Bantam Eggs Again.

Above are the pictures of our first Fried Bantam eggs, should point out that this is a very small frying pan.

Also above a picture of Cutie Pie laying an egg in the back garden, she was busy picking up twiggs and leaves to camoflage her self on her little nest.

Auction

Off to Auction on Saturday to buy some more ducks, can't wait.

George has found his voice

Well looks like George is now all grown up and will need locking up at night. 6.30 this morning he started to crow, a little rather squeeky Cock-a-doodle-do.

3 Eggs

Yesterday we had 3 Bantam eggs in the end, they really seem to get the hang of it now.

Eggs again

Well two Bantam eggs today and two yesterday. No duck eggs yesterday, but one today.

Andy sold our first box of Duck eggs yesterday. And agreed that we need some more ducks.

Ascott Order

My Order from Ascott Smallholding Supplies just arrived.

3kg of Rusk
100 yards of Hog Casing
2 Spare light bulbs for the Incubator.

Elderberries, Black Berries, Haws and Rose hips

Saturday we went Hedgerow Harvesting. Huge quantities of Berries were picked sorted and prepered.

We now have a very large quantity of Elderberry Rob, Blackberries in the freezer, RoseHip syrup and Haws in the freezer.

Potatoes

Went to the allotment yesterday and dug up the rest of the potatoes, half a sack full.

Mad Ducks

Sunday we had the Ducks and Bantams out in the back garden, when the time came to put them back in the front garden they decided they didn't want to go.
Rosie chased them and that was it, straight in to the Garage, Argh, they were every where, suddenly 5 ducks seemed to turn in to 20 ducks. Managed to grab one, while Rosie ushered one in to the front garden, two dived through the open back door, and ran into the living room. One on the coffee table one in the cats food bowl. Managed to get them out and in to the garden. So 4 ducks, 3 bantams in the front garden, 1 duck and 2 Bantams in the back garden. Last duck, 3 poeple to catch it, He was in the house, under the car and finally in the background.

Eggs, Eggs Nad More Eggs

Well the Bantams seem to have got the Hang of Egg laying.

Thursday 1 Egg (Laid by Cutie Pie)
Friday 1 Egg (Laid by Swimmer)
Saturday 2 Eggs (one first thing in the morning, one later on)
Sunday 2 Eggs ( One from Cutie Pie, and one later on in the Garden by Purdie)
Monday 1 egg (so far in the nest box)

Ducks still averaging 2 eggs a day.

First Bantam Egg

Thursday morning Cutie Pie was acting a little odd, spending time alone in the nest box after the others.

Half hour later they wetre all outside and there in the next box was a perfect, clean warm egg.

The incubators here

The incubator has arrived, just signed for it from Parcel Force. Just going to read the instructions with a cup of tea, and then put the plug on and test it.

I can't wait to get some eggs now.

Harvest

Been to the allotment or the weed patch, as it is sometimes known.

What a harvest, Potatoes, Carrots, Cabbage, Radish and Beans and also some onions from Eddie and Frank.

Backgarden Free Range

Have had the Bantams and for the first time the ducks out in the back garden free ranging, glad to say the amount of weeds meant they left my flower beds alone.

Sunday - Festival of the Plough

Sunday off we went to Lincolnshire, for the Festival of the Plough, and what a lot of ploughs.

It was great to see Houses ploughing as well, not a sght seen very often these days.

Oh and of curse the kids had to have pony/ donkey rides.

Nice little poultry show, with some lovely birds. And some great collections in the tents.

Saturday - Cannon Hall Farm

Saturday we decided to finally visit Cannon Hall Opne Farm.

They have a nice selection of Poultry, sadly didn't seem to be kept very well, nest boxes not being emptied often if at all. One Trio we saw had 15 eggs that we could see, anouth Trio had 14, the eggs were not on nests just scattered around the nest boxes.

The ducks a pair on Indian Runner had no water other than a drinker, I know ducks don't have to have a pond but they are happier with one. The 4 Baby runner ducks were lovely. especially the grey one that was catching flies.

The Guinea Fowl had all escaped from their pen and were wandering around, the pen that claimed to hold Peacocks actually had Turkeys and several people thought they were peacocks.

I also think they need to learn to Sex their Rabbits and Guinea Pigs as there was hundreds of them, and no sign that they were rehomeing any.

Loads of pigs and piglets, rather sad to see one litter with no mother, and surprised that they allowed the piglets to be strocked, even the week old ones.

Loads of goats too, pygmys, nubians and several heavily pregnant ones, Rosie especially loved being able to feel the kid move in the pregnant pygmys tummy.

The girls feel in love with the miniature donkeys.

Incubators

Well I've certainly been biten by this Poultry keeping bug, On Thursday I purchased an Incubator fom ebay, just witing for it to arrive now.

Got to say I can't wait,just don't know what to start with.

Eggs

We are still getting an egg most days from the ducks, though nothing from the Bantams as yet.

Free Range

The last couple of days we have been letting the ducks and bantams free range in the rest of the front garden. They seem to really be enjoying the extra freedom, bugs, dandelions and grass.

Ducks, Bantams and Frogs

This morning the ducks found a small frog, within seconds they had killed it, but then none of them could swallow it whole, despite Blondie really trying, in the end tthey ran around trying to get hold of it off each other, and pulling it like a tug of war.

In the end the Bantams got it hold of it.

Not sure who finally finished it off but they did between them.

Not the best photo as it was still darkish and taken through double glazing.

More Jam

Well the extra elderberries have now all been washed, boiled and some are soaking in Sugar ready to make some more Jam, Elderberry this time.

More on Wine Making

Having purchased a wine making kit, aswell as yeast etc from Wilkinsons, we then discovered a bumper crop of Elderberries, and so it was all hands on deck to pick Elderberries.

We didn't have a clue as to how many we needed so we guessed at 2 carrier bags full, and picked 3 bags full for good measure, we actually only needed about half a bag full. Never mind i can freeze the rest, and the ducks have had some.

Wine Making

We decided sometime ago that Wine making was a must, so we decided to visit our local Home Brew shop in Wakefield, M & D Homebrew Supplies http://www.test.gowyld.com/, to buy some supplies.

We got our Demi-Johns, syphon, bungs and all sorts, but still ended up in Wilkinsons across the road. Sometimes local busisness are really hard to support.

Pennine group vintage tractor rally

Sunday was the annual tractor rally and ploughing match, at Elmsall Lodge farm, Badsworth.

Loads of Tractors, lots of ploughing with vintage and classic tractors.

Oh and of course MG's for Jamie to drawl over.

BBQ

So with Susans Sausages fresh from Penistone show, a bbq was called for.

Did I mention that her Sausages were Ostrich and Apple, an acquired taste I feel.

During the bbq, the bantams were allowed to roam the back garden, much to the cats disgust.

Penistone Show

Saturday 9th September was the Penistone Show, and what a show. As we came over the hill from Barnsley at Hoylandswaine, we could see the show in all its glory on the other side of the valley.

We eventually got there after a slow crawl through Penistone, parked in the special 4x4 car park (rather sloppy field) and entered the show.

The kids loved the Pigs, and the goats, Henry found one that kept kissing him. Rosie loved the Alpacas, but have to admit I thought they were rather boring, no real personality, you see.

The cattle and sheep great. And the poultry show amazingly noisey. And the Pigeons, well they don't do much for me. The kids were fascinated by the eggs in the show.

Have to say I loved one of the exhibits in the Tractors section, not sure how much it could pull though.

The sheep show, that we have all heard so much about from Rosie was great, that man really

knows how to work an audience. Dancing sheep, they have to be seen to be believed, and it was educational too. http://www.thesheepshow.co.uk/index.html

The whole day was great, slightly odd was tha Jamie and Susan were given money and can you believe they actually brought Sausages for Tea.

Rosie also fell in love with the chicks in the NFU tent, had to frisk her before she left, just in case one had sneaked into her clothing.

First Apoligies

Again sorry for not posting for a week, had a really hectic one, mainly due to the older ones all being back at school now.

Also the house is now on the market so spent alot of time getting ready for viewers, our first came Friday evening. Time wasters I fear.

Jemima is now Donald

You may rememeber the first ducks we adopted where a trio of Runner Ducks, named Jemima, Dive Bomber and Molly.

Well having watched Jemima recently with one of the new Runner ducks Blondie (the other being Brandy), it has become apparent that the breeder may have got their sexes wrong. So now we have Dive Bomber, Donald, Molly and of course Blondie and Brandy.

Selby Livestock Auction

Well Saturday we took the kids for their first Livestock Auction experience, and I think I can safely say they were slightly overwelmed.

They really loved the Fur and Feather section, but were a little upset that we didn't buy anything. We forgot to take the animal carrier with us.

They were slightly benused by the Misc section of the auction, especially the slight odd lots like old feed sacks, buckets of bottles old half used paintstripper & tins of paints, and then the really odd broken go kart.

Double Yoker

Well the extra large duck egg laid last week by one of the runner ducks was a double yoker., and thursday we actually had 2 eggs in one day.

More Sausages

Loads more sauages have been made, both Pork and Lamb, with different flavourings.

More on Duck eggs

Duck eggs being cooked

Wellies

We sem to have a growing collection of Wellies in the house now.

This picture show just some of the wellies drying after our trip to the farm.

Temple Newson Farm

Last week we visited Temple Newsom Home Farm, and we were very impressed, a very nice day out.

The House

The house is now on the market, so hopefully we can move sooner rather than later.

The Fort continued

Henry loves the fort, as do the others

The Fort

Andy finished the fort, and it looks great.

Duck Eggs

Well the two new Indian Runner Ducks started laying, so we now have a duck egg a day most days., Except today we got two.