Chooks are very strict Babysitters

This is a scene I happen upon quite often lately. The chooks put the kittens down for their afternoon nap then slowly surround them.  Babysitting. These two sister chickens are always the closest to the kittens. You may remember them from the spring when they were job sharing one small chick, who they eventually lost.

Now they have taken over the duties of babysitting the kittens. If I had zoomed out further you would have seen more chooks and all the peacocks, who often make up the outer circle  but they all moved off when I appeared. 

But these two who would not leave their babysitting posts for all the tea in china. This little scene is usually in a sunny corner, I am not sure why the babies were put to bed in the calfs pen yesterday afternoon. Bobby was outside.

Now look below – do you see what I see?

Yes. Someone broke the sheep’s door. Maybe Mia and Mama are getting too fat to fit through the door anymore, or maybe they all decided to try and go through at the same time with Hairy being a bit rammy. Old barn doors that are frozen to the ground break easily. This goes on the repairs list. And when it thaws a bit more today I shall dig out the door and push it along to make the gap wider. 

We  went for a walk yesterday. My friends and I, though Daisy is in a crazy mood lately 

chasing everyone and larking about. Once we got out in the field she was more interested in finding a little grass to pull up.

Li’l Puss rides on my shoulder most of the time that I am in the barn ( he uses his claws if you try to shift him off before he is ready), and follows along behind when I am out and about. He has been seen jumping onto the backs of cows. Queenie does not seem to mind but Daisy always startles and looks back in that totally dislocated way that cows can and says Get Off.  But L’il Puss will only get off if he is close enough to a fence for a dignified dismount. I will get a shot of this one day soon.

The Daily View.

Good morning. Today will be another warmish day so we will spend time outside doing repairs and mucking out pens while it is comfortable to work out there.  John is still off work (he does not work in the winter)  so this is the time of year to get ahead on the heavy chores if we can get outside.

Daisy, who went through a period of good behaviour, has started jumping and kicking again during the second half of her milking, I will test her again for mastitis, then as soon as her homeopathic remedies arrive (today hopefully) I shall begin to transition her to once a day milking (OAD).  This will take the pressure off everyone (though The Bobby will need to be weaned from milk if her production drops too far) and I will move her milking time to late morning when it is warmer.  The plan is that I can milk her once a day through to the spring when I will get her pregnant again. So let’s hope that plan works out. Once a day milking is much easier on the cow and the humans. My research tells me that I can expect anything from a 10% to a 30% drop in milk. Though the fat content will be higher and the cow will put on some weight. I will be vigilant as far as health goes as the risk of mastitis over that transition period is much higher.  But it is time. I have pushed her far enough.

You all have a lovely day. We will.

celi