Teats of different sizes

A sidelong glance at Hailey's teats seems to show them as reasonably uniform. They are wrinkled so each morning I apply udder cream to each one to keep them supple and slightly moist. It is important not to add too much as then they slip through the fingers when milking.
The rough tongue of Comet the calf can be so eager in its pursuit of milk that the teats can be rubbed raw and bleeding. They heal quickly but if they are painful Hailey lets me know by lifting her foot. Soon after we started milking there were regular sore points but this soon settled down. The scab on her near front teat could have come from the Comet or from any sharp object Hailey sat on or rubbed against.

Side view of Hailey's udder

 

The two front teats are a fine size but have never been favoured by Comet. She likes to stand behind her mother and suck on the rear two. So these two teats don't yield that much. While they are full of milk I can use my whole hand evenly and squeeze the milk down.

The rear view of Hailey's udder

Viewed from the back you can see that Hailey's rear teats are very different in size. If she was a commercial cow a difference like this might see her culled but as our house cow we just have to work around it. As Hailey can only be accessed from one side due to the location of the stanchion, the small teat is always at the back. With the bucket wedged between my knees I have to reach under and angle this teat so that the milk squirts into the bucket. It being so short I can only get two fingers around it so the technique is different. When it works it is fine but it is easy to end up with the jet squirting into my hand and dripping rather than squirting.

Milking a cow by hand does not seem hard to learn. Trial and error through repetition and adaptation has been my way of perfecting my technique. Being able to milk a cow is one of the experiences we would like to offer visitors to Opportunity Farm. Hailey is a calm and friendly cow who has been handfed all her life, but milking her would certainly be easier if the teats were the same size.

Putting the Summer Garden to bed Part 1

The days are getting shorter and colder. Those plants that require warmth are on their way out. Most of the tomato plants have gone black and  have ceased to produce. They have to be pulled out and unwound from their bailer twines. When I attach them in Spring I just do a slip knot at both ends as this makes it much easier to undo in Autumn.

 The zucchinis are going soft and only those in a very sheltered spot will continue to produce fruit for another couple of weeks. This year the garden at Goongerah 300m elevation has had more frost damage than the one at 900m elevation. Some years the lower elevation garden has ripened tomatoes in June. Not this year.

 

 

 

The butternut squash vines are still green and growing but the round pumpkin varieties are ready to be lifted. This is definitely the most productive year for pumpkins - often it gets too dry for them to grow well.

 

 

With all the animals to feed and Hailey to milk at  Opportunity Farm we are not at our bush property often enough to water consistently. We try to leave the pump primed in hot spells so a helpful neighbour can set it going, but this is still not enough for a thirsty plant like pumpkin. This season's consistent rain has been a boon.

 

Once all the crops are removed and the beds weeded then Part 2 will be to apply manure and mulch and leave that to rot down till spring.

Free Pigs

 

 

Our three piglets may like mud when it is very hot but the constant rain and showers over the past fortnight have made their pen into a quagmire. The only place with even a small amount of dry solid ground was their house. It wasn't fair or healthy for them and we were too busy to change or extend their pen.

 

The pig pen swamp after days of rain

 

There was only one thing for it. Free the pigs and let them roam. There was a real risk of them escaping from the paddock as pigs are curious creatures and a 60kg porker can push through almost anything it likes. However pigs are homebodies so we figured they wouldn't get far and would always come back if offered food. After switching off and parting the electric fence wire and opening up one panel of the pen Blanche, Petunia and Maude were off. They soon encountered Curly, Princess and Honey the goats who were busy eating some Lucerne hay for breakfast. The pigs decided they quite like Lucerne as well. The video below shows what happens when two sets of omnivores decide they both enjoy the same pastime - eating anything. This morning's mix of Jerusalem artichokes, apples, quinces and pig pellets proved very popular.

 

The pigs have decided to share the orchard with the ponies rather than the paddock with the goats and are busy turning it into a ploughed field. Tomorrow we will rebuild their pen on dryer ground provided we can shift their home from the swamp. Whether their taste for freedom will encourage them to escape or their respect for the electric wire will keep them in, remains to be seen. With their one bad day fast approaching they will have to savour the joys of freedom while they can.

Scouts on Farm

 

 

Last night we had visitors to Opportunity Farm. A party of scouts and leaders with some parent helpers needed a place to stay. They were looking for an Anzac Day Dawn service to take part in and after which they could cycle back down to the coast. This year Delegate was hosting its first Dawn Service so we offered our paddock as a suitable venue. This gave a spur to complete the toilet and shower rooms.  

 

The toilet and shower in the paddock

 

The last couple of weeks have seen the plumbing and drainage completed, most of the outside walls and all of the inside walls clad and the doors put on. The toilet door was made out of floorboards from a property we renovated and the shower door used to be the front door of the same house. While the new building is not finished it is usable. The shower finally ran hot water just three hours before the visitors were due to arrive.

The Outdoor Kitchen is a hive of activity

The Scouts arrived just after dark but were soon making use of the Outdoor Kitchen to cook their dinner. Some even planned to roll out their swags on the floor rather than bother with a tent. Despite it having rained consistently for more than a week the ground was not too soggy and the skies cleared to reveal stars above the campfire. It was really inspiring to see Opportunity Farm hosting a group of visitors and know that they had everything they needed - warmth, plenty of space for tents and vehicles, running water and a flushing toilet, a sink for dishes, a barbie for cooking on and a chance to chat around the fire, recite Monty Python jokes and for the adults a taste of our cider.

They retired early as they had to get up, pack up camp and be ready for the Dawn Service at 6am. They may have been our first camping visitors but they didn't get a good look at the place - they arrived in the dark and left in the dark! 

Selling Sheep

We had too many sheep. Even though we missed a year of breeding when we had no ram the numbers have risen. We have been 'donated' a number of coloured sheep and a poddy wether the owners couldn't face culling. So when some friends wanted 'easy' sheep to eat their grass they jumped at the chance of some Wiltshire Horns. No shearing and crutching is a definite bonus if you only have small numbers of sheep and only want some lamb or mutton to eat now and then.

The eight chosen sheep on their way to pastures new

 

They decided on eight - two pregnant ewes, two lambs and four older sheep. Our sheep yard easily as enough of the older sheep come when a feed bucket is waved at them. One of the leaders of the flock is a ewe called Bridget who was recognisable by the fact that her horns are behind her ears. We decided to send her to be the 'boss' of this new flock. The others sort of chose themselves by being the first in the yards.

When we sell any sheep we have to fill in an NVD or National Vendor Declaration. This is part of having a PIC or Property Identification Code which shows which farms sheep have come from. The PIC system includes an audit that aims to improve the chances that meat entering the food chain is safe and the animals humanely treated. Despite only selling one small group of sheep Opportunity Farm was audited last year. An advisor came and assessed whether our practices matched the guidelines and that we were recording when we drenched or applied medications or chemicals and how safe the farm was from prior contaminations etc. It was a friendly visit and assisted us in knowing how and what to record.

 

Paperwork completed and cash in hand our sheep departed for the new home and we have eight less mouths to feed over winter.

 





Sheepdog trials

Archie is my dog. Before his arrival two and a half years ago I had never had a pet. So in my eyes he is quite special. Archie has rounding up sheep in his blood. His father is a collie, a champion sheepdog. His mother is a kelpie from a local sheep farm famed for their ram breeding - one of their flock won the Champion Merino Exhibit at the Sydney Royal Show this year.

Whenever there are animals around Archie wants to watch them. He stares so intently that we call this 'watching TV'. Archie has many channels but his favourites are Chook TV, Piglet TV and especially Guinea Pig TV. He has despatched several chicks and a handful of guinea pigs but he prefers to play with his food. They die of fright rather than being savaged. If a chicken escapes Archie is prone to rounding them up and staring at them. It is the smaller dogs that are more likely to kill them.

Archie watching 'Piglet TV'

 

When Archie was younger we took him to sheepdog training one weekend. The first day Archie wasn't sure what to do when it was his turn in the ring. Some of the other dogs had some prior experience but needed their skills honed. When it wasn't their turn they sat about or engaged each other in sniffing or barking. Not Archie. He was glued to Sheep TV all day. Nothing distracted him from what was going on in the ring. On day two he was a legend.

On our farm we do not really need a sheepdog. The sheep mostly come when they are called and will go most places for some sheepnuts rattled in an ice cream container. So when Archie returned from his training all fired up for some serious sheep moving, he was disappointed. Nearly all the time he was in trouble if he went too near them. He couldn't forget it but he learnt to restrain himself. That was a long time ago in dog years.

Today I had to round up both groups of sheep and put some into the yards so that eight can be taken away by friends, who want them to chomp their way through their grass. Both big dogs were off their chains but as the sheep were close to the right place I thought I would give it a go. Toby had no clue and so he had to be tied up. Luckily the pony riders on the weekend had dropped a lead in a convenient place.

Archie came when called and sat down where I showed him. He even stayed there when the sheep had moved down into a laneway. I called him and he came and then waited. For the first time in a very long time he seemed to understand what I was trying to do. The first mob was easy.  He became over-excited when moving the second mob and ran in the middle of the mob and split them but otherwise he was great. I'll have to try that again.

Jerusalem Artichokes

This plant has nothing to do with Jerusalem and is not even an artichoke. It is in fact a type of North American sunflower and reputedly gets its name from the Italian word for sunflower - girasole. When first introduced to Europe the taste was likened to an artichoke and the name stuck. This explains why it is so different to a globe artichoke, which is a variety of thistle.

The important reason that we grow Jerusalem artichokes is that pigs love them. They produce a lot of biomass in a small amount of space with minimal effort. In fact while we try to harvest all of the tubers we don't plant any- they are one of those plants that are hard to get rid of. Next year they will just come up profusely in the same place. They are confined so far to one raised bed which may prevent their spread into other areas where they are less welcome.

 

Apparently they can be eaten raw or cooked and have a nutty flavor.  I have set some of the smoothest ones aside for cooking into a soup if there is enough time. The rest are for Blanche, Petunia and Maud who are getting very big - but not quite big enough.

Winter Feed

With Daylight Saving now a fading memory thoughts turn to preparing for winter. The firewood shed needs more wood and the grass no longer needs cutting. In fact some of the paddocks are looking a bit threadbare and the animals need supplements.
In the summer months we don't feed the sheep or goats except when we want to move them. Our 29 acres has enough grass if the season is a reasonable one for them to find their own food. In the winter months we feed them hay and sheep nuts.
We buy Lucerne Hay from a supplier in the town to the south of us - a windy 200km round trip. The road heads through bush that was almost all burnt just over a year ago but is regenerating well. It is not a good road if you are a passenger and you suffer from car sickness.
Our stock crate can take about 20 bales if they are packed tight. We will probably need a similar amount later in winter. Two loads has normally been enough to see us through but we have more animals this year so we shall have to see.

19 Lucerne bales stopped on the way home by a fallen tree

 

When we arrive at the Lucerne farm we drive into an enormous shed piled high on both sides with square bales. The farmer climbs up onto the top and throws the bales effortlessly and accurately into the trailer for us to stack. It is a quick process and then we are on our way with some highly nutritious feed to keep our animals happy and well fed.

Rain and Water

 We needed some rain. There is no running creek on Opportunity Farm so we are dependent on rain.

It has been a fantastic summer with a great mix of sun and showers to make everything grow. No bushfire threat and an abundance of food that just seemed to grow itself without watering. Then for the past few weeks it has been dry. The grass finally started to die off and the paddocks turned brown. The dams started to recede and the house tank started to run low.

The tank that collects water from the roof of the farmhouse is small. It has a pump attached that sends the water up the line to two large tanks at the highest point of the property. If it really buckets down the pump needs to used often to prevent the water overflowing and running off down the driveway. If it rains heavily when we are not at home then much of the valuable water is lost. The house tank is connected to another larger tank on the back of a shed but they are at similar heights so they can equalise but transfer is slow. The shed tank has abundant leaks so if there is lots of rain then again much is lost.

Earlier this summer there was taint in the water. Standing in the shower you could smell something was not right. Several investigations later the source was located -  a branch had fallen and pierced the roof of one of the header tanks and two possums had taken the effort to crawl in and drown. We had to let that tank of water go! The efforts to clean out the tank of its incumbent maggots was the subject of an earlier post but it is enough to say that we were glad when it was over.

So we didn't have much left when the dry weather came. With seven people and numerous other animals using the water our consumption is high. One morning the tap was on and nothing came out. Luckily the house tank was half full and with a regime of water frugality we made it through. Three days ago it rained - all day. Some neighbours measured 120mm in two days. The water in the house tank was pumped up several times and water restrictions were off. Until it gets dry again.

We have put in three dams since we came to Opportunity Farm. This increases the amount of water available for stock. Water from one of these dams can be pumped up to provide water for the garden as well as being an emergency firefighting supply. All these changes take time but help to make the place more efficient and more resilient. One thing that you can't do without is water and you can't have water without rain.

Spinning a Yarn

Harriet is our newest sheep. She is a coloured Merino that would have been killed if the farmer had not known that Michelle collected outcasts. She was promised to us but before she came she was shorn. So she arrived with a bag of wool. This is the first wool to be spun that has come from one of our own sheep. Nearly all our sheep are Wiltshire Horn sheep so they self-shed. This is great for the ease of producing sheep for meat but not so much use for spinning.  

 

Michelle and the Lazy Susan

We have a carding machine on loan so we fetched this out from the shed and cranked it up. It seems a remarkable efficient and effective way to make the wool into a form that can be spun.
Michelle has now spun two spindles worth of wool and plyed them into a two strand yarn. In the photo she is raveling the yarn around a device called a 'lazy susan' which makes the yarn into a skein which is washed before being rolled into a ball. I think these terms are the correct ones but please forgive my ignorance if I am inaccurate. 
It is a lengthy process and reminds me of the effort that was put into making woollen clothes before machines and sweatshops made it cheaper and quicker but far more distant from the life of the wearer. When Michelle has created enough balls of wool to knit something to wear to keep warm in winter it will be very special indeed and will tell a story of Harriet, her fleece and the effort that was needed to make it.

Cladding

Three weeks to go until we have a troop of scouts staying at Opportunity Farm. The farm is the starting point for a bike hike involving up to 50 kids who will head off down to the coast after attending a dawn Anzac service in the local town.

 

This group will be the first to camp on the farm and use the facilities we have been building for visitors. There is a toilet and a shower near an outdoor kitchen in a paddock which has a good camping spot with a fine view down the valley.

 

The toilet room with cladding on the inside walls

 

Today we worked on lining the inside walls with plywood. The toilet and washbasin are in and connected up. The wall that separates the two rooms is now clad. Two sheets to go on the walls with windows. Then we will have to finish putting corrugated iron on the outside, hang the doors and complete the plumbing. We found a NGO that sells simple solar lights - a small panel that charges the light for 16.5 hours on 8 hours of sunshine. They were designed for mass production for homes in Africa so a proportion of the cost goes to subsidise their distribution there. We will use place one inside each room for the convenience of anyone staying.

Once we have had our scout visit then we will be able to host other visitors and share this farm and what we are doing on it with more people.

Bottling the Cider

The cider was still bubbling in its barrel but when we measured the specific gravity we decided it was time for bottling. Last year we left it too long and the end product was very strong and almost flat. This cider was sparkling. So it was out to the shed for some bottles.
A few years ago we had a great score. We asked an acquaintance who we were told had a capper if we could borrow it to put caps on our cider. He not only gave us the device but about fifty Grolsch bottles. These are fantastic for bottling as they have their own reusable secure lid. These would be the main bottle we would use along with a few longnecks and some smaller cider bottles. 

Cleaning and Rinsing the Bottles

 

First we washed the bottles and rinsed them before putting them in the oven for about twenty minutes. We removed the washers from the Grolsch bottles so they wouldn't melt!
Once they had cooled and been reassembled it was time to draw off some cider into a jug. When the bottles were filled the lids were clipped on the Grolsch bottles and the rest had metal caps pushed on. Before capping we put a sultana in each bottle. This is supposed to add just a little bit of sugar to keep the cider sparkling. If it gives too much we may get some broken glass and sticky shelves.

The capper in action

 

This capper has been made out of a drill press. It takes very little movement to push the handle far enough to crush the sides of the cap onto the bottle.

The cider shelf in the shed

We haven't drunk all of last year's cider yet and this year we have made much more.
Homemade cider is a great drink for a picnic or to share with guests so we now have an incentive to make both happen more often.

Spooncarving

Some days the farm work can take a back seat and we make time for something creative. I love working with wood so last year I went on a weekend course on how to carve spoons. For more info on these courses check out www.spoonsmith.com 

Green woodworking is when freshly cut timber is used. For making a spoon moisture is needed to make the carving easier. The timber can be cut up well beforehand but is best kept in a moist place such as the fridge until you are ready to carve.

This morning I cut down a young silvertop ash tree and removed a round about 30cm long and 10cm in diameter. I split this in half lengthways using an axe and wooden mallet - it is always best not to strike metal on metal.

Each of these pieces were roughly axed into a spoon shape - narrower on the handle end and curved on the spoon end.

 

We put on the leather aprons Michelle made from one of our goatskins and shaped the wood further with a very sharp knife. We realized that having a glove on the hand holding the wood would reduce the need for bandaids and blisters. The aprons worked very well at protecting our bodies from cuts.
Once the outline of the spoon had taken shape we reached for the specially shaped spoon carving tools.

www.etsy.com

You can get left and right handed spooncarving tools but despite my being a lefty we have two right handed ones. My searching could not find any made in Australia so they were imported from England which seems to be the home of Green Woodworking.

It takes a while to get the spooncarving knife working well across the grain to make an indent but once enough shavings are scooped out it scrapes smoothly and effectively.

We ran out of time to complete the spoon shaping but they are in the fridge ready for next time.