Moving to pastures new ( part 2)

So the chicks are growing . And we ended up with 10 of them
And they have outgrown their first run where they were moved to on the 21st 

 As its still cold and windy and they still need the warming plate to get under, the run is currently inside .

And we put the chick in . At first they are a bit reluctant to explore their new environment , preferrinv to stay in the warm and dark. ( picture taken with a flash)

  But give them an hour or so and curiosity , and probably hunger, gets them out and about

The Pied Piper of.........

Or how to move sheep ( part 2)

A clutch of ewes  all with twins need to be moved to fresh grazing.  Sheep, at times, arent that  bright  and they are relatively easy to train to follow  a bucket of feed.

So you start with your sheep all gathered at the top of the field.

 And then you walk them down the field

And then you walk them across the field

And you keep going , and they arrive at their destination

To pastures new ( part 1)

So one of the young rams  need to rejoin the crowd we have.  And they aren't always the most  cooperative hen it comes to moving them .

 So the one on the left (Aragon) is the one that needs to be  moved.

And get him to be caught ( food is a good attraction)

And then catch ram and load into trailer

And deliver.

unwanted intruders

i think we have some unwanted intruders in the shed.

  A pile of grain leaking from one of the sacks.

And moving the pile there is  a whole lot more.

So 2 problems.

How to clear up the mess.

That is easy. Just let in the hoover-uppers

 And viola

And the holes in the sacks are small so I think its mice that have been at the sacks .

9am update

So we have 7 chicks that are active enough and dry enough to be moved on .

And we've got a little run  with a warming plate - an artificial motherhen - for them to hide under

Stepping up

As we are selling eggs, and there is a bit of a run on eggs , we need to increase production.

Over the last couple of weeks we have been getting 8-12 a day.
But we need more  at this time of crisis

So I went and had a stern word with the hens.

And today

















21  in total .

Long may it continue.

6pm update

And a short video

9am update

 One


And (hopefully)  counting

Coming soon

Hopefully.

Some chicks

We take the automatically rotating thingy out of the incubator a few days before they start to hatch .

And there is an egg that rattles when its shaken, which indicates its not got a chick inside it

And the rest are just waiting .

One goose a-laying

I made a very nice goose-house last year . Its inaugural trip is here.  The geese ignored it where it was,  so we've relocated it, and we have placed is somewhere sheltered .

But the geese know better. Here's some  disturbed ground

And if we move the bracken and leaves

 In fact, she has been laying eggs for a while and we have been collecting them - always leaving one there as a reminder for her.

So when this lot hatch , we'll possibly use the incubator again and hatch some geese.
Geese arent the most fastidious of mothers around , so the chicks have a better hcance of survival from the incubator.

Cuthbert and Cato

It's a bit  muddy everywhere . We've had 150% of the usual  Februaruy rainfall. At least its been dry ( and sunny) for the last 4 days and one of the fields no longer squelches when you walk on it.

So with Cato and Cuthbert running out of grass and not keen on hay  its time to move them.

A barrier in case they want to explore down the road

And then they follow a bucket !

And end up with the  others, including another ram. So they are going to have to sort themselves out over the next day or so .

Buff Sussex

So we got the rescued hens that are laying well .

But we've got a few others around the place -some Buff Sussex breed - good for eggs and meat

and we've decided we want a few more - for eggs, for meat, and possibly for showing  at the Agricultural shows and for selling.

And as we have an incubator, we got some eggs from a couple of different breeders

Scanning 2020

its wet , horrible and muddy but needs must.  postponed from yesterday because of the storm .

So firstyl get your sheep all in a pen .

Well, except for one , who didnt want to co-operate and is its a lamb, hasnt been tupped and so doenst need scanning.

And then some suitable attired helpers.  Thanks to Karen and Laura for coming along

And then get the sheep penned, excluding the lambs

And then make a race for  leading the sheep to the scanner

And get aforesaid sheep into the race

Gaurded by Laura

 And then encourage the sheep to go into the van and be scanned

And the result

• 1 isnt pregnant 
• 11 have single lambs 
• 7 have twins  

So a busy May is coming