Over the last few weeks there has been a flush of new life here on the farm. Five chickens have hatched and doing really well. I had planned to write about the amazing animal instincts, that a hen knows how long to sit on her eggs, to turn them (up to 100 times per day), and then how to care for her young. Not bad for an animal regarded as stupid. The ability of the mother hen never ceases to amaze me, its mother nature at her best.
 |
| Our daughter just loves the chicks |
 |
| Mother hen teaching the chicks how to forage |
Sadly, not all animals on the farm are quite so amazing! Our goat Rosie had twin boys on friday evening. All went well with the birth, however it became apparent that the following day she didn't particularly want them. Or I think more correctly she doesn't know what to do with them. She likes them when we are there with her, but she abandons them to follow us, rather than stay with them. She screams at our window for us, leaving her own kids in the paddock. Luckily our other goat Dorka was more than happy to adopt the two. A true 'nanny' goat!
 |
| The kids at about 2-3 days old |
We are now getting 3-4L of milk per day, which means we can make more cheese. We haven't yet decided what to do with our two little boys, one has horn buds, while the other appears to be polled (we will have to have a better look though). We had hoped for at least one girl, to keep as a milker...
 |
| The kids! |
