Georgiana, a Doe

Daisy has just branched out to true dairy goats, and now has a herd of one Saanen doe. Georgiana has never been bred, but that will happen in February in hopes of a July kidding, then plenty of goat milk.

 Daisy still has her two little Nigerian dwarf friends--a wether, and a female too tiny to breed. Milking a goat will be taking her responsibilities to the next level, for sure.

And thanks everyone for your kind wishes to Bella and Arthur! We are so happy to welcome him to our family. Stay tuned for wedding details . . .

Daisy Shows Dulcie

A Very Full Day of Rabbits

Meat pen competition.

So much suspense.

And then a very good placement!

She also showed her Dutch, some mini-satins, and competed in showmanship--and won the big purple rosette there, a dream come true.

Her friend Laney is more about chickens than rabbits. Her turn comes tomorrow.

First We Shave a Goat

Daisy is gearing up for the county fair, where she will be fully engaged showing chickens, rabbits, and Dulcie (see above), as well as serving as a Fair Ambassador for 4H, which means she will assist with a horse show, a hog show, chicken and rabbit check-ins, etc.

 It boggles my mind that three years ago she was a wondering, big-eyed little girl gazing admiringly at the fair exhibits, and now she's wearing cowboy boots and helping run the world.

The Rabbit Barn Looking Nice

Daisy's new rabbit barn sits nicely tucked into an unused corner of the yard behind the fig tree, and right beside the vegetable garden.

The Composer did a great design job, using inexpensive hardware store materials in a way that's actually quite elegant--see the "skylight" panel inset into the metal roof. Next up, the rows of cages for the rabbits.

Little Bit of Barn, Lots of People

Our barn-raising weekend started the night before with plenty of hot tea and love from Sister.

Then it was up early to build a barn for these Dutch rabbits! Jonathan is halfway through vet school but will never know enough about rabbits to satisfy Daisy . . . .

The guys broke ground behind the fig tree. 

Measure twice, strip the sod once.

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Arthur and Daisy dealt with a little backlog of manure in the barns. Goats and chickens needed some housecleaning.

Molly and Tia were assigned to the Universal Assistants crew. Apparently no one needed any help.

Until they did. Bella ran the kitchen. Girls, there's pimento cheese to make.

Emma ran back to the stone house for forgotten tools.

I have no idea what is happening here. 

It took almost all day to get the frame in, cement poured, and everything square. When they quit for dinner, the rafters were also in place. There was so much trigonometry going on in the yard.

By late afternoon some people needed a break . . .

  . . . and some had actually earned one :)

Dutch Babies

Daisy's baby rabbits are impossibly cute.

Chunky, rounded, healthy, bright-eyed, and active.

It strains the imagination, but they are actually more appealing by the day.

Daisy's New Rabbit Chapter

Daisy dipped her toes into rabbit-world with the purchase of two pet-quality lionhead males. They very quickly became Not Enough and also Not Show Quality, so she found them good homes, and began her quest for excellent rabbits she can show at competitions. 

She decided that Dutch rabbits (above) and Mini Satins (below) are the rabbits for her.  A week ago she got a breeding pair of Dutch, and yesterday the doe gave birth to NINE babies. The best of these will go to the fair in September, and the others will get sold as pets or eaten.

We're lucky to have a very active and educated 4H rabbit community around here. So even though the Composer and I don't know much about rabbits, Daisy has all the help she needs.

Everyone Is Getting Bigger