We've found EGGS but still empty nests!

Hurrah!!  This morning we are celebrating our breakfast with our first freshly layed eggs from my 5 hens!  Charlotte and I each had a boiled egg which tasted sweet and fresh, even though they were a little small in our eggcups.  Four eggs found in the straw barn, not in the nesting boxes I've provided for them.  These four little eggs have cost alot of money so far (£50 for buying the hens, £200 for the hen hut plus feed costs)!!!  Ah well, as my daughter commented, we know where they've come from!

It's been a hectic week this week and it's only Thursday.  I've done many talks in Nottinghamshire this week so seem to be going out on the same roads everyday.  It made me think that I don't usually have to commute to work as most others do, driving the same journey everyday, twice a day.  The best thing for me is the return journey home!  I love coming home, to my new puppy waiting for me, to the calves and horses all waiting for me to feed them.  It's a kind of love they all have for me!  Perhaps I'm feeling the "empty nest" syndrome, now may daughter is 18 and totally independent of me and Harry away at boarding school.  So my dear "Beatie" cocker spaniel has filled that gap somewhat, as well as the horses and the baby calves.   I don't think Mark has the same "empty nest" feeling, especially when he comes in for his mealtimes as Beatie jumps all over him and he isn't the greatest dog lover.

New purchases arrived on the farm this week.  We've invested in some rust - as Mark puts it.  A new sheargrab for the John Deere tractor to cut into and grab silage from the clamp then take to the feed troughs.  The top jaw is like a serrated knife and cuts the silage so it has a flat surface face at the clamp.  Meant to keep the clamp face fresher........ or that's what they've told me.  The other new equipment is a dump trailer to do the muck carting from the farmyard to the fields.  I'm not excited about these as much as our boy is down in Somerset.  Keeps texting me, "has it arrived yet Mum?".  He's home in a couple of weeks so guess what he's doing when he comes back!

We've got another school visit tomorrow, although in two groups and shared with Saya in Owston who does the same scheme as we do but for arable farming, it's 65 junior aged children plus teachers and assistants.  Think it could be fun and hope they all wear wellingtons as its very wet today and plenty of puddles around the place.

The milking herd stayed inside last night for the first time, so this is it,  the winter routine has started!  They have still got the option of going out into the fields during the day after morning milking but the grass has lost any fresh growth and no feed value so we're feeding silage daily in the feed troughs.  The milk yield has dropped since mid Sept and we're down by 600 litres.  Makes a big difference especially as we're meant to produce 2000 ltrs daily for Clawson Dairy.  They are desparate for milk and can't get enough at the moment, according to them, the whole country is short of milk.  Funny that when we still only get 27p per litre!

New life on the farm and a feature on East Midlands Today!

May I introduce you to "Beatie" our new puppy.  She's a darling black cocker spaniel and at 10 weeks old, quite a bungle of energy.  It's just like having a new baby in the house.  Only Mark isn't good at babysitting or should that be "puppysitting" when I have to go out.  I will put a photo on my blog page once I've asked daughter how to do it!

Alas, the other recent additions to our farmyard, the chickens, are still not laying!  As my mother is such an expert, I asked for her opinion last weekend and she stated it's because they're not old enough!  Getting quite impatient now as I need eggs to bake cakes with for my Farm Walks refreshments and also for the school children to find them in the nesting boxes!!  Will have to be patient then.

Talking of school children, last week East Midlands Today filmed us for Somerby Primary School visit to the farm on World School Milk Day.  They brought their iPad so they could zap Lady Shamrock's QR code, (which I stencilled on her side for the day) and learn more about the cow and how she produces milk for us.  Lady Shamrock is so used to this attention now, she was calm, stood still and took it all in her stride.  The children behaved for the camera too and some were asked why they like coming to the farm.  Bringing their breaktime milk to drink whilst on the farm, made the item a success.  I was well proud of the overall result!  Next stop Countryfile!!!