Too much for a Title with a hook. Gotta read it!

There was dramatic drama yesterday and a delightful delivery. Let’s begin with the delightful delivery.

New calves.

These two bobbies are so quiet. We brought them back from a big noisy place so they are probably quite shocked at the warm straw and old barn and relative peace of The Farmy. Angus cross.

They quickly found their water and their food then toddled about chewing on pieces of bed straw. So far, I have not heard them make a sound which is good. They are not unsettled by the move at all.

This morning they were politely standing at their feed station waiting for breakfast. They are not tame so I am moving slowly and singing to them as I arrive so they hear me coming.

These two little ones will stay in the barn for a few weeks until the grass gets a bit harder. They have never been in green pastures before and we need to be wary of bloat. So it will be grass hay and dry feed for a wee while.

Baby Robins

Baby robins in the robins nest.

Not pretty yet – but pretty hungry. I still cannot work out how many there are. What do you think? Mother Robin is very attentive.

Tima has cows

The big cows have come across to live in the field with Tima for a couple of weeks. It has some great forage in there now.

And the gates in the barn are not strong enough for these huge animals to be leaning over to inspect the new calves. I have had this field closed up waiting for this day so they are more than happy out there.

Tima is less than happy about sharing with cows but I will watch closely. She did not appreciate them escorting her to bed last night! Then poking their heads right in to her house to check that she was settled. But they cannot get into her tin hut so she is safe in there. (And grumbling a bit – but they all know each other).

Cows are nosy but by this morning they were back in the middle of the field grazing. Tima is having breakfast in bed – then we will see if she comes out to graze herself.

Bastard Mink (the drama)

Yes you read that right. The Mink came hunting yesterday at lunchtime. As a rule Bastard Mink do not come out in bright sunlight – they usually hunt at dawn and dusk but it has been so overcast and dark with this heavy cloud that I guess this big mink risked it.

Boo and I heard the chickens screaming and ran over. As I unlatched the chook house door Boo was quivering beside me waiting for his command. I opened the door – told him to hunt and he flew in – scattering birds in all directions, out streamed the flock of screeching fluttering chickens followed by the mink. Boo in hot pursuit.

The mink ran straight under the feed hut. The hut is on two runners so has two open ends and for the longest time Boo darted back and forth trying to get under the gap.

It was hiding under there. And all the chickens were outside due to the kerfuffle. And they were all around the hut hunting for grain and immediately proceeding with dust baths. Oblivious to the danger inches from their feathery fluttering. So Boo and I could not leave until it was done. The mink would grab one for sure if we left.

In the end I put Boo at one end of the hut (with the command to Wait which as you know is not the same as Stay) and I got long sticks and poked under the other end making a lot of noise and calling to Boo to hunt. (Hoping it would not run towards me – a cornered Mink will bite). Luckily it tried to escape out the other side and Boo caught it and killed it fast, without a sound. Then brought it to me and laid it at my feet while I was still on my knees at my end of the hut banging away with sticks and shouting.

It was a big long bastard mink and a male.

Boo sat behind the dead mink and looked off into the distance – his standard photo shoot look.

The mink has had a good christian burial. I hope it was a lone shark. It is not unusual for a male to go off alone to set up a hunting ground.

After I had settled the calves into their new home I proceeded to find and block anything I thought might be a hole in the chicken shed. A mink can collapse its head, kind of folding in the bones of its head, so it can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter. I hate mink. It needs to get back to being tight as a drum in there.

Boo and I will stay on high alert. It is spring after all.

Boo and I went out twice in the night just in case there were more but he did not smell any.

Lest you feel sorry for the mink: Here is an old post about Bastard Mink. You will remember they killed 11 chooks in one night at one point in the last battle with them. When they killed a wee bantam I had nursed to almost adulthood – that broke me. This post is from a little later when they started in on the ducks.

All is well this morning though.

Weather

The weather, like my mood, is still grim.

Overcast – maybe a few showers – high winds. We will stay alert. It is mink weather. Wet. Cool. Dark.

Celi