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Category: Rabbits

Taking Care of the Homestead Animals and Their Needs

  • By - DiyGarden
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Life with livestock is a daily lesson in paying attention, especially when it comes to understanding what each animal truly needs. Rabbits, pigs, and chickens may all share the same homestead, but their care couldn’t be more different.

Rabbits & Their Needs

Rabbits thrive on calm, consistency, and cleanliness. They need a safe, well-ventilated space that protects them from wind, rain, and extreme heat. Fresh hay should make up the bulk of their diet, supported by clean water and a small portion of quality pellets or fresh greens. Rabbits are sensitive animals, so quiet surroundings and gentle handling matter just as much as food. Keeping their living area clean is essential, as they are prone to respiratory issues if bedding becomes damp or dirty.

Pigs & Their Care

Pigs, on the other hand, are curious, social, and incredibly smart. They need room to roam, root, and express natural behaviors. A sturdy shelter protects them from sun and cold, while access to mud or a wallow helps them regulate body temperature. Pigs require a balanced diet rich in nutrients, along with constant access to fresh water. Just as important is mental stimulation—pigs get bored easily, and a bored pig is often a destructive pig. Time, interaction, and enrichment go a long way with them.

Chicken Care

Chickens are often the heartbeat of the homestead. They need secure housing to keep predators out, clean nesting boxes, and roosts for sleeping. A balanced feed, grit, calcium, and fresh water support healthy egg production. Chickens also need space to scratch and forage, which keeps them active and content.

When each animal’s needs are met, the homestead runs smoother. Healthy animals are calmer, more productive, and a joy to care for, reminding us that good stewardship starts with understanding.

Daily Animal Chores: The Rhythm That Keeps My Homestead Running

  • By - DiyGarden
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Every morning, before the world fully wakes up, I slip into my boots and head outside to start my animal chores. It’s become a rhythm I look forward to—a quiet moment where the homestead and I ease into the day together.

Click here to check out the video Ron made so you can meet all the animals face to face.

chicken

My chickens are always the first to greet me. Honestly, they act like I’ve been gone for days instead of just one night. I open the coop, refresh their water, scatter feed, and peek into the nest boxes to see who gifted me breakfast. As I walk through the run, I take a moment to watch them scratch around. They make it pretty obvious if someone isn’t acting right, so I like to give everyone a good once-over while the sunlight is still soft.

Next, I move to the rabbits. They’re quieter, more delicate in their routines, and I’ve learned they appreciate a calm hand. I top off their hay, refill their water, and give each one a little hello. I always check the cages for loose wires or spots they might be chewing. Over time, you learn which rabbits hop right over for attention and which ones prefer to sit back and observe.

Then come the pigs—my loudest morning crew. They are never shy about letting me know it’s feeding time. I haul out their feed, make sure they’ve got plenty of fresh water, and check their wallow or shelter. I also give the fence a quick look because pigs are creative thinkers when it comes to escape plans.

Even though the chores shift with the seasons, this steady, everyday pattern gives me purpose. There’s something honest and grounding about caring for animals. It’s work, yes—but it’s the kind of work that fills my cup every single day.

Making Winter Watering Chores Easier

  • By - DiyGarden
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Being in north Texas we don’t have to worry about cold temps to often but when we do Ron has found a way of making winter watering chores easier. Making sure animals have access to water is so important. They do not care if the temps are low and it’s cold outside. They need and want water at all times! That can be difficult if your system isn’t set up for cold weather. We can get water to our animals, our problem was keeping the water from freezing once it was in their bowls.

Check out how Ron made winter watering chores easier.

The Magic Plug

Ron came across this plug called the Dayton 48GP69 Freeze Protection Thermostat. We bought ours on Amazon for $30.

How Ron uses this thermostat is by plugging in the items he wants to make sure are started when the temps drop below freezing.

Chickens Winter Watering Chores

For the chickens he plugs in a heated dog bowl for one watering system for the chickens. He also has a heat lamp over another water bowl which keeps it from freezing and also places a bottle of water under it to keep thawed for the bunnies.

Rabbits Winter Watering Chores

For our rabbits we ordered each of them a heated bowl. These came from Amazon (Sliner 2 Pcs Outdoor Heated Water Bowl Dispenser Automatic Dog Bowl Smart Thermal Bowl 0.528 Gal Provides Drinkable Water in Winter for Animals Dogs Cats Chickens Rabbits Squirrels.) Ron plugs them into an extension cord which he then plugs into the thermostat. Our bunnies always have warm water on a cold winters day.

It doesn’t matter how big or little your homestead is. What is important is keeping the animals you have well taken care of. You can read more about how we do chores in the snow by clicking here.

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

Doing Chores In The Snow

  • By - DiyGarden
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It’s not often that we are doing chores in the snow but this last week in North Texas found us doing just that. Since we have been here for a few years we did have almost everything we needed so the animals weren’t affected that much… besides the chickens pouting in their coop because they did not like the snow! It just took time to find were everything was put away from the last time we had freezing, snowy weather. We also had to protect the few garden crops that we still have growing.

You can watch Ron doing the chores by clicking here.

Food, Water & Shelter

Food, water and shelter are the most important things to think about when doing chores in the snow. We have had a heated dog water bowl for several years and have learned it is a great source of water for the hens. Ron also set up a heat lamp over their other water so we didn’t have to worry about frozen water. This is the first year that we have had bunnies during a winter freeze so we had to buy heated rabbit bowls for them. Everyone received extra feed and Ricky & Lucy, the bunnies, got extra lettuce greens as well. Ron had just put in extra straw for the hens and the bunnies were protected from the weather from their shelter. Everyone was safe and warm.

Garden Veggie Protection

carrots

We always plant carrots in the fall and overwinter them and they are ready in the spring. Usually, we don’t worry about them much but when temps dip below the 20’s into the teens we cover them. Here is a peek at how they are looking.

We did an experiment this fall and planted celery. In the beginning of the season it was to hot then the temps were in the 70’s and 60’s and the celery loved it. It is not a fan of the 20’s and colder weather but it is doing pretty well.

Well, warmer weather is on it’s way and we are hoping the snow melts away soon. But it’s winter here in North Texas and another storm is already in the forecast. Let’s hope we get to skip the snow this next time.

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

Beneficial Bunnies for the Garden

  • By - DiyGarden
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Most of the time when one thinks of bunnies in the garden it is more with dread then with benefit. After all, the cute little creatures might of just nibbled on your beautiful garden veggies. There is even the chance of finding cute little baby bunnies hidden under your mulch while mommy is out grazing somewhere else. But I’m not necessarily speaking of the whole rabbit when I mention beneficial.

Meet Ricky and Lucy

Ron and I did purchase a couple of cute lionhead mix bunnies this past weekend. They are so cute you will meet them and see the bunny set up we have now by clicking here. Their names are Ricky and Lucy. Ricky is the handsome, hairy black bunny and Lucy is the pretty petite white bunny with blue eyes.

Beneficial Bunny Poo

Now, stick with me, I’m not going to have my entire bunny in the garden… just their poo. Bunny poo is what is called a cold manure. What that means is that it can be added to the garden immediately without composting it. Most animals that have pelleted manure such as rabbits and goats can have their poo applied to the garden soil in place of other type of fertilizer as soon as it comes out of the animal. I wrote about the importance of bunnies and how to make the most of their poo.

Easy Set Up to Get the Most Bunny Poo

Our bunny cages are wire so the bunny poo drops right through to the ground. It is important to make sure that they have a board or some surface that they can rest on off of the wire so their feet don’t get sore. The important thing to remember is to gather the poo as it falls. It is so much easier then to have to rake it up. We put containers underneath, we even have had our rabbit hutches over our compost piles. Here is a video to show you that.

Sharing the Harvest

When we have some weeds or produce from the garden that we don’t want it is so nice to share it with the bunnies. They have a way of showing how much they appreciate it. Ricky jumps right in the middle of it and starts eating immediately while Lucy is a little more cautious and nibbles at the edges. I enjoy having the bunnies for many reasons. Tell me about your bunnies. I’d love to see pictures of them.

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

Welcome to Our YouTube Channel

  • By - DiyGarden
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Our New YouTube Channel

It might be half way through January but Happy New Year!

Ron and I have taken on doing a YouTube channel this year and I’d like to share the videos with you weekly here on the blog. Now of course, it if you would like to go and subscribe to our channel here is the link to our YouTube channel.

Rabbit and Compost Set Up at Our DIY Garden

Pebbles the bunny.

The first video I want to share with you is called, “Rabbit and Compost Set Up at Our DIY Garden.” We show how we built our DIY rabbit enclosure and compost area And all made with reclaimed wood that was free. Here is the link to the video.

Hot News for End of Season Peppers

Hot Pepper Power

The next video is named, “Hot News for End of Season Peppers.” Ever wonder what to do with your peppers at the end of the season? You don’t have enough of the same kind of peppers to can them? Here is an excellent way to deal with all the odds and ends. See the entire video here.

Walking on Eggshells

Walking on Eggshells

The last video for this week is called, “Walking on Eggshells.” Here’s the secret to peeling farm fresh eggs plus a couple of other secrets about farm eggs. If you want to learn about those secrets the link is here.