It’s winter, regardless of what the official start date is.

After more or less giving up — because of shelf vs size constraints, equipment not cooperating, mold, and just not having the brain power (concussion, pregnancy) to manage it, I am back to trying fodder for the rabbits.

For one, the short days mean the rabbits don’t get as much sunshine. For another, I have this feeling that they’re just not doing as well on the feed as I would like. Growing grass has a different nutrient profile (which is why spring-grass-fed cow butter has such a luscious yellow color versus regular butter and a nicer flavor). For a third, fodder gets a lot of its mass increase from water content, which allows the rabbits to get some of their intake from the food instead of the water system.

… And the water system, even with the improvements, is such a PITA. Seriously. Even though it shouldn’t, it seems that the 55 gallon barrel dries up in just two to three days with a barrel warmer in it. That’s something I need to address, and I’m not entirely sure how.

So, the Leaning Tower of Fodder just got brought back inside this morning, and I’m still trying to find better trays to work with. I have a bag of wheat seed that I was using when I threw my hands up in distress (and then smashed my head a few days later, so was useless from any viewpoint). There’s a second unopened bag still sitting in the garage.

I need to figure out if the shelf I bought back in Spring is workable. The way I had it wedged into the shower stall isn’t workable long term, and that’s one reason it was moved outside when the weather got better. (And then, well, concussion.) Otherwise, maybe I’ll build a shelf system out of the PVC I have from the previous water system. Not sure yet. But I’ll have to figure something out. The LToF isn’t large enough to feed the rabbits as it is, even if I consider adding some Black Oil Sunflower Seeds to the mix.

Granted, my decision to restart this NOW is perhaps not well timed. I’ll be on official weight-carrying restrictions soon, and I’m definitely at the “completely exhausted and ready for this to be over” stage of pregnancy. But it’s better for the rabbits if I get this going sooner rather than later, especially given how hard it is to source actual freaking hay around here. :\