First Week Back!

March with one of her lambs!

Well everyone was glad to be back!  Helen was SO excited about March having lambed, and she kept saying how happy she was all day!  (she had already thought up names for the ewe lambs)  We spent a very happy morning mucking out hens and ducks again, and then the afternoon bringing the ewes and lambs into the covered yard - Rain being forecast all week...!  It was faintly hysterical trying to get the ewes to come in, Alan and Helen and i were carrying a lamb, and William and Karen (who's just had a knee op!) were trying to persuade them to come in!!

Wednesday, we went up to the Owl Barn, to show Danny the exhibition, and did some preliminary sketches for the student's references; to help when painting the porta cabins.  They were all excited to see their masterpieces up; right by the entrance to the exhibition - someone had even asked if they were for sale!!
There is a lot of preperation going on in the poly tunnel and the raised beds outside; making ready for planting.  We've been discussing which veg we are going to put where, and general planning.

Thursday morning - MARY JANE starting 'showing'!  I've been getting up at 6am every day for two weeks so i was quite pleased as she is the last of the four to lamb!   By the time the students arrived, Alan and i had decided to give her a hand, as she was definately struggling - i lambed her twins successfully, and she has 'a pigeon pair'!  We are keeping them in till Monday, as the weather is so unsettled.   We also went up to look at the pig units on the White Way - researching electric fencing, as we are going to have to move No. 1 & 2 weaners....they need more to do each day, otherwise they will be breaking loose soon!  We are going to fence in some of the woodland up the track (it could do with clearing) and it will provide plenty of shade and keep them occupied!

EASTER NEWS!

Typically, whilst the students are off on their Easter break - the lambing started- on Easter Sunday!

June with her two ram lambs!

Just as we sat down for lunch, Lucy rang and said that one of our ewes was 'on for lambing' (they were taking the donkey for a walk!) March was first - she had two really sturdy ewe lambs in the afternoon / evening.  We decided to get them all in that evening as it was pretty cold, and Lamby looked as if she was starting too - they were born later that evening - 2 ram lambs!  Next was June - hers arrived out in the field Saturday early in the morning - when i went out at 5.30am she had already lambed - but quite a difficult time i think, as she /they looked very tired and rather forlorn - we managed to get her in with them, and very glad we did as it was a horrid morning.

The horrid morning was the start of our Spring Car Boot Sale - unfortunately, as it put a lot of punters off - still we had a fun morning, ably assisted by Tina's fabulous bacon, sausage & duck egg baps - she sold out!  We managed to raise £200 which was a feat as there were only about 6 'Car Boots'!!

The quail eggs we put in the incubator didn't hatch - i reckon they were not fresh enough - still we have the 5 other chicks - they have moved out to the field in a lovely old ark that we were given.  They have a great time running up and down the ladder from their 'sleeping quarters' - it's very cosy up there at night. 

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Ella with her 'Fiver'!

Our 3 new ducks have settled in well and have made friends with Deidre, and Fiver is feeling right at home again!  One of the bantam hens disappeared recently - we thought she must be broody and sitting somewhere, and have finally discovered her hidden between two of the dumpy bags full of stones in the field next to the other hens!  She's sitting on at least a dozen eggs - and should be hatching any day!!

Week 10!

Our last week of the Spring Session - we are finishing a week earlier, so that the students can come back early, and hopefully not miss out on the ewes lambing...!  They are looking great - getting hungrier by the day - we have had to put electric fencing round the hen & duck houses to make sure the Ewes don't get in and eat the layers pellets - Lucy lost a goat last year that had eaten loads of layers pellets!
Our two new arrivals - the weaners, have settled in really well - i did have to call on Alan to come out for a morning this week, to do some fence maintenance - the pen they are in was originally built for hens, and so the wire was not up to much straining! We now have a new gate, with proper fixings, and the wire is all attached to the heavy telegraph poles round the edge.  They love lying around in the sun; digging up the pen and scratching! ' Fiver' has returned from Coln House School, which is lovely - although i think she may have bought some rather unwelcome visitors with her (mites!) so she's had a warm soapy bath today...!   She keeps the chicks company; they now spend the day in the poly tunnel, and come back to the heat lamp at night - will hopefully be able to put them in the pheasant pen before too long.  The bantam cockerel was picking on Fiver again, and she seems most at home following us around or in the poly tunnel!  We were given some quail eggs (hopefully fertile) so i have put them in the incubator - 18 days to go...
Last Friday we went to Gloucester, to King Fishers Church, with friends from the Owl Barn, to see Danny, one of our students in a play - a 'take' on the Oscars - it was brilliantly organised and great fun!
The students are due to start back week beginning 16 April - so will not be too much blogging till then..

Week 9

The Oxford & Sandy Brown Litter

This week has been full of ups and downs....!  Ups being the arrival of our two piglets on Monday afternoon - we all (our Monday group) went to pick up our weaners from Chedworth.  A lovely small holding, with a large flock of Wiltshire Horns, and a litter of Oxford & Sandy Browns.  (See attached photos)  It was great to see them both, and get an idea of what our lambs will look like when they arrive next month!  No. 1 and No. 2 piglets have settled in really well to their new surroundings. 

One of the Wiltshire Horn Ewes
with their lamb!

However, on a sad note, we had moved all the hens & ducks into the field with their houses, and i forgot to shut them in properly on monday night and Mr (or Mrs) Fox had Jake our drake, and one of our best laying hens and one of the bantam cockerels....just shows you can't take any chances.  The foxes are always out and about at this time of year, as we are lambing in earnest on the other side of the track.  See photo of the chedworth Wiltshire who's lamb is wearing a red 'coat' made of plastic that 'rustles' in order to ward off any predators - it also doubles as some protection from the rain!

Week 8

We've been really busy this week - exciting news....we have two piglets arriving!! They are 'Oxford & Sandy Browns' - weaners, that we are going to bring on and sell for pork!  We've been busy moving the hens and ducks into the field and moving an arc into their 'spot'! - a very good suggestion from Karen, on of our volunteers! 
Next - Chicks...we have 5 chicks, arrived on Thursday,  from our incubator - not sure if we will get any more...not a particularly good strike rate from 15 but....never mind - the 5 look very healthy!
As we were busy getting ready for the weaner arrivals, we didn't make it up to the 'Owl Barn', but the Art students decided to come and give us a hand instead! Thank you to John & Emily (and Nick) we really appreciated it! 
On a sad note, Lavinia one of the ducks, was really poorly and we had to make a horrid decision to have her put down on Monday evening - she looked as if she had a horrid virus, and wasn't moving about at all - we will miss her.  Still, hopefully we will get a replacement before long.

We have also started feeding the ewe lambs this week - they are getting really big, and they stop eating as much grass & hay, so we need to give them more protein by way of sheep nuts, to safe guard the twins.

May have found another arc....! We mended the ancient one in the field that our Ewes like hiding in when it's wet - they have short fleeces and do not like rain - but have just heard about another one going;  locally...

Weeks 6 and 7

Well, at last the weather has improved!   We have had a busy couple of weeks - Ben and William worked really hard on Mondays, making us some lambing shelters out of pallets - ready for April!  We are hoping to lamb the ewes outside - weather permitting, as they definately prefer it.  'Lamby, Mary Jane, March & June' are all looking blooming!  We had to give them their first dose of Heptavac (flu/tetnus) jab yesterday - Alan our new volunteer is proving extremely useful, having worked on a farm for years previously!

  Last Wednesday we were very fortunate to have a private tour of a special garden at Winstone 'Cotswold Farm Gardens'.  Their snowdrops are amazing - whilst we were being shown round, the owner was taking a well known local gardener round, checking snow drop names; making sure they were all correct - ready for Open Gardens!  We have been given some lovely dogwood plants that were being thrown out, and yesterday Bob & Mike, helped by Simon, planted them all out on our very stony back - we are hoping they will survive and make a lovely 'Dogwood Bank'!

With the lovely sun yesterday, and more forecast along with some rain, we took the bull by the horns and planted out our sweet pea plants, that  we grew from seed last Autumn....we'll see if they survive!

Up at the 'Owl Barn'

At half term, Ella and i put 16 eggs in Sally Ann's incubator - we've been checking them regularly, and on Monday, Curtis helped us 'candle' them to see if they are fertile!  They are due to start hatching next week so....watch this space!! 

We were very sad to say goodbye to 2 of our volunteers this week - Ben and Bob.  They have been with us from the beginning, and we will really miss their valuable input.  Ben, particularly for his woodwork skills, and Bob for his gardening, and wild life knowledge.  We wish them both well, and hope they will keep in touch.

4th Week!

Bitterly cold weather - but a good week...!  Fiver (who's been laying a blue egg every day) has gone off with Curtis for a little holiday to Coln House School!  She's gone to meet a boyfriend, so that her eggs will be fertile!!  We've been lent an incubator again, by Sally Ann, and we are going to fill it up this week, with Rhode island, and Lahman eggs (hopefully all fertile from Mr Legbar!)  Meanwhile, talking of Mr Legbar, he may have to go to the Poultry sale this week, as he's getting really viscious...

The ewes are all doing well, and will be coming in again shortly, to have their flu jabs, so that they can pass on the antibodies to their lambs.

On our visit to the Art Barn, we gathered outside in the nearby wood, in freezing temperatures to do some 'live art sculptures' - having spent all morning freezing working outside, the students didn't last too long, and so we went back to the barn, where they all had a go at hand clay modelling.
I can't decide who gets more out of the Art; the students or my volunteers...but it's great fun all the same!

Unfortunately i had to cancel my Monday students, as it was just too icy and slippery for them.