Tag Archives: ducks

Snow and My Livestock

Well the weather has put a stop to tree planting for now, so there is little new to write about. Like me, the chickens, dogs, and ducks are all getting stir crazy. Whilst the chickens and ducks are able to get out, the chickens are all staying under their hutches, to avoid wading through the snow. I made all of the hutches high enough for the birds to shelter under during bad weather. The only downside is that the birds are all concentrated in a small space, which isn’t ideal for their health. I keep clearing away small areas of snow, to give them access to some grass to eat, but as soon as it snows again, they go back under the hutches.

The ducks are happier waddling over the snow, but as they cannot find any food, they seem to be spending most of the day sat around, waiting for their afternoon meal.

The greyhounds are more of a problem. The snow gets between their toes, and rubs the skin away. The cold also cracks their pads, which allows grit to get caught in the cracks. So all of the dogs are getting hyperactive, if there’s such a thing as a hyperactive greyhound. I’m sat on the sofa right now, typing with my right elbow up in the air, to avoid disturbing a sleeping dog, who has her head in my lap.

The only other livestock that needs attention are the bees. I go up to the hives each morning and unblock the entrances, so that the hive can breathe. Last year when we had a long period of snow, my hive of Italian bees had remained active, fooled into rearing brood by mild weather . This led to lots of dead bees, trying to leave the hive to empty, and dying outside. So far this year, that hasn’t occurred.

I’ll post again when I get some more trees planted.

 

Take Care

 

Deano

Battery Hens – The Opposite

I wanted to show you all how far my former battery hens are ranging. Here’s a picturebattery Hens Free Ranging

battery Hens Free Ranging

of them at the top of my field. it was taken a few days ago. The hens are quite difficult to spot, but if you look for the White Cockerel, the little brown specks are the hens. It still annoys me when I think of the conditions in which they’re kept. At least these are getting to feel the sun, the wind and the rain, and are learning what it’s like to be a real chicken.

They’re still not producing many eggs yet, but who cares? If I was worried about the eggs, I would have bought some point of lay hybrids. These will earn their keep eventually. If not by producing eggs, by clearing patches of ground for me, eating  slugs, or just by giving me the pleasure of their company.

I’ve also posted on my scything blog, about a deal that I’ve done for some egg laying ducks. You might want to check the article out.  Scything Article.The link is on the right side of the page. I hope that you enjoy it.

Deano