4H- A Family Affair

I never had the opportunity as a child to be a part of 4H. I never really knew anything about it until my boys were born and I started taking them to visit local fairs. As soon as Johnny was 7, I signed him up with a club about 40 minutes from us (this was the closest rabbit club to us). After a few meetings, we decided, with two other families, to start our own club. So, in 1999 I became a 4H leader. Our first club was just rabbits and cavies. The following year we added a poultry group. Things grew each year, we later added sheep. I am now a leader in a different club, in a different county, with a good friend of mine. Our club has again grown quickly and we have a very devoted membership, and very involved parents. We have kids working on Sheep,
Goats, Llamas/Alpacas, Poultry and Rabbits. We have a large Community Service component for our club- which the children and the community are benefitting from.


What do I like most about 4H? Hmmm. Maybe its sharing a love for farm animals with a great group of children. Maybe its the time I get to spend with my own children enjoying their animals. I love the fact that both boys and girls, of all ages, can do an activity together (unlike scouting- which my kids also enjoy- where sexes and ages are separated). I think one of the best things about 4H is that the parents can enjoy it along with their children.


I so often hear from parents in our club (and unlike my first club where most kids were dropped off and picked up- these parents more often stay and take part in the meetings) how they "are having as much fun as their kids in 4H!" What could be more wonderful than an organized activity that is truly fun for the whole family...pets included!


Want to find out about 4H clubs in your area? visit http://4-h.org

Angora Rabbits

I had forgotten how much I enjoy angora rabbits. I used to breed and show them, for a short time. This was back when my older kids were little and we had a lot of rabbit breeds, and they enjoyed showing their breeds, but were not quite old enough to take care of all their rabbits themselves. I had trouble finding time to work with my angoras, so I sold them and worked with mini rex instead.



Now that my kids are older, and my girls take care of all their rabbits themselves, I have time to focus on MY rabbits...so, I have angoras again.



French Angoras...I started with French. They are by far the easiest to work with (other than the jersey woolies and fuzzy lops- which are angora fibered, but don't generally produce enough of, or long enough of, useable fiber). I have French again. Two bucks and a doe. They are a very sweet natured breed. They don't matt as easy as some of the others. They naturally shed their fiber, so every 3 months you sit them on your lap and just gently pluck out the loose shedding fiber. I brush them on occasion, maybe once a week, maybe longer. They don't have wool on their faces and ears and are fairly easy to maintain. Definitely the breed for those starting with angoras, or children who are interested in angoras.




Giant Angoras...I have three French/Giant crosses. These, too, I am able to pluck, though in the summer I often shear them. They have much more fiber, I find, than the French. They do have wooly faces and ears. They need to be brushed more regularly than the French, as they will matt. One doe doesn't seem to matt much, but my buck likes to matt (well, I don't think he LIKES to, but he does anyway). My girls do work a little with them and show then at 4H, so for someone who understands the grooming needs of angoras, Giants are great.



English...I found out one of the does that my friend gave me is a purebred English angora. They are smaller, have wooly wooly faces. I am told they matt easily, but so far Honey Bunny hasn't been much of a problem there. She can be plucked or shorn.

German Angoras...I recently aquired three Germans. One is pure, the other two are hybrids. Germans are very different than the others, in that they do not shed out their fiber, you HAVE TO shear them. Okay, well, one of my hybrids seems to shed out a bit (Germans are naturally all whites, so they are crossed to get color- I'm guessing my Licorice has some French in him- as he does shed a bit). So, you shear them. They have lots of fiber. It seems to be a different consitancy than the other angora breeds. What I found really neat is the color in the hybrids- much deeper color than my colored French. The color is more consitant across the body, the wooly face fiber and the body fiber is all the same color. The fiber doesn't seem to have the same amount of fluff as the French...maybe it is a larger diameter? But, is still incredibly soft and I'm anxious to spin some. They do matt very very easily and need to be brushed very regularly, as the matts are not fun to remove and you lose a lot of fiber. I would not recommend Germans for someone beginning with angoras, unless they are really ready for lots of grooming. They are, though, incredibly sweet and docile.



I have to say, though, that I am thrilled to be back immersed in angora rabbits, their fiber and their personalities. If you can't find me one day...look in my bunny barn (different place than the kids' bunny barn ) that's where I probably am!

Needle Felting Classes, New Animals, 4H

Beginning next month I will be able to offer classes in needle felting at Cupola Hollow Farm in West Suffield. Our first class offering will be a beginner level class and we will be creating holiday pins/ornaments. If all goes well, we will continue to offer various classes there, including other beginner needle felting classes, intermediate classes, "painting" with felt classes, wet felting classes and more. Our November Newsletter (you can sign up on the http://www.tranquilmorningfarm.com/ website) will include dates and information about available classes.

We've added some new fiber animals to our wonderful farm. We have two new llamas who will be arriving soon, Nicole and Peek a boo. Both females, who we plan on breeding to Dominoe of Henson's Menagerie. We now have 3 female alpacas (one of whom was born on our farm recently) and four male alpacas. We have settled on breeding shetland sheep, shetland/icelandic crosses and cormo/cotswold crosses. The crosses have been carefully thought out to achieve a particular type of fiber. We are presently breeding our colored angora goats, nigerian dwarf goats, and nubian dairy goats for early spring kids.

Our 4H club is off to a running start this year. We have already had a couple of community service projects and have a couple of big ones planned for this year, including bringing 4H activities and our animals to a housing complex in the city. Our club, at last count, has 19 members doing alpacas and llamas, dairy, meat and fiber goats, sheep, rabbits and poultry. Sounds like a fun year!!