Farm blog
This is Black Berry. He was our first investment while putting together the Homesteading 101 program.
If you’re going to breed meat rabbits it’s important to have a good buck.
Black berry is a mutt of mostly Silver Fox/New Zealand.
Silver Fox are known for their docile, gentle nature, thick black fur speckled with silver and they have a high "dress-out" rate, often yielding 60-65% meat from their live weight.
And on the other hand New Zealand rabbits are considered the "gold standard" for meat production due to their efficiency, rapid growth, and high-quality yield.
Fast Growth & Efficiency: Kits grow rapidly, typically reaching a harvestable "fryer" weight of about 3.5lbs by 8 weeks and 5lbs by no later than 10-12 weeks. Rabbits have one of the best feed-to-meat conversion ratios among livestock.
Meat Quality: The meat is all-white, lean, and tender with a mild flavor similar to chicken breast, making it highly versatile for various recipes.
So Black Berry has just turned 2 years old and is a proven buck, meaning that he has
already fathered several litters including our first litter for Homesteading 101.
When picking Black Berry out I carefully watched his breeder handle him.
I was so pleased to see Black Berry’s relaxed and calm demeanor when held. (Rabbits generally hate being lifted up since they are used to living on the ground floor it usually freaks them out.) Watching Black Berry’s behavior I saw he was comfortable being handled, had a trusting relationship with his humans and would be an excellent starting buck for our program.
Black Berry is approx. 12lbs and he loves apple slices.
Black Berry met his offspring and outstandingly he is a fatherly gentleman. I’ve seen him gently nudge and groom his kits with affection. This is not common behavior for a buck. Most bucks will simply ignore kits and some bucks do become aggressive towards kits.
To minimize the possibility of dangerous behavior it is common practice to keep a buck in their own pen and only let them interact in a larger enclosure under close supervision.
Come say hello to Black Berry during our Homesteading 101 class sessions and bring an apple slice!
Black Berry
Entry #1, Feb 22, 2026
Mary Lennox: "Might I," quavered Mary, "might I have a bit of earth?"
Lord Craven: "A bit of earth?"
Mary: "To plant seeds in—to make things grow—to see them come alive."
Lord Craven’s response: “You can have as much earth as you want... take it, child, and make it come alive”
This exchange from The Secret Garden captures Mary’s profound yearning for connection, purpose, and growth—both literal and emotional. Her request for "a bit of earth" symbolizes her desire to nurture life, transform her world, and reclaim agency after years of neglect. Lord Craven’s response—“You can have as much earth as you want... take it, child, and make it come alive”—marks the beginning of healing, renewal, and the garden’s magical transformation.
A Quest for Belonging.
Mary’s question—"Might I have a bit of earth?"—echoes a deeper plea: "Am I allowed to be here? Can I belong?" Claiming a patch of soil becomes an act of claiming space in the world. It symbolizes desire to take root, grow, and matter.
Nature as Healing.
The garden offers emotional and physical regeneration. Just as Mary revives the neglected garden, she herself transforms—from a sour, sickly child into one full of life. The earth becomes a metaphor for the soul: when tended, it blooms.
Creativity and Self-Discovery.
For many, "a bit of earth" symbolizes creative expression—writing, art, or any act of making something grow from nothing. We can each create, nurture, grow and enjoy the earth God has given us.
Every person needs their own small patch of earth—where they can plant hope, tend to their inner world, and grow. And this is just what we offer at Homesteading 101. The families get to have their own raised garden beds, the kids get to care for and name the rabbit kits we raise, we explore nature and find peace, ask questions, seek answers and we all get the time and space to create art.
I, for one, have been longing to have my own bit of earth and I am continuously grateful to our sponsors, donors & my friends and family that have made this program possible. To each of you, I say a resounding "Thank you!" from the bottom of my heart.
I’m happy to share this bit of earth and would love for YOU to join us!
Come cultivate your own patch of earth.
"If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden."
–Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden
your own
bit of earth
Entry #2, Mar 25, 2026
Upon evaluation day for our current litter of rabbit kits I used our main doe Butterscotch as demonstration for doing a health check when I found out she only had 5 nipples.
This is bad news.
A breeder doe should have 8-10 nipples.
I really like Butterschotch, she’s displayed excellent mothering instincts, protective behavior, likes to come up for treats, sits for pets and is generally calm/easy to handle.
If Butterscotch wasn’t already pregnant it would be easier to make the decision to cull her from our breeding stock.
“Well, this might be her last litter. If she can keep at least 10 alive and healthy, we will keep her- but I won’t be surprised if several kits pass away.” I told the class. There was a sigh of disappointment.
A good steward of the earth never wants to cull an animal, yet sometimes it is the necessary action to take.
Some might suggest that it would be kind to keep her alive and just sell her as a pet-but I’ve come to learn that people who view animals simply as pets seem to have less respect for their lives than the farmers and homesteader friends I have. We have all seen dumped and unwanted pets.
Perhaps it would be best to keep her in our loving care while she lives. Then when her time is up, to end it quickly and humanely. Utilizing all parts of her life for the purposes God created her- to serve and be of use to man.
No wondering if she’s being loved and cared for.
So what should we do- keep Butterscotch because she is a good mother in almost every other way or cull her from our breeding stock because her genes of having few nipples will be passed on to her offspring?
Oh Butterscotch, why?
Entry #3, Mar 28, 2026
Butterscotch had a whopping litter of 12 kits the night of March 25th.
On the first day of life two kits seemed on the scrawny side.
And remember- In a litter of 12 with a mother who only has 5 nipples- it is expected to loose a few.
On the 4th day of life (Sunday) the runt was failing. I knew it when I saw the strange way he stretched out his tiny front paws almost in slow motion.
As soon as the chores were finished I scooped up the runt and headed for the car. My oldest daughter Hazel was with me. “May I please hold him? He’s just so cute!” If you’ve seen a 4 day old baby bunny you might not call it cute… but Hazel was smitten! After she buckled up I let her hold him carefully in her sweater while we drove to Walmart to get kitten milk replacer.
One of the mothers in our homesteading 101 class had mentioned wanting to bottle feed the baby bunnies if they needed help.
Before I could call her to ask if she’d be willing I heard Hazel say “Mom I’m adopting this baby bunny. He can be a part of our family. You can adopt baby bunnies you know.” And “I will take care of him kindly with my soft gentle voice.”
My momma heart swelled with pride that my little three year old wanted to take care of and nurture this pitiful creature. “You know dear that he will probably die. We can take care of him the best we can but he might have to go back to heaven.” I firmly reminded. But oh how I wanted him to live and be her very own!
As we pulled into the Walmart parking lot Hazel said “I’m a little girl and I need a little pet. I will name you Rolly Polly!” She explained to me rolly polly was the perfect name because he liked to curl up.
In the pet section of Walmart I was comparing the crude protein and fat content of the various KMR available. One was filled with synthetic ingredients and so we bought the more expensive kind.
The bottle that came with the milk replacer had a nipple too large for this tiny runt so I used the smallest pipette I had. Upon arriving home Hazel and I set up a box with a heating pad, wash cloth and lid. Rolly Polly seemed to be pretty active so I warmed up some KMR and gave him a drop or two at a time. He drank a total of 7 drops and finally settled down with a round belly.
Every couple of minutes Hazel checked on him. Right before bed Sunday night Hazel came tugging on my sleeve “Mamma Rolly Polly is hungry! He is wiggling!”
I walked over to the box and saw a lifeless limp body.
“Oh. He is gone dear. Rolly Polly had to go back to heaven.”
The doubts came.
What could I have done differently? How could I have preserved his life? Was the temperature just right? Did Hazel handle him without my supervision? Did he have something wrong internally? Why did he have to go?
One less problem without you Rolly Polly, right? No. I wish you were still here, I would rather care for and worry over you than have you gone. But now you are home.
My girls and I have had several conversations about life and death. It is still a mystery why little innocent creatures have to die. So we buried his tiny body in our backyard and Hazel picked 2 dandelion flowers for the top of his grave.
Death is a natural part of this life on earth- so although I do not like death- I must teach my children about it in age appropriate ways.
One of the ways I choose to soften the blow of death is to teach my children about Jesus Christ and that one day all things, including little creatures we have loved, will be made new through him.
God created this beautiful world and he gave it to us to take care of. I truly do believe that Jesus Christ has the power of resurrection and will bless the world and all of nature to be reunited with those we love, even farm animals.
Look forward with hope.
Rolly Polly after he had passed
Rolly Polly held by my daughter Hazel
Butterscotch being our patient
demonstration bunny for a health check.