Rabbits on Pasture or in a Hoop House?


Rabbit photos courtesy of Stone & Thistle Farm and Allsun Farm

While we were down in Tennessee last weekend we popped by a few local food retailers to say hi and chat about Little Seed's plans and the potential for future business relationships. We were consistently asked if we could supply rabbits. Rabbits are something we're interested in, but it's a subject on which we've gone back and forth. For one, our vision for Little Seed involves all of the animals spending time outside, eating natural forages that they harvest themselves. In the case of rabbits we have plans for a portable unit with an open floor that would allow the doe and its kits to munch on the grass and plants below. In front of our house we have a long tract of land with fertile soil where we could easily plant a variety of crops for the rabbits to munch on and we could move their hutches up and down the land similar to what you'd see in a chicken tractor operation. It sounds great, but there's a few problems when it comes to rabbits.

 

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Berlusconi, The Territorial Livestock Guardian Dog


Berlusconi the LGD at Work

With the prospect of literally spending thousands of dollars on animals in the next few months we’ve been researching the different options for protecting the livestock. The first line of defense will be permanent perimeter fencing. It helps keep predators out and our animals in, although it’s not foolproof. We’re using some fencing leftover from the prior owners and also putting up some new fence as needed. Predators will find a way to circumvent the fencing, no doubt. In order to deter them further we plan to have Livestock Guardian Dogs, or LGDs. Very simply, these are big dogs (normally white ones) that live outdoors with the animals and do what their name says, guard. The ability is genetic, although a certain amount of training and level of maturation is necessary for them to succeed. More to come on that later, but for now I wanted to share a story I was reminded of while researching our various dog options.

If you’ve read some prior posts you may have seen that we went on a transhumance with about 300 sheep on our honeymoon last summer. Walking with sheep through the remote mountains of Abruzzo requires protection for the flock. Bears are the primary culprits. Our shepherds used LGDs for flock protection. Our particular flock was guarded by a younger pup that was just learning the ropes (click for photo). At the end of the hike we met up with another flock of about 700 sheep on the top of a faraway mountain. They had the real deal older guard dogs.

One such dog was Berlusconi.

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Farmstead Cheese Equipment: What's a Small Farmer To Do?


Maria at Masseria la Greca outside Lecce in Salento, Italy

Since the end of last summer we’ve been acquiring the bits and pieces to put together the creamery. The primary components we’re interested in are the milking system (pipeline or bucket, we don’t know yet), the bulk tank and the cheese vat. The milking system is exactly what it sounds like. It includes the piping and the vacuum system required to milk the animals. In a bucket system you pump the milk directly into buckets and then dump it into the bulk tank. In a pipeline system you pump the milk through a pipeline that flows directly into the bulk tank. There are other variations as well, but those are the basic methods. The bulk tank is where the milk goes for cooling after milking. It cools the milk to approx 40 degrees within an hour or two. Once the milk in the tank is cool and you have enough to make cheese you open up a pipeline and the milk flows to your vat. From there you begin the cheesemaking process. Aside from the construction of the building, these three pieces of equipment are typically the largest capital expenses.

Last summer we got very lucky and found a highly affordable vat being refurbished after use at a University on the west coast. The process took six months of intensive hunting and networking. Not as simple as an eBay search. Then our inspector spoke on the phone with the fab guy, we sent the inspectors detailed photos and spec sheets and eventually we got the green light. Once we get our creamery construction underway we’ll have it shipped out and it will need to be inspected and approved all over again. 

 

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