The Silly Season Begins

Firstly I would just like to say a big thank you to all the folk who nominated me for the virtual smallholder award, it really is something I am very proud to have been presented with although I must emphasis it is very much a team effort so well done to Debbie as well. Special thanks to Carolyn and David for hosting the virtual smallholder show and of course Tracey for producing the fantastic rosette's which have pride of place in our award-winning kitchen!

Ok last month the dreaded bird flu hit and panic was rife. Now a few weeks later I am sure I am not alone in thinking what was all the worry about? True any case of bird flu is serious and has some unthinkable implications to many, however I have to admit to thinking the response was incredibly calm from the authorities. Restrictions were put in place but lifted at the earliest opportunity meaning our first rare breeds show was brimming with all kinds of poultry.
I must admit to feeling rather apprehensive when returning to work after a few days off but everything was just business as usual. I think the turning point of feeling reassured came when the media were left concentrating on shots of the walkway where the swan was found, as there was no disaster to report. In fact after a week or so it was barely news worthy. A respite for now hopefully!
After over 2 years we have finally managed to arrange the pigs to our satisfaction. We had used 3 paddocks on and off over that time and this winter had proved that they were just not big enough to cope with the demands of the quantity and age of our pigs. During March we had moved Lady and Malcolm our pedigree Large blacks into yet another temporary paddock in readiness to introduce them to Bonnie our other pedigree Large Black sow. She finished weaning her latest litter at the beginning of April so off she went to meet up with Lady and Malcolm.
We knew there would be some friction when they met up but had presumed it would be between Bonnie and Lady, however Malcolm seemed to be the one not best pleased (3's a crowd and all that) Bonnie has always shown herself to be of fantastic temperament and despite Malcolm giving it the 'I'm the boss in here' behaviour she quite happily just explored the new paddock. It wasn't until he just wouldn't leave her alone pushing and nudging her that she must have thought 'enough is enough'. Being twice his size it didn't take much retaliation to have him squealing 'ok you're the boss'. It all looked rather dramatic but as predicted they settled with each other over the next few days to the extent that Malcolm and Bonnie decided to make love not war!

Bonnie and Malcolm make aquantance

Bonnie's litter of 6 were also rehoused into the trusty weaner shelter which for costing around £10 early last year has turned out to be a very good investment. It has now seen three lots of occupants and no complaints at all have been forthcoming. The latest occupants have found it to be a place to relax and chill from the stresses of modern day life.

It's a hard life!

At the end of April we finally finished fencing their acre field and let them loose expecting to see it turned into mud in no time, however they seem to enjoy rooting only in several certain areas leaving the rest as green as when they went in. It is so nice to see them roaming around the field and we hope that it can provide all they need for a few years to come.
Not much is happening with our 6 Suffolk ewes other than we are pretty sure they were all serviced. Udders are really starting to develop and by the size of them I wouldn't be surprised if 5 out of 6 were twins. I just hope that during May we have as successful a lambing time as we did last year both from our point of view and that of the ewe's welfare.
Last month I mentioned the geese, which we thought were a trio perhaps being 3 geese. It didn't really matter, as the eggs are just fantastic. Well surprise, surprise they have decided to go broody. A large nest has been built in the field shelter that we had hoped to lamb in and rather than 1 male sitting on them as we had heard happens all 3 of ours take turns and some times we find all 3 sitting at the same time. At least we will learn whether we have a trio or not for sure over the next month.
A few more of the hens have gone broody so hopefully the hens, which the fox enjoyed last month, will be replaced for free during May. Must admit I have a real soft spot for mother hens and their chicks. So attentive to those little bundles of fluff and the chicks seem to need only a chirp from mum to know what they should be doing, wish our kids were like that!
The polytunnel is bursting into life now and all in all things are pretty much on track with fruit and veg. Most of our first lot of seeds have been planted and are starting to rear their heads. The fruit trees are starting to burst their buds now and although they won't produce a crop this year at least this shows they have survived some atrocious weather conditions of late which all looks promising for the years to come.
Well next month should herald the arrival of quite a few new faces here so I think I had better get back to running around in circles trying to get things prepared!