Smallholding
Meg / Bryn & Ceri / Snow / Straw / Weaners
Wednesday 18 January, 2017
Monday 9th January
Took Meg to the vet and she’s been kept in overnight on fluids. Poor old girl. She’s in the best place. Hope to get her home tomorrow.
Tuesday 10th January
Meg’s much better and is home. She’s on a diet of chicken and rice for the foreseeable.
Meg tucking in.
Cattle move / Workshop plans / Avian flu / Meg / Knitting
Monday 16 January, 2017
Monday 2nd January
Moved the steers to their winter paddock today, with access to the wood. It was half dark by the time we got round to it, but they were really good.
Although the weather had been good over winter so far, I’m happy with them having additional shelter, just in case. We’ll get the ring feeder in soon.
The sheep now have access to all the other paddocks, so they’ll be happy too.
Met my chum Carol for lunch – great to catch up at Balgove Larder. Brought home a few wee foodie treats for Dan.
Read more on Cattle move / Workshop plans / Avian flu / Meg / Knitting
Hedge-trimming / Weeding / Cheddar / Brushing cows
Monday 2 January, 2017
Monday 26th December
No white Christmas, but there was a tiny smattering of white this morning.
There was a bit more at Astwood, when I went feed the steers but I don’t think it’ll last.
Smattering of snow at Astwood - it's been a mild Winter so far.
The steers are getting a scoop of sugar beet every day, to get them steady enough to apply a pour-on worm / fluke treatment.
Read more on Hedge-trimming / Weeding / Cheddar / Brushing cows
Culling hens / Cattle dosed / Farm Management Handbook
Saturday 31 December, 2016
Monday 19th December
I’ve started feeding a bit of sugar beet to the four steers at Astwood; they need to get a pour-on internal / external parasite treatment applied, so I need them to stand still for a few minutes while is do it – and sugar beet is the bribe.
The steers - Robbie, Fraser, Paulo, Pedro.
Robbie and Fraser haven’t been fed since Mak and Hamish went, so it must have been a real treat for them to be “top dogs” for a change.
Read more on Culling hens / Cattle dosed / Farm Management Handbook
Weeding / Ace / Bird flu / Xmas / Solstice
Monday 19 December, 2016
Monday 12th December
Still mild and dry so got on with more weeding.
Veg garden before weeding.
There are only one and a half beds left to do (apart from the bed with the brassicas in).
Weeding in progress.
Cattle housing / Conference / Ace of Spades home
Monday 12 December, 2016
Monday 5th December
Cold here today – frosty in the morning but eased as the day went on.
Bug is sound, which is great.
Bit worried about whether the cows have enough room. Rosie gets bullied and there was a bit of a rammy tonight. I don’t know whether to take out the bull’s pen and reconstruct it elsewhere in the barn; problem with that is that there’s no buffer – if he gets out, he’s loose. With the pen where it is, if he gets out, he’s only in a bigger pen.
Read more on Cattle housing / Conference / Ace of Spades home
Bugsy / New Tup / Tractor In / Bull prep
Tuesday 6 December, 2016
Monday 28th November
Bit milder today but damp and grey.
Went to let the hens out this morning and found the ponies in the poultry. Thankfully, they hadn’t damaged any trees but both Smokey and Bug had eaten a bellyful of poultry pellets. I guessed what was coming so turned the field shelter into a sick bay and stuck Bug in it with water and a bit of hay.
Bugsy's sick bay.
Winnies halter / Steak / Sheepskins / Baking
Tuesday 29 November, 2016
Monday 21st November
Had an appointment with the solicitor that acted for the vendor when we bought Dalmore. We have a query about the boundary between our property and the second lot. The solicitor looked about twelve. I do want to trust them. I do.
Tuesday 22nd November
Dry, cold and sunny. Went for lunch in a new café opened by two friends of ours – and very nice it was too.
The Beef Mountain
Monday 21 November, 2016
Monday 14th November
Today was beef collection day. With two beasts totaling 750kg deadweight, Stuart, our butcher, had told us to bring a trailer as it wouldn’t all fit in the car. Dan was there with trailer at 8am. And we needed it.
It was the worst day for it to be 14C – we would have preferred a hard frost! :-)
Anyway, made up the 20 beef boxes that had been sold; fifteen were being picked up today. The other five went in one of the freezers – then we looked at what was left. And Dan went off to Curry’s to buy a fifth freezer. Anyway, with much pushing and shoving, it all went in a freezer.
Weeding; Baking; Knitting; Cattle
Monday 14 November, 2016
Monday 7th November
Finally got started weeding the veg garden. Did the perennial bed – it’s the easiest because some of the area is taken up by strawberries and comfrey. Pulled out the pea supports and I’m determined to make a start on that bed tomorrow.
Checked the cattle at Astwood and they are all fine. Blizzard is bawling a wee bit. I let her out this morning but she was happy enough to come back into the barn this afternoon.
One Sasso still unable to find her way to bed – her days are numbered (at five, in fact) if she doesn’t get her act together.
