Lesley Posted May 17, 2010 Author Share Posted May 17, 2010 Sorry to hear about the other bunny, Lesley Are rabbits OK on their own or should I be looking for a companion for her? - would she accept another girl rabbit?, I was thinking of a rescue rabbit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 They do need companions, and will pine away without one. That's probably why she's escaping into the other pens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 17, 2010 Author Share Posted May 17, 2010 OK thanks - I'll start looking. My friend had rescue rabbits from somewhere local. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 BARKS in Banbury certainly have some. They'll even have your bunny to stay while they introduce them and see if they get on... well they used to do that... I haven't heard any differently recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henriette Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 Oh Lesley, have just seen you have piggies They are absolutely beautiful. Can you get passports for a couple and sneak them over in your boot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 Im loving the piggies Lesley!! Im sure they will keep Carl on his toes all summer, chasing him for apples!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 25, 2010 Author Share Posted May 25, 2010 They are settling in nicely now - as we had them a little later than we usually do the grass is taller then the piggies Henriette! - if you think I'm travelling with two smelly pigs..... - two smelly dogs is bad enough Carl might swap a piggy for a goose though We have some very stupid birds nesting this year.......the first one kept zooming out past our legs whenever we sat out in the garden....eventually we found there was a nest inside the metal cover of the patio heater, on top of the gas bottle..... the other has made a nest under an upturned pot - the dogs kept worrying at it and every morning I've been out early to weed veggie plots there has been a cat sitting on the fence....I thought perhaps there was a trapped mouse so got Carl to lift it and out flew a bird I've put netting around to keep all animals away - not a wise choice considering we have 7 farm cats around! Beautiful nest! We've also got a woodpecker nest with babies in in one of the ash trees and at 6 am yesterday we actually saw a cuckoo! - it flew right over us and was cuckooing whilst flying! This camouflaged cat is sitting in the wood barn underneath a swallows nest.... The ducks are having a new pond - all the spoil from the hole has been put in their run ready to fill in the many holes left by flooding earlier this year - it looks like a bombsite! My son dug out the hole on the hottest day this year - we couldn't buy the liner until we knew he'd be able to get through all the buried rocks and concrete - he still has another 6 inches to dig down..... The rabbit has made a hole in the netting into the next door hen run, via the duck run....three hens thought it was great to have an expedition to the duck run to investigate the piles of soil... One of them was Attlia the Hen - with her inch long spurs I wasn't going to argue with her! The kitchen garden plots - a bit weedy still in this photo but I've nearly finished weeding the beds now.....there are 9 beds, each 13' x 4' and a 5m x 5m fruit cage... One of 'Christian's' crab apple trees - we have about 7 mature trees like this one... They've been a riot of pink blossom with a heavenly scent. The lambs are now almost as big as Tali - I have a lovely photo of them but it's still on Carl's phone........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 *grabs a tub trug or two, to pop over to Lesley's* Pictures look great Lesley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henriette Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Henriette! - if you think I'm travelling with two smelly pigs..... - two smelly dogs is bad enough Carl might swap a piggy for a goose though Surely your piggies aren't smelly I don't think I could part with my goose or gander (even though Alfie is a bit of a monster) and I suppose if I am honest, we probably wouldn't be able to cope with a large pig!! We used to have a couple of Kune Kune pigs. They were WONDERFUL Carl would love geese I'm sure and they are very, very easy to keep. They just eat grass Like all your lovely photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Great pics Lesley What fantastic piggywigs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Wow, it looks great Lesley. I am having the problem of chickens laying everywhere at the minute-a cat went into their run and they've not been very settled since. Love the look of the pigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Wow Lesley! You have been busy, as usual. It all looks wonderful. I feel suitably guilty now about my mess of a garden and pathetic 3 raised beds for veggies, which apart from a couple of lines of potatoes, are empty. Half term week coming up and I will use your pictures to goad me to action! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted June 14, 2010 Author Share Posted June 14, 2010 A fun day today We noticed that one of the sheep was behaving oddly so we watched her yesterday. We haven't really seen much of them as the grass is so lush they've not been too interested in any feed, they don't all come down and we've seen them from the end of the paddock. This one was hanging back for a couple of days so we watched and then investigated. She had flystrike We're still waiting for the man to come and shear them or we may have spotted it earlier We've trimmed her fleece back and doused the patches with nasty chemicals - no other choice when it's already started, we usually use Barrier just after they've been sheared. It was so gross to see maggots dropping off her fleece like confetti She should be fine in the morning, we've put her in one of the field shelters on her own to recover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 It can all happen so fast can't it - hope she's ok tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henriette Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 It's so horrible when that happens and yes it takes over so quickly. Hope all OK today. Really nasty job to deal with too but just so good you spotted it when you did We have so many flies here that I'm dreading it happening to our two. Sheep, don't you just love em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Sorry to hear that Lesley, I hope that she's better soon. I shan't see you on Saturday as Moochoo and I are off to a hound training session, but I'll be at the market after that in Deddington. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted June 15, 2010 Author Share Posted June 15, 2010 The sheep looks a lot better today and is not rubbing against the field shelter. She's still isolated and tomorrow we will put some iodine on the raw patch where she's rubbed. We checked all the others this morning and they're fine. Re the birds nests mentioned earlier - the one in the cover to the gas bottle was pulled out by cats (?) shortly after I posted about it but the other one under the upturned pot is doing well - it is a Great Tit's nest and the eggs have hatched! The woodpecker babies have fledged and we have swallows in the barn - we can hear them and see the parents flying in with grubs but can't see the nest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 Good to hear about the birds nesting, sounds like they've set themselves up a really nice nesting site Lesley. Sorry to hear about the sheep with flystrike though, I've seen pictures of it before and it looks horrible, but I'm glad she's getting better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 Well, I can vouch for the deliciousness of Lesley's elderflower cordial.... and yes, the sugar did keep me awake on the way home! Thunder bugs much appreciated as an extra source of protein. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 Happy to oblige We've been using some plain moisturiser with teatree oil added on the raw skin on the sheep - the skin is lovely and healthy now and she's joining the others this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Glad to hear it Lesley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Good news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Thats good to hear Lesley! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Good news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted June 26, 2010 Author Share Posted June 26, 2010 All sheep have been shorn - and are now masquerading as goats They must be so glad to be rid of all that fleece, just rolling 11 fleeces was such a warm job The ewe which had flystrike was very nicely healed and we'd made a good job of getting rid of all the maggots, we haven't kept her fleece because of the chemicals and all the fleece from that area will have to be binned - the clean bits will go on the compost heap as the clean stuff is the rear end which isn't the best part of the fleece for wool and felting. We'd asked for some notice from him as he tries to fit us in on the way back from other farms and we have had 20 mins notice before and last time we went out at 3.30 on a Bank Holiday Monday only to receive a phone call to say he was outside our house and we had to dash back!! We need some notice because there are only the two of us to round up 11 sheep and I have to be careful walking on the rough ground. We set up the area weeks ago and had our long piece of Omlet netting ready - we herd them with that stretched between us. We'd sent a text asking if he knew when it was likely to be (just in case he'd forgotten us) - he phoned to try and sort out a date and ended up by saying "OK - I'll be there in 20 mins" I'd been out to the school fete, was wearing a long skirt and pretty top and was looking forward to a relaxed evening making cordials with all the flowers I'd picked earlier and watering all the veggies. I ended the evening in my filthy work clothes and we didn't get to eat until 10pm again Luckily we'd got some leftovers from the previous night and only had to do some veg. It's so nice to see happy sheep though We only have one outside tap, near the house and we have 100s of metres of hosepipe to get water to the paddocks - it's taking a few hours to sort out water for all the animals at the moment - it's almost tempting to join the pigs in their wallow at times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
