the accidental smallholder :: diary

Another breakout! And a lock-in.

I didn't have a good mroning today. Since it's the first day of the school holdays and Dan's at home childminding, I told him to lie-in and I'd do the morning round. Usually, I'm very organised but somehow, this morning, I failed to shut in Chip and the girls properly and forgot to let the ladders down on the big ark, so four hens didn't get out until midday.

Fortunately, no-one seems any worse for my slip-ups, although Dan was pretty frazzled trying to get seven, 6 week-old chicks back in the run, with the "help" of our two dogs!

I think I'll have a lie-in tomorrow.

Broody hen update

Well, she's still sitting tight. The broody is a young Black Rock - I'm surpised at that, I would have thought one of the pure breeds was more likely, and not very likely at that. In fact, I had asked Andrew for one of his Silkies as a broody, before they both turned out to be boys.

I bought 6 RIR and 6 Cuckoo Maran eggs for her - I've put 8 in the incubator and 4 under her (I could only get eight in the incubator as they were good sized eggs). I was reluctant to give her all the eggs, because I don't know how reliable she will be.

She dashes out in the morning gobbles down some food and a drink and races back to her nestbox. She has to be forced out in the afternoon to top up.

I've ordered her a broody coop - yes, I know a cardboard box in the corner of the garage would do. This should come tomorrow, so we'll hopefully get her settled there to await the big day which should be Friday 11th July.

My intention is to put all the hatchlings under her regardless of whether they hatch in the incubator or naturally. But I'm not counting them!

Oh, and my 2 male / four female Copper Black Marans now look like four male and two females, but no crowing yet, so we'll see. Little Chip is growing well and has developed a top knot - not sure if it's Chip or Chippette, now. I kind of hope s/he's a female as Carol has a male Cream Legbar.

Shearing

Our three sheep were sheared for the first time today. I was a bit anxious - not by the shearing itaself, but in getting someone to come for three. It's been quite hot and they were obviously feeling it. Anyway, we managed to get an awful nice man called Robert Bell, who has been shearing fro 50 years (sure keeps you young!).

We brought the girls into the garage yesterday lunchtime so that they would be dry. The weather's been a bit unpredictable here for the last week with some heavy showers.

We could have predicted how it would go - Jinx first 'cos she's so nosy, then Juno, because Jura was hiding at the back, then Jura. I think it was quite hard work - they had huge fleeces (Dan saw Carol's Shetlands later and noted that ours are wooly all over, compared to the Shetlands who have wool-free heads, bellies and legs). I will weight them tomorrow.

They look SO strange - I don't think THEY recognised each other after their makeovers. Juna and Jura actually look quite alike, except Jura is a tad slimmer than her buddy.

Before:

After:

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with the fleeces; I'd really like to have them spun and knitted up - Dan, Lorna and I could have matching sweaters!!

Clackmannanshire Horticultural Society Show 2008

The above show will take place on Saturday 13th September 2008 in Devonvale Hall, Tillicoultry. It is open to the public from 1pm until 4.30pm. The hall is opposite Sterling Mills and next to Sterling Furniture Warehouse - so if you fancy some retail therapy, you can combine it with a visit to the show.

There are classes for vegetables, flowers and plants, craft, baking and preserves, floral art and photography. There are special classes for children and teenagers and I'm hoping that some of our schools might take part, since some now have vegetable gardens.

I'll certainly be entering something - but it's too early to tell what that will be. Depends on inspiration nearer the time - and the weather.

Agricultural and Horticultural Census

If you register as an agricultural holding, which you must do if you are going to keep livestock (pigs, sheep, cattle) or claim rural payments, you will get a CPH number (County Parish Holding). As well as allowing you to keep the aforementioned livestock and claim the dosh, it also presents you with the opportunity to contribute to the annual Agricultural and Horticultural Census.

Actually, under the 1947 Agriculture Act, you must complete and return the census form. Failure to do so may result in a fine of up to £1,000. Penalties are also prescribed for "knowingly or recklessly furnishing false information". You can bet ours was completed in time, with no false information, furnished knowingly or recklessly!

For us, it's not complicated, but for others it might be a bit of a trial. The most interesting part of the form is the extract of the census returns for one, five and ten years ago - in summary, fewer cattle and pigs; many fewer sheep and lambs (nearly 2.5 million over 10 years); static poultry number; less barley and oats and more wheat.

Worming sheep

Since we got the sheep, it has been our intention to use as few chemicals as possible. They were wormed immediately before we got them and were turned on to clean land that hadn't had sheep on it since about 2003, when we fenced our land. We started using Verm-X, a herbal wormer - we also use this for the hens.

However, I decided to get a worm test done by Westgate Laboratories. Essentially, it is an equine service but they are happy to do other species, too. Our sample came back as <50 eggs per gram and no eggs were seen. On that basis, I have decided to worm on a "need to" basis, based on worm egg counts. I'll have another test done before tupping, so that I can worm if required.

Looking at their condition, though, I think all the nutrients are going on their backs!

The big breakout!

Yesterday evening, I glanced through our (as always) open back door to see big brown wooly thing. Juno, accompanied by Jinx, had escaped from the top of the orchard! In true Ryeland form, they had stopped at the back door to check for any grub and were spotted. Jura, meantime, was going nuts in the orchard.

Encouraged by a small bowl of sheep mix, the two escapees were tempted back to the orchard and reunited with Jura.

I think a certain collie called Tess may have had a paw in "encouraging" the escape - she does tend to herd the hens into the kitchen, so maybe she thought we needed different company. Fortunately, there's no harm done, but all the intermadiate gates are now closed.

Broody hen

We've got a broody hen. We've never had one before and it's one of the older Black Rocks. I've ordered some eggs off eBay and will try to get her to sit - if she doesn't I'll stick them in the incubator, but she might as well do something constructive. Hopefully, the eggs will come tomorrow and I'll get her settled tomorrow night.

Highland Show tomorrow, so I hope the weather's good. Well, dry will do!

Poorly pig

In the five years or so that we've kept pigs, it has been pretty trouble free. Today, I thought we might be in for a downturn. One of our three boars didn't eat this morning. He was slavering a bit, but his breathing was normal, his "digestive transit" seemed to be in order, but you don't like to see pig off its grub. I have to confess, I did check his feet for blisters or lesions, and inside his mouth but there were none. I sat with him for a bit - he'd gone back to bed - and offered scratches and sympathy. We decided to wait and see.

Before I went off to bring Smokey in, I had another look and again sat with the three of them - they really are canny pigs. It was then that I noticed that one of the pigs, not the "sick" one, had no ear tag. I THINK that our sick pig may have swallowed it - I checked the pen and can't find it (the pen's not THAT big and it's pretty bare). They do play and rough and tumble with each other , so it's not impossible that he's worked it loose and swallowed it. Let's just say, I'm not looking for it any more!!

The good news is that he's back to normal now and ate his tea just fine, so things must be working out, so to speak!

Weeding for Britain

It's been very warm and sunny here, with short spells of rain - ideal growing conditions, yes. But weeds like it too! Today, we peeled back the net from the brassica bed and spent a merry half hour weeding. Actually, it was quite satisfying, so we did the carrots and the parsnips as well. Then we sowed some runner beans, since the first lot seem to have failed, then some dwarf French Beans as well, since there was a space and we don't have many beans in this year.

Claire gave us a huge courgette last week, so that's been put in plus two rows of peas, to complete the line up.

We had our first new potatoes today - Red Duke of York - and they were lovely.