The Dogmother Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Those wee quail are lovely, aren't they? I was cuddling the baby meat birds the other week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Oh Clare, lull them into a false sense of security! We were chatting about ducks this evening - DD wants a duck like Lewis's Orville - OH said he'd like ducks too. To eat! Hmmm, maybe both (next house). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Shame about the lamb but sounds like she did well with you! about the table birds and quail Look forward to seeing the piglets Get an Orville K! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Next house, Lewis!!!!! When I get something perhaps on a slightly smaller scale than Lesley's. Er how many acres do you have Lesley by the way? We were thinking along the lines of 2.5/3 and no more than 5 - can't manage more when I get my zimmerframe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Shame about the lamb but sounds like she did well with you! about the table birds and quail Look forward to seeing the piglets Get an Orville K! I'll fight you for piglet cuddles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Next house, Lewis!!!!! When I get something perhaps on a slightly smaller scale than Lesley's. Er how many acres do you have Lesley by the way? We were thinking along the lines of 2.5/3 and no more than 5 - can't manage more when I get my zimmerframe! We have almost 8 acres Val........I wasn't sure I'd manage when we bought it as my knee was still in a bad way....it has helped enormously and I'm sure I'll still be able to manage when I acquire my zimmer frame in a few years time It's not really very big........ We had 2 new additions today - a phone call at midday and that was the rest of our day written off They're Badger Face X Texcel We had to settle them in and then go off to buy milk for them, they've had two feeds now and aren't too bad at feeding - their mum died so they're having to learn to bottle feed. Jazz and Tali have been very gentle with them - we sat in the sunshine to feed them this afternoon. We might even manage to feed ourselves shortly!.....and then fit in a late feed for the lambs and be back up at 6am again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 even before I clicked on the thread I knew what your post would say Lesley We are bottlefeeding out two as well as the ewe rejected them, its getting a little easier now they are a couple of weeks old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Aww, gorgeous. Bit late to head over there now, but perhaps after next Saturday's market if you're around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Time consuming isn't it! - I'll be glad when they realise that bottles = good stuff ! - you'd think we were trying to torture them! I've added the photos now - photobucket was being a pain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Aww they are sweet, they look quite strong Ours know that bottles = good but thats led to a complete lack of focus and lots of missing the target and running backwards in excitement so feeding takes longer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Time consuming isn't it! - I'll be glad when they realise that bottles = good stuff ! - you'd think we were trying to torture them! I've added the photos now - photobucket was being a pain Lesley, do you remember those two which we bottled fed in your utility room? Milk everywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Hmmmm, yes....these only made it as far as an outbuilding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 They are soooo cute - love the little wrinkled up nose. Glad to hear yours are still going strong Redders. 8 acres, hmmmmm food for thought and room to manoeuvre! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Hi Lesley - your lambs are soooo sweet! Quick question - as I know you'll know best. How do you keep all your grass short on 8 acres? We are about to take on a Smallholding ( fingers crossed) with possibly 15 acres. We have a sit on tractor / mower & a really good strimmer -but not too keen on wanting sheep. There will be the chooks, pigs, pygmy goats & eventually Alpacas...but other than that how do you keep the grass down? I'm getting there with my rainbow of eglus Lesley! Are the lambs for the table or to be kept for wool? Whatever, they are beautiful! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 They're for the table Emma - we still find it hard to do, especially when you've bottle fed them We used all our savings to have decent fencing done when we moved in and we have a series of paddocks for the sheep and cows to move through, our worming programme is to move the animals every three weeks which breaks the worm cycle and having cows and sheep together also helps. The pigs have two paddocks and we use them alternatively unless they become really short of grass and then we let them into the second paddock. We have a strip along each side and across the top which is wide enough for a big tractor and we've kept that mown or strimmed but only because the perimeter fencing had a few gaps but my son came on Saturday and we've filled all the gaps so now we can put the sheep out there so it will be less labour intensive. The one area we struggle to keep on top of is about one tenth of the whole area - we have planted about one hundred trees for future fuel use and we have to strim that as sheep would kill the young trees - we have Muntjac who make a good job of doing that to some of the fruit trees anyway - parts of it we can mow with a topper attached to the small tractor we have. We weren't going to have sheep originally but we're really glad we were offered our Shetlands as we've enjoyed them - they make excellent lawnmowers.......... Good luck with your plans - I hope you're going to tell all? Time to go and do the last feed for the lambs...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Very cute We have a lamb at the farm that follows you everywhere - will have to put the video on later Bit late to head over there now, but perhaps after next Saturday's market if you're around. Is that the 9th or the 2nd? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 They are very pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Very cute We have a lamb at the farm that follows you everywhere - will have to put the video on later Bit late to head over there now, but perhaps after next Saturday's market if you're around. Is that the 9th or the 2nd? 2nd (this Saturday) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 That's really good information Lesley - have forwarded it on to OH as he has always wanted to have his own wood for fuel. I just want the animals and the veg - he wants to eat the animals and the veg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 That's really good information Lesley - have forwarded it on to OH as he has always wanted to have his own wood for fuel. I just want the animals and the veg - he wants to eat the animals and the veg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Thanks Lesley! This Smallolding has very good stock proof fencing already. Will tell more once we know everything has definitely gone through ok. How are the lambs today? Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 That's really exciting for you EmmaCHP - I wish you lots of success and lots of happiness. We still have a couple of years - it's always a couple of years and I expect next year it will still be a couple of years! There always seems to be something holding us up. First it was school, so we planned that once they were in uni we would go. Well they didn't go to uni but have jobs and still living at home (one moving to his own flat this week! ) but it's always what the daughter needs as far as OH is concerned. Pah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Depending on where you want to move to, I'd start looking now! We have been looking for about 1 and a half years! You get to realise what your main priorities are & what really isn't acceptable. We've seen some awful places. Some were either teeny houses with lots of land, others huge houses with a teeny bit of land. Then there was the issue of location. We knew we wanted mid - South Wales. We eventually narrowed it down by looking. However, this one is just right. Good luck for you too. Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Been looking for years! Area now narrowed down to Cambridge/south west Norfolk/Suffolk borders/Northants/Essex at a push (that one he doesn't want but if the right place comes up then . . .). He's working in north London so a right old trek for him in the early hours. I think the travelling might sway things in the right direction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Val, my folks live in Herts/North London and it's really easy to get to them from here, so perhaps Oxon could be on your list of places to look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
