Spent the day being a Smallholder!

I spent the day being a Smallholder near Aber helping a lady out who's just had her hip replaced.
I did a mini Dispatch, Pluck & Gut session and lesson for 2 people, to sort out a pen full of cockerels.

I dispatched them, showed them how to pluck and the others helped pluck. We then gutted them after leaving them to hang for a few hours.

I also made friends with goat kids, pigs and llamas!
She's struggling keeping too many chickens and ducks so I rehomed 3 to a friend and am trying to sell a few of her ducks for her.
Was a good day :)

After, we went to see Danny and Lady (the horses) to drop off 3 chickens and while we were there I tried to sort out a Silkie with really bad lice and Scaley Leg Mite problem - we gave her a bath but she was really struggling so had to dispatch her too.

Lambing Photos 2013

Looking forward to Lambing 2013!

I'm really looking forward to another season of Lambing!

I have the new job at the Uni farm which I think will be about 6 weeks split between me and Cody - not sure if we'll be in pairs, on our own, or what yet though. At least at the Uni farm there's somewhere warm to sit and do Dissertation work, if we're quiet with the Lambing!

Richard from Glanystwyth rang me a few weeks ago to ask if I could go Lambing for him again this year. It'll be 3 or 4 weeks of 9pm-6am which is quite a lot when we have lectures and Uni too.
I asked the 3 girls who have come for the last 2 years but they didn't want to come 'cos of Uni etc which is fair enough. A few other people on my course want to come this year but have never been Lambing before, so it'll be really good to have help but will need to help and teach them how to Lamb too...

The 2 farms are so completely different...
First the Uni farm is a modern, almost clinical, performance-recorded system where we don't pull much and have to measure and record every detail for research:

Then Glanystwyth is a traditional Welsh farm with a massive shed with 1,200 Organic ewes and lots of little barns with lambs in:

Not sure when Uni start but Glanystwyth start in 2 weeks! :)

Why do you want to be a Vet?

I saw a Medical student post something with made me laugh and wanted to make a Vet version...

The question wannabe Vet Students ALWAYS get asked it, "SO, why do you want to be a vet?"

Lets make a list of things we need in a career:
Mentally and practically stimulating challenge
Variety in work with new scenarios everyday
A world of species and specialisms in which to be able to explore
The opportunities to make a difference to animals and animal-owners lives
And most importantly of all, I wanted to wear my blue pyjamas to work everyday

Dairy placement in Aberystwyth

I thought I needed to do some more work experience in Aber this year.
I've started helping to back and break in 2 young horses and thought Milking would be a really good idea.
Lambing in great and love doing it but its only 6-8 weeks of the year so thought we could do Milking a couple of days a week before or after lectures so would be good experience and doesn't get in the way of Uni work like Lambing can.

Now the hard part was finding a placement!
Uni built a new Rotary Dairy parlour near Trawscoed last year but when I asked we didn't get very far trying to get a placement there. I don't know any local dairy farmers so asked around and didn't really find anyone so went back to the Uni farm...

After a few emails and speaking to the Farms Manager they decided they were looking for relief milkers and stockmen. To apply for the job we needed to hand in a CV and fill out a 10 page application form!

Anyway, I handed it in yesterday and now we wait!

Breaking in Dafydd the pony

Am going along to help back and break in a young pony called Dafydd, he's a gelding in with 2 mares so he took a couple mins to catch and he was a bit weary at first when we separated him from his ladies. There's also a mare and young foal in the next field so they were all excited too.

We led him around the field do get him used to us and just to get him doing something.

We then went back into the smaller area, leant on his back and walked him round, Sophie leant across his back and eventually got onto his back without a saddle on and to be fair to him, he was really good!

He was really excitable and completely motivated by carrots and polo's to the point he was pushy and a bit nippy so we're going to have to teach him some manners!

Meet Dr Chicken...

Thats mee! :P

I wrote a feature for the June edition of Your Chickens magazine and there is is!
Have had lots of tweets and messages saying people like it, so hope they do! :)

National Poultry Show 2011

Have had a busy weekend at The National Poultry Show 2011!
Got home on Thursday to go to work on Friday, set up the stand with Jude and then stopped at hers. Had the show on Saturday, went to the Poultry Club social, stopped in a Travelodge and then the show on Sunday.
Then when its all over for the public we take everything back down and load up the van!

We were busy all weekend on the Cotswold Chickens stand which was good but I could hardly talk at the end of Sunday! Everyone lived our Wychwood Hen Arch house, took orders for a few and even sold the one we had at the show!

I managed to get a Second Place for one of my photos...

... I did enter the photo of me in a chicken suit for "Any Poultry Subject" but it didn't place ;)

I met Jamie from Poultry Talk and had a good chat with Sandra from Chicken Vet who was really nice, she said anything they can do to help, and help with my dissertation etc, just to let them know :) Will be seeing them at a couple more shows so can have more of a talk.

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...

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

Womble progress!

Was SO happy with Womble (one of the rescue ponies) today! :D

He let me hold him on a lead rope straight away this morning, then we let him smell the brush + managed to brush him all over (apart from his tail) combed his mane and let us spray him to make him all shiny.
Kevin came to look and was surprised! After a few goes I managed to pick up his foot and then Steffie hoof picked his front feet and everything!

We took him for a walk onto the yard on a lunge rope with Kevin and took a few photos, took him back to the stable and he refused to go in for Steffie + Kevin and would only go in for me :P

Considering he needed 2 lots of sedations and a tranquilisation dart just to get a head collar on him a few weeks ago, he's come a MASSIVE way in just 2 days.
I think he really trusts me now + know it sounds stupid but theres some connection!
ily him :))

Making friends with Womble

Been a horsey day at work today!
Helped Steffie muck out all the stables, I say help, I just held the horses, got straw and emptied the barrow. Think theres 16 although a couple have chicken stuff + tack in!

We took a few horses out to the field to give us 6 stables for some horses coming in.

Womble the little pony came in as a rescue and was really skitty and has been calming down a lot.
Me + Steffie went in and he let me hold his head collar rope today so we stood with him for ages. Let him go + did it again. He doesn't like women as much but eventually let Steffie get him.

He still won't let us touch him much, only his nose + face, but managed to scratch his neck :)

Off to the vets!...

Delyth (from the Uni farm) rang at half 8 and said she's on the way to the vets, did I want to go with her??

Of course I did! :P
Just had to get out of bed and she picked me up and we went straight to the vets.

The ewe had twins stuck, trying to come out at the same time! One leg was coming out first.
Managed to get them out and all 3 are alive :)))

All kicking off here now though *RollsEyes*
Lamb 24 (a PHD girls trial lamb) escaped. We were looking for it everywhere, I eventually found him round the back by the bull beef sheds.

Got a Suffolk with twins that prolapsed, pushed it back in and now she can't lamb past it
... a Blue Faced Leicester that had a prolapse, put it back in + a prolapse strap on her, who is now lambing
... another triplet ewe thats lambing.

Uni on my own...

Lambing at Uni farm iab!

On my own tonight :( 'cos the other 3 either have friends round or are going to Cardiff!

Will be fine ... just be paranoid of the scary noises + wind! ;)

I'z staying longer in the morning (I asked) 'cos I want to go round the fields with Steve, see the sheep + hopefully turn out some lambs + ewes :)

Not normally tired when we leave at 7am so will be fine + can sleep all day ;)

Have recorded a couple lambs but not much else happening here tonight. Delyth is staying with me for a couple hours for the hand over + stuff.
Time to put the kettle on! :)

On my own and it all kicks off!

Back in halls :)
Actually not tired at all. Was a good night shift but some stuff kicked off too!
Pulled a big Texel lamb who'd got his shoulder stuck and she threw something else out straight after... Looked like a mahoosive afterbirth + prolapse.
Phoned Delyth, she said its just a prolapse, push it back in, will be ok.
I sent her a picture and she texted me straight back... "I'm on my way, might need a vet"

We managed to get it back in eventually, holding the ewe upsode down so gravity helped us. Put a spoon and strap on to try and keep in it.


We had two 1st year Zoology girls come this morning to help. One wants to be a vet, was nice but has never even touched a sheep! The other one was soooo cocky. "I've been lambing for 3 years, I know this blahhhh" Chatting rubbish ;)
We were lambing a ewe and so I got them to help, fell and try to pull it. The cocky one messed it all up so we had to get Steve the shepherd to help in the end.

Me + Phoebe (researcher who works days) just had to walk off in the end! They've said she's not being asked back :P

Lambing pictures...

Ross the lamb:

 Milking Jordan...

 ... bottle feeding Harvey ...

 .... and bottle feeding Junior.

Tonights update...

We'z were literally just getting ready to get her to the vets and she lambed 2 of the triplets on her own!


The last one had to be pulled and had been dead inside her a couple days, but no vets ( :) but :( 'cos I didn't get to go) and she made it, with 2 lambs!

Had another ewe with 2 lambs coming at the same time ... one forwards + one back!

Had to ring Steve to come + do it but they were fine. We've ran out of pens so had to turn ewes and lambs that are ready to go out to the field, into holding pens next door (with loads of pens + runways + cool farm mechanichy stuff where they shear, vaccinate ... stuff like that) so we could move fresh lambs into their small pens.


Just had a quick shower to get rid of Eau d'Ewe. Time for bed me thinks!
Not tired at all though!

First night Uni lambing

Was out first night lambing at the Uni farm today!
Me + Sian were there, got picked up at 10 and Delyth explained everything about the sheds ... have got Blue Faced Leicesters, Texels, Beulahs and Lleyns. Then theres their 'hybrid' sheep called the Aberdale which they're improving the prolificacy of with the Inverdale gene - they have more twins + triplets and can be kept on rubbish grass so the better grass can be kept for others!
The big shed is split in half with an invisible line and either side has to be treated as completely different sheds 'cos they're on different trials.
Can only use one sheds stuff, silage, straw etc 'cos its all weighed out and costed down to the pence.

Then theres another 2 tiny sheds outside, one of which is part of a PHD students trial.
For the trials we have to weigh the lambs, sex them, then score them on presentation, how difficult the birth was, if needed help and the level of help, vigour after 5 mins of birth, if needed help to suck, a bottle.... Then the ewe on mothering ability, milkiness etc.
Its not hard to do just need to get your head round it and it takes a bit more time to do! Is good to say you've lambed a Performance Recorded Flock and were part of trials :)

They had 1 case of Salmonella and so we've been kitted out with wellies, waterproof trousers and big high vis bomber jackets that we leave at the farm ... especially as we're lambing at another farm too.

Its such a change from the last farm, its all brand new, and has different ways of doing things. We're not meant to pull any 'cos it affects the trial data whereas we had to pull everything at the last farm.
We also have the farm office to do in which has heating! and a kettle, toaster, sandwich maker, washing machine, fridge, freezer... lol

Delyth left at half 1 and we were fine after that. Had 1 breach that we sorted out and 1 Beulah that was normal presentation but took aages to get the lamb out so we helped her. Just left them to it as best we could, if you go in and lamb everything it will affect all the trials data!

We left at half 6 and Cody + Becky turned up to do the morning shift with Steve the shepherd + learn about lambing! :)

4th Night Lambing in Wales

Video: Which one is it?!

Uni Sheep Farm...

We went to the Uni sheep farm earlier to see the shepherd + just see the farm in the light!

Theres a big shed split in half with an invisible line, then 2 small sheds and each group is treated differently and on different trials. We need to only use that groups silage, meds etc. Then have to weigh the lambs, sex, score on lambing, if needed help, if needed help to suck, score the ewe's mothering etc...

They've had an abortion problem and 1 case of Salmonella so are bigging up the Biosecurity. They took us up to Stores and ordered us big high vis jackets, and gave us waterproof trousers + steel-toe wellies. Has to be high vis 'cos of H&S apparently?!
Then we've got to get changed + leave those clothes at the farm so we don't spread it to the other farm. Its probably overkill but of it ever got passed over the Uni farm's (and probably our) name would be black!
Best be safe! :)

They don't just have a microwave ... have a kettle, fridge and hot chocolate, cup a soup etc!! :P

Me + Sian are there tomorrow night :))