It looked huge when I started it but after assembling it I've realised I'm going to have to build another!!!
Life on a small farm in the Ryes Valley, Suffolk
Friday, 27 December 2013
New mobile field shelter finished!!!
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Haylage cutting begins......
The contractors (whitehead farms) have started cutting our fields for haylage.
I love this time of year (making food for the animals and storing it up ready for winter)
I tell you in the mid of winter there is nothing like the smell of opening a bale of haylage up. It smells like a mixture of cider and summer all mixed into one.
My mother in law says it smells so good she's tempted to eat it!!!!
Happy Days!!!
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Let the lambing commence !!!!!
This is a fun time of year for us and our children a time when new life joins the farm. It's come right on time as one of the Donkeys died just two days ago so we need some positive results.
Our first yew to start lambing had twins but one managed to escape the pen in the early hours and get out of the barn and the temperature here at night is below freezing. Sadly we found the little fella dead the next morning in the yard :0( (not a great start). The mother had also stopped nursing the other lamb maybe out of concern for the missing one, when I got to him he was freezing and near death so we had to get him in front of the fire. With no colostrum in him it was hit or miss, we mixed some up and after warming him for an hour got him to feed. Well that was yesterday.. This morning he's still alive but I think the whole ordeal knocked the wind out of him.
11:30pm- Our second yew goes into labour and within about 5minutes delivers her first and then 30 mins late her second.
Being so cold we have put a quartz heater in the barn (hence the red glow!!)
We've used our kids video baby monitor to keep an eye on them and I've taken a fond liking to my wives ear muffs!!!! (It's really cold!)
Our first yew to start lambing had twins but one managed to escape the pen in the early hours and get out of the barn and the temperature here at night is below freezing. Sadly we found the little fella dead the next morning in the yard :0( (not a great start). The mother had also stopped nursing the other lamb maybe out of concern for the missing one, when I got to him he was freezing and near death so we had to get him in front of the fire. With no colostrum in him it was hit or miss, we mixed some up and after warming him for an hour got him to feed. Well that was yesterday.. This morning he's still alive but I think the whole ordeal knocked the wind out of him.
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| Best place for a cold lamb |
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| very week |
11:30pm- Our second yew goes into labour and within about 5minutes delivers her first and then 30 mins late her second.
Being so cold we have put a quartz heater in the barn (hence the red glow!!)
We've used our kids video baby monitor to keep an eye on them and I've taken a fond liking to my wives ear muffs!!!! (It's really cold!)
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| Big Brother!!!!!! |
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| perfect. saves keep going out in the cold! |
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| Farming sends you mad!!!! |
Friday, 15 February 2013
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
TB test day 1
Monday 12th Feb 2013:
The vet paid us a visit today to carry out the first part of our TB test on our Dexters. Even though cases of TB in this area are very rare there is still the what if. (Keep positive)!!
The down side is we have to wait till his return visit on Thursday for the him to check any lumps till we get the all clear.
Another thing to all you sheep and cattle owners, are you up to date on your clostridial diseases vaccine? We'd never even heard of this before recently and have now vaccinated all our sheep and cows. Speak to your vet if you need to know more.
The vet paid us a visit today to carry out the first part of our TB test on our Dexters. Even though cases of TB in this area are very rare there is still the what if. (Keep positive)!!
The down side is we have to wait till his return visit on Thursday for the him to check any lumps till we get the all clear.
Another thing to all you sheep and cattle owners, are you up to date on your clostridial diseases vaccine? We'd never even heard of this before recently and have now vaccinated all our sheep and cows. Speak to your vet if you need to know more.
Thursday, 10 January 2013
They love their new hay feeder!!
A fantastic new purchase from IAE. A yearling round bale hay feeder. Ideal for dexters because of their small size the normal size feeders are a little large in diameter.
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