Unusual places to nest No.2

 

 

I heard a loud chirping noise as I walked past the gatepost and with the aid of a torch I saw some chicks nesting inside

 

Brand New Litter!

One of our sows Cowley has given birth to a lovely litter of 7 gorgeous piglets.

Cowley bursting about to give birth.

 The first piglet sliding out. 

Piglet Piers poking his nose into the camera.

The Magnificent Seven.

Happy Easter!

Mummy Turkey Rules

GFTV

We have had 12 Guinea Fowl hatch as you can see them here in the new brooder made by Alfie

More Duckings

Yesterday I saw flashes of yellow under the sitting duck, today she brought them outside.

Drill Bit Organiser

Having got fed up with bits in various boxes I finally got them organised,. Can you guess which break easiest

Tomatoes

We've filled the glazed end of the greenhouse with tomato plants, using a trick we've seen elsewhere planting bottomless pots into grow bags, giving the toms deeper soil, easier watering, and something to place the stake in. Really hope we can dodge the blight this year.

Babies everywhere

Fruit Cage

The fruit bush cutting we were given last autumn have taken and are starting to fruit so we had to protect them so we knocked up a frame with 2 x 1 and covered it with netting.

Here we are at the official net cutting/opening

Cowley's Babies

Cowley out Large Black gilt gave birth last night. We had 9 beautiful little black pigs delivered between 7pm and 10pm. Number 8 was hard to deliver and Mary had to help get him out 9 has white feet and 10 came as a surprise after we thought it had all stopped.

Sorry for the lack of pics but the camera stopped working on the night

Number 8

Bad Places to Nest No.1 (part of an ongoing series)

For a flightless bird the crog loft above the garage is not an easy place to access. Well our white hen chose up here to lay 12 eggs and start nesting

So to then choose a slippery old bath as a nesting spot seems ridiculous. I think the chicks would never get out, at least saving them from the fall to the floor

So she and her eggs have been re-located to a straw lined nesting box

With additional security

Turkey Hatching

Our lady turkey has been sitting on a mixture of turkey and guinea fowl eggs I just saw her out this afternoon with 8 poults and 3 keets. She and the boys are being very protective

Ducklings again

The duckling are out with their mother!

Quack Quack

Just been down to check on the sitting ducks, and there was a little bundle of yellow peeping out from underneath. Cant wait to see how many we have.

Babies

On Tuesday night Doyle was restless and had built herself a nest with the straw in the house and it looked like her time was due. After sitting with her until midnight, I went back at 2.00am and saw no progress. I went back again at 4.00am to see a little spotty piglet by her nose - the clearest sigh that delivery was in progress! The piglet wouldn't suckle and a few moment later a black package popped out. It was wet and wriggly. I wiped its nose with straw and it was breathing. I texted Mary with the news and she came over with tea. I tried to get the babies to suckle but if they squeaked Doyle reacted and moved around and I thought they might be squashed. I put them in a straw filled box under the heat lamp.



Shortly after another spotty one arrived shortly followed by another black one.

Then we waited, around 6.00 we had another spotty one and I went to wake the boys. When I was gone another black one came which Mary delivered. We were now at 6.

The boys were thrilled and cuddled and played with them took pictures which they printed off and took to school. But I could still not get Doyle to stay still and allow them to feed. I called Derek a local experienced pig keeping friend who came over to look. 2 more arrived, spotty then black (keeping the pattern) but we still could not get Doyle to settle with them.

Derek then had to pop out so I kept retrying to reintroduce them one by one with her occasionally getting up and scattering piglets and keeper. eventually by stroking her belly continuously and putting a pig board between her belly and head so the babies could not bother her, and she started to accept them. Derek returned and was happy with her position.

She was still straining and so probably had one or more in her. She kept this up until around 10.30 when a really big spotty one came out, this one did not look good with an enlarged tongue hanging out but it did start breathing when we wiped it down. Derek then had to go and a few minutes later another spotty one popped out. Now we had 10. This one was well and started suckling quickly. We had more tea and, the afterbirth came and eventually after much watching Mary and I went for lunch.

Later that day Mary and I had a disagreement about how many black piglets we had. I said 4 Mary said 5 as that is what she had counted when she sneaked back for a look at them. After much counting we discovered that it was 5 and the total was now 11 - one had been born while we were having lunch and they had just got on with it.

More pig pictures will no doubt follow

Greenhouse

The greenhouse frame is up, I just need to sort out runners for the doors. We have enough glass for 2 sections so they ca go in when the wind drops, the rest will wait until the autumn.

New fencing

After losing the whole of a lovely bed of lettuce and beetroot seedlings to our pesky scratching hens we've enclosed the allotment area. So far, so good (just don't tell then there's a back way in via the bluebells)

I did it !!

It was a fantastic day. Thanks for the sponsorship money.

Race for Life

I've been training since January and I'm running 5km this weekend to raise money for Cancer Research, in memory of Mum. If you would like to sponsor me, I'd be very grateful, its very easy, please see below.

Thanks, and wish me luck !!

Cancer Research appeal - Christine Pullen

Eggstravaganza

Look what our lady turkey is sitting on - 16 turkey eggs, and 12 Guinea fowl !!!

Christmas orders being taken now !!

New arrival

First chick out of the incubator - lovely thing to wake up to this morning.

Hello from Facebook

Another widget to play with !!

King of the Castle?

Farmer Duck

How goes the work? Quack

For literary reference see 9780744536607

Our mornings work

Foundations laid for the greenhouse - greater love hath no woman than she shovels ballast into dizzy in the rain.

Our mornings work

Foundations laid for the greenhouse - greater love hath no woman than she shovels ballast into dizzy in the rain.

Pea shoots

Are coming through - they love the sunshine.

Tis the season to be planting

Busy planting raised beds, seeds to pot on, and herbs and salad for the window sill. The leftover slate waste makes great plant labels.

Nibbles tonight.

After our successful landscaping today, we're looking forward to gin o'clock