Part two of the farmy walkabout but have I missed somebody?

This is what the very few people who drive down our country road are seeing.

Daily changes.

Not much changing with Daisy though. She stands exactly here for most of the day. Watching the kitchen door for movement.  Daisy is an Ayrshire. A very old breed of dairy cow.  She is almost four. She is being milked once a day now, until late next spring – hopefully. Then  she will get pregnant again and the whole cycle will recommence. Her milk feeds the house, the pigs, the baby animals (calves and lambs in spring).  The cats, the dogs and even the poultry drink her milk.  I make cheese, yoghurt, butter and ice-cream with her tasty raw milk. Her manure is used to make compost for the gardens. I call her the mother ship. 

On the left below – we have a portion of the barn flock. The Son of Neanderthol Man (Neanderthol Man is deceased) and the Son of the Son of Neanderthol Man and then his son Bob. There is a barn flock that have never been caged who do all the housekeeping in the barn keeping the straw turned over.

And on the right of your screen is The Duke of Kupa.  He is going to be three this spring and in peacock terms that means he is coming into his prime and should be fertile.

Kupa has two wives, Tui and Pania who even I cannot tell apart anymore. We are rather hoping that this colourful grouping will result in peachicks this coming summer.  In anticipation of this I have begun to put old tires full of straw in dark corners of the barn loft, to encourage the girls to nest somewhere safe.

Here we have Mia and Mama lounging about with Hairy MacLairy the biggest sweetest Dorset ram on the face of the earth. I think that Mama and Mia are both expecting. We are aiming for lambs in early April. 

And below – these two dancing naughties are Minty and Meadow.  They are not allowed anywhere near a ram until next season. They are much too young and silly.

The Guinea Fowl are in their fourth winter. They are the noisiest group on the property and sleep with the peacocks and barn flock on the rafters in the top of the barn. 

The unchanged Daily View.

I know I have missed the cats, and the laying chickens in their own coop. I shall introduce them tomorrow but I have a feeling I am missing someone else as well.

As you know every collection of images is from the last 24 hours. So you are always very current on the goings on in the farmy.

Good morning. I know that may of you comment on the green of the above  patch of  grass. It is frozen solid. It breaks as I walk over it. I gave up mowing too early last autumn so when the freeze hit it just froze the grass green. Just think blanched  and quick frozen spinach. If I mowed it off now there would be nothing but brown. So I keep it.  But hush. It is our secret. Everyone else thinks my grass is still growing!!

Have a lovely lovely day.

If the weather is not too bitter this afternoon The Matriarch and I are going to drag our chairs and a bottle of champagne out into The roofless wallless Coupe to have a celebratory drink. We will be well dressed against the cold and may even take blankets!!

celi