A Perfect Balance

A Happy New Year and lets hope that 2021 bring some form of normality back to our lives.

Never expecting that we would again be in a national lockdown, the consequences for so many are significant. However, again we are blessed to live in such an amazing location and work in an environment which provides social distance by necessity.

The rhythm of the seasons continues with January seeing the sheep scanner arrive with his ultrasound screen – his ability to read the blobs of blue on the screen are amazing and we have scanned 199% in the ewes due to lamb from March 1^st. This means on average, each ewe will have twins – a perfect balance.

Cattle sheds were cleaned out – even though there was less dung in them this year as cows remain out, the frost in early January was an ideal opportunity and the lanes were busy with all local stock farms taking this chance on the same days. Apologies for the smell – it will go….

Between the other routine jobs, water pipes are being laid underground to supply grass fields at Bowhouse and elsewhere on the estate.  When these fields were last used to graze livestock, the water pipes were often lead and copper. Most of the network is beyond repair and would inevitably fail when we need it most. So new pipework and pumps to supply borehole water are being installed.

Reminded how frost can play havoc with above ground water pipes, our out-wintered cattle have been keeping us busy over the festive period with frozen pipes. Note to self – the pipes need to be underground! Over the summer we will continue to bury more.

Our pregnant Gilts are starting to become rounder and look like we may have piglets in the next couple of weeks, so fingers crossed the addition of their “Pigloos” will be welcome to enable sows to farrow safely and the piglets kept away from harm in these brilliant mobile houses.