as she tells her little friend goodbye.  Sometimes life is hard on a farm, but death is even harder.