Ravencroft Rabbitry & Urban Homestead

Stumbling my way through this life, cracking one egg at a time.

Month: November 2024

  • August 2024, and how it ended with challenges

    Summer, 2024. I had so much to do. Garden with struggling a little with unpredictable changes in weather, but over all, was probably my best yet. Rabbits were thriving, and I was in the middle of planning deck repairs and new hutches.

    Until…

    Work. You know the place where we go to support our habits? Yeah, that place.

    I work in a pulp mill, and I run an assortment of heavy equipment. I love my job. But on August 24th, in the middle of troubleshooting a vital piece of equipment, I stepped down, and turned my left ankle.

    Badly.

    To the point that I fell to the ground.

    Finished my repairs (though screaming through the pain, it’s ok, it’s a very noisy work environment), and ended up at the emergency room an hour later. Avulsion fracture… that’s when the tendon rips a piece of bone right off your ankle.

    Six weeks in an air cast, then physio. The air cast aggravated a previous pelvic injury to the point of being in agony 24/7. Clearly, the summer/autumn plans vanished in a puff of smoke.

    I did manage to harvest a good haul of potatoes, and the tomatoes were pulled still green, and ripened inside. Not ideal, but it was ok. Still got my zucchini and herbs, though the carrots went feral, as did the beets and chard. Whoops!

    Obviously, the deck still needs to be repaired, and new rabbit hutches will happen in the spring. I struggled, but I also learned. A lot.

    Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will my homestead.

    PS- rabbit manure is gold. Eight tomato plants yielded over 150 lbs of tomatoes.

  • Champagne d’Argent – my breed of choice

    I spent the better part of a year researching before I decided on the rabbit breed I wanted to bring home. As someone who aspires to have an urban homestead, I knew I wanted a breed that was hardy, had an exceptional temperament, and grew quickly with good feed to meat conversion.

    Granted, I think I had only eaten rabbit once of twice prior to this adventure, but that did little to slow me down.

    In addition to the points above, I also wanted something that wasn’t too common, and was a heritage/heirloom breed. Oh yeah, and multi-purpose was another advantage.

    The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes 52 breeds of rabbits, in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. I narrowed my choice down to American Chinchilla, Silver Fox, and Champagne d’Argent. Ultimately, I went with the Champagne, after being able to locate an excellent breeder within my province.

    Armed with my research, I soon found myself with a pedigreed trio (two does and a buck, each with a 3 generation family tree). That was spring of 2023; and that year we had 12 kits. In 2024, we produced 26.

    As part of my goal, a good portion ended up in the freezer, and were later used in soup, stew, stir-fry and more. Some hopped on to new homes, joining new rabbitry breeding programs. The one thing I had not expected to happen, was to show my stock… but I did, and I did well! Further to that, I expanded my rabbitry genetics, and imported fresh stock from the eastern United States.

    Of course, it wasn’t without occasional struggles. Sometimes does fail to become pregnant, and extreme weather poses additional challenges along the way. I always strive to do the best that I can in any situation.

    I’m very much looking forward to what 2025 will bring with the Ravencroft rabbits. Follow along for updates!

  • Who am I?

    I suppose, all things considered, this should be my first post.

    Who am I?

    Once upon a time, close to two decades ago, I was young, single, and full of big ideas. I left my home on Vancouver Island, and relocated to a small acreage in a tiny community called Baker Creek, in the Cariboo regions of British Columbia. Man, do I have stories from those times! I had horses, goats, chickens, sheep, dogs, cats… quite the menagerie! After a few years there, I bought a piece of raw land, and built a cabin – completely off grid. As much as that was my plan for my permanent homestead, well… life happened.

    I got married, moved into town, had a couple kids, and less than a decade later, found myself a widow. Which, one way or another. brings me to where I am today.

    I live in town, a typical urban lot in a suburban setting, surrounded by other houses and lots of people. Do I still dream of the days where I was living in the northern wilds? Heck yeah, I sure do! But for now, I’ll do what I can, raise my kids and try to teach them the same skills my dad taught me.

    City bylaws allow me to have four hens, so long as they are housed in accordance with the regulations set forth. Eggs are great, except for our long, cold winters – with impacts egg production in a big way. So, as much as I love my chickens, they are more suited to entertainment and compost assistance than feeding my family (in the winter, anyway).

    But rabbits… I did not see any mention of rabbits in the bylaws. Rabbits are quiet, don’t smell, and produce the most amazing garden manure ever. So a total win for me!