Captain’s Log - Bunnies and Chickens at the Boyer Bunny Ranch

I got a new bunny. She’s a Satin Angora, and her color is officially lilac. So, of course, her name is Lilah.

The other Boyer bunnies are English Angora, with fancy face furnishings and ear tassels. And the two French Angora who are slightly crankier with rougher wool.

I didn’t know about Satin Angora until the National Rabbit Show was held in Reno a couple years ago. I walked into the Convention Center, which was completely filled with 50 different breeds of bunnies. In the Angora section, I got to see the German, French, English, and Giant, and then there they were — sparkling away, the Satins.

Who knew there was such a thing — bunnies with sparkly fur. How in the world??? And why didn’t I know about this before I went down the English Angora road?

At any rate, Lilah spent a few days acclimating with us in the house. The cats were instantly in love with her, and she was instantly in love with the Great Dane. She now joins her international friends in the bunny shed and has adjusted quite well. I’m looking forward to seeing how this shiny fur spins into yarn and how it will look if I blend it with the softer English fiber.

Directly after moving Lilah to the bunny barn, I noticed one of the hens was wide across the bottom and waddly. Upon closer inspection and a quick inquiry with Doctor Google, it appeared that the poor girl was suffering a fairly impressive case of vent fleet, an affliction of which I have been blissfully unaware until now. If you don’t know, don’t Google it. Trust me. It’s gross.

So, in came the hen, one of the few who has not yet been named, to the house, where I plopped her in the pet carrier to begin isolation and treatment.

Dr. Google recommended thorough cleaning and then a soak in a warm Epsom salt bath. Yes, picture that, if you will. But wait, it gets better. When you plop a chicken in the kitchen sink full of warm Epsom salt water, it resembles a duck taking off the surface of a pond as it squawks, flaps their wings, and tries to escape. In your kitchen. Wild flapping and splashing while you’re trying to soothe them and get them to settle in and enjoy it.

Then the question becomes, how do you keep them in there for 20 minutes to get the full effects? Well, after a quick assessment of the tools at your disposal, you simply place a cookie sheet and the breadboard over the sink with only the chicken head sticking out, and there you go. Spa day.

So while I nurse Queenie, you know, “fat bottoms make the rockin’ world go round,” back to health, we’ll still be right here…

…Keeping you Posted.

Rach