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.~~~1729~1733~~
We are by no means experts, but we're getting the hang of it.~~~1729~1733~~
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!~~~1729~3061~~
~~~1729~3060~~
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.~~~1729~3059~~
~~~1729~3058~~
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…~~~1729~3057~~
~~~1729~3056~~
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…~~~1729~2988~~
~~~1729~2987~~
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!~~~1729~2990~~
~~~1729~2989~~
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…~~~1729~2992~~
~~~1729~2991~~
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! ~~~1729~2979~~
~~~1729~2978~~
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!~~~1729~2934~~
~~~1729~2933~~
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!~~~1729~2932~~
~~~1729~2931~~
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.~~~1729~2101~~
~~~1729~2100~~
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.~~~1729~2099~~
~~~1729~2098~~
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.~~~1729~2082~~
~~~1729~2081~~
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!~~~1729~2044~~
~~~1729~2043~~
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...~~~1729~2024~~
~~~1729~2025~~
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!~~~1729~2027~~
~~~1729~2023~~
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!).~~~1729~1976~~
~~~1729~1975~~
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.~~~1729~1920~~
~~~1729~1919~~
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.~~~1729~1900~~
~~~1729~1899~~
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.~~~1729~1898~~
~~~1729~1897~~
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.~~~1729~1855~~
~~~1729~1854~~
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…~~~1729~1793~~
~~~1729~1792~~
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.~~~1729~1730~~
~~~1729~1736~~
~~~1729~1737~~
~~~1729~1738~~
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…~~~1729~1735~~
~~~1729~1739~~
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.~~~1729~1740~~
~~~1729~1741~~
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!~~~1729~1742~~
~~~1729~1743~~
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.~~~1729~1744~~
~~~1729~1745~~
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.~~~1729~1746~~
~~~1729~1748~~
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.~~~1729~1747~~