LAMBING HAS STARTED!

We had our first set of twins at around 2am Tuesday 29th March!  I came out to check the ewes in the yard (we bring them in each night now so it's easier to keep an eye on them / keep them warm) and there they were...clever mum!  We have had a lovely big single ewe lamb, and one other set of twins so far....two or three others look very close and with the lovely sunny days we are having they should arrive soon (I hope,  as it's exhausting getting up in the night twice for days on end)

Mike at one of our Easter
Parties

Sad news, a good friend, and former volunteer passed away recently; Mike Hyams.  He was one of our first volunteers here at the Care Farm, and will be sorely missed.  He also helped out at the RDA at Coates, nr Cirencestser, and was the most gentle of men, and always got on so well with everybody.
Gerry and i represented the Care Farm at his funeral this week.

Mike working with Mark
fixing our recycled hay rack

Gerry and i went to a very interesting talk and presentation last weekend, on the history of Oxford Sandy & Black pigs...so we now know how the breed was started,and all the finer points on 'breed standards'!  We also picked up some 'Vorwerk' eggs for our incubator - let's hope we have better luck this year than previous years....watch this space!

Off to check on those ewes again now.....

Happy Easter!

We have had a really busy couple of weeks, starting with our Open days last week.  The students were great showing our visitors around ...they are really proud of what they accomplish.

This week, we have been moving our livestock around - firstly, we moved Perry the boar in with Hazel...she was thrilled (not so sure about him...) although they seem very settled now.  Sandy is having a lovely time on her own and putting on weight - so hopefully piglets towards the end of April.  We will leave Perry in with Hazel for at least six weeks, to make sure she is covered.

We then brought the 14 lambing ewes back up to the farm.  They are amazing....coming to call and walking back across the fields with the students; straight down the track and into the field here!

Sunset at the Care Farm

Alan on duty!

Yesterday, we took the Annabel and Alice to a 'transition event' at the National Star College for the day, along with 4 hens and the bantam and her chicks...!  Gerry, and Alan were on duty with two regular students - they all behaved beautifully!

The other two ewe lambs that we are training have gone down to join their friends at Perrotts Brook for a week or so and then we will move them back to the bank.

The ewes should start lambing this weekend, so we will bring them in each night from now onwards.  They are having two hard feeds per day (approximately 1 1/2 lbs each) and hopefully that means they get enough to support the growth of their lambs.

Today to end the term we all had a picnic....in the poly tunnel!  It was the largest space inside and warm - we are thinking of loaning it out as a venue now....all the tables and chairs down the centre and a 'pick your own' salad each side!  Thank you to all our staff, volunteers and students that supplied cakes and salads.

When we start back again on 11 April, we should have lambs!  Happy Easter everyone!

photos!

one of our bantams getting a bit too friendly!

feeding the pregnant ewes

Patch!

post half term break!

the students are back and at last we have some beautiful weather cold but glorious sunshine!
We decided the monday before half term was the very WORST day's weather we had ever had, and as it was SO cold and wet...we gave ourselves a treat, and cooked up some of the OSB sausages and bacon for break!    It's really hard to keep the students' spirits up when it's that wet and cold...but luckily we have the poly tunnel to plant seeds/salads in, and the portacabin to keep warm in.  We spent a lot of the morning, pricing up the bacon, sausages and pork for selling locally.

It was so windy last weekend that Perry and Sandy's pig sty blew up on end...they looked really pathetic trying to snuggle up together with nothing to cover them!  Luckily it wasn't raining ....and after much heaving Mike and i managed to get it back over while they were eating.
Sandy is looking pregnant we think, so within the next two weeks; as soon as Hazel comes back into season next door, we are going to move Perry in with her!  Sandy will then spend a bit of time on her own, before coming down to the 'nursery' at the end of March ready for farrowing in April.

The hens are all starting to lay again thankfully, and the ducks are laying 3 blue and 3 white eggs per day at the moment....we have taken some up to our local post office shop in Rendcomb to sell.
We've got a bantam sitting on 6 eggs (a bit early) but she is very broody, so we may have some chicks in a couple of weeks....

Yesterday, as the weather was so perfect we took the students on a lovely countryside walk - taking in our woodland.   We came back armed with lots of empty roman snail shells, fur cones and bits of wood for making an insect sculpture / mosaic in the garden.  It was lovely to be able to spend some time out and also get a good deal of exercise into the bargain!

When i figure out how to get the photos off my new phone i will upload some - i know YET again....i am useless with technology!

SCANNING!

We brought the ewes (and Tonto!) back to the care farm this wednesday ready for scanning.  They are incredibly well behaved sheep ...just two of us walked them back across the fields and down the track, and they went straight into the yard!  We managed to get Tonto separated eventually the following morning...although not without incident - he did try to head butt Mike and Phillip...through the hurdles!  But patience won out, and with some food in a bucket he walked calmly into the trailer.  We delivered him back this weekend to his rightful owner in Chedworth.
The scanning went really well - we are having 8 singles, and 6 sets of twins - this suits us, as singles grow so much quicker, and we don't want the flock to get much larger anyway.
All the ewes look really well, so let's hope we get some sunshine (after the next appalling week of rain!) to bring them on for the Spring.   By our calculations, we should start lambing at the end of March - so watch this space!.

Perry has been running with Sandy the sow for about 6 weeks now, so hopefully she is pregnant, and the piglets will be due at the end of April.  We will move him in with Hazel within the next month or so.. then hopefully get two litters this summer.

The hens and ducks are all laying well again - although it's a struggle with this weather with all the animals...so much mud!

We collected lots of bacon, sausages and pork this weekend, so do call in and buy some - we are open monday, wednesday & thursdays...ring first just in case!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Oh dear - not a good start...we are already nearly three weeks into January and i haven't done any blogging!
Lots has been happening - and thankfully we now have some beautiful cold weather.   Several of us have been suffering with the awful cough and cold virus...let's hope the frosts will kill off all the bugs!

The students were really surprised to see two new arrivals up the track when they started back ...we have Perry the boar back, and also Hazel, another breeding sow.   We are upping our pig production this time, and going to have at least two litters this year (if all goes according to plan!)
They are both lovely quiet pigs; the same breed as Sandy, to keep their pedigree status.  We are sending the last weaner off to the butchers this weekend, and hoping to sell Millie as a breeding gilt.
We can't keep her, as she is related to Perry the boar...but she should fetch a good price for breeding.

Charlotte leading Alice!

Gerry leading Alice!

The sheep all look really well - Tonto's done his job, and will hopefully be going back next week; just before we get the ewes scanned.  The lambs are still up next to the care farm, and Gerry and the students have been practicing leading 'Alice' around the car park and field, in preparation for showing her later this year.

We have three new students joining us this term, so are nearly full on the three days.  We also have two new volunteers doing a half day per week.

Finally, the hens and ducks are back laying again.....they got thoroughly confused with all that strange mild and really wet weather towards the end of last year!  We are hoping to incubate some eggs next month, and increase our poultry - let's hope its more successful than last year's attempts...a measly two eggs hatched out of 21!

Ducks skating on the pond!

TONTO!

We have a new arrival - in the shape of 'Tonto' ....a magnificent Wilthire Horn ram.  A friend has very kindly lent him to us for a couple of months to run with our 15 ewes.  He looked very happy to be let out onto the bank last night, and has already met some of the girls!

It's five years since we started the Care Farm - i can hardly believe it...we have come such a long way since those first few months (with no electricity!) and we still have some of the original students here each week!

We had a visit from Judy at \Butts Farm last week - she came to look at our livestock and see if we could show one of our ewe lambs that we are rather proud of!  Gerry has been halter training her in readiness and we were very pleased that Judy thought the same as us - so hopefully we will get her to one or two shows next year.

We are having a stall at the local school in North Cerney's Christmas Fair - in the Village Hall on saturday this week 10am to 2pm