Lambs / Pigs / Manure
Posted: Monday 1 October, 2018
Monday 24 September
What fantastic weather for this time of year. Long may it continue – makes the winter feel much shorter.
Took six tup lambs to the abattoir this morning. Not my favourite job.
Electrician was here putting up a new light beside the outside WC
Tuesday 25 September
Spent most of the day doing Festival and Smallholding Scotland stuff.
Blizzard is still milking well.
Blizzard, my best girl.
Wednesday 26 September
Took the livestock trailer up to the dealership in Brechin but the second hand dividing panel was the wrong size. Still, nice day for a wee drive.
Got the weights back for the lambs – 24.2kg, 21.4, 21.3, 21.1, 17.6 and 17.4.
Thursday 27 September
Spent the morning pressing Sunset apples. Dan and I got a good wee system going. The right kit makes such a difference – the mill and the pasteurizer are good buys.
Received notification that our application for a Small Farm Grant to put rubber mats in the cow shed has been successful. Yay!
Our swallows have gone. The last batch fledged a week ago and have ben practicing hard both in and out of the byre – but now they are gone. They won’t have the byre to come back to next year, but there are lots of other places for them.
Friday 28 September
Much cooler but still dry and sunny. Dan lit the stove in the office.
Confirmed arrangements with the abattoir for the pigs – we’re going to take them down on Sunday afternoon. To have the skins left on, they have to be in by 8am on Monday and it’s a two-hour journey.
Worked on Festival stuff – feeling glad it’s my last year.
Saturday 29 September
Very windy but dry and sunny. Spent the day in the veg garden; pulled out the sweetcorn on the polytunnel. Not growing it next year – the crop is disappointing and it takes up a lot of room.
Dan spread manure on some of the beds after I weeded them; we covered some with black plastic, but we need to get more. Dan wanted to empty the next muck bay so that he can build a new one with plastic pallets.
Top class manure.
Comfrey mulch.
John and Mandy, our next door neighbours, came round to see if we had any manure – the trailer was already loaded, so Dan will take it round on Monday.
We set up the trailer for the pigs tomorrow; lots of straw, and put it, open, in the field gate, giving them access. I fed them in the trailer and they were getting on and off quite happily at bedtime.
Sunday 30 September
Pigs were asleep on the trailer this morning, so just shut it up and fed them in it. It was an easy run to the abattoir; they didn’t like coming down the ramp but soon managed and into the pen with water and some food. Sorry to see them go but looking forward to the pork, bacon and sausage.
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