Life

What a roller coaster ride I had on Friday and Saturday! Not literally fortunately!
I had cleaned the duck bath and got everything ready to move the biggest girl duckling in with her parents. Well, that didn't work out at all: dad harassed and abused her so much that she'd done a runner. If I had known what he would have been like I would have interfered a lot earlier, but I had assumed it might take a while for the adult ones to get used to other ducks in their run. Anyway, once I had noticed her escape I tried to find her, after making sure there was no corpse hidden somewhere in the grass! I didn't and had to go to bed feeling absolutely AWFUL! I always try my hardest to make sure all my animals have a happy content and safe life, and here was this duckling now, shell shocked and alone somewhere in the bush in the dark. Hurting someone or something out of ignorance is not an excuse as far as I'm concerned and I made a promise to not let anything similar happen again.
The next morning I checked if she might have come back to her old duck or chicken run, but nothing. No quacks, other than mum and dad calling for their food. So I went about my business as usual, milking the goats and feeding the rest. As I've got four bunny girls on grass diet at the moment, I was looking for an area that needed trimming and while cutting forgot that the post holes STILL haven't been filled up to the top. My foot sank in, scraping along the wooden post and me straining to keep my balance. IT HURT! Evaluated the damage, a 15 cm long and 2cm wide scrape that wasn't bleeding to badly and so I finished the animals first before hobbling back home.
The rest of the day was spent trying to take a bit easier and thinking about some more animal husbandry issues.
Ross and Kara definitely don't like the goats milk. And as I spoke with our neighbour, the dairy farmer, while getting some fresh milk for them, the fact that they are now mainly on a plain grass paddock and don't browse on bushes and other trees anymore, might have had a negative effect on the milk. I'll be sitting down with a calendar and thinking if I can change kidding time and when I can have them browsing on our property again before deciding whether to keep them or not.
As I went outside to talk with my hubby about something later in the afternoon, I heard a classic girl quack and I was about to comment that she was a happy tart again, when I stopped: it didn't quite sound like mum duck. Note to self, I obviously spend too much time talking to my animals that I can reckognize their individual 'voices'. My heart rate went up, instantly hope springing up in my mind and I started calling and talking to the quacking individual as I walked towards the sound. And there she was!
Believe it or not, the feeling of relief was similar to finding my hiding kids in the library again.
She looked a bit worse for wear, but was walking alright and had no major injuries. I tried to herd her back to the run, but as she was struggling in the high grass I picked her up, not that she was that keen on that either, and then carried her back to the run and her younger siblings. I put her in, refilled the bath with fresh water and left her to it. It was so sweet to see her get instantly surrounded by all the younger ones. When I checked on her an hour later she was quietly preening herself and scoffing down some food.
Last night I went to bed feeling infinitely relieved and happy.
As the ducks will have to get into that run as they get bigger, I might have to build a smaller one just for the drake: I've got enough ducklings for this year and don't need any more fertile ones, so if he can't 'behave' and be a gentleman, he will just have to stay in solitary til he's gotten used to having more ducks around. And if he doesn't, I'm sorry to say he will have to go. He's had a good life, so I don't feel particularly sad about that, and I won't put any other young duck through this ordeal again. In my mind there's a huge difference between a quick death and long torture. But first I will give him a chance to change and build a smaller enclosure within the run, so he can see the others. Let's see how he goes with that.
That's all for today, enough as far as I'm concerned,

TTFN

Happy New 2013

 

Hope everyone's had a good start to the New Year!

We've had a mixed bag in the last weeks of the year and were happy to start the new year with a clean slate. Once Kara had her birthday I managed to get in the mood for some serious maintenance work in the raised beds and pots. The weather is cooperating at the moment and so I'm experiencing the painful pleasure of sore backs and legs after a good day's work outside. 

Tomatoes are staked and ready to ripen, herbs have been transplanted into bigger pots and the little garden has had the grass removed, revealing a dainty fruit garden. The raspberries planted last autumn are fruiting, ripening and getting eaten. Even though the quantity is nowhere near our requirements, you've got to start little.

The bunny venture has been busy as well: the latest boy batch has been dispatched, the girls are next. And Wanda and Lavender have been mated with Silver. Not sure if this mating will be a success: he is decidedly smaller than the girls, but he gave it his best shot! And down in the dell one of the girls is getting a nest ready! Unexpected, as she hadn't been mated, but the wild ones theoretically have access, via the chicken mesh. Can't quite imagine how, but supposedly the wild ones can be quite acrobatic. Waiting now whether it's just a phantom pregnancy or not. Maybe it's her ploy for not getting the chop?!

The goats are doing ok too, they might need a drench, they're not as plumb looking as I'd like, but maybe I'm just remembering this time of the year differently from last year? The boys are SO loud at the moment, it's quite embarrassing: every time it rains a little they scream as if they're getting tortured! And Moritz is turning into a big bully: he's now taller than his mum and an absolute greedy guts. As he's now challenging the girls, he will have to go too in the winter. It's not safe having an assertive billy goat around; especially once the girls are pregnant again.

And my ducklings are multiplying and growing fast. I've got seven that will be ready to move into the big pen in a couple of weeks: I've got to make sure their wings are big and strong enough to get them out of their little shub bath or they might drown! Yes, ducklings can drown! The first next batch has started pipping this morning and next week the next lot is due. And as I've got another two hens broody I'm debating whether to go through the trouble of de-brooding them or sitting them on another batch of duck eggs. The problem is: we can only eat so much duck breast. On the other hand, I've got a lot of friends who would be keen on some fresh homegrown duck. I will have to sit down and see what the costs are, as I can only charge so much for a duck.

And my home cured ham was a success, well sort of, but more of that in the food blog!

Wishing you all a healthy,successful and happy new year,

TTFN

and almost Christmas here too!

What's been happening? Dunno know, but I just can't get it sorted!
Ah, never mind, just realized: WORK! I am very lucky to say that I actually have been having paid work for the past couple of months. Which makes a serious dent in my free-time.
All good though, the animals are profiting from this: long over due cullings have been delayed and breeding just keeps going.
My ducks have been producing eggs reliably and I have now 8 home grown home bred ducklings. One is 3 1/2 weeks, or thereabouts, and for the past two days has been out of the hutch and mingling with the rest of the flock of .... chickens! After all, mum is a hen. That hatching didn't go too well though: only one out of five eggs managed to make it alive. The next batch, with two hens sharing one hutch, produced 7 out of 13 eggs. And, as my hens keep turning broody and I've got no cages to de-brood them, I've got another two sitting on 7 eggs.  We're going to have plenty of duck breast and legs a-la-confit next year!
The veges in the plastic containers are doing well, the tomatoes have started to set, the herbs are coming back and the cats are still NOT getting in!
Talking about the cats: have the live trap set again, we've seen a couple of times another unknown cat around here. A tabby like Purdie, but slinkier and younger looking.  Please let it be a 'kitten' so that it can be re-homed by the SPCA!
And as for the bunnies, no breeding as I haven't got any space. But I will have to get onto that soon or I will be too late for a decent autumn harvest.

TTFN,
hope to see you all again in the new year
Petra

Finally done it

This is always the hardest part: locking up the goat babies over night and milking mum first thing in the morning, but I've finally done it, and the babies look alright, not happy, but alright and the bottle of milk looks good too!

I have sent a warning email to all the neighbours that I will be shifting the girls twice a day now. In a fortnight I'll be able to milk Poppy as well and then I should be back into cheese making mode!
Already know what my first one will be, a Romano. My first Romano was made with cow's milk and tastes great, but could do with a bit more zing. Hoping this zing will come from the goat's milk!

The duck is on a roll, another egg this morning, and all inside the house. Our 'relationship' has chilled out so much in the last days, since I don't have to chase her back into the paddock and chase to lock them up at night!! Big improvement all round.

Just short one for today,
TTFN.

My little herd

This morning I'm a bit anxious: moved my little herd back into the big paddock.
The overnight paddock is just getting too pooped in by the 7 little and big monsters. So I decided this morning it's time to take the plunge and try it. The two girls and Moritz were happily following me (rattling a feed container) and Poppy's boys were running to keep up with mum. But Tui's two are just a bit thick I'm afraid and didn't want to get onto the road with mum. So I had to leave them behind, supervised by Kara and carry them to the paddock! Individually. Even though they are only just over a week old, they are too heavy to carry both at the same time!
Nothing happened on the way there, one worry down. Now I just hope the mums will look after their babies properly and take them to the shelter if the weather packs in. The paddock has greened up so much in the 3 weeks since I've taken the girls out to give birth. The girls are all head down at the moment!! Nothing like a new clean feed.
As the first set of boys is about to turn four weeks old I have to organize them getting ringed! Yay, all the fun on the farm.

 Yesterday I had a very good conversation with one of our neighbours about tanning a rabbit hide, so once I have a bit of spare time I will send one of the older ones over the Rainbow bridge and give it a try. Our friend has offered to give me hands-on help if it doesn't work, which is good to have as a back-up.
Not sure yet when, as I still have to get started on reducing our chicken flock. Just isolated a couple of girls again, and whoever doesn't lay from now is for the freezer.
I had contemplated the same fate for my ducks, as it was turning into a major hassle getting the eggs. But I had a flash of genius and found a way of plugging the escape holes in the fence and the duck now stays in the run, all day and night, and like a well-behaved girl lays her eggs in the hutch!!! In the middle, like a proper nest. The question is now, once she's laid a clutch, will she go broody and sit on them?? Anyway, I won't worry about that til she's finished laying, and if she doesn't I hopefully have a broody hen to take over that duty.
Yesterday I finally managed to build a night house for the goat kids, so that they can get locked up over night and I can finally start milking one of the girls, Tui. I still have to wait with milking Poppy as her 5 weeks withholding time after her antibiotic treatment is not up yet.

TTFN

Waste not, want not!

This was the weekend my darling daughter and I decided to do something with the liver, kidneys and heart of our pig Thumbelina.
As a child in Germany I grew up with a reasonably revolting bland version of Kalbsleberwurst, liverwurst made with veal and as an adult had tasted the most divine foie-gras. So I was intrigued to find out what it takes to make Liverwurst, a "peasant" style pate, and whether my family would eat it.
But first, I had to mince the meat! Since my last endeavours, involving a mains powered GRUNTY drill of my husband attached to a manual mincer, we had bought a proper electric meat mincer. And did it work a treat! I won't go into the details here, that'll be on the food blog!
Just trying to generate a bit more traffic over there.  ;-)
Interestingly, for the first time ever I did feel a bit squeamish handling these amounts of raw meat. I suppose because liver does have quiet a distinct strong smell.
Anyway, nearly 4 kg's of processed and seasoned meat later, I can say the family is not against eating pig liver! And they did not eat that all in one go, I've made some into pate and the rest into meat patties, which will be frozen and served as my homemade fast food! But, we had the patties for dinner and my carniverous bunch devoured a huge load of them.
And as for me, I think I'm actually all meated out! But I've still got to finish frying the rest of the patties. I'm really looking forward to my shower tonight!!!
Our way of paying respect to a lovely animal is making every bit count beautifully.
Not quite sure if I will ever get to do something with the head though: the kids and I were perusing an old cook book and it had a recipe for a pig's head! They were not impressed, no cries" We've got to try this one" either. Let's wait and see.

TTFN
and the food stuff should go up, with a few pics too, in a couple of days.

Zippity doo dah yay wayho

Spring caught up with me and as per usual I'm having a hard time keeping up!
Just a quick update, with some pics:

First up in the spring bonanza we had four white baby bunnies on the 2nd of September. There had been two more, but they had been too big and were born dead. Not too sure if my "breeding scheme" is working.

Next, four chickies: I had gotten Light Sussex eggs to add a different colour to my flock. Of 11 eggs four hatched live on the 14th of September.

And a fortnight ago (16.9) Poppy gave birth to two boys ( two days early), with serious help for the first one. I assume due to the stressful birth she developed mastitis and I ultimately had to give her a dose of Penicillin. It was all touch and go with her last Friday, but she's come right since then and is feeding her two boys well. And Tui, not to be outdone, gave birth on Saturday (29.9) to two boys. Three days early. And she did it all by herself, but was still grateful for the fortified cuppa tea I gave her afterwards.

Here are Poppy, Kara and Thing 1 and 2

And here Thing 3 and 4.






And our duck has been laying again, I've got now 9 eggs and I need to find a broody hen to hatch them now.

In the beginning of September we were dog sitting a friend's puppy and that added a whole new layer of organizing. She's a lovely Lab cross and at seven months was a lot more lively than our seven year old dog and 18 year old cat.

And last, but not least our fourth attempt at setting up a vege and herb garden that doesn't get used as a cat's litter box. We've had fences that were too high for the cats or chickens AND me! We absolutely adore the flexi tubs and decided to try these instead of planters. So, here is this year's colour scheme: red for tomatoes and green for salads, herbs and other veges. Surrounded by a mesh fence, the bottom 2 1/3 squares folded over to create a smaller sized gap along the bottom part of it, as the 10cm hole seemed big enough for our old puddy cat to get her head through! Now it's wait and see. And lightly water: I'm always very disheartened at the sight of freshly planted seedlings. Despite being watered, they always look soo bedraggled in the first weeks.

TTFN