Posted on Leave a comment

Water system underway

water tank going in

I believe the word “Auchenstroan” comes from the Gaelic word “achadh” (field of) and the Scots verb “strone” (to make water).  So, together they kind of mean “field of springs”.  And indeed we have many little springs running through our fields.  However, they are small and temporary in nature and so cannot provide a reliable source of water for our livestock.

So, I devised a cunning plan.  Place a large underwater tank in one of the top fields, in a spring, divert some of the water into the tank and then connect all the water troughs.  Gravity should do the rest.

All seemed pretty simple, so I order the tank, pipes and connectors.

Now, I’m not so stupid as to try and dig a large hole with a spade.  One of our neighbours offered to help with his digger.  So I booked him in and the work started earlier this week.  I thought it would be fairly straightforward – dig a hole and a trench for the outflow pipe, pop it all in and fill up the holes.

Well, that’s not quite how it turned out.  Our land is riddled with rocks.  And I don’t mean garden centre rockery sized rocks.  I mean boulders!  So digging the hole took two days and we only just achieved the depth we needed before hitting an immovable rock the size of a small planet.  The trench was slightly easier, but only just – we had to hack out channels around two or three further monster rocks.

But finally we had our hole.  Only, then, of course it being a spring, it started to fill with water.  So when the tank went in, it just bobbed about.  So, we had to pin it down with the digger.

Which sort of worked, only, as the digger settled, it started to warp the tank’s tower.  But we couldn’t fill the tank with water as the base wasn’t stable.  So I started lobbing in small rocks and earth and over a period of hours, got enough in to create a stable base.  Then we tried to add water but it was too high and the water pressure in the house wasn’t up to it.  So Richard contacted a local farmer and we borrowed a 1,000 litre tank.  We filled that twice, dragged it up the hill (with a tractor and trailer) and transferred the water (that took a while).

water going in
water going in

Only then did we feel it was safe to fill in the outgoing trench.

Next day, I filled in around the tank by hand – that was a little tiring (and muddy).  Once I had enough earth and stones in, I was able to roll some rocks on top.  The legend of Sisyphus played through my mind as I struggled to do this, only, fortunately, my rocks stayed where I put them.

But, it all worked.  Then Richard returned and with his digger to help, we buried the rest of the outflow pipe (to keep it safe from hooves) and also moved a couple even bigger rocks onto the top of the tank.  I think it is now safely pinned down.

But best of all, water started weeping out into the trench I had dug and started flowing into the tank.  It works!

Now all I have to do is complete the pipework bringing the water to the troughs.  Should be straightforward…..

water tank pinned down by rocks
water tank pinned down by rocks
burying the outflow pipe
burying the outflow pipe

Posted on Leave a comment

caring for animals

two piggies

As we have found in this lifestyle, animal husbandry is the number one priority.  Animals are very bad at telling you they are not well till it’s almost too late.

Our sheep were sheared in June and Bluemli got a little nick above her eye.  We carefully sprayed it with iodine which would have been the end of it had she not then rubbed it (her eye) on the wall of the shearing shed.  Now the iodine was in her eye!  Next, her eye clouded over, then it swelled up.  We administered antibiotics and a painkiller.  But just as it seemed to be improving, it would get worse again.

As it happened, the vet had to come out for Sarka.  She has a heart problem and seemed to be having some sort of anxiety attack.  The vet administered three injections (antibiotic, painkiller and diuretic) which worked brilliantly, she even has a clean bottom now.  The vet took a look at Bluemli’s eye, told us we were doing the right thing and to carry on.  We did, bit no improvement.  So the vet popped out again and gave Bluemli an injection into her eyelid.  It was, unsurprisingly, hard keeping her still (we have since bought a contraption to help should we need to do that again).  Plus we upped the frequency of the antibiotics and painkiller and also administered an eye cream.  Poor old Bluemli, it was an injection a day, sometimes two.  She started avoiding me (as I was the one who held her still).  She we unaware it was actually Nicole giving her the jags (or jabs if you’re English).

However, it worked and her eye is almost back to normal.  We are delighted.

So why a photo of pigs above?  Well, just as we were tidying all the medicines away, we noticed one of our pigs was not eating.  The books were quite clear on this, if a pig is not eating, it’s not well.

So, on a wet Saturday evening after a particularly heavy downpour, we tried to corner her in the most muddy, slippy conditions you can imagine.  Eventually we managed it – it took three of us sneaking up with sheep hurdles and constructing a square around her.

Diagnosis, slight case of pneumonia.  In the middle of summer!  So, the vet gave her antibiotics and then told us she’d need a five day course.  He also added he was impressed with our setup and that the pigs seemed very healthy and happy (the pneumonia notwithstanding).  That was music to our ears as it’s our first time keeping pigs.

So, today we injected a pig for the first time.  Same basic principle, except for the noise.  Boy oh boy do pigs squeal when you corner them.  But, we managed it (me holding and Nicole injecting) and already she is perking up.  And she’s getting a few extra treats from Nicole, Blackcurrants plucked straight from a nearby bush proving particularly popular.

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Sheep demand bigger shelter!

sheep shelter phase 2

I wrote recently about how I built a shelter for our sheep.  I thought that at 16 square metres, this was ample space for our 16 sheep to get out of the rain or into the shade, or both.

Not a bit of it.  “We need a bigger shed” they said.  “But why?”, said I. “With 16 square metres, that’s a square metre each.  And it’s not as though you have to live in it, it’s for emergencies, you know, heavy rain or hot days.”

But the sheep were having none of it.  They not only use it for rain and shade, but for sleeping in, for generally lazing around and chewing the cud and also, sometimes, escaping from midges.  And they do like to have a bit of space.

“And while you’re at it”, they added, “can we have a hay store too?  We know what you humans are like, a bit of snow and sleet and moving hay can be a real pain”.

The problem was, Nicole got to hear about this so there was no escape!

And so phase 2 began.  Over the weekend, I put in the support poles.  Now we just need to get all the planks moved up so I can build the walls.

Of course, it has occurred to me, and the sheep, that I have just put in 13 extra extremely tempting scratch poles.  Which wouldn’t be so bad, but I only had a limited supply of fast drying postcrete, the rest are using standard mix.  So far, only one has been knocked out of alignment.  So far…..

Posted on Leave a comment

Busy times in Auchenstroan

me and pinkie

It has, as ever, been a busy spring.  On top of moving here in March, we have expanded our animals to include pigs, more sheep and we been through lambing .  And along with this, we have our day jobs plus carrying out repairs to the new house, unpacking and arranging for new bathrooms.

water tank
water tank

The sheep needed two main jobs, automated water and a shelter.  While there are many streams and springs, in the dry weather they dry up so we need to have troughs of water in each of our fields.  During dry spells, this has meant transporting 20l water carriers daily across to keep them replenished.  Thank goodness for the quad bike.  In the meantime, we have purchased a water tank, troughs and much plastic pipe.  The plan is to bury the tank near the top of the hill where a natural spring emerges.  All the troughs will be plumbed in and filled with natural spring water all powered by gravity.  We’re just waiting on a date for the man with a digger to come and dig a big hole for it.

For the shelter, we chose a central location that can be reached from most of our fields.  I ordered the bits needed to build one only to realise, when they were delivered, that it would be too small.  So, another order later, I moved all the wood and corrugated iron up to where it was needed.  At this point, the sheep were not impressed – they don’t like to see humans carrying things!

starting new sheep shelter
starting new sheep shelter

Next, it was time to build it.  On a pleasant weekend in May, I got started.  I had designed it with the support posts sunk into the ground to keep it in place in windy weather.  So, time to dig a few more holes.

And two days later, it was ready.  Fortunately, the weather had proved not to be midge friendly, so that helped a lot.

And the sheep were now suitably impressed.  They like their shelter.  The lambs especially so.  You can see the finished shed in the picture at the top.

two piggies
two piggies

Meanwhile, the pigs have been going from strength to strength.  They grow really quickly and have turned into quite large animals in a matter of weeks  And this despite our scales being wrong and causing us to underfeed them for a bit.  Amazingly, they have not trashed their entire pen.  Perhaps it’s because they are quite large.  Perhaps it’s because the Kune Kunes are more grazers than diggers.  Or, perhaps, they like gardening.  At one point it seemed like they had a nice area of lawn, a flower bed full of blooms and a digging area.  Since the recent rain, however, the digging are has expanded.  We may get next year’s potato planting area yet.

hay shed posts
hay shed posts

Hay cutting will be upon us shortly but the hay shed is still under construction.  I need to order some smaller planks as I can’t make it as deep as I’d hoped due to the hill behind it.  Seemed a shame to trim the planks to make them fit.  They are now earmarked for another project (see below).

And now we have decided to change our minds and lamb next year.  So a whole lambing complex with decent shed and paddock in front of the house is on the drawing board.  It will be great having the shed close to the house and being able to keep an eye on the lambs through the kitchen window.  All I have to do now is build it!

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Baby chickens emerge

chicks emergeJust recently, I wrote about how one of our hens had turned broody.  Well, yesterday, she emerged from her nest in the flower bed with 13 baby chicks.  All the eggs had hatched!

They are unbelievably cute.

The mother, Mrs Mills, is a chicken that was born to one of our hens (Hattie – still going strong) 2 years ago.  She was one of only two chickens, so to hatch 13 is an unbelievable achievement.  That said, she has great place here and actually nested outside the chicken run in the garden.

So far, she has led them round the grass in search of titbits, worms, beetles, any small bug really.  Flower petals seem also to be a sought after delicacy.

Mrs Mills and chicksAnd then there are the treats left by us, well Nicole more than me – grapes, bacon rind, strawberries and of course, being in Scotland, chips.

Fortunately, the dogs are treating them with respect and of course, their presence keeps the local cats at bay.  There’s always a danger from buzzards and crows, but we are doing our best to keep them safe.  Including a few hastily erected fences to keep them off the drive and away from delivery vans wheels.

This takes our current tally of hens to 23, so we may have to buy another chicken house.  And, of course, we’ll probably have rather a lot of eggs later in the year (assuming they’re not all boys).

In the meantime, lots of cups of tea in the garden 🙂

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Spot the Chicken

broody hen

When we moved here, we inherited 5 hens and a cockerel.  We brought our 4 up with us giving us a nice round number of 10.  They already had a large run, but we further extended it to include a large patch of grass around 1,500 square metres in size.  Recently, we extended it even further to include the hedge and wall as natural boundaries.  we put the fence along the hedge so as to render it largely invisible (to us).  As well as looking better, it gave the hens even more space.

Extensive chicken run
Extensive chicken run

Also, not sure if I mentioned it before, but we had invested in a battery operated automatic door opener/closer.  It detects light levels so they are shut in every night, safe from foxes.  We also bought large feeders – the hens step on a platform and it opens allowing them to feed.  Our food bill has reduced despite having more hens, no more Mr Ratty and Mrs Wild Birdie helping themselves!  I have to say, these two actions have revolutionised our keeping of hens, so much easier now.

Anyway, back to my main theme – Spot the Chicken.  Well, I have never seen happier hens.  They love resting in the hedge, they love having wide areas to explore, they just ooze contentment.  The could easily hop up onto the wall and explore further, but they can’t be bothered.  Well, they can’t be bothered all except one!  And she, now named Heidi, has taken to wandering far and wide.  But she has always made it back in time for curfew.

Until two days ago, that is, when she just disappeared.

So, we pondered what could have happened.  It is unlikely a fox could have taken her as our 3 dogs plus a neighbour’s dog patrol all day long.  And she would have been unlikely to pack her bags and join another flock as hens are not very good at that sort of thing.  So, that left the possibility that she had keeled over somewhere or that she was broody.

And today, she suddenly appeared, looking a little tired.  Nicole found her nest where it turns out she is sitting on 12 eggs.  So, the question is, can you see her in the photo above?

And given they lay an egg a day and the eggs take around 21 days to hatch, in little over a week we may have tiny chickens running about.  Can’t wait!

Posted on Leave a comment

Lambing: the highs and lows

Lambing is over for another year.  We have three lovely lambs gamboling happily around.  But, as ever, lambing was full of ups and downs.

As you may have read from another post, we had purchased 3 ewes in lamb.  We couldn’t breed our own sheep as we were moving and it would have been a logistical nightmare.  We thought 3 ewes, should be less work than last year when we had 10 ewes in lamb.

Well, that’s not quite how it turned out!

pinkie
Pinkie a day old

The lambs were due around 21 April, but about a week before, Ursi (with triplets) went into labour.  However, not only was she early, the lambs were not coming.  We called in the vet.  He delivered 3 lambs, all tiny and all unable to stand.  Premature lambs are not fully developed and so are difficult to keep alive.  We clicked into gear – we monitored them for the next 48 hours administering colostrum, milk, heat, anything we thought they needed.  We didn’t sleep for two days.  Unfortunately, only one survived.  The youngest slept all night in our living room in front of the fire but sadly, he never even managed to stand up and only opened his eyes once.

Lambing can be quite hard.  On the good side, Pinkie pulled through.  She adopted the name Pinkie because of the little jumper she wore to keep her warm.  She was born slap bang in the middle of a really cold spell.

Then, about a week later, bang on time, our second ewe started showing signs of imminent lambing.  However, again, something was wrong.  There was no breaking of waters, the labour was not progressing as it should.  So, out came the vet (again).  Sadly, this lamb had died in the womb and so the vet had to perform a C-section in order to save the ewe.  Thankfully, she (Vi) has survived and integrated into the rest of our flock.  It was sad for her because she had shown real interest in Pinkie.  She seemed quite maternal.

Anyway, one to go.  Well, we had a bit of a quandry.  By now, Pinkie had been turned out with her mother.  Vi was in with the other ewes.  So, where should we put the remaining pregnant ewe (Vera)?  The lambing shed or the field?  The lambing shed was better for us (closer so easier to keep an eye on her and warmer – it was freezing outside).

However, Vera had other ideas and after some quite insistent conversations with her pal Vi (in a nearby field), she hopped over the hurdles and wandered off.  Having escaped, she wasn’t quite sure what to do next.  So, we led her into the field alongside Ursi and Pinkie.

For us, this meant a half mile walk every 2 or three hours to check on her.  I did the night shift up till 2am and Nicole took over at 5am.  And the cold weather persisted, and persisted and Vera waited and waited.  And we got more and more tired!  And we didn’t have an actual due date for Vera, the ram had not been raddled.  We just had the start date and the 18 day window.

Out of desperation, we pondered what else we could do.  Was there some sign that could let us know one or two days before the lambs were due?  Then Nicole remembered something she’d read; something about the ewes changing shape.  A quick bit of research and she had it.  Ewes do change shape up to 3 days before lambing.  This is because the lambs change position to get ready to come out.

This was really helpful, we reduced the inspections to 4 or 5 hours but remained ready to increase the frequency once we spotted Vera changing shape.

Iona and Ethel just born
Iona and Ethel just born

Nicole noticed this shape change happening on the May bank holiday weekend.  At first, it was subtle, but by Monday morning, Vera was much thinner on the sides and much fatter underneath.   And, yippee, the weather had improved – it was sunny.  Not much happened in the morning so Nicole headed off to work in the afternoon and I settled down in the field with a book.  I kept an eye on Vera.  Shortly, Vera started returning to the shelter and pawing at the straw.  This could be a sign that lambing was imminent.

Then around 4pm, I inspected her more closely.  There was a tiny trickle of water, just droplets really, coming from her.  Not your usual waters breaking, but it could be.  I called Nicole and she rushed back.  About 5 I went back to the house to make us some tea and when I got back, Vera was starting to deliver her first lamb.  We put her on her side, I kept here there (gently) while she pushed out Iona with Nicole’s help.  I know that this year, they are supposed to be named with a name starting with an ‘X’, but really, ‘X’?  Anyway, as a first time mum, Vera was brilliant and set about licking Iona dry.

Iona was standing within 10 minutes and attempting to suckle.  We watched as Iona attempted to suckle, Vera carried on licking and lamb number 2 (Ethel) slowly edged into view.  In fact, Ethel came out all on her own with no help.  Now Vera had two lambs to lick, she wasn’t quite sure which to lick first.  We helped dry them off, then took them into the shelter (warm and full of straw).  Nicole started teaching the lambs how to latch and to our relief, they were good at it.  These two were going to be OK.

Now, three weeks later, all the lambs are healthy and full of fun.  They enjoy nibbling at our clothes and even enjoy the odd cuddle.

Pinkie did need much ongoing care but we have nursed her carefully and now she is big and strong.

We are going to keep all three.

Pinkie sizes up new playmate
Pinkie sizes up new playmate
Pinkie
Ursi and Pinkie in paddock
Ursi and Pinkie

Posted on Leave a comment

New pig pen needed

I am pretty sure I mentioned earlier that one of the first things our new piglets did was go straight through the electric fence and make a break for it.

So, we did some research on how to contain pigs.  And the prevailing wisdom was that electric fences, in themselves are not enough.  Even for pigs that have been trained to respect them.

pigs in small pen
pigs in small pen

So, new pig pen it was then.  And the clock was ticking.  Our two little weaners were still pretty small, but they were growing and they don’t half grow quickly.  So, despite the fact that we were bang slap in the middle of lambing (3 hourly checks, interrupted sleep, tired, the whole tiredness thing), we order a steel gate, posts and stock fencing.  Prevailing wisdom also recommended two strands of barbed around the base to stop them trying to get their noses under it and lifting it up.  And of course, the gate hinges need to be reversed.

And on Good Friday, or thereabouts, construction began.  Of course, the tractor and the post knocker hadn’t arrived, so it all had to be done by hand.  I got cracking.  The first post gave me a false sense of security.  I dug a 3 foot hole (for a large corner post) pretty quickly and concreted it in.  The next one I hit rocks about 18 inches down.  Same on the next one.  And the next.  Hmm, off to the DIY shop for new tools, a post hole digging long chisel and a special post spade were procured.  But it was hard, hard work getting through the stones.  Eventually, 5 of the 7 corner posts were in.  The gate hadn’t arrived so I left the gate posts for now.

pig pen under construction
pig pen under construction

Time to knock the standard posts in with the post driver.  Same problem, rocks at 18 inches.  There’s a particular noise a post makes when it hits a rock and you just know that’s as far as it’s going.  I heard that a lot.

But, one post at a time, I made progress.   Until post number 9 which was roughly half way.  I was tired now and should have stopped.  But “one more post” I thought to myself.  I set it up, raised the driver, brought it down, caught the edge of the post and toppled the post driver (very heavy) onto my head.  “Ouch” I said (or words to that effect)!  Nicole came running and got me an ice pack (frozen chips) which I placed on my head.  I didn’t have concussion (we checked), but the danger was compression.  So after talking to NHS online for a bit, I was dragged to A&E in Dumfries.  They were great, they patched my head up with superglue and sent me on my way.  This was Easter Monday!

Anyway, I took a day off and resumed construction on the Wednesday.  I got the rest of the posts in (more carefully), the gate arrived and it and it’s posts went in.  I put in the stock fence and two strands of barbed wire.  Nicole suggested we put the electric fence around the perimeter too, a good idea, so in it went.

And we were ready for the grand opening ceremony.  And not a moment too soon!, our weaners were growing and already looked too big for their small run.

pigs emerging into large run
pigs emerging into large run
pigs running round arc
pigs running round arc

We created an opening in the small run.  They emerged straight away, grunting happily.  Then they started tearing round the arc at quite some speed.  They loved the extra space.  It was great to watch.  A job well done.

pigs new pen completed
pigs’ new pen completed

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Ewes in Lamb not feeling well

Sorry about the delay in stories, we’ve had a bit of a technical nightmare.  Web company migrated the site and broke everything.  It’s taken me two weeks to sort it out, and I sorted it by moving to a new web hosting company in the end!

Anyway, about 4 or 5 weeks ago, we had our 3 pregnant ewes safely tucked up in the lambing shed.  We had kept them away from our resident flock as, although sheep are on the whole pretty peaceful creatures, they can can get into head butting contests when new sheep appear.  We wanted to keep our pregnant ewes safe and stress free.

However, about 2 weeks before they were due, they suddenly stopped eating.  Not all at the same time, but over the space of about 24 hours.  And this is where it gets tricky, what’s wrong?

We had been careful with the sheep nuts so as to avoid acidosis (too much protein too quickly can kill a sheep).  We were also aware that not enough nutrition can lead to twin lamb disease.  So, after much thought, it seemed twin lamb disease was possibly the problem.  We consulted the vet and went ahead with the calcium injection and a glucose/glycol based drench.  This had some effect but over the next two days, they were still off their food.

The problem is that the symptoms for acidosis and twin lamb disease are very similar, the main difference is that sheep suffering from acidosis tend to have bad diarrhea. And there were no signs of that.

At a bit of a loss as to what to do, we turned them out into a small paddock with a couple of small shelters.

They immediately started tucking into grass.  Our relief was huge.tucking into grass

It was, in fact, acidosis.  Fortunately we had spotted the symptoms early.

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it, sheep being sheep.  The ewe with triplets went on to develop hypocalcemia.  Again we caught it early and gave her a calcium shot.  The effect was immediate and remarkable.

A week before they were due, we moved them back into the lambing shed.

The next day, lambing kicked off, but more on that later.

 

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Piglets – the Great Escape

piggies in small run

Nicole and I have a habit of coming up with an idea and then just getting on with it.  So it was with our pigs.  That said, I did spend an hour or so with friends of ours who had their first pigs last year.  While it was very useful, it also gave us a false sense of security.

We got our gilts last Friday.  I had prepared the arc and an area surrounded by an electric fence.  Our friends’ pigs had a similar setup and they had no problems so far as we know.

We got our wee piglets and let them loose in their new home.  Now, had we done our reading before, rather than after this event, we’d have been better prepared.  But, we let them loose and we watched them.  They tried out the electric fence a couple of times and retreated from it.  It all seemed good.

quick, they're not looking, let's get out of here!
quick, they’re not looking, let’s get out of here!

Later that day, I left them for a moment to get some food for them.  When I got back a few minutes later, it seemed awfully quiet.  Had they finally gone into the arc I asked myself.  I looked and they were not there.  I looked behind the arc.  No piglets.  Just then I caught a flash of white disappearing behind the greenhouse.

Quickly I ran in and called Nicole – “They’ve escaped” I yelled in a mild panic.  Nicole rushed down, cornered them and caught one with ease and passed it to me.  I stepped back to let her catch the other one.  I looked at my pig, who was struggling and showing surprising strength.  When I had calmed her, I looked up and the second pig and Nicole had disappeared, totally.

I looked round and tried to figure out where they had gone.  A few minutes later, I heard a shout “I’ve got her” as Nicole emerged from the chicken run, pig in arms.  Turned out that piglet number 2 had showed a surprising turn of speed, had charged through 3 stock fences, through various bushes with Nicole in close pursuit (in her slippers).  Finally, she had corned the piglet in a paddock.  Poor Nicole had lost her slippers and cut her hands vaulting barbed wire stock fences, but had shown an amazing determination.

So, we stood there, pigs in arms, pondering what to do.  Nicole wanted to put them in the house.  I wasn’t so sure.  In the end, we put them in the arc (which is what we should have done in the first place) and placed a gate across the opening.  We secured them for the night and retired for a much needed fino.

Next day, we built a smaller run inside the electric fence with chicken wire.  They’ll stay in there for a week or so while I construct a pig proof, stock fenced area.  I started on that today but progress has been slow due to the large number of subterranean rocks.  I also fitted a door on the arc so they can be safe and secure at night.

In the meantime, the piggies have really settled and are more than happy with their arc (which they love) and their small outdoor space – for now.  And Nicole has worked her usual magic such that have gone from snarling at us to eating from our hand and presenting themselves for back scratches.

piggies sleeping
piggies sleeping in their arc

The lessons we learned?  Well, first, it may be home for us but for the piglets it’s anything but, they need to be shown the arc which can quickly become a safe haven.  Second, while we think they’re cute, to them we are unknown large scary predators and their first instinct will be to run.  And third, electric fences are not, in themselves, enough to keep pigs in.  They actually need to be trained as to what to do, otherwise, if they get a shock, they are as likely to bolt through the fence as back away from it.

Lessons learned indeed!