Helmer’s Brood

I’ve been intending to blog about this for a while, but haven’t found time until now. I think this post will. be best told in pictures! Back in the spring, our doe Helmer had a litter of kits. Although I knew Helmer was due to give birth any day, she did such a good job of covering her litter with straw and her own fur that it wasn’t until I saw the straw slightly moving that I decided to investigate. So it’s possible they were were a day or so old before I discovered them.

For a few days I wasn’t sure how many babies there were. They looked so delicate that I didn’t want to go digging for them. After a few days I was pretty sure we had 7 kits. Five had pink skin and two had black skin.

It wasn’t long before a sheen of fur appeared. The pink ones grew white fur and the black ones grew dark brown fur like their momma.

Within a week they started looking like actual bunnies.

Then things very quickly started getting hoppy . . .

. . . and very cuddly . . .

. . . and very hungry!

Then to my delight, four of the white bunnies started getting super fluffy!

Both parents are half Angora (and if you want a huge laugh, do an image search for angora bunnies). Angora sweaters are made from angora fiber. Apparently the Angora gene came through strong in 4 of the bunnies.

I have wanted angora fiber bunnies for years. As a knitter, I am interested in making my own yarn. With angora bunnies, they naturally shed their fur every few months and you can just pluck it out (something they enjoy), save it, wash it, spin it, and dye it

At eight weeks old, the bunnies were ready to be separated from Helmer. The short-haired white bunny became a pet for a sweet young lady. Moses sold four at a small livestock auction, which was an interesting experience in itself. And I kept two of the fluffies for their fur.

Their names are Ernie (short for Ernest P. Worrell—IYKYK) and Ruby/Rubio (as I’m not sure if it’s a girl or boy. Ruby is albino and has the purest white fur and pretty red eyes. Our cat Missy likes to hang out with them in the machine shed.

Unfortunately, the bunnies’ fur makes them susceptible to high temps. They like to hang out in their water dish like it’s a wading pool.

This creates dreadlocks around their arms and necks. So lately, I’ve been trimming their fur to make them more comfortable. This is Ernie after a haircut. Note the fur in the yard and on my clothes.

But never fear! I have an idea. I plan to make this shed into a bunny palace/garden shed with an AC unit to keep the bunnies cool on hot days. As you can imagine, Chris is thrilled to have another project, especially one involving the most “useless” of our animals! :)

I’ve sketched up some super cool (aka elaborate) ideas for this palace, but I’ll share them in a different post.

If you want an adorable, bunny please let me know! I’m only too happy to have another litter of them!!