Sheila spends a lot of time on her bed these cold days. You can always tell how cold it is going to be by how high she pulls the straw up. This is a day time bed. Her day bed.
Later when she was out in the fields the chickens came in and wrecked it. She had to start all over again. I imagine she was quite cross.
Everyone got a double dose of food again yesterday. Especially the cows.
I put the young sheep out in the field while I re-organised the sleeping quarters so Mama could go into the clean pen. The pen she has been in will be cleaned out completely, limed and left bare as long as I can, to try and get it clean enough for the lambs that may be coming late winter.
We found a hawk on the floor in the barn yesterday having a fight with one of the Peafowl and the guineas were closing in. Even Kupa was lining up to have a go. I got a big pole and chased the big birds away so the hawk could get its bearings and fly out but it stood with its legs slightly apart, firm on the ground, a little hawk about 12 inches high, brown and white and speckled, dishevelled and ruffled with its wings slightly raised, awkward yes determined. For the longest time it watched me. Its eyes firmly on mine, taking no notice of the barn birds. It was a beautiful little hawk. I began to suspect that it had been injured and then had to consider how to help it. It was only a few feet away from me, just standing there, it took me all my time just to keep the other birds from attacking it again. Then it flipped up into the rafters and after a few minutes, it glided straight out the doors and was gone.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farmy,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
63 responses to “Sheila’s bedmaking”
Perhaps Sheila needs a coat like Big Dog 😉
I really think you are right Mad, though she might scratch it off on a post, but I would try it if i could find a secure enough coat for a 500 pound, 6 foot long pig. c
They make them for horses, so why not pigs 🙂
I wonder about a calf blanket then, they make those too.. I might do a search.. c
Sounds like a good idea 🙂
Blankie for a Shetland Pony should be just right! 🙂 Laura
ah yes.. hemmed, and they have such soft undersides, i will have a look online… c
Lambs? Will you be buying some, or was there some hanky-panky with one of the younger gals?
By the look of Meadow she may have indulged in some naughtiness that time Charlotte took the fence down.. we will have to see. Yesterday all three jumped a fence Daisy had leaned down low and were off around the farm, I have to lock them in the barn at night, but I think I was able to keep Tilly safe. She is the one who really would be too young for those shenanigans.. c
You are a lovely warrioress for all the creatures that come about! Sheila is one smart piggy and I bet she was most unimpressed with her bed being trashed!
Bad chooks.. c
Love this. Thanks for taking all the beautiful photos!
I, ve never seen a coat for a pig but I feel sure that one of the Fellowship is clever enough to sew one up
Poor Sheila,, …pesky chickens!
wow C; thats really strange for a hawk. wonder if it had a sickness or something ? our pinkypie (pig) is now moved to her winter house yard the garden in front of the house to fertilize and cultivate the stock trailer seconds as her house in the winter. a winter coat would not be a bad thing to make. thats a good idea; out of old moving blankets be a blessing mike
Surly thanking you for saving it’s life HUGS
Now to you dear pig I raised 2 just once Arnold and Penelope and though they had the best of everything sadly I was so busy trucking I never go to see how they looked when they climbed into bed I am glad I get to watch yours.
Have a safe weekend we will get 6 to 12 inches of fluffy cold white stuff they say
I would worry that a ‘blanket’ for Sheila to wear all day might cause skin irritations – I know pigs have sensitive skin and it needs to breathe (like ours). I think her night blankie is great though!
OK getting fed up of this bloody cold now! And it isn’t even winter yet!! Went out to feed the hens this morning and I did a Celi, leaving skin behind on their cold door handle! Then there are the electric shocks I get every time I touch metal (car has given me so many shocks my hair stands on end LOL).
I have a large hawk that circles above my garden often, but the chickens are wise and as soon as Sam gives a warning bark they dive for cover amongst my shrubs. He then chases it (him on ground, bird in sky, Sam looking skyward the whole time) I am so afraid he will run into something!
Yay, you saved the hawk and your feathered friends, too. Sheila does a nice job making her bed.
What a lovely connection with the hawk. That feels somehow important. And I was delighted to see you feeding the cows from the trunk of the old car. Such brilliance!
Oh, I hope the Hawk comes back for a visit. Maybe it would like to be part of the family? The picture where Ton Ton is looking at the camera….cracked me up! It was like he was saying, “What in the hell is that pig doing?” 😉
Or “are we done yet?”.. c
Boy I bet the hawk isn’t used to not having the upper hand! They are lovely creatures.
The hawk probably came in for mice or something and the others naturally attacked it… glad it was ok…
I would say exactly that, and the guineas HATE hawks, but there was the air of a schoolyard fight when the big heavy Tui waded in to finish the hawk off.. I also think he was watching me so carefully because i was the top of the food chain, the most fightening predator of all.. a human. interesting though.. how the big birds were in a half circle with him in a corner.. c
This reminds me of when the magpies attack other birds in the garden. It’s a vicious scene, for sure. It’s nice that you were able to help it on its way. Happy weekend to you and the farmy.
It makes me cold just seeing the steam rising off of that piggy.
I think that is dust from the straw, hopefully anyway, though it is interesting to watch the dogs playing with steam coming from their mouths as they run along.. today is going to be warmer.. well less cold anyway.. c