The Farm

As I have said I work on a Beef Cow Suckler Farm helping my brother-in-law. This involves all sorts of work. Today for instance (6th January 2006) we had to de-horn two cows as they were using their horns to bully others.
Everyday in the winter I clean out the cows and water them (they are inside at the moment).
In the summer they are on the RSPB reserve at Southport. This is a marsh but because of the sea defenses there is less and less water on it. Although from time to time it does get flooded as the picture aside shows. This was taken on 4th November when we were getting the Bull off (it is a Limousin) to send to another farm for the winter. It will get plenty of work there. All our cows have been served by it and our now in calf.

We have recently aquired a Saddleback Sow(from Liverpool Prison) which is in pig due towards the end of March. Saddlebacks are a rare breed and I have put some info about them here.
UK population: 310 Registered Sows, BPA Pig Survey 2005Breed Society: British Saddleback Pig Breeders' Club, FREEPOST (GL442), Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 5BR tel: 01285 860229 E-mail: saddlebackpig@aol.comWebsite: http://www.saddlebacks.org.uk/Formed in 1967 by the amalgamation of the Essex and Wessex Saddleback breeds, the animal exhibits all the best traits of those two similar looking but distinctive breeds. The breed was traditionally used for crossing with a white boar for outdoor production. Pedigree numbers have declined in the last twenty. Its docility and mothering instincts, combined with its hardiness and ability to forage make it the ideal answer to today's increased demands for an extensive approach to livestock keeping. When crossed with a white pig, the 'blue' progeny are equally able to adapt to an outdoor system.It is a large lop-eared pig with a white band across the saddle and around the legs and shoulders and may have white hind feet and tail tip.
The pictue is our pig and for all the grandchildren around we have called it 'Babe' although Leah who is 3 wants to call it 'Trevor'. Mind you she has called her Canary 'Geoffrey' We got Babe on 6th January and it has been served by a large white.

This is Johnny the professional shitShit Shifting January 06
We have a friendly farmer who comes to shift the cow muck. Over last winter we must have accumalated about 150 tons of the stuff. he moved 60 odd tons a few weeks ago and has now moved another 80 tons. this of course includes the shit accumalated since the cows have been lying in. If anyone wants any for thei garden they are welcome to come and collect it themselves. Pics of the muck moving shown below. One is taken from our kitchen window.
shifter and as it happens one of the shooters who provides our game













The view from our kitchen window.


















This is a picture taken in November when the cows first came in. These are cross bred Holstein/Herefords which Tom is going to use as replacements for his older cows. He bought them in as calves last year.

And some pics of game that has been given to us

Cows waiting to be fed. The black ones are cross bred limousines and the one that looks black and white is actually a Belgian Blue They are all in calf by the bull at the head of this post.

Got two new Cocks for the farm. They are Leghorns and she pair up well with our Wellsummers and Morans. Below more pics of the farm.

The picture of the handsome guy in the pic is ofcourse me yesterday cleaning out the young sturks (27th Feb 2006)

2nd March 2006

We had two calves born last night. One was quite a difficult birth and we had to interveen and had to rub the calf hard etc to keep it breathing. But it was ok this am. See pics

It was a heifer out of a Belgian Blue cow. It wasfine this am and is sucking its mother. The other was a bull calf again out of a belgian blue. It is smaller but didn't need help. See pic

The calf shown with the cow is the one born 1st March and you can now see that it is very healthy. We have now 4 calves born

2 heifers and 2 bulls. This is a pic of a calf born 6th March 2006 with its mum licking it.

As you can see Trevor has had 9 piglets on 11th 12th March

Unfortunatel she has been off her food but we discovered today14th Marach 2006 that there was still a dead one inside her. Vet sorted things out so hopefully will go well. Had a lot ofsnowtoday 12th March 2006 which will delay putting cows out on the fields (not just todays snow but the weather in general for the last few weeks)

Another new calf born

23rd March 2006 ....... yummy more rabbits

We have had several calves born this week ..somepics of them here :

Plenty of calves being born now so won't show anymore pics.

Here is me and Ben after a long day.

We have been given a superb Moran Cockerel. The pic above does not do him justice. Unfortunately we had to eat the Leghorns. 3rd March 2006

6th May

Unfortunately my last comments have been lost. The good news is that the cows are out ( bar 6) and life is now a little easier. Pics later.

18th May 2006

You can see that the Bull has grown somewhat whilst he has been away. I don't suppose he will be as fat after he has worked all summer.

29th July 2006

The piglets are nearly ready for apple sauce and stuffing.

22nd December 2006

The pigs tasted really nice 9 more born last week ...see pic below