Well, today we found Lambey’s body. She had wandered and there was no sign of an attack. So, although we were very sad to find her, we were relieved that she had died of natural causes and not ‘taken’. It was very depressing to think that there was something around here that was taking our animals and we didn’t know what.
Of course, not having a telly we have missed Jimmy’s farm, however he was on ‘On your farm’ which we do listen to at 6.30 of a Sunday morning! Anyway, he quoted a vet who said if you have livestock you#’ll have deadstock. And we will. And we have to get used to it. Ian (rightly) pointed out that the animals who are poorly are the ones who need us most and whom we get most attached to. The healthy ones (Genghis) we only get to when they have done something very silly like get their head stuck…. again.
We ‘paroled’ the hen who was looking after chick 1 (this was the hen who was ‘helping’ the chicks out). Unlike the other hens, she has been looking whistfully at her chick who is stillin the run, and not looking daggers as has the other mother hens.
We popped the Gruesome Twosome into a run with the above chick and they seem to hae=ve bonded, however we have learnt to put them into a neutral area first so they don’t fight. Little chicks fighting do look like Tweetypie squaring up for a bust up!
The ducklings seem to be doing their best to reduce their survival rate. Having given them a new home with lots of straw, they of course have managed to climb out and fall down the floor boards. We got them back, however if they are not getting them selves covered in flour paste (see Ian’s post last night) then they are throwing themselves under floorboards.
Today we let all the goats and sheep at the back out. This is because we have been without hay for a couple of weeks due to our farmer being let down by his supplier. So by 9.30we’d fixed a new fence (posts were bashed into land which we part of the old railway line and hence a bit shaley.) We had to fence off the end of the field where there angoras seem to want to jump over into the road. We fenced it off and they then went down to the other end of the boundary and I spent the day hooking them out of the river.
Davy is sat with Ian now in front of the fire. I think that he (Davy) is lonely as an only cat. I don’t know what we’ll do, I don’t think I could face loosing another to the road.
Peafowl – yes it is true. Somehow I found myself bidding on peafowl eggs at Ebay. Surely not much different to chickens…..?