Farm Friends - Down on the Pond

A cold but bright day here at the farm today so we took advantage of this and walked down to feed the ducks.  Here is the existing raft of ducks which have been with us for some while now - Dad bought two pairs (two mummies, two daddies) early in 2014 and they went on to give us 4 ducklings last spring and then Dad bought another pair in late Summer to make up the raft of 10.  They are all fairly standard ducks and you wouldn't say there was anything remarkable about them.

On Christmas Day Dad opened his stocking to find some ducks that are a little more exciting - two pairs of Mandarin ducks.  These striking and unmistakable ducks originate form East Asia.  Obviously Dad doesn't want them to fly away but neither does he want to go for the usual practice of clipping their wings (cutting the feathers to prevent flying) so he has made a large enclosure on the island on the duck pond.  The idea is that they will mate and hatch their eggs in early Spring and then when they have an established family they will be less likely to fly off.  I tried to take some photos but they are still very shy and kept hiding away - I managed to capture one of the male birds - handsome isn't he?

Within the enclosure there are various houses so they can pick the one they prefer - in the wild they will nest in cavities in trees, up off the ground.   Outside of the enclosure there are also a couple more houses so if any of the existing ducks lay they can use these although last year they decided to ignore all the houses and laid their eggs underneath this pile of wood!

Kate
Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall

Farm Friends - Feeding Time for the Cattle

Dad and Spence were putting a new bale in for the cows so Guy and I wandered out to have a look.  Dad leaves the cows out all winter which is quite unusual normally cattle come inside for the Winter so their feet don't poach the wet ground but because Dad farms so extensively rather than intensively (i.e. his stocking density is very low - each cow gets A LOT of room so totally unprofitable but nice for the cows!).  However winter grass won't provide enough sustenance so hay is given to supplement their diet.

Can you spot the odd one out in the photo above?  The eagle eyed of you will spot a sheep tucking into the hay.  That's Mint, one of the lambs that was bottle-fed by visiting children over the summer.  Originally it was intended that they wouldn't have seen Christmas, they should be tucked up in the freezer but the travelling slaughter-man/butcher that was meant to come to the farm never turned up and we never got around to re-booking.  So, they're still here!  Here's Sauce - up the other end of the shed happily tucking in too!

Having been bottle fed for so long means that they are quite tame. 
Mint is prone to jumping through the feed barrier so he can really get stuck into the hay.

Titus tried his best to get Mint to hop back through but he was having none of it!

Spence and Dad discussing other jobs that need to be done - an endless list!

Guy busy distributing the hay - one small handful at a time

I don't think that I've shared 'Horace' on the blog yet - here he is.  The lucky boy chosen to come and visit and see if he can get a few of the ladies pregnant. 

Look at that head - a proper Billy Bull - isn't he handsome?  If he does his job we should expect calves next September.

Kate
Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall

Farm Friends - Pets Corner moves to its Winter Quarters

This week the temperature has dropped and with today's cold wind we decided it was time for the rabbits and guinea pigs to move to their cosier winter accommodation.  The rabbits were easy enough to catch and quite happy to temporarily go in the carrier whilst they were taken to their new home.  

The guinea pigs however were a little more reluctant - I've mentioned before how they like to spend most of the time underneath their house, well, this doesn't help you when you're trying to pick them up.  I tipped up the house while Dad shouted "Pig!" and Spence would dive in the direction of the guinea pig nearest him.  

Spence then had the brain wave of using the fishing net but on catching Charlie in it, a quick wriggle by him revealed a hole in the net and Charlie was once again free!  Anyway after much hilarity, diving and exclamations of "Pig!" Rhubarb, Charlie, Barley and Abigail were all caught and taken up to where rabbits, Minky and Monty were waiting for them.

Monty making sure the guinea pigs are ok

Minky up on a shelf looking on

All 'snoochied' in, warm and comfy and going against the theory that
rabbits and guinea pigs don't get on when all together!

Kate
Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall