LOCATION!

We are located 4 miles north of Cirencester, between the villages of North Cerney, and Woodmancote. From A435 you take the turning towards Bagendon, go up past the Church to the T junction. Turn right towards Woodmancote and Scrubditch Farm is approximately 100 yards on the right. The Care Farm is situated down the drive, up the track on the left.
From A417, turn off at Perrotts Brook/Daglingworth, and proceed towards Perrotts Brook. Just before the A435, turn left towards Woodmancote. Go for approximately 1 1/2 miles and Scrubditch Farm is on the right, just past the Bagendon/North Cerney Cross Roads.

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Week 7 / 8




The Bantam has hatched 11 out of 12 of her eggs!  Clever girl....they are safe and sound in our small ark in the poly tunnel - away from danger hopefully.   She is a pretty ferocious mum, so i don't think they will come to any harm!
Bantam chicks!
She keeps them all under control!

We've had some more arrivals too....we took delivery of four more 
Oxford and Sandy Blacks today!   Butts Farm had four piglets that had got chilled in that awful weather at Easter, and so haven't grown up as quickly as the others, so we have taken them off their hands!  We have 3 male and one possible future 'sow' weaners - they love their Nursery!!
3 weaners - one is hiding inside.....!

On Thursday we have a video company coming to do a short 'piece' on the Care Farm, as part of the Awards Ceremony for 'HEARTS OF THE COMMUNITY GLOUCESTERSHIRE'!  The Care Farm were put foward for the Award, and we are one of the Finalists!  It is organised by The Gloucestershire Echo and The Citizen Newspapers....so watch this space again

FINGERS CROSSED THE WEATHER IMPROVES FOR SATURDAY - OUR CAR BOOT SALE
HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!


Tuesday 21 May 2013

Week 6

Planting has been our main past time this week - with the weather being warm followed by wet, we've been 'hardening off' our runner plants grown from seed, french beans, and corn on the cob.   In the Poly Tunnel, we have been thinning out tomatoes, planting rows, and planting some mixed lettuces.  We hope to have quite a good selection of herbs and veg plants to sell at the Car Boot Sale, followed by our Open Days.

Rows of Flower Pots given to us
recently
The chicks started hatching in our incubator on Wednesday!  We have five so far - and one still in the incubator, that is not looking too good!  I had to call on a friend to come and help 'hatch' it yesterday (it had been struggling for 24 hours and the egg shell had got stuck to it) and today she came back to help 'bath' it to get all the dried egg gunge off it!! Back in the incubator for another few hours to 'fluff' up its feathers, and then hopefully into the 'chick' box with the others!  This is a bit of a trial incubator session, to see how well it works, then we hope to get some more 'specialist' fertile eggs to incubate...
hard at work!

Yesterday we had a visit from South Cerney Barracks - 18 extremely fit soldiers turned up to help us again!   They strimmed, weeded, tidied, turned the muck heep(extremely hard work!) and fenced part of our hen run - it's FOX time again, and we are trying to keep them out / ducks in / and lambs away from the hen netting!!  We really appreciate them giving up their time to help us.

The bantam is still 'sitting' on her eggs safe inside the poly tunnel - they should hatch over the next few days.

We have been very fortunate recently, to have been given lots of plant pots from a friend, and a boot full of wonderful herbaceous plants from a volunteer friend - thank you so much!

Last but not least - someone entered us for the 'HEARTS OF THE COMMUNITY' Awards, organised by The Gloucestershire Echo and Citizen Newspapers, and we have got through to the finals!  We will find out if we have won on 12 June - so watch this space.....!

Update on bantam....her first chick has hatched - Tuesday 21st May!

Update on incubator chicks - only 7 hatched out of 24 - unfortunately a lot of the other eggs had full sized chicks in, but didn't hatch so died....if anyone has any experience of this PLEASE GET IN TOUCH!

Saturday 18 May 2013

weeks 4 and 5

Our last Ewe lambed last Thursday - Danny had checked her in the afternoon, and came rushing in and said she looked as if she was going to lamb, but when we looked at her we thought she was just having a rest....needless to say he was absolutely right, and at 5pm that afternoon, i had to give her a helping hand....she had an enormous ram lamb - Yes ANOTHER RAM LAMB!!
No. '35' and her enormous lamb!


We had a half day Monday, as it was Bank Holiday - and Helen had Alan and i all to herself - and she was in her element, checking the Ewes and Lambs, and helping to 'Worm' the Ewes, and 'Ring' the lambs before putting them out with the rest of our flock!

We have been really busy today - planting, weeding, watering,  and sieving....everything is growing at last, and we want to have plenty of vegetables to sell later on so everyone took a turn at something plant related today! We are aiming for our Open Days in June, where hopefully we'll have lots of produce on display.