Diamond Dove Chick - Growing Up!

Have got some photos of our 3rd Diamond Dove chick :)
Still can't believe how fast they grow!
7 days old...

 9 days old...

 11 days old, next to egg for comparison...

 ...and next to Mom...

 18 days old and nearly fully grown...

 ... next to Dad...

 29 days old...

 Dove egg next to a £1 coin to see size!

New chicken bedding - CushionBed

Have been to get a new bedding called CushionBed for the chickens. Its made from chopped wood similar to easibed, rather than hemp which Hemcore + Aubiose are made from.

Went to get it straight from the manufacturers so was really cheap - a third of the price I pay for Aubiose which I usually use!

Can see Cilla + the chicks in there with them - they've been FRing together for a while and all get on ok.

I put Dot + Britney S Pears, the 2 older chicks, in the WIR with the 2 littles and they got on fine too.

Dairy photos

Got some photos on the Dairy Farm so thought I'd pop them on here!

Calves nomming on my hand...

Sid! My favourite calf :)

 Little red calf

 Lesbanim calves kissing each other

 Inside the milking parlour...

 Cow being milked

 Clusters / Milking unit on a cows udder

 Cow on antibiotics being milked out into a dump bucket

 Milked out mastitic milk

And last but not least!

Me with my arm up a cow...

Chicks Update - 6 weeks old

Esmerelda has come away from "Britney S Pears" now and have got her a new little friend from work, Cotswold Chickens :)

She's a Mottled Pekin we hatched in the shop, so is a few weeks older + quite a bit bigger that Brit but they've been together a few days and are getting on fine. Have got 2 feed stations in there so they can both get to them.

Think she's going to be called Dot!

Chicks Update - 4 weeks old

Got some photos of the chicks...
Cilla and her 3 are doing well :)

They're in the Go inside the Cube run atm...

 Looks like the 2 Mottled chicks are boys though! :(

Can see their diddy little combs on this photo!

Been Milking!

Been milkin' today! :D
Got there at 9 and had to scrape out and then bed down (sawdust + straw) all the beds (for 80+ cows).
Then bedded down some more and moved some heifers out, bulls over and moved some calves :)

Went out in the Tractor with Michael to give cows out in the fields some straw. "Have you ever driven a tractor?" Nope "Ahh, you'll be fine!" ... didn't today but they'z said I might be scraping out :) - will warn them I hate reversing ;)

Did some jetwashing + then home for lunch 'cos its only round the corner.

More jetwashing then prepped + washed 4 calves with Anna ready for a show at Stoneleigh!

Got the cows into the yard + into the dairy and started milking! The parlour is all mechanised and has sensors, 2 walkways either side with 4 bays. A gate opens to let cows in + then out after too.
They all have numbered collars on so you put that into the machine and put the milking clusters on - have to check they're not on antib's or have mastitis, they get milked into a dump bucket, not the bulk tank.
Fed some calves their milk in buckets and had my hand nommed and clothes sucked!

Washed all the clusters + all the floors in the parlour and that was us for the day! :D

Chicks at work

Got a few photos of some of the chicks we hatched in the shop at work :)

Theres 2 little Lavender Frizzle Pekin boys and a little Black Pekin pullet left ... the Black Pekin is mine ;)