Martin B Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 I think Carl said it was a Saddleback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 He's a gorgeous colour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Doh! I thought you meant the black and white one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Phew! Finally got them loaded.... (Apologies fo rthem being slightly out of focus - they were moving so quickly!) And the piggies came running... Pinky and Perky: Pinky (or is it Perky?): A melange of piggies: Oxford Sandy & Black (she had lovely ginger eyelashes): Carl & Jake with the piggies: Piggies enjoying the pasture: Chicks with chicks (Rosie and Lauren): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 sorry to backtrack but have only just managed to catch up with this thread - I'm glad you called the tractor Vic - it really does look like him! .. I can't believe there hasn't been any jokes about riding Vic Reeves in the field Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 That black and tan piggie-winkle is just GORGEOUS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 She really is gorgeous Shona, so pretty and cute. Batting her red eyelashes at us. Carl checked the van before we left in case I was smuggling her out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Great pictures Clare! They're so small and cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Thanks for sharing the pics. they are so lovely........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 I'm afraid that some of them are hopelessly out of focus - the piggies were moving so quickly!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 29, 2007 Share Posted April 29, 2007 Lovely pics. The one of Rosie and Lauren with the chicks is delightful. I love the little black and tan pig. Such a cheerful expression on its face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 Man! They are just gorgeous Lesley! Fab photos everyone too! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJo Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 .. sooooooooo jealous ....... well done Lesley and Carl, and thanks to all who post pics from visits. Jake and Lauren have such a goodlife too, and will learn so much more from all the animals and self-sufficiency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 30, 2007 Author Share Posted April 30, 2007 We haven't stopped smiling since we picked them up Hopefully they are going some way to alleviate the stress Carl is feeling as we haven't sold our house yet There were two more eggs pipping yesterday so I carefully lifted little BB out of the nest this morning to see what had happened overnight. There was one of the original two and a new one - but one chick was missing Just then, it plopped out of BB's 'petticoats' and landed on my feet! No harm done We now have 3 chicks and three more pipping so they should hatch today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 30, 2007 Author Share Posted April 30, 2007 How much are you charging for a half pig? We haven't sorted out a price yet - shall I put you down for half a pig? Is it £2.50? Let me know a price when you can and I'll nag the parents! You can have an ear for that amount Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 We haven't stopped smiling since we picked them up Hopefully they are going some way to alleviate the stress Carl is feeling as we haven't sold our house yet There were two more eggs pipping yesterday so I carefully lifted little BB out of the nest this morning to see what had happened overnight. There was one of the original two and a new one - but one chick was missing Just then, it plopped out of BB's 'petticoats' and landed on my feet! No harm done We now have 3 chicks and three more pipping so they should hatch today. Great news Lesley - Rosie loved the chicks yesterday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 wow A girl can't get on the forum for a week or so and look what happens. SSSoooooooooooooo jealous Lesley. The piggies look so cute too. Your kitchen garden looks great too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Actually we have a small Iseki tractor too ours is called You B*****d Funny that..we have a lawn mower with the same name. Actually that is its surname...its first initial is "F"....Him Indoors calls it by its first name and surname all the time! Sounds like the name I gave to hubby's boat a few years ago when we took it on holiday all the way up to Ullapool (by road!), struggled to get it launched and then hubby dislocated his shoulder trying to start it - all on the first day! He later swapped it for another one that I christened something beginning with "S" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 This weeks update - what a week My main priority this week was the Big Green Poo Machine We have had problems with it since New Year - after all the rain of winter. We've had it emptied twice - it should only need emptying every 5 years My son has been here for the last 3 days and much as I'd like to be watching the new little piggies, I've been outside working with him. Three days with our heads down the septic tank The house looks like a tip, and I can't remember what colour the kitchen floor should be I think we have sorted it enough now so that we don't have to pay £125 for it to be emptied yet again - we've left the drain rods in place so that i can go and rod the soakaway pipe regularly. We don't think the soakaway has been constructed properly (no surprise there then ) and if it doesn't all settle down then we will have to excavate a large area and start again with a new soakaway. The area we will have to excavate is where we were planning to put our bees - luckily, i hadn't started on the 'bee garden' Little BB has hatched 5 tiny chicks - 3 bantam and 2 full size. I helped 2 which had shell stuck but she wouldn't accept them and each morning after I'd helped, the chick had been pushed out and left to die. She didn't approve of my intervention I had to go with Matthew yesterday morning to collect the trailer which belongs to the tractor, it had a flat tyre and couldn't be collected at the same time last week. Matthew obviously had a bit of free time and offered to go back to his uncle's farm and make an end for the trailer. He brought that back and then decided to fetch his tractor and remove all the agricultural rubbish from under the tree in the cows new paddock so that the cows could come out onto grass. I flitted between watering and seeding one of the chicken runs, rodding drains, raking dead weeds and answering questions about the final resting place of a load of junk! - helped, after school, by Lauren and Jake. I was ahead of myself at this stage - the last week of our beekeeping course was to start at 6.30 and so we had to be ready at 5.45, and i had to remember to feed Lauren and Jake. We collected all the eggs and were just about to go and have something to eat - Matthew decided we should let the cows out We wanted the cows to go around the edge of the barn , along a race we made from sheep hurdles through the cattle crush in its opened state and out onto grass. We need to get them used to the crush as we have a DEFRA deadline to meet for their testing and the cows are completely unmanageable - and have lovely horns They were having none of it - even with all of us encouraging them. Lauren, Jake and Jazz were watching from behind the safety of the gate. Eventually, one of them stampeded towards Carl who was inside the crush 200kg of beef - he stood still as there was nowhere to run and the cow crashed through the hurdles Amendments were made to the race, using more hurdles, an old gate and lots of baler twine - one went through and we were hopeful that the other would follow........ ..... she decided instead to crash through the hurdles We need the hurdles ready for lambing in a couple of weeks time Both cows were out, children were not fed, we hadn't eaten and were late for beekeeping. son's girlfriend had turned up to join him for dogsitting, daughter had turned up to collect her (hungry) children............. We arrived at beekeeping for the most important part of the course - meeting the bees in the apiary - hot and flustered. We were told last week - bees don't like sweat or hairspray, and I hadn't had time to wash my hair We donned bee suits and went to the apiary - it was HEAVEN!!!!!!!! You're never quite sure how you're going to react to thousands of bees and we both loved it! I thought the bee suit might be claustrophobic, but it wasn't too bad. We handled frames full of brood, frames full of honey, all covered in thousands of bees. We were just able to get back when it was light enough to see the cows. They were quite happy to be out on grass - we just need to train them now - before 21 May Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 Don't envy trying to train cows with horns Lesley At least they are outside now Sounds like a *fun* week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 They have to be trained to use the crush - so that they can be de-horned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 Poor Carl, did he need to change his underwear? Are the banties both barnies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 What a hectic week Lesley - but I bet deep-down you enjoyed it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 We've had a ball Two of the bantams are Barnevelders - both look like cockerels. That will give me the opportunity too do what I should have done with the last lot - replace the vicious Barnevelder cockerel I won't be able to breed for selling but it is OK for rearing egg layers - and the Barnevelders do lay a decent sized egg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 The cow escapade sounds quite scary. The advice to "make yourself still and big" is quite impossible to follow when one is hurtling towards you isn't it? How can such huge creatures have such tiny brains....... glad the bee keeping experience was a moment of calm in an otherwise stressful week! Have a nice weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
