George is a what?!

George seems to be getting a lot of blog time lately and he's getting another post. The other animals are going to be jealous.
George is a cross between a llama and an alpaca. After doing some research I've found that there is an actual name for this cross, huarizo. The term Llamapaca is totally made up but pretty fun to say. George has a softer fleece like an alpaca but he is large and in charge like a llama. The South American Camelid group is actually a pretty interesting group of animals. All members in this group have 74 chromosomes, because they all have the same number of chromosome they can interbreed and their offspring can produce offspring, which isn't always the case with hybrid animals, one example being the mule which can't produce offspring. If you want to learn more about South American Camelids and how they came to be check out this article on the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park's website. Here's a closer view of George, and some of his antics.

The gorgeous George.

George is serious about his job protecting the bunnies.

Maybe he heard something.

Nothing gets by George on his right side.

Or his left side.

George even uses his stealth mode when necessary. 

But most of the time he just requires a password to open the gate.

List of Medicines for the Growyourowngroceries.com website

Moving on up in the world

George is our resident Llamapaca. Like almost all the animals on the farm he has a purpose, he guards the outside bunnies from wild animals that would love a little late night snack. He is very good at his job, and for that we are very grateful.
Over the last week we have had rain everyday, which is unusual for eastern Idaho at this time of year. After looking at his miserable wet face we were able to find a dog run which will get a waterproof tarp and become a nice sun/rain cover.
George also got a swimming pool, he loves to put his front feet into his water trough so a stock waterer was found and put into use as a llamapaca pool.
Jenna Lynn thought that a dip in the pool while it was filling up was the most excellent idea. Tomorrow she might insist on going swimming in the full pool...

24 rabbits! That's a lot of rabbits...

You may be wondering why in the world we have 24 rabbits. Rabbits provide us with the 3 Fs, food, fiber and fertilizer.
Yes, we do raise rabbits for meat. For a city girl like me trying rabbit was a bit of a leap (pun noted but not intentional) but once I tried it I was hooked.
We also have angora rabbits which are used for their fiber, about every week they are brushed to ensure no tangles and about every 3 months they are sheared and their incredibly soft hair is spun into yarn.
The third F is fertilizer, rabbits eat a lot and what goes in, must come out. We have found it to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest fertilizer around. It is so great in fact that I wrote an article for Marjory Wildcraft's website. If you have rabbits and are wondering what to do with their droppings check out this article for an overview of those lovely bunny berries. Bunnie Berries and You

Honey Bunny Farm

Welcome to Honey Bunny Farm! We have been meaning to get a blog going but life, and the animals, seem to intervene when we have a few spare moments. We are a small self reliant homestead in South East Idaho where every day is an adventure.
Honey Bunny Farm is home to 24 rabbits, 14 chickens, 12 goats, 4 ducks, 3 soay sheep, 3 cats, 2 beehives, 1 Llamapaca (a Llama/Alpaca mix) 1 dog and 2 people trying to get things to run smoothly.
Check back often to see what we are up to and to get a taste of life in the country.