There's more to life than work, and on this page we try to give a brief insight into life on our smallholding in Aberdeenshire.
We are by no means experts, but we're getting the hang of it.
February 2010
With yet more snow this month, in between the really soggy thawing out periods, the going has been pretty difficult outside. Most of the animals have been moved inside, but we were just a little too late for one of our ewes...
We were feeding all of the animals in the late afternoon as always, and when we got to the sheep we noticed a couple of newborn lambs running about in the snow!
Whilst they looked healthy and dry (their mother had obvioulsy been looking after them), the outdoor conditions were far from ideal. We very quickly moved them into a warm, dry pen (pictured). After a couple of hours, mother and lambs were doing well!
In the meantime, a quick look at our calendar revealed that these lambs were born at the very earliest possible date (taking the time with the ram and the typical gestation period into account), which caught us on the hop!
January 2010
There is a time for snow, and that time appears to be now!
All of the dogs love it, althogh today's depth seems to be at around 18-24 inches in the field, and it does seem to slow them down marginally.
And as Sophie (pictured) says, waste not want not! She can roll about in it all day!
More seriously though, it does make croft life very tricky at times, and feeding the animals is particularly challenging. We have brought all of last year's lambs inside (the first time ever), and amazingly, we also managed to bring the cows in too!
Pippa and Co have always had a severe aversion to our livestock shed, but after a few false starts and by rattling a bucket of nosh, they were all comfortably in the small enclosure just outside of it. They go in and out of the shed at will (the door doesn't shut properly because of the snow) which seems to suit them, and we think that gradually they will become less nervous about being there.
December 2009
Chrismas is almost upon us and as you can see, Daisy is certainly looking forward to it. As are we all.
We get a daily reminder when we go to feed the sheep each morning - our (German) Shepherds definately like watching their flock!
Merry Christmas to you all, from the Croft.
November 2009
As our chickens have seen a few summers now, our egg production has dropped off considerably over the last couple of months. To remedy this, we got some new layers through a neighbour of ours around the middle of October - 8 shiny new pullets.
Although it has taken a little while for them to settle in with their 'elders', they are now starting to lay quite regularly despite the long evenings.
We won't reach the dizzy heights of last year, where we ate so many eggs we were starting to resemble them, but hopefully we won't go short either. We see a glorious menu of omelettes, cakes, etc ahead. Yummy!
October 2009
October has brought rain, then some more rain, topped by even more rain!
Much of the croft is quite soggy, and whilst this does add some challenges to the daily feeding and husbandry routine, the dogs absolutely love their new water feature - a huge deep puddle/lake that has formed in the lower corner of the main field (pictured).
Daisy is settling in well, readily testing the boundaries of the other dogs (and us), and is also enjoying regular clicker training sessions. She certainly seems to be intelligent, even if her attention span is understandably short at the moment.
Unfortunately, the wet weather brings downs as well as ups, including the potential for a bout of footrot in our sheep. A regular inspection (including foot trimming, and tagging the lambs) revealed one of our new ewes with a minor case, so she has been temporarily moved into pen for treatment.
At the same time, Olive (this year's Dexter calf) is avoiding the cattle pen with dexter-ity! Something has obviously spooked her in there, so she runs around the entrance instead of going in like the others do. Slowly, she is coming round though, which is just as well because a vets visit is imminent...
September 2009
Life has been slowly returning to normal at the croft, after a difficult August.
Two of last year's lambs have been sent to the abattoir and should be back from the butcher shortly, and we recently acquired some broiler chickens for the pot (one of which has already been sampled!). Apples and plums have been picked, and the grapes are very nearly ready to be harvested too.
Whilst our remaining three GSDs have adjusted to the new 'structure' in the pack, we have found it much more difficult to deal with. After considerable thought we finally succumbed, and made a new addition to the household in the shape of a small white GSD puppy called Daisy.
She will never replace Molly or Amy, but her antics have been a real tonic. Her puppy behaviour (polite description) never ceases to amuse, amaze, and even shock us, and it has certainly been a while since we felt the pinch of a small pin-like puppy tooth! It is hard to be sad with a puppy in your presence.
The clicker training has begun, and she is responding nicely (within her short attention span), and once her homeopathic vaccinations are complete, we hope to start introducing her so some of the livestock.
August 2009
Thanks to a welcome gap in the weeks of torrential rain, we had the hay cut early in August. Praying for good weather, we were rewarded with sun and breeze for 6 days, and managed to bale successfully. Nice dry stuff, if a bit loose in the bale strings!
The following day, our friendly neighbour delivered three round bales of straw, and we spent the afternoon re-baling to give us easier to handle square bales. The baler could be stored for another year.
Unfortunately our delight was short lived. Only days after putting the hay in the shed, Molly, one of our GSDs fell ill. We never doubted for one minute that she would be fine, but she continued to deteriorate. After 6 days, we couldn't hold on to her any longer, and she had to be put to sleep.
Almost at the same time, Amy (another GSD) also became ill with an unrelated problem. Exactly 7 days after losing Molly, Amy went to the vet for exploratory surgery, and we were advised not to revive her.
We are devastated and miss them both very much, and the shock of losing two seemingly healthy dogs is still very real, but life on the croft must go on.
The apples are maturing and will be ready soon, and there is still plenty going on in the polytunnel that demands our attention.
RIP Molly and Amy.
July 2009
As we continue to work through our wine collection from last year's fruit, it never hurts to keep an eye on the makings for this year's batch!
Our grape vines are doing very well and we hope for a similar size crop to the one we had last year, and the blackcurrents are just coming up to the point where we will have to watch them very closely.
We didn't manage to harvest many blackcurrents last year so the blackcurrent wine was missing unfortuantely, but the grapes more than made up for it. We believe that last year's red grape wine is the finest we have ever made.
June 2009
Near the end of June, and about a week before expected, our new dexter calf put in an appearance. Her name is Olive.
We were on our daily feeding round, and found that Pippa had calved in private as usual. A small bundle could be seen in the grass, and Pippa didn't seem too keen to come over and feed.
We approached to a safe distance (cows with calves can be very protective), left Pippa's feed, and retreated to watch. From their behaviour it seemed that Olive hadn't been born long before.
Although Olive is our third calf here at the croft, we were still surprised and delighted when we saw her! She is a delight.
May 2009
The time had come to bottle last year's crop of red grape wine, which has been sitting in a cold room in demijohns for about 6-8 months.
In truth, the wine should have been syphoned into fresh demijohns a couple of times to remove the silt, but these ones have been pretty much left to their own devices since they were started - plenty of warmth for a couple of weeks, then left in the cool to finish.
Once we had cleaned out and sterilised several bottles, the bottling began. Obviously each demijohn had to be 'sampled' to check that it was actually worth bottling the contents, and thankfully all 5 passed the taste test!
We now have over 20 litres of delicious red wine, made from the juice of grapes grown here at the croft! If we can just give them time to settle...
April 2009
After much deliberation, and prompted by a hospital appointment, we finally decided to dispose of our last couple of pigs.
The sow was bred by us 18 months ago and was originally to be our breeding sow, and the boar was bought in for the purpose. Unfortunately, by the time we had decided not to breed them we weren't in a position to take them to the abattoir, and have been rather coy about the decision since!
We did manage to sell the boar, but had the sow converted to bacon and mince (in the most part) which should see us through for quite a while. We haven't gone off pigs completely, so no doubt we will have weaners at some point in future.
March 2009
For some time now, we have been intending to make use of a spinning wheel that we bought a year or so ago. We dusted it off and tried it out, but without any idea how to use it properly, we didn't have much luck.
Then, we attended a local craft open day to see what craft classes were available, and as luck would have it, had the opportunity to try a wheel for a few minutes under instruction.
There is no substitute for practical experience, and with just that short practice, we are now able to use our own wheel, albeit not perfectly. After a while, we had a full bobbin (pictured) of spun wool from the fleeces of our own sheep! Not exactly a jumper's worth, but you have to start somewhere!
February 2009
Did it snow? Did it ever!
Whilst we have seen worse over the last couple of years, it did come as a bit of a surprise. Mind you, the dogs absolutely LOVED it!
With nothing but a light breeze, bright sunshine, several layers of snow over the field, they chased around as though they were floating on air. The canine equivalent of 'snow angels' could clearly be seen around the perimeter of the field (their usual route).
In addition to the fun though, there is also a more challenging aspect to the weather. The animals not only need to be fed at the usual times, but also have to have plenty of dry bedding, and it all has to be carried to their pens though the snow. At first is quite easy, but after a while we found it quite exhausting!
Thankfully the snow has now passed, and has been replaced by drizzle. The mud is deeper, but we're used to it, and it's no less than we expect in Feb. In a couple of months it will subside as the ground dries up. Hopefully!
January 2009
What a start to the new year!
Both of us were suffering with quite severe winter colds, which slowed us down a little, however, as soon as we recovered, we were lucky enough to acquite some new goats from a friend of ours. They are Toggenburg goats, one 4 years old, and the other 8 months, and we hope to get plenty of milk later this year for goats cheese!
It will mean a slight change to the feeding regime (new animals always do), but not a major one. In the most part they will eat what the sheep do, so no additional feed and feed containers are required at the moment.
Whilst we do a bit more fence work, they are currently living in our shed, with a small outdoor area constructed from 6' high fence panels (another recent acquisition from another generous friend). That should keep them going for a week or so. Whilst the weather is as wild as it is, we don't think they will want to be going too far!
December 2008
Thanks to a short snap of snow just at the end of November, we managed to get some really nice pics of the dogs for our Christmas cards!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!
November 2008
Finally, after 2 years, it was time to send our bullock Billy to the abattoir. Despite this always being our intention, it is never easy.
After some thorough planning, the whole process went very smoothly and with the minimum of stress for all concerned. Most importantly, for Billy.
The trailer was prepared the day before, the tractor was fuelled, and for a couple of days in advance Billy had been trained to walk into a pen to make it easier to catch him without having to chase him around.
Despite some appallingly wet wether just a day or so before, Billy did indeed walk calmly into his pen and the trailer was backed over the soft ground without getting stuck. When the gates were all opened, he went straight in.
A week or so later, we collected the meat from our local butcher, and with a toast to Billy, we enjoyed our first home grown steak with chips! Delicious.
October 2008
In an effort to boost our vegetable growing area (the polytunnel, whilst huge, seems to fill up really quickly!), we purchased some used greenhouses from a friend of ours.
Borrowing a trailer, we collected them one at a time from a rather steep hillside, and tied them on with baling twine. The glass, most of it intact, we loaded into the car.
Positioning them in the yard for the time being, we set about clearing some space to set them up. This is the hard bit, and we still have a bit of work to do. Hopefully they will be ready in time for the next growing season!
September 2008
Now into September, we set about making some improvements to our 'defences'.
The entrance gates to the yard have been hanging since the day we moved in (two old and rusty pipe gates, very quickly attached to the walls in order to keep the dogs safe), and were never entirely suitable for the purpose.
The biggest problems were that, not only could the dogs put their heads right through the bars when strangers approached, but familiar visitors could and did open them when the dogs were out and about.
After one particular incident, we decided enough was enough. Armed with some reclaimed timber, used gate 'furniture', and an in-law, we made two five bar gates to fill the gap. One was 11' long, and the other, a pedestrian gate, 3' long.
We covered the front of the gate with windproofing mesh (to keep dogs in and people out), and used a selection of gate bolts to secure them together.
Perfectly level with each other (a feat of luck more than skill), they are much more secure. They don't open in strong winds like the old ones either. Fantastic!
August 2008
Our polytunnel has been producing well this year, thanks to some imaginative planting and regular care. We have enjoyed meal after meal of fresh vegetables (to accompany our pork and lamb), and hope it will continue through the colder seasons too.
Our tomato crop started well with some lovely red specimens (we have had problems with pounds of tomatoes staying green and being used for chutney), but unfortunately our harvest was cut quite short by blight.
Potatoes also suffered, but thankfully not until we had eaten our way through most of them.
The new cover has definately made a difference to the ambient temperature in the tunnel, and this is almost certainly helping with the increased yield.
July 2008
The remaining sheep all sheared, we turned our attention to this year's crop of hay.
We were lucky enough to spot a square baler for sale in the local ads paper, and after an inspection and a quick trial (stationary, feeding straw through manually) all seemed in order. Having sealed the deal we arranged to have it transported to us, but had to reverse our neighbours borrowed tractor onto the low loader to tow it off. Hair raising!
The bad news was that after trying it out again, it wasn't working properly - the knotters weren't knotting! After taking a closer look we thought we had identified the cause, and to confirm it one of our neighbours came for a peek. It turns out that they used to own one of the same model (over 30 years ago!), and were familiar with it.
Suitably instructed, we set about the repairs, and within a day our neighbour returned with his tractor for a trial run. Success! Straw in one end, bales out the other.
Feeling confident, we watched the weather closely and arranged to have the grass cut at what later turned out to be the perfect time. What followed was 4 days of scorching weather, and on the fifth day we produced 250 bales with our baler (and borrowed tractor!).
Blitz (pictured) declared the bales suitable, and went off for a snooze…
June 2008
As the weather warms up, it's sheep shearing time.
Usually we ask an expert to come round and do it, but this year we thought we'd have a crack at it ourselves. Armed with a set of electric clippers from our indulgent neighbour, we set about the task.
Having rounded up 6 of last years lambs, we managed to manouvre them into the shed one by one, positioning them on their backsides (where they can't move around too easily). Each was clipped in a rather awkward fashion, and then released back into the pack to recover!
The first two seemed to take about an hour each with plenty of resting (us, and the sheep), at which point we decided to retreat and do a bit more research and have a cup of tea! After viewing a couple of online videos of shearing, we decided to have another crack at it. Although the whole sheep+sheers still felt a little alien, we managed to do the other 4 in about 20+ minutes each.
A vast improvement, but exhausting all the same! The others can wait a week or two…
May 2008
In April, when one of our pigs returned from the abattoir, we decided to try to air dry some hams. We're hoping they'll be similar to 'parma ham'.
Each of the two hams were salted for several weeks (according to weight), and when ready they were washed and wrapped in muslin.
In the meantime, we made a box with a mesh front, meshed door panel at the back, and 2 hooks in the top. Each wrapped ham was hung on a hook, where they will remain for several months while the air circulates around them in and through the box. At that point, they will be unwrapped and should be ready to eat. Yum!
The box should be outside really, so that the hams are in a draft. Perhaps later in the month we'll get around to it!
April 2008
April brings lambs for us, as we generally put the ram with the ewes quite late in the year. The rationale is that if the worst of the weather is over, lambs can go outside sooner without danger.
This year, 5 ewes gave us 11 lambs - a mixture of singles, twins, and triplets!
The downside was that for some reason, 5 of the 11 were rejected by their mothers ('orphaned'). This can be quite difficult for all concerned, not least because they have to be fed several times a day on powdered ewes milk. Expensive, and time consuming! Then there's the head butting that takes place once they get the hang of the bottle. After you've hand fed 5 lambs you are black and blue!
It was touch and go for one lamb, who we thought we would lose. It wasn't clear that she'd been orphaned at first, and we found her in a corner of the shed shivering. We brought her inside in a dog cage and placed her next to the range to warm up, and slept with her in our arms.
By the next day she was much better, and a few days later she went outside into a crate with a hot lamp. Little did we know that she'd soon have 4 friends to join her…
March 2008
Windy weather in early March gave way to a couple of days of fairly still air, and the job we had been dreading for quite a while.
The polytunnel we inherited when we moved in has been in need of a new cover for some time - something neither of us wanted to do (or knew anything about) - but necessity eventually won through!
Having bought the cover (and timbers, bolts, nails, etc) in Feb, and armed with a couple of knowledgable friends, we finally took the old cover off and removed the rails.
New rails cut and bolted into place, then the beading attached, we were ready for the new cover. With all 4 of us pulling and moving and adjusting it, we drew the polythene fabric over the top and secured it with more beading and nails. Once pulled reasonably tight, we lifted and secured the hoops of the tunnel to tighten it.
Sounds easy, but it took 4 days to do! Little did we know at the time, that this was to be the only 4 days of calm weather for almost the whole of March!
February 2008
February has been a month of extremes.
Snowfall in the first week, which the dogs (pictured) absolutely loved, gave us some concerns for the calf in the cold. Thankfully it seemed to pass without incident, and soon gave way to wetter but slightly warmer weather.
Then following a few more cold days, the weather changed completely and gave us several days warm(ish) and dry! This gave us the opportunity to finish the boundary fencing and shift the ewes in. The grass in there had been untouched for several months, so was fresher than everywhere else.
Unfortunately though, the weather changed again in the last couple of days giving us severe gales with more forecast. Not ideal, but probably no worse than expected at this time of year. If we can just make it though March and the beginning of April, hopefully we'll start to see an upturn in the weather, and an improvement on the damp rainy conditions of last year.
Fingers crossed!
January 2008
January got the year off to a fairly damp and cold start, and work to keep Pippa (Dexter Cow) comfortable and warm didn't get any easier! Pippa doesn't like going into a shed, but she seems quite happy in her field shelter, so several bags of straw later she looked pretty snug.
Due to calf at any time (difficult to predict exactly when) it was extremely important to ensure the survival of the calf with plenty of bedding, and extra hay and cattle cobs were in order - not too many cobs though as we didn't want the calf to grow too big and make the birth difficult.
Meanwhile, the first half of 25 fence posts were punched in along the far boundary. New fencing is required here to prevent our sheep getting out and either falling in the drainage ditch (see September 2007) or wandering about in our neighbours lush grass fields.
Finally, on the last day of January, and in the worst weather we've seen so far this year, Pippa's Calf (Rosie) was born!
December 2007
As the end of the year approaches, so the evenings continue to get shorter. This makes working outside very difficult but no less necessary, although we have to admit that some tasks just can't be done in the dark!
Rain, whilst not an everyday affair, continues.
On the plus side, we have chosen our Christmas Tree (soon to be chopped) and are enjoying the warm open fire in the chilly evenings.
November 2007
The Ram (pictured) was moved as planned, but regrettably one of the ewes had to be taken out and separated from the othes due to lameness.
She seems to be recovering well, but it will be a while we think before she is returned to the paddock. We want to be sure that whatever is causing the lameness is cured before reintroduction into the flock.
Meanwhile, the sow has been removed from the piglets (easier than the other way round), and they now have access to a new area of fresh ground.
The rain has continued to pour this month, making it very soggy underfoot - for us and the animals.
October 2007
Geraldine's recovery is now complete, and she is as good as new.
We have also just added to our breeding ewes with a purchase of two more from a neighbour of ours (pictured - the ewes, not the neighbour!).
One is pure suffolk as far as we know, and the other we're not sure about. Both are a little older than ours, but should give us a few good years of service.
After a couple of weeks with the others, the ram will join the ewes in November. In the meantime, the girls all have access to the main field at night, just to give their current paddock a bit of respite.
September 2007
With slightly drier weather so far, the piglets are doing well. 8 in all. They are coping with the surface mud, and are already tucking in to mum's fodder!
Electric fencing continues slowly too, with a second of the 4 main paddocks getting the treatment.
We also nearly lost one of our ewes last week. Having nipped out of our rear fence, she fell into a drainage ditch and couldn't get out. She may have been there for nearly 24 hours, and when we found her, she was only just visible with her head and back showing in the muddy water.
She was very cold and obviously tired, and it took 3 people to get her out. Sheep are heavy enough without a fleece full of water!
She rested on her side in the steading for 3 days (pictured), barely moving but warm under a heat lamp, and we called the vet to check her over. After a further day or two, we managed to get her back on her feet.
She has recovered well and is now out in the field chewing grass. Albeit with a visible tide mark!
August 2007
August has been hard work!
Despite the weather, we finally decided to cut the grass for hay. After turning it a couple of times with our neighbour's 'Wuffler' (pictured), it decided to rain some more! As a consequence, the hay was on the ground slightly longer but we finally managed to bale it at the end of the month, and managed 250 bales. That should keep us going for winter!
In the meantime, our pig moves were completed just in time for Piggy to have her piglets. One new electric fence required for that.
Another electric fence was needed to move Pippa and Billy (Dexter cows) into a fresh paddock. This was the first time they'd been moved into this area, and Billy was gambolling around with excitement!
And finally, as our ram lambs are starting to mature we needed to move them away from the ewes and ewe lambs. Thankfully this was relatively painless, and just a little chasing was required!
Perhaps we'll have a rest in September...
July 2007
More damp weather this month, but work goes on. As we prepare for more piglets in August, we've been moving the remaining few pigs around.
So far, we have separated the two weaner boars from the sow and remaining gilt (so as to avoid any unnecessary accidents), but the next step is slightly more difficult.
We will need to separate the gilt and sow so that the sow can farrow in peace, however, to do this we will need to put up a new fence around an unused ark (the last fence has seen better days).
Let's hope for better weather next month.
On the plus side, Blitz has started to recover from whichever alergy he was suffering from, and the gammon (pictured) from our boar is proving to be fantastic!
June 2007
Weather for the last few weeks has been pretty damp and misty, and finally broke with a spectacular electrical storm and heavy downpour just a week ago.
The storm knocked out our telephones and internet, leaving us with one single outgoing line which we finally rigged up for dialup internet! Difficult, but we managed to keep Training Lines orders rolling out thank goodness.
Outside, the sheep have been sheared leaving them a bit weedy looking, and we've just collected some of our boar from the butcher.
As he was approaching 2 years old, we were quite concerned about 'boar taint' and overall meat quality but it seems our worries were unfounded. The butcher told us that the pork was extremely lean, and our evening meal was absolutely delicious too!
As the grass gets longer and we prepare for hay, we are at the time of year when Blitz develops some kind of allergic reaction to something. Last year at about this time he had the same thing - his eyes and jowls become swollen, and the skin on his legs goes very pink.
It lasts for about 6 weeks, but looks extemely uncomfortable for him, so we are currently trying some homeopathic allergy treatments and keeping him out of the long grass (just in case!).
May 2007
The last couple of months have proved to be very busy indeed, which isn't unusual for Spring!
The piglets were weaned at 11 weeks old, and the sow moved back with the boar.
Following a tragedy with one of our ewes, we were delighted that our remaining 4 ewes gave us 8 lambs - (2 sets of triplets and 2 singles). 2 of the 8 were rejected by their mothers and proved to be quite tricky to rear, but once they got the hang of it things got considerably easier. All 8 lambs are outside and doing well.
The poly tunnel is also showing good growth (and not too much damage from rabbits!), and we enjoyed our first of a healthy crop of rhubarb.
March 2007
March got off to a bang with a visit from the vet - our calf, Billy, was due to be castrated.
We have been leading up to this point for several weeks as Pippa is quite strong willed. She is quite happy to go along with us as long as she feels like it!
We started off by encouraging them both to leave their comfy paddock, and bit by bit we managed to get them into a shed (and shut the door). They stayed there for 3 or 4 days quite happily, and on the day, Pippa was helped out leaving Billy behind.
When the vet arrived, Billy was encouraged into the crush, and the work done as quickly and painlessly as possible.
We did try to put Pippa with Billy back in the shed, but she decided otherwise and took a couple of fences with her…
After 24 hours of trying we decided enough was enough, and put Billy back in the paddock instead. Understandably they are much more relaxed together.
February 2007
Pigalilli finally gave birth to 11 healthy piglets at the beginning of Feb. 6 boars and 5 gilts.
With the exception of some cold snaps, the weather has been very kind and the piglets have developed well. They are certainly very cheeky!
Mother's appetite is growing in proportion to the piglets, and her meals are becoming bigger and bigger!
The plan is that by the time they are ready to wean, the weather should be warm enough not to pose too much risk.
January 2007
After some relatively good weather in December and early January, we are just starting to see the real winter hit. Mild but sunny days have finally given way to cold winds, rain, and now some short bursts of hail and snow.
Plenty more to come no doubt.
We have moved our two pigs into fresh pens, separate ones as Pigalilli (left) is expecting piglets shortly and will need some space to nest. Plenty of bedding in her ark, and some strategically placed bales of hay to keep the draughts out. Cosy!
The ram has settled in and we are confident that the ewes have been 'served'. Lambs expected in April.
December 2006
Thankfully, after several weeks of waiting, Pippa finally gave birth to a bull calf on November 14th without any help from anyone.
Despite the chill in the weather, mother and calf continue to do well, albeit we are still keeping a good arms length away for the safety of everyone concerned.
We are also confident that our sow is in pig to our boar, and have just collected our ram lamb. He appears to be pleased with his new harem, and we sincerely hope he is as fertile as his predecessor! Only time will tell.
Plenty more work to do though. The polytunnel needs tidying, and the fruit garden is more weed than fruit bush at the moment. Fun times ahead…
November 2006
The weather has certainly changed for us up here. No more sun for the last 2 or 3 weeks, but plenty of rain and some quite strong gales. We've had a relatively dry year all in all, but the result of that seems to be that the ground surface is quite hard and the torrential rain we are getting now has nowhere to go!
We're also still waiting for Pippa, our Dexter cow, to give birth to her calf. It would have been nice for that to happen when everything was dry but that's obviously not how its going to be. Still, provided we remain vigilant everything will be fine.
Our ewes are currently paddocked without so much grass at the moment, so they can thin up a little in time for the ram to arrive. Judging by our results last year this probably isn't necessary, but we don’t want any complications.
October 2006
We've been busy as ever outside and a couple of weeks ago we collected our new Dexter cow, Pippa. Dexter's are quite small by cow standards, but are excellent for both milk and beef. Pippa is due to calf some time in October, so needless to say we are excited if not a little nervous!
September 2006
What with lambing, baling hay and planting crop, we haven't had a lot of time to spare to write these updates (hence the time gap!). We have recently tasted the sweetest ever pork from our home reared pigs and the dogs were pleased to be presented with the trotters!
April 2006
Well, we don’t know about the weather where you are, but we’ve had some pretty serious snow up here in the northeast of Scotland over the last month.
The good news is that the dogs have absolutely LOVED it. They have been running and rolling about in the field going absolutely mad, and without coming in all covered in mud.
The bad news has been the effect it has had on our other animals. Thankfully we’ve muddled through without any really serious problems, but ensuring the wellbeing of our livestock was pretty challenging at times. Even the simple tasks like feeding and watering became a marathon when wading through 3 feet of snow in each direction!
Still, although we’ve continued to have a few short snow showers, things are looking up weather wise and with the dawn of spring we’re working hard in the polytunnel to ensure our crop of vegetables this year. We also have plans to plant an orchard/fruit garden as soon as the ground dries out a little. Hopefully soon…
February 2006
Our piglets have grown quite a bit since our last update, and they are all weaned and living together without their mothers. Both the piglets AND their mothers recovered from the separation pretty quickly it seems – just one bucket of swill and it was all over. Most of the piglets will be sold but we’ll be keeping a couple for ourselves. We have also been asked to raise one or two by other people who love home reared pork but don’t have space. An ideal solution!
We’re also pleased to report that Amy is doing well after her cruciate ligament surgery and despite a few complications we’re told by the specialist that she should make a pretty full recovery. She certainly seems to have got her enthusiasm back, and it’s a struggle to keep her exercising calmly.
December 2005
Well, since our last newsletter we’ve had some more new arrivals – another 12 piglets from our second expectant mother.
We are pleased to say that this birth was a lot more straightforward than our first one, not least because our first experience gave us a clue as to what we could expect. We also had the opportunity to segregate ‘mother’ from the others in advance of the labour this time, so she was much more comfortable and settled. In fact, it all took place overnight without any interference from us!
On a slightly more unpleasant note, one of our GSDs, Amy, is recovering from an operation to repair/reinforce a partially ruptured crutiate ligament 3 weeks ago. As you can imagine, the leg has been very tender and as a sensitive little thing she has found it quite stressful. The good news is that she is recovering well and is much more comfortable, and in line with our natural approach to feeding, we are using homeopathic treatment wherever possible. We’ve also become quite adept at packing parcels with her laying at our feet all day with her buster collar on. Quite tricky!
November 2005
One of our pigs became the mother of 6 tiny piglets last week, and it has interrupted our schedule rather rudely. After an interesting start where we had to collect the new arrivals in a box for an hour or two while piggy settled down a bit, mother and babies are now doing very well. We hope to be back our regular timetable for December.
Well, the clocks have recently gone back, and we don’t know about you but we found the adjustment to darker evenings and marginally lighter mornings quite hard. We still have plenty to do outside – new pig arks and animal shelters to build, fences to complete, roofs to make watertight – but with at least one hour less of useful daylight than we had a few weeks ago.
Also, according to our pigs and birds nothing had changed and it was important to adjust the feeding regime slowly so as not to cause them unnecessary stress. The same can be said for our dogs, and we’re sure yours were the same. Where we used to feed them at 6pm, it had to be 5pm for a while or they would start to speak to us! Slow adjustment saved our eardrums a little.
Perhaps more noticeable is the fact that when we’re out in the early evening now, our dogs ‘disappear’. If it wasn’t for an assortment of blinkers, strobes, and lighted collars (a different one for each dog so we know who’s who!) we wouldn’t know where they were.
October 2005
We hope you are all well, and that the slight turn toward colder weather isn’t too off-putting for you or your dogs. We’ve certainly noticed a few changes up here, not least that the egg supply from our chickens has dipped somewhat. Nevertheless, it is certainly easier to get the birds away in the evenings and we can do so at a reasonable hour!
Since our last newsletter, we’ve been busy as usual. One of our first pigs was sent to slaughter a few weeks ago, and now resides in the freezer. Sad though it was, he lived far longer than most pigs reared for the purpose and he had a happy time with us (and his 3 girlfriends). His memory will live on in the shape of several Tamworth/Gloucester Old Spot piglets we are expecting sometime in November.
September 2005
We've been quite busy outside. We were lucky enough to get a week without too much rain and got our hay baled a couple of weeks ago. Wow, was that hard work?
One neighbour baled, another watched, another lent us his tractor and cart. Quite a circus! After about 9 hours, a gallon of diesel, and with arms dragging along the ground, we finally deposited the 428th bale in the barn. Ouch, ouch, and thrice ouch!
Since then another paddock has been fenced, and gates are next on the agenda so that the expected inhabitants (piglets from our Gloucester Old Spot) can move in.
