nEWS!

Pig News!

One of our boars is off to Ireland to be part of a special AI (artificial insemination) programme for rare breed pigs!  He’s gone into quarantine for a month first before being shipped off!  The other boar is going off to the butchers next weekend.

We are expecting Tigger to farrow the first week of May, so are busy trying to get the nursery set up over at the new site in readiness!

Sheep News!

Lambing is progressing SLOWLY – the ram was out with the ewes for way too long, and we will have some arrivals as late as May I reckon…we have had to take the triplet ewes off Scarlet, as she was getting too sore with constant sucking and very sharp teeth – they had nearly eaten through one of her teats!

Hens & Ducks!

One of our lovely Dutch cross bantams has hatched 7 chicks – we are keeping them in the poly tunnel as it’s too cold yet for them out with the others.

Vegs / Salads

We are potting up / planting out as much as we can in portable pots/troughs so that we can just move them across later on to plant out in the raised beds.

Volunteer Groups!

St James Place arrived with 14 willing volunteers, on another lovely sunny day, and helped clear a lot of stone over at the new site; filling in holes, clearing an area for the farrowing pen, and sawing lengths ready for the raised beds!

this blackbird decided to make
her nest inside a bridle in our
tack room!

These are her offspring
just hatched!

Work is progressing with our building on the new site!

Spring Quiz!

Our Spring Quiz was a great success and we raised over £400 during the evening.  If you haven’t ventured out for one of these historic events do make sure you book in for our Autumn Quiz in October!

Pig News!

Reggie has gone back, and one of our young boars is off to Ireland to be part of a major breeding programme.  He will be one of the best examples of blood lines from Oxford Sandy and Blacks along with other rare breed examples.

We are taking pigs to the abattoir on Sunday – some are going to Taylors the Butchers in Minchinhampton, and some will be coming back here.

We will have more pork available mid April– ready for Easter.

Sheep News!

lambs out grazing

Lambing is underway – so we are exhausted!  we are using our newly erected barn at the new location!.  Scarlet who was scanned for twins had triplets this week!  I think she’s been in shock ever since, and hasn’t had quite enough milk so I have been topping her lambs (all three are ram lambs) up with bottle milk.

We have had 7 ewes lamb so far.

Hens & Ducks!

We have hen, duck and bantam eggs for sale - some at Jolly Nice at Frampton Mansell - they have our duck and bantam eggs

new arrivals!  we are keeping them
in the poly tunnel for now!

Vegs / Salads

We are potting up / planting out as much as we can in portable pots/troughs so that we can just move them across later on to plant out in the raised beds.

Work has finally started on the log cabin....but of course the weather went on the turn this week - so it's slow, but the fencing is going up speedily all round the site!

view early in the morning at new
site

work starting on the log cabin!

we found this in the tack room!

Pig News!

Reggie is ready to go home …..we definitely think Tigger is pregnant but not sure if Sandy will be – however we should have piglets in Mid May …..at their new location!

We should have pork available end of March/beginning of April – ready for Easter.

Sheep News!

The Ewes are looking great and thoroughly enjoying being back on the Bank field.  Lambing is due to start second week of March

Hens & Ducks!

The Hens and ducks are finally laying again ….although the ducks are a bit sporadic …think it’s the dreaded weather!  

Vegs / Salads

We are potting up / planting out as much as we can in portable pots/troughs so that we can just move them across later on to plant out in the raised beds.

We have a few salads now, and a few vegs but should have more by March.

Visitors!

We were lucky to have a visit from Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, just before Christmas.  He came to visit when Paternoster School were here, and was very impressed with our set up – it helped that we had fantastic feedback from the teacher!  Today we were honoured to have the High Sheriff visiting – Charles Martell!  It was lovely to show him round with the students, and talk about all the animals here.  We took him over to show him our new location and it was quite magical….no wind, beautiful sunshine and so tranquil – cant wait till we are actually open up and running later in the year.

a present from the High Sheriff - we made sure all students, volunteers and staff had a slice to take home!

Our Spring Quiz is on Friday 22 March at North Cerney Village Hall – 7.30pm further details opposite!

OPEN DAY AT SCF – Monday 18 March – if you would like to see what we do first hand, please come and see us – we only ask that you email/ring before so that we can tell students ….and make enough cake!  gerry@scrubditchcarefarm.org.uk

the barn going up!

SPRING TERM!

The students are back and very excited to be back in their routine.

We are running our Dementia mornings every Tuesday for those living with dementia and their carers, Students Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and a small group from Paternoster School on Fridays.

Pig News!

We have taken delivery of ‘Reggie’ a very handsome Oxford Sandy & Black Boar who has happily moved in with Tigger and Sandy for the next 6 weeks or so.  We are aiming to have piglets arriving towards the end of May over at the new site!

We are hoping that one of our remaining boars will be off to Ireland to be part of a breeding programme over there.  The other one will be going off for bacon & sausages for Easter. 

Sheep News!

Hens not sure.....!

Our ewes came back for scanning the second week of Jan (ok scanning, but a few were ‘empty’, and now they are on the bank again, where we are feeding them ready for lambing at the start of March.  Amazingly ‘Barren-ness Betty’ appears to be pregnant this time – having spent most of last year with Barnaby the ram and nothing….!!(she was barren two years in a row)

bantams happy!

The ducks quite happy with the snow!

20 bantam eggs found in the barn!

Just before Christmas we had a visit from Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown!  He had been trying to visit us for ages, but we couldn't find a time when we were here with students that fitted with his busy schedule.  However, on Fridays now we have 5 children from Paternoster each week - so it was great to be able to show Sir Geoffrey what we do with them each week.  I think he was impressed!  We had great feed back from their teacher which helped!

Our fruit cage not happy after the snow....

AUTUMN TERM BEGINS!

Dear all, after the hottest summer on record, we are now starting our next term.  During the summer holidays Tigger (yes the runt of last year's litter) had her first brood - 9 gorgeous piglets!  They are all doing well, although we do seem to have Tigger no. 2 who is quite a bit smaller....we were worried we would lose her during the first 24 hours, and ended up giving her 'lamb quick start' as we didn't have anything hand for piglets!

We took Tigger,  her piglets, our halter trained ewes, Beatrice & Alice, and 3 bantams to a Fete last weekend - they all behaved beautifully, and caused a real stir in the grounds of a beautiful house in the Cotswolds!  Tigger managed to kick over her water and make herself a wallow...and of course the piglets all joined in....hopefully that small bit of garden will grow back again!

The lambs have all been weaned, and the ewes are getting ready to be 'flushed' on some lush grass before we put Barnaby the ram out with them again in October.   He had to have a quick operation in July as his horns were starting to grow round into the side of his face.......there was a lot of blood when the vet sawed them off (having first given him a pain killer) and i sat astride him to keep him still!  They look fine now....and he looks in peak condition.

The ducks seem to have gone off the lay again sadly.....it happened last year - let's hope it's not for so long this time.   Hens are laying a bit, but the bantams also seem to have stopped - i think it's the changing weather....

Our funding Appeal is still going strong - we are nearly there, and hope to start work before the end of September, on the entrance to the new site.

We have been running a very successful weekly dementia session, and will be continuing during the Autumn - anyone with dementia (and their carer) is welcome.  The sessions are similar to those we do with our students - feeding the animals, planting and picking produce, and having a chat over tea and coffee (with cake of course!)

Yet again technology has got the better of me, and the photos i was hoping to upload still appear to be in my phone....and not in my dropbox as i thought - next time !

LAMBING'S OVER FOR ANOTHER YEAR!

I'm afraid the blog has been put aside...with lambing happening it's difficult to keep up with everything else!
We had a very successful lambing - and didn't have to help any of the ewes lamb this year.  We had 7 ewe lambs are an awful lot of ram lambs - 18 in total!  Most of them have gone down to the bank for some lovely spring grass.  We have Alice and Scarlet up at the Care Farm for a few days as we had a new group of students here.  They are from Gloucester College Foundation course, and are doing a six week course - looking at different modules of farming and horticulture.  It's called the 'CAN DO' project, and we hope it will give the students an idea of other avenues to explore when looking for work.
We are busy planting loads of seeds in the poly tunnel and outside - making the most of the nearly constant rain and little bits of sunshine!  We are growing 'plugs' for a local nursery at Miserden, and students planted 7 1/2 dozen Tomato seeds on Wednesday!  When they get to about 3 inches tall, they will go back to the nursery to be sold on to customers.  Next we will be planting courgettes, cucumbers and runner beans.
We have a boar running with Tigger and Sandy - he's been here for three weeks and i think Tigger looks pregnant already (everyone laughs at me when i say that!)
We will be at the BIG HEALTH CHECK DAY in Gloucester again this year on 22 MAY at OXTALLS TENNIS CENTRE, along with lots of other local groups and exhibitors.

Our  expansion Appeal is going from strength to strength - we have raised over £100,000.00 so far.....but we still need more - so if you would like to fund raise for us get in touch!

SNOW'S GONE.....NEARLY!

Hello again - long time no blog!!  This term is flying by...and has been exhausting with the next lot of snow that arrived last weekend.  We had to resort to taking water up to the pigs on a sledge!!
Sandy and Tigger have moved in together and have settled in very happily.  We are now waiting for a boar (a new one so he's not related to Tigger) and hope to run him with the two of them.  Piglets for summer with any luck.
The ewes look great and are now being fed twice a day and will be coming back to the farm this week.  One stupid ewe managed to get her horn stuck and ripped a whole in her ear.....so much blood!
It's healed up now thankfully.
The wethers (last year's lambs) we sold 7 last month, and have another 9 left.  Two of them will be going off to the butchers shortly so will have some lamb for Easter.
We have a beautiful game bantam determined to sit on her eggs so we have put her in the broody box in the poly tunnel, and they should hatch any day....let's hope it doesn't get too cold again.  We even had ice in the poly tunnel!
We have been making soup and bread with the students whilst it was SO cold....they thoroughly enjoyed it, and loved having something warming for lunch.  Roll on our plans for our expansion - we will then have a whole cookery room to produce / teach students cooking.  We have raised over £70,000.00 so far.
We had a group of 15 volunteers from St James Place to plant hedging 'whips' last month....they planted 90 metres of hedging over on the new site - a fantastic feat!

snow the first time round!

 It's our SPRING QUIZ on 23 March so don't forget to book a team in!
We are having an Open Day that week too on WEDNESDAY 21 MARCH....if you would like to come and see what we do - book in with Gerry.
We have also started a Dementia Project, and would love to hear from carers, people living with dementia.