An exciting day

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An exciting day

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mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Mon Nov 28, 05 10:13 am Post subject: An exciting day
Today started out really well: when I took some cold porridge down to the birdery I found a small but perfectly formed duck egg on the floor!Our first egg... This afternoon I'm off to pick up two Tamworth weaners from Polly in Bala, so another first for me. The old chap says the livestock are definitely mine, not ours, so it looks like I'll be having a lot of eggs/pork over the next few years!

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Mon Nov 28, 05 10:25 am Post subject:
Ooh. Lucky you. We probably won't be having any more pigs until mid-Summer next year. I really miss having them around.

Naomi

Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 1945

Posted: Mon Nov 28, 05 10:52 am Post subject:
Lucky you. I love pigs. I have heard the Tamworths are very active pigs ,extra good at escaping. Have you got the fencing really secure? As seeing as they are your pigs you will be the one doing all the chasing and catching when they get out! Seriously though ,good luck with them and please post some pictures so we can see them!

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Mon Nov 28, 05 12:32 pm Post subject:
Fortunately, the old chap really enjoys simple construction projects: he's amde a well-fenced area for them with post and wire and electric fencing, so I hope they'll stay more or less put. Thinking on, the egg may be from one of the chickens, not the ducks: it's a pale cream-greeny-blue and only about small size, when compared to the large in the egg box. Still a wonderful egg, though!

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 8:41 am Post subject:

Well, I've just had the most worrying night of my life. Having got the girls home, they didn't want to go into their ark and so spent the night al fresco. Fortunately, they're in a small woodland, a lot milder than the rest of our land. When I went up to see them as soon as it was even half light there they were, in a beautiful little nest they's made themselves, lined with leaves and snuggled up together. Now they're exploring and eating: can't seem to decide which is more important!

We did have a hairy half hour unloading them: one followed me along the path (fenced with high viz netting) and went very happily into their enclosure. The other made a break for it while I was lifting her out of the truck and my wonderful neighbour and I spent a merry half hour in the dusk chasing her around a field. I wish I'd had a video for the final joint rugby tackle that brought her down! Me at the front, Carwyn at the back, lots of noise (partly swearing) and then he carried her into the run. As soon as her feet touched the ground it was like turning off a switch!

I've laid a trail of food going into the ark, so I'm hoping for more practical night-time arrangements tonight.

And I think I know which chicken is laying: my pretty hybrid, Nemo, one of Wombat's birds. The egg was lovely: and we did have half each!

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 9:52 am Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

Well, I've just had the most worrying night of my life. Having got the girls home, they didn't want to go into their ark and so spent the night al fresco.

I wouldn't worry - our first pair did that too. It was middle of February with a howling gale and they dug themselves a cosy little hole right in the windiest part of the run. I think it took two nights before they would use their house.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 12:04 pm Post subject:

Judith: thankyou so much: I feel most reassured now! I just kept thinking to myself "Remember the Tawmorth Two: Remember the Tamworth Two..." I know they're hardy, and last night just proves it! It was really cold here: I was shivering all night. I think that was just sympathy shivering, though.

Here's the egg, which has been followed by another this morning. And I've eaten it already. Fried, on toast.

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 1:07 pm Post subject:
ohh great egg. they really are so much nicer too. was reading about pig in country smallholing yesterday (and last month) but I haven't got the space for them

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 10:31 am Post subject:
Did they go to bed last night, Mochyn?

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 10:35 am Post subject:
Yep: when I went to check them last night (11:30, after seeing Harry Potter in town) I put food in the ark and they were last seen with just bottoms sticking out! This morning they were in there, snug as bugs. Came out for their food pretty sharpish though One was shivering a bit but has stopped now. Have any of yours ever done that?

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 10:41 am Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

This morning they were in there, snug as bugs.

How do you know that?

Can we have some pics please?

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 10:42 am Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

One was shivering a bit but has stopped now. Have any of yours ever done that?

They did a bit when they were very young. Breakfast and a run around usually helped.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 10:49 am Post subject:
Bugs: I hope you were as snug as they! I'll take some pics later: you've reminded me that was on my to do list. Amongst the 5000 other things, many pig/chicken/duck related!

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 05 1:52 pm Post subject:
Well, here's the first picture, taken in the morning when they were having their post-prandial nap. See what I mean by snug?!

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