Smallholding
A wedding / Record-keeping / Cattle / Bread and cheese
Thursday 27 July, 2017
Monday 17th July
While doing the routine weekly paperwork, I’ve been pulling out the costs for this year’s pigs and meat birds. Because they are short-term discrete enterprises, it’s pretty simple.
Today we cleaned the eight birds we killed yesterday – they weighed 2.3kg to 3.4kg, totaled 22.3kg, average 2.79kg. I’ll do the same when we do the nine hens next week and see how much they cost us to produce.
As things stand with the pigs, if they have an average deadweight of 60kg, they’ll have cost us £3.73/kg to get them to the butcher.
Read more on A wedding / Record-keeping / Cattle / Bread and cheese
Milking / Harvest / Bread / Short course / Birthday
Monday 24 July, 2017
Monday 10th July
Overcast but dry. The cows were exceedingly unco-operative today – Blizz just refused to come in – and I ran out of time and patience, so no milk today.
Bug had his feet trimmed – they grow at a huge rate.
Sent off the registrations to the Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society – Annie’s calf, Panda is registered as Rosedean Xena and Rosie’s as Rosedean Xanthe (she doesn’t have a pet name yet). Blizzard’s steer calf isn’t registered, of course.
Read more on Milking / Harvest / Bread / Short course / Birthday
Rosie's calf / Crovect / Great Tapestry / 1st spuds / Pie
Friday 14 July, 2017
Monday 3rd July
Beautiful morning. Up at 4am, wondering if Rosie was calving. She wasn’t. Consequently felt a bit zombie-like.
Lots of strawberries – best crop ever. And a good crop of gooseberries too. Raspberries are poorer – but they were supposed to be replanted this year and that didn’t quite happen.
The freezer is getting full, even though we’re eating lightly cooked strawberries with yogurt every day for breakfast. Delicious.
Read more on Rosie's calf / Crovect / Great Tapestry / 1st spuds / Pie
Harvest / Cheddar / Butter / Smallholding Scotland
Thursday 6 July, 2017
Monday 26th June
The fox woke us at 4am this morning. Bryn was going daft and had to be released to do whatever he does – runs around barking, I guess.
Couldn’t get back to sleep, so baked some almond biscuits and coconut cookies to fill the tins.
Milking machine still broken, but Dan is working on it :-(
Milking machine repair, looks complicated.
Read more on Harvest / Cheddar / Butter / Smallholding Scotland
Cattle moves / RHS & RBST / Cordial / Strawbs
Wednesday 28 June, 2017
Monday 19th June
Hot again, and windy until teatime. Dan’s off to London until tomorrow night, doing proper grown-up work.
Good milking this morning; Blizzard much more settled but with Paul and Gemma on holiday, we have a milk lake.
Pigs are happy about that though.
Tuesday 20th June
Bit cooler this morning but hot again this afternoon. Rain forecast for tomorrow.
John topped another two paddocks this morning – only one to do once the cows come out of it.
Farewell Felix / Paddy / Beer / Beach rugby
Friday 23 June, 2017
Monday 12th June
Dry, sunny and windy today.
Got a message today from Bryn’s breeder confirming that Bryn’s mum is in pup to his dad, with the puppies due around 26th June. Fingers crossed that all goes well and we get a wee sister for Bryn.
Bryn himself was at the vet today with Bertie and Felix for their annual check up and boosters.
Milking was “cowboy style” this morning as Blizzard’s hormones are clearly driving Ace to distraction and he’s continually trying to jump her. Hope it all calms down soon.
Meet Paddy / Courses / New queen bee
Wednesday 14 June, 2017
​
Monday 5th June
It’s been wet today. Did I really complain about the lack of rain last month?
Ace has been “babysitting” Panda.
Tuesday 6th June
Just more rain, and more rain. And wind.
I replaced Annie’s missing ear tag this morning – easy, as there was already a hole.
Wednesday 7th June
Looks like autumn here. So many leaves and branches blown off the trees. It’s still windy but the weather is improving. Not quite flaming June though.
Milking / Camembert / Open Farm Sunday / Sky corgi
Friday 9 June, 2017
Monday 29th May
It’s been a showery day.
Annie and Panda are still in a seperate paddock from the others but I’ll let them through tomorrow. Panda has been up and about. She’s small but very active and Ace is fascinated.
Panda.
She’s brindle and white but I guess she’ll go black as her mum did.
Read more on Milking / Camembert / Open Farm Sunday / Sky corgi
Panda is born / Swarm / Shearing
Monday 5 June, 2017
Monday 22nd May
Been a bit showery today, which is good.
Had a spectacular fall today while moving the cheeps – the rope broke just as I heaved on it. I must have gone down like I’d been poleaxed. Bit of a sore shoulder but mainly humiliation.
Firmed up for shearing on Thursday. It’s a good forecast for the rest of the week, so the fleeces should be good and dry.
Ordered a third wool bag and sealing tags. And Clik. Then “found” a full bottle of Crovect in the cupboard.
Cheeps out / Cow bath / Tea cosies
Friday 26 May, 2017
Monday 15th May
Bug’s lame in his near fore. Not very lame and I’m pretty sure it’s not laminitis. Given him some bute and we’ll see what he’s like in the morning.
The owners of the property where we have some our rented grass are selling up. We’re not altogether surprised but it’s a bit of a pain. We’ve got a nice system going with the cattle up there. Hey ho. Sadly, it’s almost certainly going to go as an equestrian property rather than a smallholding.
