Now that we were all settled in with having chickens it was time to move on to preparing for the rabbits. Our main reasoning for rabbits (for now), is a novelty for the grandchildren. We wanted to give them an experience each time they came to visit, either visiting the animals or helping with “farm” chores. I did not want to become a grandmother that entertained them with the world, but with real-life education. Other reasons we have also found to have rabbits are for meat, their manure, and breeding for some income.  FIRST THINGS FIRST The first thing we did was locate two rabbit cages ($25 each) and fix…

I wanted to give my children (even tho they have mostly grown) an experience that they didn’t receive in the first half of their lives living in a city. I also wanted a place where my grandchildren and future grandchildren would love to come to and find it engaging and captivating, even if it was just a “backyard.” Raising chickens has been one of the most entertaining and inspiring things I’d ever done.  We devoted a little more time than we should probably admit to as we would watch them, sit and talk with them, and discuss and research them. The excitement of a new chicken owner is totally insane and…

Living in our backyard homestead is a rooster named “Mr. Darcy”. The name was selected by my girls who love Jane Austen. In fact, many of the animals you will find here are from characters in her books. When Mr. Darcy first came to Family Roots we added him in a pen with nine other hens that were totally satisfied to be doing their own thing. They had their own pecking order and ignored Darcy altogether. The way Darcy coped with the situation is an example well worth noting. He did not start leading his pack at first however, little by little, he began to take the lead. At first, when I…