The serious shed prep can finally BEGIN!!!
Last October my mom and sister and I got into a car accident (someone else's fault), which resulted in several trips to the chiropractor over several months for my mom and I due to minor injuries. We've been waiting since then for a large insurence settlement to buy my shed, since we can't afford it otherwise. Well, TONIGHT my mom is picking up the settlement and we can finally start thinking seriously and working on getting the shed!!! I hope to have it installed and ready to go by the end of July!
I've been waiting for my shed since I first got rabbits in 2012....and even before that, when I was dreaming of getting into raising and breeding rabbits in 2010! So you can definitely say that this shed is a long time coming. I'm drawing plans and starting to think seriously about it...it's surreal to me that it's actually starting to happen. It won't really sink in until the rabbits are all settled in their new home and it's all complete.
Below is a picture of the beginning workings of the plans. I have so much fun thinking about this stuff and planning it all out. Don't mind my sloppy writing and horrible drawing skills ;) The triangle in the back will be a tarp hanging outside the shed, for extra storage space. Each 1/4in square represents a foot - the shed will be 10ft x 12ft, and hopefully will have around 21+ cages eventually. I like how everything is pretty open at this point and I can always add more cages later.
Okay, not onto some rabbitry updates!
On the 17th and 20th I bred three does (which is the most I've ever bred!) - Butterfly, Angie, and Clementine on the 20th. I'm not sure Butterfly is pregnant - I think I saw her nesting today and usually nesting this early in the pregnancy is a sign of a false pregnancy. I'll wait a month just in case but if she's not pregnant, I'll show her on July 23rd and then breed her right after that. She needs to get pregnant though because I need more babies from her and Wicket, and it's been almost 7 months since her last litter was born....and usually you don't want to wait that long.
But the other two does are doing good and right on schedule. Angie seems to be pregnant, I weighed her today as well as palpated her and I think I felt some kits, although she was very sensitive around her belly (she usually isn't). She also gained 2oz! Typically around this stage of gestation they haven't gained anything, but she hasn't been eating more than normal so if this trend continues and she continues to gain weight steadily, she's definitely pregnant! With her last litter she gained 4-6oz and had 6 kits.
Butterfly has not gained any weight (which like I said, is normal for this stage in gestation), but I think I felt something when I palpated her. I thought I felt something last time I palpated her too, with her false pregnancy, but it felt a little different this time...we can only wait and see.
Clementine is only 8 days along so it's too soon to weigh or palpate her. I'll palpate and weigh her when I get back from vacation, along with the other does as well for a second time to double-check. I really hope all three does are in fact pregnant, because now that I'll have my shed by the time the kits need to be weaned, I'll have enough space to grow some out and breed more does.