And then there were 10

The existing 4 ducks

1. All survived the night and 
2.  didnt get out  of their new enclosure 

so we think its safe to get some more ducks.
After a request on Orkney Farmers facebook page , we have some more.

I had to meet the Shapinsay Ferry

 And then bring back a large cardboard box that had been transported across

Its got ducks in it, not a cement mixer - ive got one of those already

And then we released the new ducks into the new enclosure.

They will stay there for a while until they know its 'home' , and then be let out during the day to roam about and eat bugs

And then there were 4

The attrition  of the ducks has continued. Another 3 have disappeared in the last few days  - the otter(s)  clearly keep on returning,
So something had to be done.

The duck enclosure was adjacent to the burn , giving them access to running water , but the otters will be gaining access along the water courses.

So we have moved the duck enclosure away from the burn.

Some nifty construction with a discarded farm gate,  a discarded shed door and some sheep hurdles

2 drakes and 2 hens is not agood balance  - so the drakes ended up having a pushing and shoving match over one of the hens.

But things should improve soon, as we are getting some new adult females.

The Beeb have been

The scottish version of Countryfile  is Landward . They want to do a piece on  the closure of local abbatoirs  - the only abbatoir in Orkney closed without notice in January  - and the effect this has on local producers .
So they came to Orkney  and wanted something about out Borerays.  Thye were here for about 90 minutes - which will probably tanslate into a 15-10 minute slot , if that.

So, a bit of setting up round the house. I dint know 15yr old Vauxhall Corsas that have done 72,000 miles were filmable !

And filmed leaving the house

The walking down the field

And then nochalantly leaning on the gate, chatting with Dougie Vipond 

 and finally going to feed the sheep

Watch this space for broadcast dates !

And then there were 7

We've had a good crowd of ducks.
Because of a drakes' sexual appetite you need a good few  females per male, so the female ducks get some peace.
And over the last week we have been losing ducks.
The initial problem was a stoat that got into the duke enclosure and killed  one andinjured another.
But the attrition has gone on .
We've have had problems with otters taking ducks in the past in 2016   and in 2013.

But the past 10 days has been bad - we have lost 8 ducks .
One body was found in the pond and the other on the moorland.  We think the ducks got access to the  moorland  because a grid blocking a burn was displaced with the bad rain weve been having.
And the other in the pond was probably getting out of the enclosure .,
Anyway , if you are of a weak disposition , look away now




You have been warned























LOOK AWAY NOW

Polycrub part5 :gable ends (part2)

We've got a door at the nearest end of the polycrub. i dont tyihnk we would use a distant door ( much) . So what to do about the Western gable ?

Tlaking to people who have a polycrub, we will (probably ) need to do something about ventilation , so  something that can be opened will be necessary .
But where ? how big ? How to open and shut ?

So the plan was just to sheet  the end , leave it a while and then see what we ended up needing or using.

So I needed to join the sheets together ,then offer them up into the gap, and then fic them in place.
I chose a very still day - not that common here.
Cutting the sheets to size was fairly strightforward , as suggestd by  the construction guide. The next step was the join them , offer them up into the gap and fix them in place.

Step 1 was straightforward




















The next bit -joining them together, certainly wasnt . It would have been  more straightforward if id had a level , grassy area adjacent , the you can lay them all out on . But I didn't. Outside is surrounded by the hard standing and lost of hardocde, and stone chips. So it was inside the polycrub - which i had started to fill with soil.
Which wasnt level. And was stiff wet and squidgy , which you could sink into .

And the trimmed sheets are  up to a couple of metres long.
And even with very light winds , the joining strips that as so tricky, fiddly, frustrating , and awkward to fit, arent robust enough to hold the sheets together, even in mild winds.

So after a frustrating few hours this was abandoned.  All I had acheived was sore fingers and scratched plastic.

So plan B is much as the other end . Fit the panels, leaving the gap in the middle to be converted to a door , or window, or something .

At a later date - ie later in the week, before the stronger westerlies ( the open end of the polycrub is facing west ) arrive.

And weve put the first plants inside the polycrub.
An asparagus bed. soil, sand and grit, in ridges.

Watch this space for the first pickings of asparagus next year

Polycrub part5 : Gable ends ( part1 )

So the polycrub is no longer needed as the 'temporary'  hay store.  Stuff got moved out

 and i could start to think about the ends.
The whole thing is on a slope, and there wasnt the suggested 600mm depth for the posts , so some concreting came into  supporting the posts. . And the fall in the slope, and the need to add back some topsoil, and having some breezeblocks lying around  led to a small retaining wall.

And then the timber framing went on top of the retaining wall.

And the panels were fixed to the timber.

The other end needs doing , in a similar fashion.

I've left the door off at the moment. I dont want to close off one end, and then have a  strong wind entering from the other,  and the wind has nowhere to go .
So the current plan is that the other end will get done , and I'll open up a gap for a window that can be opened up to aid ventilation in the summer.

And add the door and window at the same, not too windy, sitting,

Some questions .

Does the shape of the polycrub mean a wind across it is a lifting force (like an aircraft wing) . Or does the force of the wind keep it down ?

whilst you dont open a window in a hurricane , is there any advantage to hving an opening at each end, in very strong winds, to let the wind through adn minimise any lift ?

Just like you can get thermostatically controlled greenhouse vents , that open as the temperature rises ( there is a bimetallic strip in them ) , can you  have something that will open as the wind pressure rises ?  But there would need to be an in-out opening at both ends. So can you get  'swinging' window ?

Brian the Drake - RIP

Brain and his sister

We have ducks - and apart from their lack of intelligence, wander round the place, hopefully eating bugs, grubs and other potentially unpleasant things.

But when we came to lock them up  for the night  ( just so that they can remember where to lay their eggs )  we  were one short.

And not difficult to find


















Lots of feathers around the place - and then a carcass . If you are of a senstibvei disposition , avoid  the next couple of photos

#

last year we lost a duck to otters in the past.

So tis could be an otter again. But the other possibility is a stoat . there is facebook group  for stoats in Orkney, to report sightings and spread.

the duck hospital

one of the ducks got  has a limp, that didn't improve over a week or so .

So some care and attention is  required.
After catching , her  and inspecting the affected foot , it looked like there was a spelk  in the base of one of the otoes. So after some surgical treatment ( you squeeze it out/off , just like in people) , the hen needs to recover and recuperate.

So some time receiving  TLC  - well, corn, water and straw to sit on  - and we shall see if things have improved