When the vets left last night, Holly’s teat canal was able to be opened and was functional when open (well functional in that there were now two holes instead of one which will most likely be permanent). Talk about dedicated individuals – they were here fro nearly two hours and it was well after 8pm […]
Continue reading about Jersey Journal: traumatic second week Pt2.
Our second week with Holly started off great with a gradual increase in milk production and a big increase in cream line after I switched to completely milking out the biggest producing quarter (her right rear) and partially milking the left quarters, leaving the right front full for Bangers. Holly’s behaviour, demeanour and temperament is […]
Continue reading about Jersey Journal: traumatic second week Pt1.
Our jersey girl has settled in really well, is already gaining back some weight and is proving to be a real pleasure to work with. When I I have gone out to milk her the past three mornings, she has already been up near the cattle yard where I lock up Bangers overnight. I push […]
It seems to have been a long haul of dust and red dirt this summer, but we have finally had some rain over the last 10 days and the pasture is germinating everywhere. Because it has not been too cold and we have also had some days of sun, the growth has been quite rapid, […]
Ducks are another addition that we have wanted to make to the farm for ages, but I have been unable to find any reasonably local until now. I was extremely fortuante to get these five young adults, a pekin drake, three pekin hens and one khaki campbell duck. They are just finishing their moult and […]
The lovely Josie has gone home today, but by the time she left she was rapidly drowning us in her yummy milk. Because I am greedy and don’t want to share it with the dogs or chickens, I’m planning on making some clabber and using it as a cheese starter (not sure which one I’m […]
I am babysitting my friends jersey house cow for a week while she is interstate. She is a lovely old girl (Josie the cow, not my friend;) with a dropped rumen, a broken tail, a blind quarter, an uneve udder, a dicky hip that makes her shuffle when she walks and a mumified fetus inside […]
Even though I knew that is what they were bred to do, the meat chicks grew at an amazing rate that was only eclipsed by the amount of food they consumed and the amount of very stinky poop they created! I definitely would not get more than 12 in the future, given the size of […]
Continue reading about Success and not so much Success with Meat Chicks
For the time being at least. I have perservered for over four months training Charlotte the dexter to be a house cow, but its finally time to give it in and concede that she is just not cut out to be a house cow. I have learnt so much from her (such as cows can […]
All my hard work in the garden over the last few months is certainly paying off now – everything is growing well and I am starting to harvest some lettuce, snow peas, sugar snap peas, kale, silverbeet, potatoes and beetroot. The first lot of tomatoes are in and growing well and I have just planted […]