[Diana in Wisconsin]

How cool!! My BIL has offered me all of his bee-keeping stuff in the past - wonder if he’ll still give it all to me come spring if I ask?

I’m torn between being the local authority on/supplier of Heirloom Chickens, or learning about and keeping Angora Rabbits for the fur. I’ve got room for both, so it just may be both!

Your hive looks happy, healthy & successful - but I would expect no LESS from you! :)

[JustaDumbBlonde]

You should jump all over the offer from your BIL and see if it is still good! That would save you a ton of money and get you off to a fab start! Why wait for Spring though? You might need to put a coat or two of paint on the woodenware, which is an excellent indoor winter chore that will leave you ready to hit the ground running in Spring.

I say go for both the chickens AND rabbits. Why choose when you don't have to?????

Take care, girl. Good hearing from you!

[Ellendra]

Can I suggest keeping a couple of meat rabbits first, before branching into angoras? I looked into angoras too, but decided the wool was too finicky for me. Not to say you wouldn’t do great, but there’s a learning curve with any animal, and it might be prudent to start out with a less expensive breed in case anything goes wrong.