So much has happened in the last week!! I have information about the rabbits and preparations for them as well as crafting endeavors that we're interested in.
This weekend we found cages that we are very excited about. We've been looking into different venues to purchase cages, which is a change from our original plans. Originally we were going to build our own cages, but we decided a couple weeks ago that the best thing to do would be to purchase a cage and then copy its blueprint to make more when we needed them. However, we've been having a rough time with our cage shopping. We kept finding cages that were very expensive and didn't include any of the accessories we would need, such as urine guards and litter pans, plus the shipping was very expensive. However, we had a break-through yesterday.
When shopping online yesterday we came across a website that offers triple stacked cage kits. The kits include everything that we would need except feeders and waterers, plus have reasonable shipping costs, for roughly $300. This is still a lot of money, but it would be a complete set of everything we would need, plus we would be completely set up for our first livestock purchase. We are very excited about it, and although we have not ordered them yet, we are definitely planning on it.
We also went to a local home and farm store today and priced everything else we would need for the rabbits. We discovered that we can purchase gravity feeders for $9 each, water bottle kits (to make soda bottles into water bottles) for $2 each, mineral wheels and hooks for $.50 and $1 each, respectively, rabbit food for $11 for a 40 lb. bag, and show supplement (we're thinking of adding this to the feed to increase the quality of their coat) for $6 for a small bag. (All prices are approximate.) We would also need hay, but we can purchase a bale from one of my parents neighbors for much cheaper than the tiny bags of hay they sell for pet rabbits, so we're planning on going that route. We feel like we really know what kind of money we're talking about now, and we're ready to make it happen.
We also spent part of the weekend setting the twist in my mother's first homespun yarn!! It's pure Lincoln Longwool, from the sheep we raised when I was a child. It's a bit rough, but we are using it as a learning experience, and I'm looking forward to the beautiful yarns my mother will be creating in the future. She's been spinning every day, so I know that more gorgeous yarn is on it's way.
We also bought a magazine with information about natural dyes. We're interested in learning to dye our angora fiber using natural ingredients to create beautiful colors while using the world around us, and the information we came across is very helpful. There are many ideas that are sprouting about this, to be sure!!
There are so many crafting options we looked into this weekend. We are trying to come up with products that we can make with our yarns or to complement our products, and a trip to a local JoAnn Fabrics gave us tons of ideas. We purchased an i-cord knitting machine, which works like a dream, and we will be able to use to make coiled purses. It's much more efficient than hand-knitting yards and yards of i-cord! We also purchased some poly-clay. We hope to craft original, artistic shawl pins from the poly-clay that will be perfect complements to the shawls we hope to make out of our angora.
We've also set our brains onto the idea of designing our own line of 100% angora hats, gloves and scarves. They would be very warm, which would be great for the cold winter months ahead! All-in-all, we should have tons of goods to sell someday. Just with the ideas we have now, we could sell raw angora wool, angora yarn, knitted and crocheted accessories, and handmade shawl pins.
The next step is obvious. We need to purchase the cages and all the other materials that we will need so that we can go out and get our first rabbits!
Tip of the Week: Check out your local library. A quick trip today left me with tons of books about raising rabbits, including specific information on how to groom angoras and how to keep careful rabbit records. There were also many resources available for how to start your own business, including free materials on learning to budget and plan for expenditures. It was very enlightening.
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