This morning early, I took the dogs for a walk (the two cats who come along think they are taking us for a walk) and checked the fences. In the barn, I fed Daisy( dairy cow, who I really hope is pregnant) some of the new grass hay, she looked at me scathingly and said I wouldn’t even waste spit on that, where is the good stuff. And then watched longingly as I fed the sheep the same hay. Mama and Hairy (mama and papa sheep) were not having any of it either. Then they all turned to watch the Baby Bobby as he (not aware of the mutiny in the making) munched into his hay and stood looking back at them chewing and blinking benignly. He will eat anything which is a good thing as he is the beef steer.
The barn doors have been opened so they can come into the barn from the fields to get some extra feed. Also you cannot take grass fed animals from summer green grass straight to winter dry hay all in one nasty hit. It is not good for the digestion. The change needs to be gradual so that they keep the weight on and with the cold coming I have to slowly get them used to dry grass as opposed to green grass. But my dry grass hay sits in their mangers- studiously ignored. The good stuff Daisy is waiting for, and she knows it is somewhere in the barn because she can smell it, (it is in the loft) is the afalfa hay and that does not come out until it is really cold, and the world is frozen. Alfalfa is a legume, very high in protein. So now we commence the battle of wills. If all else fails I pour a little molasses on the hay. I use the spoonful of sugar theory!! They are very susceptible to sweet bribes.
I put the leash on Queenie, (5 month old Hereford cow) she trots along beside me like a large red dog. This morning she is clipped to a dog chain that is clipped to a long wire, she is grazing some old clover that I grew for flowers for the bees. She will not need hay today. Little fattie.
The chickens only laid SIX eggs yesterday, instead of their usual 18. You see we cleaned out the chook house to make the first big pile of winter compost. The chickens get their knickers in a knot if I change anything in there and new straw counts as change. You would think they would like smelling sweet like that. Such a delicate bunch.
The compost recipe is green grass clippings by the tractor scoop full (2 scoops), chook house litter (6 scoops) and dirty straw from the barn (2 scoops). Wet every scoop on the way past the hose. Turn every weekend. Cook, then freeze for a winter. We only do the chook house twice a year. I let the straw get quite deep in there over the winter for warmth. I HATE cleaning out the chook house, hate it!.
Tonton (border collie) is in serious trouble for digging up Our Johns fall lettuce bed. So he is grounded to Close and Busy. When my tweenage children were naughty they were put on close and busy for a few days which means they had to be with me all the time. And do whatever I was doing. No time off except class time at school. Cook if I am cooking, clean if I am cleaning , walk the dog when I walked, write when I write, garden when I gardened, read if I read. The offense is never mentioned after the initial haranguing (which was usually long and arduous until they begged me to stop.. I got, I got it!) Usually naughtiness is a symptom anyway- no point treating a symptom. The sheer drudgery opens them up in the end. And we might begin to get the bottom of the problem. Plus I never watched TV or talked on the phone to their friends or played in the ditch so neither did they. Once things settled down we always ended up having good discussions usually family wide. I did this with kids in my classroom too (High School) and I remember days when I would have three or four of the naughtiest kids trailing after me all over the school, carrying my books. So presently TonTon is lying at the French doors looking out longingly as I write. Occasionally I drop a pencil so he can trot over and pick it up and give it back to me to relieve the boredom. Close and not so Busy.
The grapes are still sweetening, I nag at the grapes every morning. In their fishnet dress. 
I digress. Today I shall order 12 more Rhode Island Red chicks. They are great for this environment as they will lay all through the year even when it is so cold that the eggs freeze solid shortly after being laid. If I order them now they will be ready to lay in the spring. The tiny chicks come in the mail. I still want a peacock (sigh).
I fed the two Murphys (sheep for the freezer) in their field a bucket of beet shreds and eggs. They are on a serious get-fat diet now, Mia (girl sheep who will stay) is still with them so she is thrilled to be getting all the good stuff too and being in the special get-fat paddock.
Soon I will set up the last hive for harvesting the honey. I put a board outfitted with a kind of maze on one side, between the supers. In the cold evenings the bees move down the maze to cuddle together and keep warm. Then they cannot get back up again in the morning. So I can steal that honey unmolested.
I fed the dogs and the cats and fed my ginger beer bug, then fed my sourdough starters. And began a loaf of bread and put the beef on for a steak and onion pie for dinner. 
Lovely. Good morning.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
57 responses to “Farm days”
Good morning, what a satisfyingly busy life. I do like the idea of close and busy, should have implemented it years ago, though. Would love to have a hen, keep begging but hubby says no …
You could hide just one little hen somewhere. Just tell him it is a big budgie! c
Truly lovely storytelling. I’m afraid you make farming sound so lyrical and romantic that I could be fooled into believing that’s all there is to it, if it weren’t that (a) there have been farmers in my family and I know there’s so much more to it than the poetic-sounding part, and (b) you do at least include a small reminder or two of the less-savory elements (who WOULDN’T hate dredging out the chook house!), in fairness.
Given my huge lazy streak, however, I am content to let those who are gifted with the farming arts do that sort of work and stick with my pusillanimous efforts in a more suburban vein. Always with GREAT appreciation and admiration of what you farmers do, though.
Cheers!
K
PS–I did get out of the house yesterday to relieve the bad case of inertia–went with R to his Wed evening rehearsal and enjoyed being enveloped in choral sounds so much that I wrote for pages and made a drawing for today’s blog. I’m not completely irredeemable, it would seem. 🙂
That is great that you had an inspiring night out. And farming is romantic. i just swan about in blowsy dresses with delicate sandals on my manicured feet, open and close gates as my animals call sweet greetings to me. see? c
Thanks for the virtual tour of the farm. Love the photos, especially the grapes.
Those grapes greg, we are all watching that space for sure! c
Good evening (from the other side of the big pond).
“Farm day” makes you believe that this is a special day, but I would assume that this a typical day, 7 days a week. No?
PS: Still have to look up a few words. You don’t get much farming vocabulary in English class, so thanks for giving me the chance to learn something new. It’s nver too late for that.
Klaus you are right. 7 days and nights a week “Just another lovely day on the farm!” c
Love all of your photos…Daisy is absolutely adorable!!
Isn’t she sweet Caroline, she has the biggest ears of any cow I have even seen! c
And then, how did you ever stay busy all afternoon? 😉
(Trust me, you really don’t want a peacock…)
I DO want a peacock Miss tomatoes, I DO! c
Do you do your own milk and cheese too? Fresh eggs……happy sigh. I’d love to get my hands on some, I never get to the farmer’s market here in time for them. They fly out. And your own honey??? I want to come visit you! LOL BTW – husband has some cousins that live in NZ.
T
Oh T, If daisy is pregnant (please cross your fingers) I will be milking her by next spring, and yes i make my own cheese and butter and yoghurt with milk from a neighbours cow. Though i am not sure whether to be thrilled or terrified that i will be milking my own cow! c
TSK TSK TSK Tonton! naughty pup! those grapes still look so tempting lol! 😉 how i super envy your peaceful life compared to the concrete jungle i’m at 😦
thanks andy, I am a pretty lucky out here. c
Ohh, new chicken! So you’ll try out egg shell art work yourself? 🙂
Is that a turkey on the last pic? Does it have a name, too or is it just for Thanksgiving?
Hi Nikkie, no that is a guinea fowl. Very noisy, very useless, and so ugly they are sweet! I like that shot too actually.. now that you mention it maybe I should have grown a few turkeys.. hmm c
I can’t believe how much work a farm must involve! I am such a city girl and really can comprehend the day-to-day chores of a farm. The animals would be the reward for me but I would just keep them as pets and then my farm would go under I’m afraid.
Well Geni, I thought I would be like that too, but there is something about feeding the family food I have grown. That I know is good. There are a number of animals that we will keep. Like Daisy and Mia and Queenie the others so it is not all too difficult.. c
The grapes look so tempting even though they’re still sweetening.
I know yummy, I pull gently at one as I pass (about twenty times a day) to see if they are close to ready but they are not coming off easily yet.. c
I love your “Close and Busy” punishment. Very inventive and, I imagine, effective. I love your writing, Cecilia. You’ve painted a lovely picture of life on your farm — well, except for the chook house cleaning. I did’t want to do it and that was even before I googled “chook”!
Oh John, you googled chook!. i am impressed., i am going to google it now to see what it said. maybe i need to make a wee glossary of odd NZ words, terms and phrases. see ya c
Oh those grapes look amazing. I couldn’t see anything passed those grapes for a second LOL. I fully enjoyed this post but those grapes are making me want to go to the farmers market tomorrow lol.
They do look good kay, and I am hoping that they will look even better when we have made them into wine! c
I loved how you punished your dog, keeping him Close and Busy…. the poor dear couldn’t write letters with you! I’m sure he would have much to say if he could… 😀
And who would eat dry hay if there were fresh grass available? My cats are the same after feeding them… they eye my refrigerator door knowingly. Mom is keeping the good stuff inside that cold box! I’m sure one day they will figure out how the logistics of opening it, even without thumbs.
Hullo Tara, lovely to see you, I loved the photo of your cat on your page, He certainly looks like he could open a fridge door without too much trouble! c