Small Plot, Big Ideas – Page 13 – Making the most of what I have

New biomass boiler

What seems like many months ago now, we decided to replace our existing and relatively elderly oil-fired boiler. After considering a few options, the best long-term plan seemed to be the installation of a biomass pellet boiler.

The whole project went relatively smoothly especially considering it included some building works to convert part of an outbuilding from its earlier use as “coal shed” into a shiny new “boiler room”.

This included constructing a massive pellet store which I’m told should hold around 5 tonnes of wood pellets and automatically feeds the pellets into the boiler when needed.

This means we benefit from bulk deliveries via a tanker which blows the pellets into the store. Not only is this option cheaper than buying a pallet load of 10kg bags but it means there’s no heavy lifting for me to tip each bag into the pellet store.

Connecting this all into the existing central heating system proved to be completely painless once a route for the supply and return pipework was found. As luck would have it this was through an existing space with pipes which had previously been boxed in so there’s no additional upheaval in the house!

Once the actual boiler installation was complete, the application for the governments RHI scheme was the last hurdle. There have been a few weeks of slightly edgy waiting but eventually the final approval came through yesterday.

Now the job is complete, the bills are all paid and the RHI accreditation approved I somehow feel happier about posting a blog update with a few pictures as a record of the work. This is helped by the fact that, so far at least, we have barely noticed any difference other than having an empty corner in the utility room which we need to fill with something!

Original outside "facilities" — Original outside “facilities”

Summer stock take 2015

Despite the occasional unseasonal weather just lately, I wanted to post a summer stock take for the current livestock. As luck would have it we had a fairly decent day of sunshine last weekend so I was able to get some quick snapshots as well.

Cattle

The two Dexter’s are quite calm now and happy enough in their slightly overgrown fields. They were moved after about a month in the first one and have been make good progress on the grass in the current field.

They’re still not too happy to have any humans too close but I can get close enough to check for any obvious problems and they looking very healthy to my untrained eye.

Chickens

The two flocks of chickens seem to think they own the place and can cover a surprisingly wide area at times. The white flock consists of 1 cockerel plus 9 hens (Leghorns?) and there are 4 brown hybrids (1 remaining pet and 3 rescue hens) –

However both flocks are under performing with egg laying and I suspect a problem with worms or other parasites so we’ll be doing a round of treatment very soon.

Pigs

All 4 pigs are doing really well and the 2 “eaters” will be heading off in about 3 weeks time. So far I’m feeling ready for the change in approach with them when I no longer worry about weights, growth rates and abattoir deadlines.

The 2 “keepers” are just reaching maturity as they are around 7 months old but I’ll be watching closely and waiting until they’re around 10 months old (in October) before tackling artificial insemination.

Pig Update – keepers and eaters

Earlier this week the 4 Tamworths turned 6 months old so I started to think about a special pig blog update. This batch of pigs has not featured heavily in the blog so it would be good to rectify that a little.

It’s definitely time for a weigh-in as the 2 “eaters” will be heading off to the butchers later in the summer and I’ll need to plan ahead for that. The 2 “keepers” need to be monitored as well though so that they are in good condition when we want to get them in-pig towards the end of Autumn.

Cause for concern

Last night one of the “keepers” suddenly showed signs of being ill with reduced appetite – she ate but left the feed trough before finishing – and uncharacteristically lethargic when compared to the 3 others – ambling instead of running.

The other 3 were oblivious to all of this and they happily cleared any extra left overs from the feed trough without batting an eye.

Fortunately she ambled over to me and was quite happy to lie down for a scratch which meant I could have a closer examination. To my untrained eye there was nothing obvious and no flinching when I checked everything I could think of at both ends as well as the feet and legs.

It’s only at times like this that you realise how lucky we’ve been with no major health incidents for any of the 3 batches of pigs we’ve had. Of course, they were all weaners in the past and only kept for 4-5 months so if looked after correctly there’s not much that can go wrong.

Now that we’ve decided to keep some for breeding we’ll have them for years to come and will need to be much more aware of the potential problems. It’s always best to keep alert to any signs of illness and if possible prevent anything rather than treating it.

As luck would have it, this morning she appeared to be on the mend with an improved appetite and a little more spring in her step. Not fully back to normal but a definite improvement from last night which is good.

Weigh-In

Once they are all busy at the trough, the task of measuring is made much simpler although you do have to take into account the fact that their heads generally stay down in the food which can affect the length measurement.

As these were all tattooed by the breeder we can easily identify them by the last digit from the ear and that saves us from the temptation of giving them names.

Keepers

No. 7

  1.0m heart girth x 1.02m long
 (1.0 x 1.0) x 1.02 * 69.3 = 71kg

No. 8

  1.06m heart girth x 1.06m long = 82.5kg
 (1.06 x 1.06) x 1.06 * 69.3 = 82.5kg

Eaters

No. 6

  1.02m heart girth x 1.03m long = 74kg
 (1.02 x 1.02) x 1.03 * 69.3 = 74kg

No. 9

  1.05m heart girth x 1.02m long = 78kg
 (1.05 x 1.05) x 1.02 * 69.3 = 78kg

On reading back through old posts here for the previous set of weaners I find that we sent the 3 Oxford Sandy and Black boys off at about this weight last year. On reflection that was too early but they had got a little more boisterous and hadn’t had the snip either so we were nervous about keeping them for too long.

Luckily this years Tamworths are all females and I’ve decided to grow the “eaters” on to 90kg or perhaps even a little over that. This should mean that we get some good-sized cuts to turn into bacon plus the roasting joints might be a little larger.

Cattle progress – a summary

After the fiasco at the end of May when our 2 Dexter cows were delivered the events at the start of this week were a major relief. We had been given many differing opinions by everyone we spoke to but we tried to follow as many of them as made some kind of sense to us.

Last thing on Monday night while doing the regular rounds I found that they had wandered into our field of their own accord. Luckily for me they were calm and seemed happy enough to just watch me as I replaced the old gate and fencing so they couldn’t wander back out again!

The next day or two were no easier on my nerves though as, having finally got them into our field, I was always worried that they’d get out again! At least my worries were eased having promptly got the fencing man in a week or so ago to put some additional posts and barbed wire around the perimeter to make the field more secure.

Unfortunately because we have tried so many tactics and been given many differing opinions on the best approach, I can’t report which was the one that made all the difference. Here is a rough idea of the main suggestions attempted

Gentle attempts at herding them with only one person
More forceful attempts at herding them using a quad along with 3 or 4 people
Cutting back an overhanging tree at the entrance point to our field
Regularly tempting them with small amounts of tasty feed
Positioning the water trough/bucket just inside our field
Wait until the grass stops growing (luckily this one wasn’t needed!)

Perhaps none of this made any difference or maybe it all contributed in the end. However I’m just thankful that there was a happy ending to the first part of our cattle keeping experiences and very grateful for all the advice/support we received while trying to fix the problem.

The next step is to get them used to us and eventually to accept some limited human contact because if all goes well they are due to calve around December/January. The idea was always that they should manage all that by themselves because they’ve both calved before but it would be better for us (and the vets) if they were more happy around people!

A real rollercoaster weekend

Last weekend was the second anniversary of our move and was also probably the most stressful weekend so far. Now that the dust has started to settle and there are plans in place to deal with the various problems I can take stock with a blog update!

Cattle

After what seems like a very long wait, Friday was the day that our 2 Dexters were finally being delivered. They are both 3 years old and, according to the vet check before departure, they are in calf with one 12 weeks along and the other only 5 weeks along.

Having waited so long and done so much planning ahead of time, it seems that fate decided to mix things up a bit. As new cattle owners we had tried our best to cover all eventualities but hadn’t considered that they would be extremely grumpy after the dramatic events of the day.

Immediately when they were unloaded into their new home they promptly disappeared over a stone wall, through our woods and over another wall into the neighbours fields!

They somehow ended up in separate fields and apparently unable to see or hear each other which was less than ideal. After much rushing around up and down the neighbours hilly fields over the next 24 hours we eventually had to give up on getting them back together.

First thing on the Saturday morning, I found an unexpected sight around the chicken house but unfortunately she still wasn’t happy enough to stay. Within minutes she’d hopped back over the walls and into the neighbours field again.

Obviously the best option was to let them calm down in their own time and tackle the problem later. Luckily while checking them on the Sunday morning one of them decided that it was time to head back uphill and find their companion.

In due course some progress was made even though they’re still not in our fields, at least they’re next door. The next job is to get the fencing man in to raise the boundaries of their initial home then we can considered herding them around the corner and back onto our own land.

Growing

On a lighter note and as a distraction from the cattle stress, the veg beds got some long overdue attention. Finally some more seedlings could get planted out into their final growing position and I can clear up some of the cold frame area.

The additional raised bed that was added at the last minute has really helped with my usual problem of planting too many things in pots and trays! The lettuce, dwarf beans and nasturtiums all seem to be getting well established now.

It might be nice to see a little more progress from the peas but I’m happy that they are at least making slow progress. Maybe the experiences with the cows will remind me to be more grateful for the simple pleasures and less demanding overall!

A quick check on the soft fruit and fruit trees also helped to raise the mood on what could otherwise have been a very dispiriting weekend.

There’s always a smile to be had with a picture gallery!

Vegetable raised bed update

Despite holding off a little longer this year before starting with veg growing, it seems that I was still far too keen even though some of the seeds were initially planted inside to germinate. Eventually they still needed to be planted out but the weather in our part of the world just hasn’t warmed up as quickly as I’d hoped.

After a slow start there is finally something to show for all the efforts now that the red cabbage and red brussels sprouts have been transplanted in the raised beds last weekend.

Unfortunately things don’t look quite so good where I’ve been planting seed directly into their final growing positions. The raised bed that was set aside for carrots and parsnips this year looks distinctly unimpressive and I may need to investigate a backup plan if nothing happens soon.

After last years successful crop, there was no reason not to grow swede again and at least this has proved to be more resilient. The netting is already up to protect from the expected rush of pests even though the plants themselves aren’t yet of a size to make much of a meal for the bugs!

On the bright side though, the soft fruit is doing well in the temporary home of a raised bed. Eventually this will be moved to a permanent home but I’m taking my time with that after learning a hard lesson when planting fruit trees in what turned out to be an underground pond in winter!

Assembling a new pig ark

As part of the preparations for pig breeding in the future, it was clear we needed some more quality pig accommodation. So far we have only kept weaners for a few months at a time and never any through the winter.

The best of the arks that we inherited on moving here – a double skinned, insulated tin ark – has proved invaluable so we ordered another one just like it. Although that’s not to say that the other slightly rusty ones won’t be pressed into summer service when needed.

After a little puffing and straining the delivered pallet was unpacked and the various pieces moved to what will become the pigs next home. A quick glance at the instructions was all that was needed initially before making a start.

There were only a couple of minor false starts when the instructions weren’t too clear but these problems were easily resolved by taking a look at the existing old ark we have. It’s not exactly the same construction because at a rough guess it must be around 20 years old now but it’s close enough to be of some use.

Once the first roof layer was on it was time to get the insulation layer in place before adding the second roof layer. At this point the problems started to appear with the pre-drilled holes not lining up in all the various parts that I was supposed to bolt together.

Most problems could be resolved with a little fudging and some judicious use of the hammer but as it neared completion there were some which were obviously never going to work. Some longer bolts and a little careful drilling soon dealt with this and the final covering was properly fixed.

Once all the construction work was finished and the tools had been packed away it was just a matter of throwing a load of straw in the house so that the pigs could make their own bedding arrangements.

Although I’m pleased with the results of my efforts I’m probably more proud of my pigs who simply followed at my heels during the transition between pens. There was no hassle, no chasing runaway pigs, just a calm orderly stroll through the woods from one pen to the other!

The residents moving in to the new house

One third of the way through 2015

There has been some good progress with many parts of my original plan for 2015 but as always there is much more that I would like to get done. Mostly it is time that is the issue but increasingly there is also the question of money as well unfortunately.

Pigs

Now that we’ve made the decision to have a go at pig breeding, it made sense to get all the required equipment in place. This became much more important after the recent wet weather when we saw exactly how much mess 4 pigs can make.

Even though their current enclosure is far too big for just the 4 of them, some parts of it are becoming very well-worn and are desperately in need of a rest.

I thought about covering up the bare patches with something but when I tried that the other day with grass cuttings from the lawn the pigs just turned it into an afternoon snack!

The newly fenced pens are all ready to go so we will be assembling a shiny new pig ark in one of them and then moving the pigs over as soon as possible. More on this in a separate post because it turned into a major undertaking!

We still need to decide which 2 gilts will be kept for breeding over the longer term and that won’t be easy. It’s hard to tell them apart now without trying to differentiate based on particular aspects of their conformation which are better for breeding purposes.

Cattle

We’re still waiting for our first foray with cattle but have at least made the decision on what we will be getting. In the end we chose to get two 3-year-old Dexters that have calved before which should mean future calving will be less problematic.

They have also been running with the bull over the last few months and should be in-calf but this means a slight delay while the pregnancy is tested to determine a predicted calving date.

There will no doubt be a flurry of bovine pictures to replace the excess of porcine pictures in due course!

Planning seems to be paying off

I’ll probably change my mind when summer gets here but at the moment this is definitely my favourite time of year. The first swallow arrived yesterday – only 5 days later than last year – which I’m definitely taking as a good sign even though it was only one bird so far.

There is so much happening right now with the seeds starting to put on some impressive growth and the effort put in through the winter with the planting plans starting to pay off.

I’ve even managed to resist the urge to plant too much too soon this year which is a first for me. Having said that I think I might still have planted a little too much but at least it wasn’t too soon!

The only minor change to the original plans I’d made during the winter was to also plant a selection of flower seeds as well as vegetable and herb seeds. I suspect that this helped to ease my excessive planting urge because I could plant other seeds instead.

Actually, I now remember that there was another “minor” change when I added the new 20ft long raised bed a few weeks ago. However in my mind that doesn’t really count as breaking the plans because I’m simply adding more growing space for the courgettes which went so well last year.

Next year will certainly be a little different though as there are grand plans in my head for a polytunnel (maybe 10ft x 20ft) and even a greenhouse but I may need to seek approval from my better half before going ahead with all of that!

Spring is here…

A week of fine, dry weather which coincided with taking time off from the day job – what are the chances of that happening?

This stroke of luck meant that I was able to get cracking with many jobs in the hope that preparations could be made so things don’t get out of hand like last year.

Most importantly to my mind, the seed trays are all labelled properly rather than using an old lolly stick which inevitably fades and gets covered in dirt so I can’t read what I wrote on it.

Vegetables

The first batches of vegetable seeds were sown over the third weekend in March, a little later than last year and a sign of what I consider to be my admirable restraint. In most cases, the various trays and pots were promptly stashed in the fairly warm loft to germinate.

However the leeks were left outside in the cold frame based on advice I read that they prefer colder conditions to germinate. This would seem to be true because they are looking okay so far.

Out of interest, I decided to test the leeks using 3 pots of “Gro Sure” seed compost alongside 3 pots with “John Innes”. There doesn’t seem too much difference in the results at the moment but it’s still early days.

There are now carrots, red cabbage, swede and leeks to name a few starting to show above the soil so I’m happy that I’m on course for planting out properly in a few weeks time.

The only minor concern is that there is no sign of life from the lettuce yet but perhaps that is down to using an old packet of seed that I found. I’ll give them a little longer to come up before worrying too much.

Flower seeds

I also decided to plant a range of flower seeds this year – partly for variety because I focus on vegetables too much but also because the garden could use some colour and scent at times!

To my surprise and satisfaction these came up even quicker than many of the vegetable seeds I had sown…

All in all, a highly productive week and a feeling that good progress has been made in preparation for the rest of the growing season!

I even managed to squeeze in another raised bed using some left over materials I had lying around. I did have to buy in a few bags of compost but I was able to mix that with some home-produced compost that needed to be shifted.