Tuesday 8 September 2015

A pregnant Saddleback sow at last!!!!!

Got a nice surprise last night, I was checking on the old pigs when I noticed one of the sows was looking a little heavy. So this morning checked her out with my new toy and she is pregnant (a surprise because she hasn't littered for nearly two years even though she has lived with the boar) Now have to mend the pig stys that where going to be demolished due too us having no breeding pigs!!!!!!



top knot or no top knot?

That's what you call a top knot. On one of our 4 horned Hebridean ewe lambs. This one's for D A MacLeod I think!!!!



Scots Dumpies with lice!!!!

Had to re-sand the chicken runs today, then noticed that the Scots Dumpies had lice so out with the de-lice spray!!! Didn't seem to affect them much but must feel better.



Not the cleanest job on the croft!!!!

You have to love this life to do some jobs. Trailer needed cleaning after moving the cattle twice!!!


Moving the sheep

On 13/08 we swapped over the rams and ewes with lambs. The grass in the ram field was growing round them so swapped them over to the ewes field and vice versa. Gemma and I walked the rams down and then the ewes with lambs up the road to the field, they all walked easily and caused no fuss!!!The ewes and lambs were enjoying the new grass and hopefully the lambs will keep up the growth rate they have recently been on.




Cattle blood tests

Had the vet over yesterday to do the blood tests on the cattle, even fitted in a pregnancy test on Tinga (14 weeks) confirmed by the student vet that also had a go. Collected Eric and Colla first then extended the pen and herded in the other cattle. Had 7 to test and 4 to ear tag. Vet said all went very smoothly!!!!



Tuesday 11 August 2015

stripping and moving the Cattle crush


 






We spent the day stripping the cattle crush from Croft 2a and rebuilding the cattle crush and pen on Croft 10. Ready for the PCHS blood test tomorrow

Urgent repairs

Gemma and myself spent a few hours doing urgent maintenance, repairing damage to some fences caused by the cattle, which was allowing the lambs to escape!!!!

 




 


First day of shearing this year, we got about 2/3 of the flock done!!!! 24th July





Post shearing sort out

after the shearing, Gemma and myself sorted the sheep and did routine feet trimming before moving the flock to new grazing. 6 rams to one field, 51 ewes and lambs to another and the 14 castrates for the freezer remained on croft 2a.


Eric the bull in fine form ready for the visit of the cows.




Me hand milking Ruby in the field with the other cows in close attendance




giving Tinga a back scratch


My Mum saying hello to Tolsta Dougary

Haddingley flock visit

We spent a good couple of hours on Saturday 19/07 viewing some very nice Hebridean Sheep in the Haddingley flock on Nigel Patrick. I treated myself to a couple of four horned rams and a couple of two horned as well just for good measure.