Donating 2 goats

 Last month we donated the two small goats, Sooty and Sweep, to a charitable organisation just a couple of km from where we live. They run outdoor educational activities for children, especially those needing extra help. The two goats were hand raised by us so they are very friendly and used to being handled by people. The video above was filmed on the day we moved them.

Our first lambs

We are new to sheep keeping but this video was filmed on the day in February when our first lambs were born. Ethel had three babies but one did not survive the birth.

Digging up artichokes

We have one crop from last year that is still being harvested: Jerusalem artichokes. I dug up another sack of them yesterday. Great in soups, veggie curries, gratin and especially lovely when roasted.

Our first lambs

We now have three lambs! Ethel and Dot have had their babies. Alas, they are all tups so we won't be keeping any. One sheep is still waiting to give birth. Madge is looking large and hopefully will have at least one ewe. Fingers crossed.

New kids

 

Three kids were born this month, all females. Two were to new mums and sadly neither knew what to do and showed no interest in their babies. We are raising them by hand. They are pictured above. We've named them Janie and Dolly. Until a couple of days ago we were keeping them in the house at night and taking them through the day to be with the adults.

Spot, our older nanny, has, as usual, been a great mum for her baby Seren. No need to hand raise her.

Shreddies

We are needing bedding, especially for the chickens. They continue to be confined to their henhouses and runs while the restrictions remain in place to control avian flu. SO we are going through all the papers we have in the house to decide whether or not we need to keep them. If they are no longer needed, they are shredded and taken to the henhouses. My completed sudoku fell victim to this last week. 

New arrivals

 

We had our first baby of the year born yesterday. Jolene, one of our nannies gave birth to Dolly who, unfortunately, she rejected. We are now raising her by hand. This was Jolene's first birth.

Today, Spot, our oldest and most experienced nanny, gave birth to a boy and a girl. They don't have names yet.