Diary

September 2008RSS feed

Jinx's sore foot

Friday 5 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 9:24pm in Sheep 2 comments Comments closed

We noticed this week that Jinx was a bit lame on her near hind leg. We sprayed the foot with a "kill everything" footspray and waited. By Wednesday, she was a bit better but not fully recovered so I got the vet out. I wanted to be sure I was trimming their feet properly anyway. The vet said it wasn't anything specific - like footrot - but her foot had an infection brought on by the wet weather. He trimmed off the damaged bit, gave her an antibiotic injection and sprayed on the same "kill everything" stuff that we had. That was Wednesday; Thursday morning I trimmed a bit more off her foot, washed it with antiseptic disinfectant and sprayed on the spray. Today, we did the same and I think she's a bit better. The foot certainly was less hot today. We'll keep this up for a few more days and see how she gets on.

Sheepish spending spree!

Friday 5 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 9:36pm in Sheep 1 comment Comments closed

A colleague at work was telling me recently about how much she loves shopping for shoes. I didn't feel able to share with her my excitement when my wee box arrived through the post from Mole Valley Farmers.

In it was my ram harness and crayons. Now, you might think this is a bit of overkill since I've only got three sheep, but I'm not around to supervise and I want to be sure that there is at least "activity", when the time comes. The time to find out the boy has spent the winter eating his head off is not April!

Baby Black Rocks

Tuesday 9 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 7:33pm in Poultry Comments closed

Dan tootled off yesterday to pick up 13 x day old Black Rocks. They are in the garage - usually, I have them in the spare room to start but Dan has it earmarked as a training room / home cinema, so chicks are banned.

So far they look well - much stronger today than yesterday. Tomorrow, I'll let them out of the box into the run. I did buy these ones with the intention of selling some of them at POL. They are such good hens. The Marans are so flighty - they were all perched on the fence today. Hopefully, they will start laying soon.

Chip's new girls

Saturday 13 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 8:15pm in Poultry 2 comments Comments closed

You will recall that Chip is a Crested Cream Legbar cockerel, who was the sole survivor of a very poor hatch. Although we bought 6 day old Black Rocks as company for him, I don't really think they bonded and now that they are free-ranging, he's quite often on his own. Aawww...

With that in mind, Claire and I were up at 6am this morning to get to the rare breed sale at Carlisle in good time for the poultry sale at 10.30am - with a view to getting Chip a new harem!

And we were successful! We came home this afternoon with 2 lots of three Crested Cream Legbar pullets; one lot was a May hatch and the other a bit later. They look nice and healthy and have already mastered the ladders in the small ark. They are leg ringed and recorded on my poultry register!

First egg from the Copper Black Marans

Saturday 13 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 8:22pm in Poultry Comments closed

We got our first egg from the Copper Black Marans today - it is without doubt, the smallest hen's egg I have ever seen. It's like a Cadbury Mini Egg! Still, they are only 21 weeks old.

Tiny egg

I think we might have scared it out of them. We culled two of the three CB Maran cockerels last night, keeping the biggest and best looking as our new stock cockerel. He has been named Hector (and he has a house! Children of the 60s will understand this).

Clackmannanshire Horticultural Society Show 2008

Saturday 13 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 8:27pm in Anything goes Comments closed

It was the Show today. As usual, I wasn't as prepared in reality as I was in my head. I rushed home form work yesterday to make pancakes - which were not show quality so we ate them - and chocolate brownie, which Dan said was nice but not up to my usual standard. I had baked a fruit tea loaf using chai tea earlier in the week, to let it mature for today. After that, it was a quick run round the garden before it got dark, ending up with runner beans and mini tomatoes. A few jars of jam, marmalade and a chutney completed the entry.

Popcorn and the pygmy goat

Saturday 13 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 9:14pm in Cattle 2 comments Comments closed

I hoped to meet Popcorn today, but due to Blue Tongue restrictions, she wasn't able to come to Carlisle. Curious?

Popcorn is a three year old Irish Moiled x Jersey cow, well handled, nicely marked, used to being hand milked and in calf to an Irish Moiled bull. The perfect smallholder's cow. She was included in the catalogue for today's rare breed sale at Carlisle, but because of BT restrictions - she's in Scotland outside the BT protection zone and Carlisle is in it, she wasn't brought down. If she hadn't been sold, she couldn't have been taken home and she couldn't have been bought by anyone in Scotalnd or Ireland unless she was vaccinated - at least that's my understanding. So we only had photos of Popcorn - which is maybe just as well...

Cheeky Chick

Monday 15 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 7:18pm in Poultry Comments closed

Yesterday was lovely - warm, still, sunny, but autumnal. You know how the light changes and there's just something in the air? The trees are starting to change to gold and red now - and I get the urge to prepare for winter. I think in a previous life, I must have lived somewhere where battening down the hatches was truly required.

Anyway, yesterday, I decided to rationalise the hens i.e. let Cheeky Chick, the Cuckoo Maran and his / her mommy out of their run. I was confident that mommy would look after Cheeky - but no! She set Cheeky to scratch around the base of one of the trees and then legged it with her pals! Cheeky had a great time - I kept checking on him / her - I'll use the feminine so that she'll be a girl! - but come bedtime, she went all alone into her big empty coop. Mommy had gone off with the big girls.

Don't get cross!

Sunday 21 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 7:39pm in Anything goes 1 comment Comments closed

It has been the most lovely day here today - blue sky, warm, calm. Naturally, we've been taking advantage of this; Dan's lifted the potatoes, I've cleaned out the small patio bed and the containers on it. I've tidied the garage a bit and cleaned out the hen houses. It has been most pleasant.

However, I should learn not to get cross. Meg's a lovely dog in many respects but she can be intensely irritating. If you are busy, she wuffs to get your attention and the wuff gets higher and higher in pitch if you don't respond. I was emptying containers today and she was wuffing; I told her crossly to "be quiet" (or similar) as I banged a pot empty; I banged it so hard it bounced back and hit me squarely on the nose; then the leg of my spectacles fell off.

Pigs away!

Wednesday 24 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 9:35pm in Pigs Comments closed

Well, the pigs went off yesterday without incident. We set up a race from the pen to the trailer - it was a bit Heath Robinson, comprising sheep hurdles, bits of shed, a patio table and a couple of hen houses - but it worked.

Pig race

The three pigs loaded like a dream - followed the bucket then got the scent of the sliced apples hidden in the straw in the trailer and in they popped.When I left for work, they were asleep in the trailer. Dan said they were a bit reluctant to come out at the other end but all went pretty well. We'll get them back from the butcher on 4th October, jointed, cured and minced.

Comedy Carrot

Wednesday 24 September, 2008

by Dan at 9:38pm in Growing 1 comment Comments closed

After an absence of probably several weeks, if not months, here I am back to lend some class and gravitas to the website. In the shape of a comedy vegetable.

I know it's puerile, but it made me laugh.

comedy carrot

To quote from Blackadder:

Percy: ...we came across a turnip that was exactly the same shape...as a thingy!

Edmund: ...a "thingy."

Mr Fox again

Wednesday 24 September, 2008

by Rosemary at 9:41pm in Poultry Comments closed

We've lost two hens this week - an old Light Sussex and my Black Rock broody. I assume it's a fox - I know there are foxes around. I'm afraid this time the ultimate sanctions will have to be applied.

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