Its May and the pastures are brilliant green and the sheep and goats are fattening after a long hard winter. For now I have a much needed respite from soaring feed and hay bills (not to mention gas, food, utility and interest rates... and now, postage rates) .
We are all in the same boat. I am thankful that I live on the farm... and can grow my own food, produce my own dairy products, cut wood for the fire, and keep myself wrapped in warm fibers. There is no better time to be self reliant.

I also need to cut down the numbers I must feed over the winter, so will be downsizing where I can PLUS reassessing how I do things... trying to do things smarter and more economically. I will be sharing my ideas in upcoming newsletters, and begin this thread with a discussion on rabbit raising.

What does it really cost to produce an angora rabbit or an ounce of bunnywool? Be realistic . Do the math once a year and you may be surprised. An angora rabbit is not like meat or other pet rabbits. They have breed specific needs and are not as prolific as a meat rabbit. They also tend to be seasonal in their breeding habits, rather than year round.... but they can produce two saleable products: bunnies and wool.

Add up all the feed, vet, equipment costs and labor it takes in the rabbitry. You can amortize equipment like cages over say, 5 years. Then divide by the number of bunnies born. That is what it cost you to produce your rabbit crop. You might do the same for bunnywool produced. Can't charge that much for a rabbit or an ounce of fiber? Well then how can you reduce your overhead and improve your production (ie weaned and sold rabbits and bunnywool) so you can operate at a reasonable profit and your customer will get their money's worth too?

1. Comparison shop feeds... be sure to price it by the pound and make sure you are comparing similar protein percent feeds (different manufacturers have different weight bags and different formulations).

2. Look into alternative feeds (some which can be grown or foraged). You may be able to buy a cheaper (lower percentage protein) feed if you are supplementing with something you have readily available that makes up the difference. How about sunflower seeds or Alfalfa cubes?

8. Feed nursing does and woolers separately with appropriate feed. A nursing doe needs a higher protein feed than a wooler. But don't think you can produce good bunnywool on a meat rabbit ration. That would be a false economy.

1. Save more bunnies. Keep track of losses. Consider ways to avoid that loss in the future. Was it temperature or weather conditions? Poor mothering? Operator error? It is not unusual to lose as much as 50% of all bunnies actually born... strive to reduce that figure.

7. Consider a more protected nursery area for late winter/early spring litters. Provide wind breaks around new litters. Consider utilizing drop nest-type cages (these allow small escapee bunnies to return to the warmth of the nest)

On the sheep page you will find an extensive sheep salelist . I am going to cut back my herd from 50 to 30 if I can, so you will find Bluefaced Leicesters (registered purebreds and high percentage) , Hybrids, and Border Leicesters on offer. I will be wethering any ram lambs that are not sold this month and putting them to fleece production. I have always known that a wether flock was the smartest way to go for a handspinner. I am thinking of putting that to the test. Those fleeces are worth their weight in gold! Especially with the price of gas expected to hit $4 or more this summer... I want the sheep to do my mowing this year. I have been patching up and placing new fencing so that I can utilize the grassy area behind the house and around the driveway. Having additional places to rotate my sheep will enable me to extend my grazing time (and save hay) this coming year. Why throw foreign oil at it when I can instead throw my own domestic sheep at it, and turn grass into saleable product?

My goat page this month has Pygmy, Dairy and Colored Angora offerings on the goat salelist. More to be added next month. Have even a few goats on your pastures will keep them free of weeds and if you have never tried goatmeat, you should try it! Its good! The St Louis Post Dispatch recently had on the front page an article on raising meat goats. What great advertising for our industry! I plan on putting my extra meat goats in my own freezer instead of taking them to auction this fall (saving gas and money).

The latest bunnylist is found on the bunnypage. There are four more litters in the box that will be posted next month. For those of you near Springfield, Mo... I will be attending the Fiber Faire at Marshfield MO on May 17th and will be bringing bunnies! I can offer free delivery to this festival on prepaid rabbits.... but better let me know soon. I can only carry what will fit in my VW bug!

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Arthur Hernandez, my friend and local shearer. Arthur sheared for me when my husband was sick and I was overwhelmed. He carried news from farm to farm and brought laughter and much-needed assistance to all his "girlfriends", as he called them. Born in Texas, but longtime Missouri resident, he and his wife Beth were well known and loved in the spinning and weaving community. Arthur will be missed terribly.

The U.S. Postal Service has announced an increase effective May 12 for Express Mail, Priority Mail and other shipping services. Softening the blow of yet another postage increase, they have left the price of Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes the same: $8.95, and $12.95 for the large size. Other Priority boxes will enjoy a discount when purchase online. I will do everything I can to offer the most economical options for shipping your fleeces.

The USDA has a Livestock Compensation Program ( LCP) which compensates livestock producers for pasture losses occurring between Jan 1 2005 and Dec 31, 2007. You may wish to look into this at your local USDA office to see if your area qualifies.

Mark your calendars now for next year’s Fiber Retreat in Jefferson City--March 13-15, 2009 http://extension.missouri.edu/fiber/ Information should be posted on the website early-December.