baa lambs

All the lambs seemed to be born late in the season this year. Being on the look out for pet lambs to fatten up I was having no luck at all. Until a few weeks ago a friends mother offered me four boy lambs. We went straight away for collection. they are perfect. Texil breed, good for meat and the fleece will be adequate for textile work. They have settled in quite well. Although a concoction was administered for suspected bloat and they have been dagged to ward of maggot infection. Sheep do seam to need a lot of looking after.

and there is more

The atrocious weather this year has taken its toll on all activities. I even blame it for the lack of fertility! One of our geese began laying at the end of february right on queue. By the look of her first egg it wasn't the easiest of lay. I dutifully collected her first eggs, 1 laid every other day, until we had enough for the incubator and even put a couple under a clucky hen! Unfortunately none of the incubated goose eggs hatched.

Who was joined by another clucky hen and between them gathered 24 hens eggs to sit on along with the 2 goose eggs. Alas none of the eggs hatched and on one of the only hot days we had, a cunning fox in broad daylight, took most of my welsummer hens and the ginger chick. A friend gave us some eggs from a black minorca to incubate. I had some eggs from the ginger chick so the went in the incubator at the same time with some araucana eggs. From 24 eggs only 7 eggs hatched. 1 black minorca, 3 araucana's and the three from the ginger chick. She had run with 3 cocks but her preference must have been the barnvelder. her three postumous chicks are the strangest colours.

Its going to be interesting to see what colour eggs they lay.
Since that incubation we managed to hatch 3 brown leghorns from a batch of 20 and 2 bronze turkey's from 12 eggs. Not a good year at all.

Catch up

After my daughters wedding, lennox the boar arrived on St. Valentines to perform his duties. Alas they weren't performed as well as they could have been. This year Bertha only produced 5 piglets and Gertrude none. Much debate followed as we came to the decision that it was too expensive to keep the sows for breeding. They weren't pets, so with much heartache we took them to slaughter. Gertrude went as soon as we had made up our mind and Bertha as soon as her piglets were weaned.

Bertha's piglets

Life as we know it will never be the same again...in a good way

Neglect of the blog began due to this happy couple when they announced early 2011 that they were getting married in January 2012. At first we were complacement, a whole year to arrange the event. But as time passed by and the invitaions were made and sent, the cake was baked ready to be iced and bridesmaids were measured realisation sank in that we didnt have that much time.

The bridesmaids dresses were dutifully made, fitted, altered and finally completed before christmas.
After christmas I began the Brides dress. It was necessary to redesign part of the frock, due to another announcement, completing just a week before the wedding allowed for minor adjustments.

The cake completed around the same time.




Leaving us all to enjoy a very happy day.

The Boar is Back in Town

Lennox is back to service the girls. He arrived yesterday and though he was on his best behaviour our girls were unbelievably coy. Last year the deed had been done without proper introduction. I think because he arrived on Valentines day they were expecting roses and being wined and dined. Hopefully they will allow him to catch them soon.

Can Pigs Laugh?

My phobia for mice is not getting any better. They are running free and wild all over the place. Living under water troughs, in the pumpkin patch and I thought worse of all earlier this week I discovered a nest in my car! My girly screams could be heard far and wide.
My girly scream resembles the noise that Gertrude and Bertha make when overly anxious for their food they touch the electric fence. I always wince, telling them in a firm voice 'to keep away from the white sticks'.
This morning the shoe was on the other foot. As I confidently stepped over the tape my knee brushed against the tape. Letting out a sharp squeal I distinctly heard a couple of snorts and a rapture of laughter before the duo inquisitively came to check me out. As I gingerly left the enclosure I'm sure I heard them say 'be careful of them white sticks'!

New Homes

At dawn 11th July 2011 the delivery of Bertha's piglets began. 2 weeks later the arrival of Gertrude's. Since then I have been up to my armpits in piglets. What an adventure it has been. What a learning curve it has been. For nearly 12 weeks my life has been filled with care, love, fun, laughter, anxiety, nervous tension, pig poo. Enormous amounts of pig poo.
This week most of the piglets have been relocated to their new homes. The pig pens are looking very empty.
Gertrude and Bertha were reunited, not exactly the Bo Derek and Dudley Moore moment we were expecting. More like a couple of sumo wrestlers vieing for prominent position. An equally matched spa which went on for some time. Now they have settled back into their old order of some you win some you lose, pointless fighting about it.
Now it's all done, back to business as usual.