Hi everybody,
I'm Malcolm and I moved to the island of Westray in the Orkneys in July. We have eight acres, a barn, large shed, small stone shed, two byres and a very rundown cottage. I used to be a sports journalist - perfect preparation for a career on a croft!
We have two weaners and five hens so far. The pigs' mother was a Tamworth/Oxford Sandy and Black cross, the AI boar a Duroc. They are hungry boys and growing fast on a diet of pencils, tatties and barley in the large shed (they will get time outside once all the parts of the electric fence arrive (one of the joys of living on a small island).
The hens are resolutely refusing to lay at the moment. I suspect three may be past it and two not quite ready. They are on probation while I consult the recipe books.
I spend most of the time not having a clue what I'm doing, winging it on a very grand scale.
Thanks for starting the forum, hope it will be a valuable source of advice and comfort when things go wrong (as they do on a daily basis).