31st December, 2023

Last day of 2023. Due for a peaceful and uneventful year, has been a rough string ever since 2020, I think we are owed a good one.

Warm and windy, re-started the watering rounds. All the critters are healthy, we are holding steady on the farm improvements and only the grass is beating us. Waiting for the zero turn mower to knock it back.

Nothing dramatic happened in the last two days other than Leigh's pig now being on the 25 acre side of the road. Not sure what's going on there.

Happy New Year to all, and I wish you all the best for 2024.

Cam Blake Photography

29th December, 2023

Had an early shift at woolies so I milked, hung out a load of washing and got the dishwasher filled and on. Geoff fed the chooks when he got home.

Leigh's pig was out again. Siobhan said he is planning to butcher her soon.

Work was flat out, SO.MANY.PEOPLE. As well as all the locals getting ready to go camping for the long weekend the place was full of tourists. I am all peopled out.

28th December, 2023

Another sticky day that ended with a fall of rain about 9pm. On the way home from work the rain closed in and was all silver, the land was dark and the road was shining silver from the last light, amazing !

I woke to a phone call to say we had cows on the road. A quick check and all were where they were supposed to be, so I don't know what they were seeing and it cost me that last half hour sleep. Bah Humbug. I did spot the bull courting Jaffa, so that was a handy thing to note down.

I took the quad out into the main paddock and rolled up some electric fence and picked up the step ins. I took the thistle spray out with me and went over all the main paddocks and hit some sneaky thistles. I locked off the rye grass paddock to grow with the rain for late summer feed and opened up one of the areas that have been left to seed so the cows will trample the seed into the ground when they graze it.

I also tensioned the wires on the apple tree straightening system.

We introduced Sarge to Rosy the Roomba, our robot vacuum cleaner. He was both fascinated and horrified, I think he'll get used to her.

I found this example of free embroidery, I love the colours and the joyful feel. A reminder that order and perfection aren't necessarily required for good art.

 

27th December, 2023

It's that blurry time between Christmas and New Year that no-one knows what day it is or if things are open. A muggy, sticky day that turned into a cool change and rain about 7pm.

I did a few little projects, smushed the grass down around the silver birch so they weren't being swept sideways and could get better sun. Fixed the door on the broody pen (they came out today) as all the vertical planks have come away from the horizontals and it was all flapping. 

Moved all the herb pots to a new spot on the newly broomed concrete, where they will get rain. Picked up calf pellets, did a load of washing.

26th December, 2023

Windy and overcast, not a bad temperature.

Only did the basics today. Filled the dishwasher, wormed the cats, fed the chooks and the calves, milked the cow. Folded five baskets of washing. That was a bit of an achievement.

Had a lovely chat with Mum and found out what she'd like for Christmas. Still binge-watching Great British Bake-Off.

Geoff and I sat down and worked through the first round of challenges in the Spintronics set that I bought him for Christmas. It's a set of cogs and chains that you use as an analogue version of electronic circuits. Very Steampunk.

Back at work this evening, not even a long weekend.

25th December, 2023

A lovely sunny day with a cool southeasterly breeze. Wind was a little high but otherwise couldn't have been better weather.

A slow morning, programmed my gift from Aimee, a round robot vacuum cleaner ! I set him going in the bedroom and he tootled around for an hour and filled his hopper with dust and fur. I think I will get him to do a room each day, as I have to lift little things and wires off the floor.

We went over to Juliet and Shane's for lunch, a lovely lamb roast with a melted brie and rosemary buns and some of our lovely ham. I reckon that will do me for the day.

I found these photos on facebook of the farm named Spring Villa, where we lived in the early 1980s. If you click on the photos they should come up larger.

24th December, 2023

The christmas week is a massively tiring week at woolies. I am very pleased to have finished last night and take a huge couple of days off, going back to work boxing day.

So, I've put four broody hens in the broody pen for a couple of days, coming out on the 27th. Belle and her gang started pushing on the hops fence, so they have been moved to the sheep shelter paddock and barnyard. No-one seems to like the cottage paddock, I suspect it feels too exposed.

Leigh's pig pushed out under the fence and ended up gallivanting around on Robert and Kaye's lawn, I put her back in the paddock and Leigh has constructed what looks like a dam of debris along the fence. I'd have put a nice tight strainer wire along the bottom, but that's how I roll.

Leigh slashed some of the driveway area to tidy up a bit of the long grass and two young boys who are doing mowing to raise pocket money came and mowed the front and back yards and whipper snipped and swept, including the overgrown paths.

I have a kilo and a half of cherries off our trees, raspberry canes producing a bowl of raspberries every day and a lovely ham from the Ringarooma Butcher. No injected water, lots of lovely smoke flavour, it leaves the shop hams in the shade. I had to sprinkle baby powder all over the cherry trees as the cherry and pear slugs are hooking into the leaves.

While we have had rain on and off, I've restarted watering the most vulnerable plants, such as the pots, veges and the new silver birch.

A parcel has arrived from Amazon, I believe that's a gift from Aimee and I look forward to opening it tomorrow. I am thinking of  cooking danish pastries tomorrow, I've picked up all the ingredients that I fancy using, flavours and decorations and fruits and the pastry.

I spent 250 of my rewards points at BWS and paid $6.25 total for a dozen bottles of wine, two cartons of seltzer flavours, a carton of wine and five bottles of specialty drinks. That'll do me for most of the coming year.

The liraglutide is have a small effect, I've dropped about 800g and as an unexpected bonus the hot flashes have mostly stopped.

20th December, 20223

I did alot of small jobs. I checked Belle's trough was running properly after the pipe fix, picked raspberries, checked on Flora and the sheep, and did a paddock tour to check for problems. 

Then I moved the calf pellets Robyn had dropped off yesterday from the hayshed to the chiller, brought the washing in, filled the dishwasher, fed the chooks and collected eggs. 

On the next pass I picked cherries and discovered pear and cherry slugs on the cherry trees, dropped christmas chocolates to the guys at Stronach and picked up chaff, fueled up the car, dropped a christmas present to Robyn (a pink daphne and some seeds) and 

Geoff and I closed together at Woolies for the first time. It went pretty well, not as many last minute customers as yesterday. We picked up some microwave meals to make dinner easy when we got home. I also picked up baby powder to hit the cherry and pear slugs with.

This is what the driveway area looks like at the moment. The chooks and cats love hunting in the jungle but it's getting hard to wade through for us larger animals, it's about chest height on me.

19th December, 2023

A sunny day with patches of overcast.

The vet came to preg check Belle and Beanie and castrate Abe. Beanie came up 5 months plus pregnant and Belle is maybe two weeks, and will need to be rechecked in a month. This is a concern, as Belle has never had any problem getting pregnant before, but lost a short term pregnancy before the last preg check. Hopefully this one sticks.

The vet also suggested that fatties Belle, Beanie and Moose should be grazing the older pastures that have gotten about waist height as the long fibre in that grass was better for them than the sugar filled regrowth from the hay cutting. So I put the three of them back in the cottage paddock and patched the fence where it had fallen over. They were not happy, many animals feel a bit exposed in the paddock. The hops and silver birch plantings are designed to help make it less open, but it will take time.

Work was mad. Five minutes to closing and we had four registers open and queues at all of them.

18th December, 2023

Overcast and showers on and off for most of the day. It set in steadily and softly in the evening and is probably doing the plants good. The on and off rains for the last month have saved me a heap of watering.

I went and picked up stock feed, Geoff's christmas present from the post office, some wine and plants for gifts, and dropped off chocolates for the vet clinic and Elders. I also booked a preg test and castrate for the cattle tomorrow morning and Sarge in for a dental check next week.

Leigh dropped in for a visit, he's moving quite gingerly as he'd been kicked in the ribs working cattle and knocked out when he hit the ground. He has broken ribs on the right side and is probably lucky it wasn't the left as he'd be a fair chance of having his heart stopped by a full kick from an adult cow.

The picture below shows the big range of fruiting times for the cider apples. The one at the back is just starting to blossom and the one at the front has decent sized fruit.

17th December, 2023

A reasonably sunny day that drifted into overcast.

It appears a possum made an attempt at the fruit trees last night, the cherries are at eating stage. Finn was barking like a dog possessed and there were trampled grasses around a couple of the trees and some of the bottle brushes. I think he chased it into a bottle brush and it's made good it's escape over the fence. Which is good, I prefer him not to be killing possums but appreciate them being kept off the fruit trees.

The raspberry is bearing prolifically too, a good double handful of those every day. It looks like the cox's orange pippin missed the pollination roulette, no apples on that one this year. Granny smith, pink lady and the huon crab do have apples. Both the cherries, both the plums, not the peach or the nectarine. The ciders are all covered in baby apples as usual and will need thinning soon.

Calab and I fixed the leaking pipeline this morning. There was a nick in the polypipe which had been fixed many years ago by someone putting garden hose over the spot and clamping it tight with a metal hose clamp. The hose clamp has simply rusted out. So I went to the spare parts boxes and assembled a join out of bits and we put it on and it is holding nicely. I feel like a real farmer.

While we were in the fixing mood we got a length of fencing wire and a gripple and fixed the bent clothesline arms as well.

16th December, 2023

It was very cold overnight and wet and windy this morning, with cloud sitting low down over Blumont. We might be on track for snow at christmas at that rate !

A big morning for Annie, perhaps I got in before Abe's breakfast. She gave around 26 litres, which meant that even though I took for the house the calves got over 5 litres each.

Kelly came by and had a cuppa and we unrolled about 30m of orchard netting from the big ball in the garage for her to take home. Roda, the cleaner, did her usual vacuum and dust and the house was tidy briefly.

15th December, 2023

Bit of a weird weather day, it thought about raining. But I got a couple of loads of washing in and out as there was a brisk wind.

I did some house cleaning, topped up the snail bait on the hops, passionfruit and veges, a coat of paint on a door, folded four baskets of last weeks washing, and put some topside in the slow cooker for a red curry.

Flora was missing from the morning crowd so I hopped on the quad and tootled out to check on her. I think she must be on heat because she gave me the evil eye and walked off, and Robyn's two young bulls were in the corner of the paddock nearest her calling out.

I think I found the point of the leak in the cottage paddock, but it's going to need some excavation to repair. Where the fence fell over is going to need a whole new corner post as the old one rotted off at the base.

Geoff did a temporary repair to the torn section of the dairy roof, but it really does need a replacement for the whole roof. I think it must be one of the older roofs on the farm.

14th December, 2023

There was 30mm in the rain gauge this morning, and none of it fell on my hay !

I returned Bruce to Robyn and checked on all the critters. Everyone fine and in their place.

I came home from a crazy night at work to find a fence had fallen over in the garden at the back of the other cottage and Belle, Beanie and Moose cavorting around the driveway area. They smooshed part of an olive but thankfully left my vulnerable mulberry alone. I put them in the main paddock with Annie and will have to think about how to repair the fence. I think a whole post went over.

While I was looking for their exit I heard water running and identified a leak in the pipe that feeds the trough in the cottage paddock. I turned that off at the cottage meter, Calab has all his plumbing fed from the tank so it won't worry him. That will have to be fixed before I can put stock back in that paddock. It's also the line that waters the silver birch and the hops so it has to be done in the next week.

13th December, 2023

The day started off hot and steamy and I just about cooked when I went to fetch Bruce the Tractor. At least the fan in the cab works, as the side windows open but the back one has lost all strength in the struts. 

Charlie was planning to knock off early and come and stow my hay before picking up some silage, but I could see the forecast storm was going to beat him. So I figured I'd get a few into the shed as an experiment and that would at least reduce the number Charlie needed to plan for next time they were dry.

Well, the storm kept closing in and I kept stowing and I got the last one into the shed as the first rumbles and spits arrived ! 37 bales stacked in the shed all by me, I am chuffed with myself. And I fired up Bessie, changed over Leigh's forks for my new ones and parked her in the shed so she didn't get wet. Then I fed the chooks, had a shower and had a nap.

I unplugged all the freezers for the first storm, but when it became clear it was going to storm on and off all night I put everything back on. The dogs have been inside since early afternoon and just look at me when I offer to let them out to toilet. Apparently the thunder giants over-rule bladders. I hope they hold out til morning !

I went with Robyn to the Fonterra dinner tonight, it was a great meal and a good night and a really big turnout. Everyone was talking about tonight's storms. I am very pleased I can enjoy them too because my hay is in the shed !

12th December, 2023

Today was a Tasmanian "scorcher". About 26C or 27C I think. It was plenty warm enough.

I picked up chook grain, calf pellets and chaff from Stronach and returned a shirt to Ag Warehouse. On the way into Scottsdale Squirty rang back and said that Daviesway retail the Skellerups at Ag Warehouse. So I traded the shirt for the gumboots and I am a happy stomper.

I watered the passionfruit and hops, and some of the pots, because although rain is forecast for tomorrow they were starting to look a little sad. I also fixed Belle's water trough by cutting the perished hose and putting on a newer section. And did a second coat on the back of the rear door to the craft room.

While I was pottering around outside Robyn came up to my boundary on her irrigation rounds. We often have a chat over the fenceline. Today she invited me to the Fonterra Christmas party tomorrow night. Fonterra is the milk processor that receives her milk.

Geoff was called in to Woolies for an extra shift, he ended up doing online picking, that's putting together the orders for click and collects. I did my normal 4pm to 9pm shift and he'd made pad thai for dinner when I got home. He's really getting into making curries and asian meals.

11th December, 2023

A warm day, 26C in mid afternoon. The grass is taking right off and if we do really get 20 - 40mm on Wed it will get back to a reasonable length.

I put a coat of paint on the outside of the rear door of the craft room, I am good for one door coat per day according to my sore muscles. I have a few things to relocate and then once the doors are done I am good to give the room a sweep and arrange the furniture and start using it. Yay !

The calves hooked right into the muesli and it did indeed keep them quiet for a while. I think the "peace and quiet" of the countryside is largely a myth. Even unhandled paddock cows have opinions and don't mind telling you.

Belle's water trough is leaking, the hose itself is perished around the fitting so tomorrow I will cut a new hose and refit that. I cleaned the poops out of the hay shed where Sorcha had a little break in yesterday. 

I also took a load of recycling to the tip, picked up Coopex for treating the chook house for mites and lice, and investigated getting new Skellerup Redbands (the best gumboots) and will need to get them from elsewhere. Daviesway Online carry them at a comparable price, but I might ask Squirty Harper (who is the local Daviesway rep) what price he can do them for.

I took Sorcha, Jaffa, Freya and Zipper across the road because it's been three months since the girls calved and to calve back at yearly intervals it's time to visit the bull. I thought about borrowing Robyn's new young speckle park, but she is running two young bulls together and they would need to both come, and the fences are probably not up to two young bulls right now. So it's Leigh's angus this time. Boring black calves, but an easier option.

10th December, 2023

A cloudy day but warm, for those periods without a breeze it was quite sticky. The northwest was going to be in heatwave conditions according to the forecast, but over our way it got quite cool once the breeze picked up.

I sorted out a new system for calf muesli, they'll be getting it in tubs in the yards while they wait for their milk. At the very least it might quiet the chorus of mooing while I milk.

I also moved Sorcha, Jaffa and their calves into the sheep shelter paddock and did a full farm thistle spray. While checking Calab's cottage garden for thistles I found the raspberry bushes are bearing, so a nice handful of those for a snack and a memo to self to check those daily.

I visited with all the herd across the road and brought Belle, Moose and Beanie back over. I put them into the cottage paddock to eat it down. The moves into the paddocks next to the houses are to help reduce fire risk over summer.

Apparently I failed to latch the gate across the road properly and Leigh's pig went for a walk, narrowly avoiding getting squashed on the highway. She's back in now and I will make sure to double check the latch in future.

I did get three loads of washing done, but forgot to feed the chickens. They are free ranging and have a feeder full of pellets so no harm done except to their expectations. I also put the first coats of a nice blue paint on one side each of the doors to the craft room.

Charlie dropped by in the afternoon and we made some plans for hay stowing on Wednesday arvo, hopefully the rain won't hit until the evening. The only weekday in three weeks that we have planned to move hay and also the only weekday now getting a rain forecast. It's uncanny. He'll take four bales of silage in return for the tractor driving.

I used the liraglutide pen for the first time tonight. Once I walked through the instructions it was fairly straightforward. And the needle is ultra fine and hurt less than I expected. I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to anticipated pain. I'd better start weighing myself too.

Here is a forget me not that has seeded out in the driveway.

9th December, 2023

And down it comes. 14mm overnight and some huge thunderclaps. Getting the washing done will be interesting, as will the thistle spraying. And of course moving that hay. While the rain is great for the pasture, I'd like one weekend clear to stow the hay, then it can have at it.

The cleaner came and we hit the cleaning and got it out of the way. I took some pea pods out to the sheep and collected the eggs, did the calf muesli and topped up the maize in in the feed storage tubs. I was wondering whether I should roll the two 25 acre herds into one, but how to keep Freya and Zipper from eating the muesli ? I will have to come up with something clever.

I spent the rest of the day folding washing and doing admin, it's cold enough to have the heater on. Winter is back. Early dinner, early night.

8th December, 2023

A few days of summer, followed by rain starting Friday evening and looking to go all night. The grass will be thrilled, but it looks like my hay won't be going into the shed yet again this weekend.

It's been a few days, one of which was a terrible day, more on that later.

I picked up my first prescription of liraglutide, an injectible weight loss drug along the lines of Ozempic (which is a seragludite but same mechanism). It helps turn off hunger signals that PCOS and perimenopause have set at permanent snack mode. It's a daily injection, whereas Ozempic is once a week.

I have to address habitual eating (like wanting something to chew on when typing or looking for something when having a cuppa) myself, but this will assist in slow weight loss. If you lose weight too fast the body's set point doesn't move and you are likely to put the weight back on. But if you lose it slowly enough the set point is tricked into lowering along with the weight and it helps avoid bouncing back.

I had to go back the next day to get needles, as I didn't realise the pens didn't come with needles. But those are only $16 per hundred. I have a sharps container for livestock needles, and I can use that apparently. It does seem like a terrible waste to discard a needle every day. 

Also on the health side of things, Charles Heart Clinic confirmed by phone that they have received my referral and will be booking me in the new year and I will get a letter with the date soon. So progress on that front. I also booked in for my follow up menopause appointment in Jan.

The broody hen seems to be ready to get about her business and can come out tomorrow. The calves are into the routine of waiting for Annie to be milked and then getting on the feeder really well. The new ones aren't quite into the habit of coming when called to the pellets and muesli, however, that will take a few more days I think.

I had an interview with Dorset Employment Connect, they will be keeping an eye out for interesting jobs for me. And I sent my resume and reference to NRM North and Biosecurity Tasmania. Next will be Sheep Connect Tas.

Ashleigh, the vet student who recently did a placement here, came back through on her travels with her Mum. It was lovely to meet her and Ash and I gave her a farm tour. Joey sucked on her fingers and Annie gave her a good licking, people are always delighted to get to pat cows and calves. On most farms they are much more flighty. They have enjoyed Tassie and are planning to come back and really tour.

So, the terrible day. Back in July Leigh's old ram got in with a couple of my ewes. Or they got in with him, not sure who did what. But Suzie got pregnant and I was expecting her to lamb late in Dec. However, it appears the lamb or lambs have died in utero and went toxic. Sheep, as prey animals, are very stoic and a sick sheep sitting down chewing her cud will look like every other sheep sitting down chewing her cud right up until things go pear shaped.

I found her off on her own sitting under the pines in a bad way. The vet came very quickly, she was here within 15 mins of me finding Suzie and realising things were going wrong. The benefit of being close to town and that town having a good sized clinic with lots of large animal vets. Anyway, Rosie the vet quickly realised things weren't going to be getting any better for Suzie and we euthanaised her immediately.

Suzie was, of course, my favourite. The grumpy old bags that hate you never get sick and outlive everyone else. Suz was always the first to come over for a scratch, and if I called I could rely on her to come and bring everyone else. I will miss her on all levels, and it was such a sad loss of both her and her lambs. The price of loving animals (or people) is grieving their loss.

Jules Witek, Saltwater River, Tasmania.

5th December, 2023

Yay ! A summer day and a good breeze dried off the hay and the ground so I can move it ... wait, except that today I am working (even called in an hour early) so I can't. And for the weekend when I am off ? More rain forecast.

Moved the broody hen into the pen today, no sign of lice so I think the avitrol has worked.

The last cider tree has finally started to show leaves, I was wondering if it was dead. I guess it will be the last one for the fruit to ripen too.

I built a locking mechanism for the peach teat calf feeder station, to stop the calves from butting the feeders up and spilling the milk. That will work for the next lot of calves, the big feeder is still the go-to for this lot. But pretty chuffed with myself.

I drilled some drainage holes into the plastic container holding all the washing liquids in the dairy. It lives over the sink and often ends up with water getting yucky in the bottom. A small but long awaited problem fix.

I was given the small shrub with the red bell flowers on the right as a stick with two leaves. Anyone know what it is ? You can click on the picture to see a larger version.

Also in the pic (from back to front) are a reddish daisy with purple highlights, a pink and white carnation that isn't flowering in the pic, some orange calendula, forget me nots and a daphne. Largely hidden but on either side of the red flowered shrub are lemon thyme and normal thyme. And a yellow calendula growing out of a crack in the path over by the wall.

The forget me nots and calendula seem to self seed here, as the california poppies and nasturtiums do in the front garden. I am happy for them both to thrive and spread as they both bloom all year round and add some colour in winter.

4th December, 2023

The day started off sunny and then went to cloudy again. And just enough of a fall to stop me spraying weeds or moving hay. But not enough to water the pasture. That's getting old.

The little gas heater in the dairy ran out of gas this morning. I had a spare cylinder under the bench and changed it out in short order. Yay me. I took the empty one around to Stronach and refilled and I think that will be good for about a year.

I dropped into the supermarket to get a few odds and ends and found out that somehow two of the registers had been damaged, no-one seems to know how. I guess if they are really interested the cc tv cameras will show what happened. Then down to the Amish to buy some more fresh green peas, yum !

Here's a pic from the visit to Siobhan's the other day, with my new friend.

The ABC generally does community programming really well. Shows like "Old Folks Home for 4 Year Olds" and "Employable Me" for example. Another one of my favourites is "You Can't Ask That". All the things most (some) people are too polite to ask but are dying to know about people from all walks of life. It's an incredibly eye opening and humanising series and I never walk away from an episode without an assumption challenged or something to give further thought to.

Here's a link to the Wikipedia entry.

You Can't Ask That

"You Can't Ask That won the Rose d'Or for Best Reality or Factual Entertainment in 2017. It also won 3 UN Media Awards for Promotion of Disability Rights and Issues, Promotion of Social Cohesion and Promotion of Empowerment of Older People. In 2018 it was nominated for a Logie for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program.^"

3rd December, 2023

Just enough rain to make all the grass slippery and rule out tractoring, and wet the washing, without really wetting the soil. Hmmm. 

As at the end of November the annual average is 910mm and the actual total is 823mm. That's 90% of the annual year to date average, but most of it fell in winter and a surplus at the end of winter turned into a deficit by the end of spring.

I planted the two tomato plants and topped up snail bait on all the veges and the hops and passionfruit. The small trees I planted are thriving at least.

I gave all the nest boxes and perches a spray of avitrol and did the broody hen again, tomorrow she can go into the broody pen and not spread lice into the main coop.

The four calves are getting onto the milk feeder nicely, and are eating the muesli and pellets well. I think little Star is starting to fill out again.

2nd December, 2023

An extra half hour sleep in and then down to milk. All good for the second day of the new calves on the feeder. It seems that the pellets Robyn brought over are a hit too. Unless it's Flora that has cleaned them out. I'll have to keep an eye out for that.

It threatened to storm all day again today. It finally rained for about half an hour just before midnight. Just enough to stop me putting hay away tomorrow on my day off, and get the washing soaked through. The pastures and plants will love it though.

Jaffa and Sorcha and their calves finally found the gap and were socialising with Annie's mob by mid afternoon. I took the sheep some surplus cos lettuces, expecting them to hoe in. They couldn't have been less interested, so I put them out by the water trough for the cows to find later.

I had a phone consultation with a Dr from the local clinic who, finally after two other doctors said they would over the last nine years, sent a referral to the Charles Heart Clinic for a heart stress test. She also wrote me a script for Saxenda, a weight loss drug also used for diabetes. Unfortunately it's not covered by medicare for weight loss, despite the fact that people over a certain BMI would probably save the govt a heap in future care by losing some weight. 

The govt just isn't into preventative medicine, or they'd probably fund dental care too. Anyway, for me it will be about $80 a week for the next year. Unless I get diabetes and then it's about $6 a week. It would work out better to fund me to prevent diabetes than treat once I get it, but hey. That's an extra shift a week to pay for that, I'll have to give it some thought.

Here's some photos from the woolies Christmas party.

Formal group shot at Little Rivers Brewery

The feeding and drinking, Geoff at right in back

Pete, Shane, Juliet and Geoff over the back, and Mitchell.

Mitchell, Shane and Juliet

1st December, 2023

Still steamy and close but no rain. The sort of thunderstormy day that gives headaches.

The first feed for all four calves at the big feeder went well. Annie is a little hostile to the new calves because Abe is curious about them and she is worried they will lead him astray. They will start to smell like her soon, being on her milk, and she will accept them as part of the herd.

I opened the fence to let Jaffa and Sorcha and their calves back into the main paddock to clean up after the hay cutting. As at dark they had still not realised the gap was there.

I sprayed the broody hen and implement shed nest boxes with avitrol. A second spray on Sunday and then I'll put the hen into the broody pen. Hens who go broody don't dust bath and end up with lice because they just sit on the nest, only going for food and water, for three weeks or more. The best way to prevent lice buildup in the boxes is to put any broodies in the pen immediately. This gets them back on eating properly again too. A broody hen can lose alot of weight.

I gave the sheep the pods from the peas I had bought at the Amish vege stall. I need to get another batch this weekend. One of life's simple pleasures is eating peas from the pod.

The Woolies christmas party was on tonight. I was closing so didn't get to go. I went over and had a drink with Juliet and Shane and Geoff (who wasn't working and did attend) after I closed up.