The rains we have been promised have started: we had some heavy rain last night and it is due to get a bit wilder and windier as the weekend draws near! Operation woodchip has been stepped up and we now have the cows in their ‘winter collecting area’, complete with woodchip pad; the goat path is now three quarters built and we have put more woodchip around gateways and field shelter entrances.
The sheep have been watching all the work with interest and every time a gate has been opened, or the quad bike started, or we appear with a trug in our hands, they all rush over in the hope it means something for them!!!
They are now in the 4-acre field on their own although we plan to move the alpacas in with them soon – we just need to work out feeding regimes first. The alpacas are given a few pellets each evening but for the sheep, this is just an occasional treat (and usually when we want to keep them occupied whilst we do something else). We need therefore to sort feeding the alpacas such that the sheep don’t steal their food – feeding them high is a possible solution… something to work on...
In the meantime, the sheep have had a treat, in the form of a brand new shiny hay rack (just visible in the photo): another fabulous piece of equipment from IAE. We have had a hurdle hayrack set up for them for outside (similar to the goats) but this rack means they don’t have to reach up, plus it has an overlapping lid and so should keep the hay a little drier. At eight foot long it also means they can all feed at once, five on each side, which makes for rather a lovely site!!!
Pictures of the cow woodchip pad and the (hopefully) finished goat path coming soon...