Farm Life June 2019

We started off the last farm month with promising weather and a first cut of haylage in one field. Considering that this time last year, all hay was safely in the shed, we had high hopes for a repeat.

Alas the weather had other ideas and a very wet June has ensued.

There have been farm walks looking at wild flowers and dog walking but on the whole it has been very wet.



This month has seen the remaining flock of sheep sheared and we all enjoyed the day. The animal mad child was in the thick of it all while the other two preferred to stay on the periphery and blow bubbles-always a good idea to provide something like this during busy times on the farm.

It is a family affair and we welcome all the help we can get.



Another big incident was the arrival of our coloured Ryeland ram, Shaun. He is a pedigree and we are on the look out for some ewes to have a little pedigree flock-daily to keep me and the middle child out of trouble. I have dreams of the two of us in white coats in the show ring but I think we are quite a way off that yet.

The one good thing about the rain is the absolute green explosion in the vegetable patch. The broccoli has grown so big that it is in danger of taking over everything else.

The tomatoes are either flowering or already baring fruit and the potatoes are just about to flower. The biggest success so far has been the radish. I now have a repeat sowing exercise going on so that we never run out. I have never tasted anything so delicious as a home grown radish-nothing like the shop bought ones and I admit to have bored anyone who stands still long enough with my radish successes.

A trip to the Cheshire Show saw my poultry numbers grow. I met with the lovely family behind Cheshire Poultry of Tarporley and, a couple of days after the show, the boys and I took a trip to buy some ducklings. We may or may not have also come home with two Polish chicks and a pekin. Oops.

I also rehomed five chicks from a local lady who decided against keeping them so the feathers are definitely multiplying and the logistics of housing them all before they fly to the main coop has been interesting and I have had to admit some numbers to the farmer.




In the main coop, the hens are laying well and, at last count I had 30 eggs in my rack-despite using six at breakfast. My little egg-sale stand may have to be built to cope with the eggy deluge.


Stud Muffin the goat is still here but his owner should be coming to get him any day and he smells much less billy goat now so I think that probably means his job is done.

I am just hoping for some dry weather now, as is the farmer to get the field work done for 2019.

Fingers crossed.

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