The big escape.

It seems that this week everything wants to escape, I don`t know why. The geese started the ball rolling one evening. Simon and Lorna went to their enclosure to shut them in for the night, they were missing. Luckily geese are very noisy creatures and they could be heard. One was in the cattle shed with the calves, two were in the yard and two had made a big escape. They were heard waddling down the road. Traffic was luckily slowing down as they passed them.Simon managed to arrest them about a quarter of a mile away. He picked them up one under each arm, it`s a good job he is big and strong. Two geese weigh quite a lot.Lorna offered to carry one so Simon passed one to her making sure that she had a firm grip on it`s neck. The goose couldn`t peck her then. Unfortunately as the transfer of the goose was taking place the other goose got a good grip on Simons arm.Lorna laughed as Simon threatened it with a visit to the oven.The lambs were the next escape artists. We had a phone call to say three lambs were seen in the road. We whistled for Henry the sheep dog and went in search of them.They were nowhere to be seen. As we were returning home we spotted something white in a garden. We went to investigate and sure enough there they were. Henry soon rounded them up and they were reunited with their flock. Of course we then had to go fencing to stop further adventures. I couldn`t believe my eyes the next morning when expecting to count forty one young cattle, the field was empty. Like geese they are very noisy and I soon tracked them down. A young lad staying in a nearby holiday cottage had opened a few gates. I can`t say if it was accidental or deliberate. May be they followed him as they do and he ran away, anyway they made the most of their freedom. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence we hear. They were very reluctant to be herded back where they belong. Chris and I have moved them to a different pasture this morning. People say things happen in threes so perhaps that will be the end of the big escape.

Sad day.

I took the little hedgehog to Sue the vet. She looked at the little chap. She said he was too injured to try to save. He would never make it and would suffer if we
tried. We were all very sad, hedgehogs seem so special.
The only things that threaten hedgehogs are badgers and cars. Why they have to cross the road so much I just don`t know.

Hedegehog.

Lorna was looking for a piece of string.She looked into a bag in one of the farm sheds. The bag was smelling of something horrible. She peered inside and saw a small hedgehog, about half grown. There were maggots crawling all over it.Lorna was sure it was dead. Simon picked it up and found it was alive. The poor little thing must have been hit by a car and managed to crawl into the shed to hide. I looked at the wound on it`s shoulder, it was very raw. We always keep some medicenes etc for the animals on the farm so I got a little maggot oil and poured it over the wound, they began to wrggle and squirm. The horrible things seemed to appear from all over the place. I found some tweezers and began picking them off. It seemed never ending some were as small as a grain of sand some were big and fat. as I worked a little bird joined me and began eating them as I threw them down.I have rinsed the wound with warm salty water and sprayed some gentian violet on it.At the moment it is wrapped in a blanket with a stone hot water bottle by it to raise it`s tempreture up.I am going to try and give it a drink with a pippet soon. It hasn`t unrolled yet, I don`t know if it is too sore to try or too frightened. If it is alive tonight I am going to take it to the vet.

Pigs and lambs.

It is always a sad day when animals leave the farm. You have loved and cared for them since they were babies. The fact is,if you are farmers you are in the business of rearing meat.
Last week the pigs were due to go. Lorna and Jess were very upset and decided to leave the farm for the afternoon. Julian arrived with his truck. We were expecting the loading to be very difficult, pigs can be so alkward. But they proved us wrong. They didn,t get stressed at all. A little crushed barley in the truck and they walked right in.
The lambs however proved to be more dofficult. Henry was sent to the pond field to round them up. Back he came with the flock and we shut them into the shed.
When we were counting them and checking that all their ear tags were in place we realised some were missing. Simon said to Henry that he was a lazy dog. Henry looked confused when he was sent out again. The field was obviously empty. Panic set in. Where were the missing lambs.A close neighbour has got a large flock of ewes nearby and we were a bit worried that they had somehow mixed in with them. That would be hard work getting them back. Then Simon heard a lamb bleat in the woods, the mystery was solved. Henry was sent into the woods and brought them back to the farm yard.
It was only just in time the lorry was driving into the yard.
We have only got twenty three lambs left to fatten now, then we will be awaiting the new crop in January.