Spring Cleaning

Although it is not quite that time yet, I have been thinking of all the things I would like to do for spring cleaning.

It is still in the -'s here during the day/night. Right now it is -2 (which with the dampness would feel like about -8 for the prairie places)outside so too cold to pull the power washer out, and take all the rabbits out of the barn but its not far from my thoughts!

Once all the cages from the lower barn go(hopefully next Monday) we can store all the extra shavings, feed, carriers, treat mixes etc in that lower barn(once we move the non-working freezer in there)

In the main barn I want to get all the power washing done of the cages and floor. Once everything from the back is moved to the lower barn I plan to move the stacker's from the back middle to the far back. Which will give us more room as well.

Then of course there is feeder and water bottle cleaning although we try to do that about once every month or 2nd month so that is never too hard, and we wire brush at least a couple times a week so a good spring cleaning is all that is in order!

Definitely the tops of the cages need that power washing from the hair build up though! Especially from the mini lops ;)

I need to do a recycling run and we might just give a couple of bales of hay to the cows. It is coarse orchard grass but we've had it since the fall and it is such huge pieces(each stalk of hay is about 1 foot long and 2 inches wide) they are huge! So each rabbit really doesn't eat a lot! Those bales are lasting us forever. Mind you we have been feeding alfalfa and a couple super green bales of orchard grass too so it has been lasting us all winter for 7 bales.(100lbs each)

I also want to get the front "counter" of the barn cleaned and power washed, and clean out our cabinet and restock it with what we need for spring. I know with spring around the corner and having Jerseys now will need to buy acidophilus to put on litters food(spring a capsule on top of the pellets) since I feed a rich treat mix I have to watch for enteritis with the little guys.

And of course there is the rest of the spring ritual :- )- going over the animals,website updates (although we just did a big one), everyone will in the next few months be swamped with litters I'm sure : ) nail clipping, show preparations, tattooing, deworming, coccidosis treatment(we aren't due until March/April).

Yes, spring is around the corner and despite all the work ahead I am looking forward to it!