Friday, May 14, 2010

we have a new baby!

....bunny, that is.


Maybe it's our impatience over what has felt like a very long pregnancy.  And we're definitely remembering the pets we grew up with, and the fun we had with them.  Whatever the motivation, we are on a roll lately with thinking up fun projects and changes for our family life. 

We went to a local feed store to check out the chickens.  (Yes, chickens!)  We'd like to have 2 - 3, for the yummy, organic eggs.  We aren't ready to take the plunge yet, but we're well on our way. 

While there, we also looked at the bunnies.  We've had a couple great rabbits in the past, and have the full set-up.  We keep them in the hutch for a while, until they are tame and settled in, and then they mostly run free in the yard.  We love looking out the window and seeing them hopping around in the grass, reveling in their freedom and room to roam. 

We hadn't told the kids we were considering buying one that day, so they were absolutely delighted when we picked out a cutie with the sweetest temperament and told them he was going home with us. 

Up bright and early, to check on bunny.
Letting bunny get used to them for a while.
Enjoying his sweet temperament.
Keandre, feeding bunny a flower.

Precious memories beginning already....

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

How exciting! We are happy for you. I also highly recommend chickens, but we would suggest you buy, or better yet, hatch some chicks! If you have a baby chick and bond with it and have it held a bunch when it is cute and fluffy then they are great pets that can even come when you call their name. Ours went for walks on leashes, and if we were gardening and saw a bug we would call them and they would run over and gobble the bug up. They are wonderful pets too! Have fun with the new furry friend. --Sandy

Andy and Kiara said...

Hey Sandy,

That does sound nice!!! Friends of ours are talking about getting 8 – 12 chickens (they have a huge yard), so maybe they could share their eggs while we wait for our chicks to mature. That was our main motivation in wanting to get mature chickens. They had VERY cute little chicks at the feed store, and the kids would have loved to get a few!

So, how do you go about training a chicken? ;)

Kiara

Britany said...

You are so sneaky in your announcement! Can't wait for the REAL baby to come!!! :)

Hope you are hanging in there!

Anonymous said...

Hello Kiara,
If you buy chicks it usually is about 6 months before they are old enough to lay eggs, at least the variety we had. As for training a chicken the main thing is that you handle them frequently so they are used to and like being by you. Also name them and call them by name and they get used to it just like any other pet. We put colored zip ties on their legs/ankles and cut off the extra end so it was just a colored ring to tell them apart. As long as they aren't real tight on their legs they don't really seem to notice them. We also left enough room to hook the leash onto the zip tie to take them for walks. With a leash you can really spend time one-on-one and get them used to walking by you and if you see a bug, point and they will find it a treat so they learn quickly to look right where you point because that is a real treat to them. If the kids turn some dirt/sod over for them they really like it. We are going to hatch some chickens this summer, but we won't be keeping the chickens. Our family used to eat over 200 eggs per month from our chickens. That is a lot of chickens and a lot of work and we are done for a while. :) We miss them as pets, though. Tootles, Sandy

Jenny said...

Hi Kiara,

How do rabbits fare in the heat outside during the summer? I grew up with rabbits, but that was in CA.


I'm excited for you!

Andy and Kiara said...

Hey Jenny,
It's a little trickier in the summer. If they are in a hutch, you have to really monitor them, and provide them with cool water, frozen water bottles to snuggle, and mist their ears with squirt bottled water (a new trick we just learned). Miss a day, and bunny could overheat and die.

Or you can choose to bring them inside for the hottest part of the day. That is what we're doing right now, while we work on taming and training the little guy. He's in a large (open) clear tub lined with paper bags, and he has a litter box. :) Once he's mostly running free, we have a cool corner of the yard, up against the house, where he can burrow to stay cool. The kids and Andy covered the area with a little brick and wood structure, so it's protected. We wet that area every couple days, and there is a little 'pond' (read: black concrete mixing tub) next to it with frogs & fish, and bunny drinks out of there and hides in the bushes that surround the 'pond'. Works out pretty good! We'll probably keep bringing him in on the hotter days, though, whenever we can. It's just more comfortable for them that way. Once they are tame, they are sweet to have around. The kids pet and hold him constantly when he's inside right now!

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