Homestead Worries

Today’s post will divert from the usual writing stuff. My rabbits are kept in a small shed with an air conditioner and screened vent windows. They are kept at just the right temperature, get plenty of sunlight with the glass windows and plenty of fresh air. That said, we have a really bad biting fly issue around here. Living by a dairy, it’s even worse than you can probably imagine. The whole neighborhood has problems with them. Anyways, I have put sticky traps on the windows, there are fly traps (2) hanging on the back side of the shed and I keep a pretty clean rabbitry. I ordered a solar bug zapper and it finally arrived. I am so thankful because it just seems to be getting worse. The flies that manage to get in lay eggs and that’s what we really don’t want, for them to lay eggs in the rabbitry where the new flies will bite the most, the rabbits themselves. Today, with the “help” of my oldest daughter, I cleaned the rabbit pans and added cedar chips as a top layer to the bedding, which helps deter insects in general and a good sprinkle of Diatomaceous Earth, a natural pest control. It doesn’t help with flies themselves but I think it helps with the larvae that do hatch. The tiny particles can shred vulnerable bugs like slugs and larvae, or so I’m told. 😂 Anyways, I have to wait until bedtime to mount the bug zapper, and I can not wait. Those effers bite me too when I am in there taking care of the rabbits. And they hurt just as bad as mosquitos do. 😠

In other news, there’s a big possibility that our youngest goat, Lily (the white one) is pregnant and not fat. 😟 I’m not prepared for a goat delivery. I’m sure we have at least two or three more months before anything actually happens but in order to really know for sure, we would have to get an ultrasound. So there’s really nothing to do but wait and see. Her weight isn’t too bad to be concerned anyways and she’s a happy healthy goat, so I’m not going to worry about it until any of that changes.

Right now, my older kids are playing nicely together on the back porch, where the temperature is perfect and the shade is still covering them. It’s gorgeous outside right now. This town might be small and a lot of things might be closed on Sundays, but I love our little homestead.

Annnd the moment’s gone. Time to go stop my son from writing on the screen door with orange chalk. 🙄

Have a Good Friday tomorrow, everyone!