Not the same

 When we look at these two angora does, they look the same at first but there are subtle differences that tell us that they are different colors. Genetics of the angora rabbit are fascinating. Depending on the color and what is bred to another color, you can come up with quite an array of different colors. 

The rabbit on the left is a chestnut. If we look at her nose and up to the ears, you can see her coloring. Both their coats are somewhat alike but look at the rabbit on the right. She is what is called a chocolate tort. These come in many colors including blue tort, chocolate tort and black tort. 

These girls are growing quite nicely and are providing lots of good quality wool!

Victorian Cones

I have become a bit obsessed with making these Victorian Cones. Last Christmas I made them for everyone but kept exploring and as my friend Naomi says, I went down a rabbit hole! I have had so much fun exploring textures, colors, styles and the unlimited possibilities of what you can do. we will have them ready for fair season. Pricing is between $8 and $12 depending on the supplies and time it took to make it. I believe I'm up to over 60 made so far, they are so much fun to make. 

The Victorian era is filled with so much color, but often soft colors such as pink and mauves.

I found this fabulous music note ribbon and happened to have some music note card stock.

Black and silver gingham with a flying reindeer. I am onto making some great holiday ones too!

This is a fun cone but the ribbon was a bit pricey. These two colors go so well. I did add lavender tissue after the picture was taken.

A string of pearls for a paisley cone if i do say so myself.

This one is in the making. I'm looking for birch bark ribbon but so expensive online. It's going to brew while I think of something. I have a ton more to share but look for us at our fairs listed on the side bar. I's cone mania around here!

 

Oh, the Molt!

Oh, the molt has begun early this year and the girls are looking a bit skanky! This Barnevelder girl is a bit bare. Many of our girls are starting at the neck so we have quite a few bare necked chickens running around. This process for the chickens usually begins later in the summer. The loss of daylight signals the molt.

This Maran girl is beginning around the neck as well...

where this girl is starting with full frontal nudity! I did not get any pictures of our turkey's, but it looks like someone plucked a turkey out there with feathers all around! With the cooler weather they will grow back thicker and fuller but for now, naked chickens around the barnyard!

 

Rings of Color

This years angora babies did not disappoint with color! Lots of color. I'm hoping these pictures will even come close to the colors represented by the babies. 

Above is a beautiful Blue Tort buck that has rings of fawn, white and blue. He's also quite a big boy so his wool production should be off the chart!

This Black doe is absolutely my favorite and we are keeping her. There is so many shades of black and gray with a nice touch of white in the bottom layer. Everything about this baby is just perfect right down to her personality, sweet and lovable. She loves to be held and cuddled. Her name is officially "EMBER".

Even this handsome Pearl buck adds color that I wasn't expecting. He has hints of tan and rings of white too.

This Chestnut buck 7 layers of color! By far the Chestnuts are my favorite in color. They hold their color well into adulthood and never disappoint with what they have to offer. 

Yet another Tort, I have not quite nailed down if this is a Blue Tort or a Chocolate Tort, she keeps changing! Still lots of rings and color.

And the final bunny, this amazingly unbelievable Chestnut with some of the most striking colors I have ever seen! She also offers at least 7 rings of color but there may be more. She is going to be quite a wool producer and her striking colors will not disappoint!

 

Exploring Rain Barrels

Happy Memorial Day, as we remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice

. This year we have added rain barrels to the garden. During an earth Day celebration event, there was a State sponsored program through the water company. They were selling these rain barrels and compost bins. I couldn't resist! The designs have everything a rain barrels should have. We bought 2 and just installed them. During the drought months, these should really come in handy! 

The top design is made to catch every drop that hits the top of the container. With grooved areas and a tipped in flow down, the water goes in through the screen very efficiently. 

The bottom spout is in a perfect position to drain out. We put these up on a hill above the gardens to get maximum flow rate. 

 There is an overflow hose, which I don't find necessary, but they have thought of everything in the design of these rain barrels. If you are interested in rain barrels, check out a program in your state. If you're in Connecticut visit https://nvcogct.gov/ for more information.

Our 5th generation

 Our two litters from this year. They will soon be heading to their new homes. They mark our 5th generation of Pedigreed English Angora rabbits. We got some great colors this time around, a black and a chinchilla. They are sweet and so friendly too. We are going to miss them, but they are going to some great homes and we are sure they will enjoy them as much as we have.

We are really Open now!

It's official, we are open! Well at least the farmstand. If there is anything you want, you just open the door and come in. You may see a one of our residents on the other side. No need to call for eggs, just open the door... 

... and come right in. The egg fridge is stocked with eggs. The shelves will soon have some things. If there is something you need that is not out there like soap, vanilla, felting supplies or yarn, just let us know by either calling the farm line @ 203-881-1986 or message us on Facebook, even comment here too! We also take Venmo too! The QR code is on the fridge, just scan your camera on it and it will take you to a payment page!

We are Open!!!

 We are finally open again! We have brought our self-serve egg station back. With the Ct Sheep and Wool festival coming up on April 30th, the trailer is packed, and our inventory is ready to go. Soon after we will begin to get the Farm Stand stocked for your buying needs! For now, there is no need to call us for eggs, you can just go into the small barn on the road and purchase your eggs there!  On top of the fridge is a change jar, to make change and leave your money! We are looking forward to some open houses as well. Who knows, you may have a chance to see one of our residents laying in the straw, or just being noisy!

Poor Penny

 

Our poor "Penny" has been off for a couple of days. I noticed her not eating yesterday and decided to have a look. It was my worse concern, that she had a very large, impacted egg that she could not pass. So, at 6 a.m. this morning, we went up to the coop, retrieved her and in the bathtub she went with warm water and Epsom salts. She soaked and soaked and the it was time to try to get her to pass the egg.

This is her post egg extraction. I did my best not to break it but only as it was coming out. Our hope is she didn't get an infection. Peritonitis at this point could set in and we could lose her. Behind the egg was another one but not as large so fingers crossed that she will be able to lay the next eggs.

 Here is part of the culprit, at this point we can only keep her on antibiotics and hope for the best.

Join us this weekend!

Join us this Saturday and Sunday! Coon Hollow Farm is among the many vendors in attendance for this fun filled weekend. We will be selling our goods too! Come meet one of our Angora Rabbits among the many animals that will be there. Spin ins, knitting and crochet circles and demos too! 

 

Our First Turkey Egg!

One of our Royal Palms laid the first turkey egg of the season! 

It was found in a small milk crate where our chickens lay their eggs. How she got that big body in there to lay it is a mystery!

Now to contemplate, start up the incubator or not, hmmmmm.

 

Spring has Sprung

Spring has Sprung! This morning we woke up to the birth of our 6th generation of Coon Hollow Farm's English Angora Rabbits! This litter is quite exciting because we got not only got 4 for a first-time mom, but we got some colors that we have never been able to breed before. I think we finally got the right combination in genetics! 

This little one is our first ever bred Blue Eyed white! We also got 2 blacks and the jury is still out on the fourth, possibly a blue but in time we will know. It's a very fragile time for these little ones. I've checked on them all day just to find one with its mother's wool that she pulled wrapped around its body. Her nest is nicely made though. We will continue to check on them multiple times a day.

 

Eggs are back!

 Our eggs are back! Just days before the first day of Spring our chickens are laying fast! We are working on opening our farmstand for easy pickup of eggs and other items as well. Call the farm line @ 203-881-1986 for eggs today!

Changing to Earth friendlier packaging

 

Shifting from our last post and moving on into a different direction, it was time to look at what we do and how we do it. Switching over to these Earth friendlier packaging bags just made sense from the plastic containers we have used in the past for our felting kits. As we get ready for Spring events (listed on the side bar), we are offering these cute little sheep felting kits with everything you need to make your little sheep, as well as a variety of others. They come in white or grey and have everything you will need including the glass eyes.

Our commitment to sustainability should reflect in all we do. 

It's a No this year!

After coming off a year that literally brought us to our knees, we have decided to take a year off from honeybees...

no new chicks or chickens or turkeys...

 and Tim has made the decision not to Maple Sugar this year. We just need a break financially, emotionally and physically from the past years. We are heading to the beginning of the end I believe. We will continue our blog as we focus on the things around here that need our attention, restructure to fit the demands of what we have around here, as well as the demands of our customers. I think everyone has been through so much and I know I have over the past few years. It begins to take its toll. 

We will still continue to do ours shows listed on the sidebar as well as offer many of our products. Hopefully this year we will also open the farmstand to accommodate easier pickup of eggs and other products.  We just need a break. 

Making Bath Bombs on a Snowy Day!

What to do on a snowstorm filled day when you are snow bound? You make bah bombs for that hot bath you are dreaming of! Here is my recipe and some gentle instructions but I thought I'd take you through the process. You can also go on our Coon Hollow Farm's YouTube page to see a visual tutorial on how it's done that I made last year.

I go to BJ's and buy the big bags of supplies. I find myself teaching it from time to time so it's good to have on hand. You can also order them on Amazon.

You will need bath bomb molds which I have in 3 sizes, small, medium and large. A 1 cup and 1/2 cup measuring cups and a teaspoon measure.

I purchased this Bath Bomb kit on Amazon some time back. It has everything you need. It's worth having if you plan to make them periodically. It pays for itself because they can be expensive to buy.

I made two batches and put them in separate bowls. I wanted to make two different scents.

I used Lavender and Rose oil as well as red and lilac colorant to give it some color.

I mix all my liquid ingredients together including the colorant. This will consist of the water, olive oil and colorant. 

Add this very slowly and gradually to your dry ingredients. the citric acid may begin to react a bit but stir quickly to bland everything. It should be slightly lumpy but that is perfect. You don't want it too liquidy, just sticky enough to be able to pack it together.

Now take your molds, if you want a bit of dried flowers such as rose petals, lavender flowers or even chamomile, place it in each top of the mold. I often save my dried roses and chop them up into an almost powdery consistency for crafting. This will give a very nice presentation for gifting. 

Then put some of the mixture on top of the flowers (if adding them). 

Using your thumbs pack it as tight as you can, keep adding and packing. Overflow the mold, heaping at least an inch or more.

At this point squeeze the two molds together, twisting and packing them together. If some falls out it's okay as you fuse the sides together. Push and twist to get a nice join, leaving just a small gap no bigger than an 1/8". Let the mixture sit in the mold for about 5 minutes or even more. This will allow it to set. Then remove one mold at a time. If it falls apart, it only means you didn't pack it enough, start over packing very tightly.

I then remove them all from the molds once I allow them to sit for a while. I place them on a very plush towel. If you place them on a hard surface, they will become oval and lopsided. You still may want to check them periodically and gently reshape them if needed. 

So, there you go! It's really that easy. These would make a lovely Valentine gift or even Mother's Day gifts if you're thinking ahead. 

If you have any questions leave it in the comment section and I will try to answer it with the best of my experience in making Bath Bombs, enjoy!!!