Turkeys
The Turkeys continue to grow and grow! They are really piling through the food at the moment with a sack of growers disappearing in just a day. We intend to cull 10 Stags for the table in December and already have ‘homes’ for the birds. Hopefully the reduction in the Stags will cut down on the feed needed as well as cutting down on the mating fights that will take place in March!
The Turkeys just love being outside and use their outside perches in all weathers, it just goes to show how these birds really do prefer the fresh air. They have constant access to the Barn but they prefer to perch outside irrespective of the weather, making them truly free range!
Buff Sussex Bantams
Our two flocks of Buff Sussex Bantams just do not know the meaning of the word moderation. They are still producing eggs despite the cold weather and the shorter day light hours. I wish we could let the larger fowl into their secret as their egg production has just dropped off a cliff! We now have 50 little Buffs being raised and another 45 are in the incubator. We should have plenty of Bantams for sale come February! These little ones have big hearts I tell you!
Peafowl
We have 5 lovely Peafowl for sale at the moment, 2 Cocks and 3 Hens. They are looking superb and would grace any home garden. We are looking forward to raising more in 2010 as these graceful birds have proved very popular and people seem to like the Black Shouldered variety in which we specialise. We can only agree with our customers good taste.
Fireworks Night
We were out on the Farm on the fireworks night celebrations which seemed to take place this Saturday just to keep an eye on the livestock. As we live out in the country there are not too many people around us to set off loads of fireworks which is good. But there are still plenty of these things going bang in the night.
Now I do not want to be a kill joy but livestock and fireworks are just not a good combination. The sheep run in a blind panic in the dark and they just need to stumble and a broken leg could result. We are very worried every time fireworks go off as we could literally lose an animal or part of our breeding flock and then a year’s work just goes up in smoke. If we were to lose one of our Soay Rams for example our breeding programme for 2010 would be severely impacted. If people only realised the effect that all these firworks had on livestock perhaps they would not feel the urge to light up the skies over Great Britain so that we are visible from outer space!
Tags: Buff Sussex Bantams, Turkeys