I sanitized the cooler the bunnies had been soaking in, and changed out the water in the jar with the feet. Then I went back to lay down for a while before #5 woke up. Of course as soon as I laid down he woke up and came in. By some stroke of luck he wanted to cuddle, and we snuggled up and napped together for several more hours. I love when we can cuddle and nap together!
When we finally got up, I started a mixed crock pot dinner. I added the chicken legs I'd thawed out, the rabbit innards (livers, kidneys and hearts), vegetables, and some seasoning, then added in the chicken breasts Tony brought home. It turned out pretty well. Nobody complained anyway.
The ducks and the goose were already in the barn when I went out to close everything up. Gypsy is doing better with the routine at night when she gets left behind. She used to cry when we left the barn, but now she seems to understand that it's bed time. The birds are also picking up on this and are quiet when I close up the barn.
Today Tony insisted that Moose would be fine off leash with the birds in the yard. He's half black Labrador retriever, and half Olde English bulldogge. He gets too excited when he's around the rabbits, so he's trained to stay out of the bunny barn. He gets excited to see the birds when they're flapping and strutting and calling out in the yard, so he's been stuck on the tie out for potty breaks since the birds were allowed out of the barn for the first time.
Admittedly, today Moose did well. A couple of times he looked like he was going to chase them, but he didn't. This evening he came running up the driveway after one of the kids on their bike, saw me in the barn, changed course to come and see me, didn't even notice Josh and the ducks beside the barn door, and got squawked at by Josh. It seemed to startle him, and then he wandered off away from Josh and the ducks. I don't think that I'd let Moose out unattended, or if the birds were up by the house just yet, but today he didn't chase or kill anything. Perhaps there is hope for Moose being a farm dog yet.
I took one eggplant, diced it up, and added it to the crock pot dinner. All of the kids ate it without complaint. They had no idea it was in there. Success!
If you are interested in the process I am using to treat and preserve rabbit feet, please read on.