Our livestock are named, loved, and respected, whether they're for breeding or produce.
Today was bittersweet, and we said goodbye to our two bucks; Bobby & Norman.
Both special lads, Bobby, was our very first livestock at Muddle Farm, and Norman was a part of our first litter born here.
Both have gone to a new home to meet some new lady friends
Once our newest additions arrive (expecting some newborns soon) we'll be ready again to expand our herd again with a new buck, until then it'll just be our ladies running the roost!!
Happy New Year to all from Muddle Farm! Wishing everyone health, happiness, and well-being for 2024 🥳
Our beautiful boys are growing fast!!
If anyone is looking to donate their cut Christmas trees please drop off at our egg stall! The animals will love the treat 🥰
*ONLY 2 WHOLE BOXES LEFT*
Fresh Lamb from Muddle Farm.
1/2 box includes approximately:
2 x 1/2 leg joint
2 x 1/2 shoulder joint
1 x breast
6 x cutlets
3 x chops
Minimum weight of 8kg.
Message for details 😁
OSB's (Orange sandy and blacks) are our chosen breed of pigs. We have chosen these as they're rare breed, usually have an easy to handle temperament, don't grow very big, but are great for the body:meat ratio.
Oxfordsandypigs.co.uk describe them as "Multi purpose producing succulent pork, fine bacon & excellent ham. An economical pig to keep as it is a natural browser and forager. An ideal breed for the beginner and smallholder. "
Not to mention they're gorgeous colouring and markings!
Fresh Lamb from Muddle Farm.
1/2 box includes approximately:
2 x 1/2 leg joint
2 x 1/2 shoulder joint
1 x breast
6 x cutlets
3 x chops
Minimum weight of 8kg.
Message for details 😁
To all who donated their pumpkins to us, the animals say thank you 🥰
Many are carved and won't be eaten by humans. But animals love pumpkins. The good news is that pumpkins – provided they aren't painted or coated – are safe, nutritious and delicious for livestock and are a great source of enrichment 😁
Garlic is usually planted in late autumn or early winter, as it needs a period of cold – most varieties need one to two months at 0–10°C for good bulb development. On average, you'll be waiting about nine months from seed to harvest. The good news: once you get these bulbs in the ground, there's little to do but wait.
Found this little lady had slipped into the pond, tired and covered in algae we washed her and gave her a nice cozy, warm spot to rest and recoup! Glad to see she is back to her usual self this morning, we will monitor her for another day to ensure she has her full strength back before returning to her flock but we're delighted to see her fluff again 🥰
We gained 23 followers, created 51 posts and received 290 reactions from March to June! Thank you all for your continued support. We could not have done it without you. 🙏🤗🎉
Keeping cool with some natural yogurt frozen cubes 🥰🐾
At almost 8 weeks old it is time to separate Norman from his Mum and sister... avoiding any unwanted pregnancies and allowing Mumma a well earner rest and break from raising these two beautiful kiddies 🥰
Norman will be sharing a new paddock with his two friends Barry & Bobby, they know each other well and will be next door to the girls.
Splayed legs in chicks are a common deformity. It can be caused by temperature fluctuations during incubation, difficulty hatching, leg or foot injuries, brooder overcrowding, or even a vitamin deficiency.
It can be a permanent deformity if left untreated.
The legs must be restricted to provide stability, allowing the chicks muscles and bones to grow and strengthen in the correct positioning.
Here, you can see us treating splayed legs with a cut straw and a hair band. Vet wrap is also another great tool for treating this.
Good morning from everyone at Muddle Farm!
What is everyone up to this weekend?
We're taking full advantage of our skip, trying to get on top of all the mess (where does it all come from)
But first a good morning round to all our animals, full bellies and scratches are a must!
It is nowhere near perfect but a massive improvement and such an occasion to celebrate.
As we are a growing livestock smallholding we are trial and error working out what works for us, with what we have, physically, financially and time between work and other responsibilities! This is a real start and gives us a glimpse into the future creating space for storage for more straw and hay for the more livestock we will be investing in!
Please share with us your hay store, your dos and don'ts or even any ideas you may have!
We would love to hear!
The cutest trouble makers in town! 🐐
Love a fresh fruit breakfast, looking forward to the day it all comes from our hardwork
Obviously the dogs and violet and to have some too 🤣
An exciting evening!! Look what I found under our beautiful bantam girls today.... our newest addition, we have separated her for a short while as this encourages the girls to continue sitting on the other eggs, we hope they will have siblings to join them soon 🥳
Can anyone help identify these mushrooms I found growing in our muck heap/allotment?
We are delighted to announce the arrival of 3 known new residents and 3 unexpected arrivals 😍
We bought two boer girls to meet our boys and one went into labour upon arrival! Lucky we got her in the pen before heads started appearing 🤣
Our new mumma did amazingly! One birthed with just the head so needed some assistance
One birthed perfectly
One birthed backwards so also needed assistance
I can honestly say it was the best experience I have ever had, what a privilege and delight to assist birthing these beautiful kids! All up and feeding well.
As our first livestock born at Muddle Farm these guys are going to hold a special place in our hearts!
Not to forget to introduce another new member! Our beautiful lady pig Violet! She has come to us from a friend who adopted her from piglet and has grown to be hugely friendly but a bit too much to handle at home 🤣
She loves a belly scratch and is settling in no issues! We will be looking to breed her once we have her weight on track again!
Muddle Farm has grown today and we are so excited (and slightly terrified) of the future 🥰
One year ago today we rescued our first hens...
We agreed to start small with 6 girls, to then return the next day for a Cockerell (Mo) and 5 more girls 🤣
Since then we have rehomed 14 bantams, 4 more hens, 3 quail and raised 6 Indian runner ducklings! We lost our beloved Mo but are looking to bring another handsome fella in to meet our ladies sometime this year and continue expanding our flock!
One of our hens have started showing rooster behaviour and features so I've done a little research.... I thought this information would be interesting to share.
"A spontaneous s*x reversal occurs in a hen when her left o***y becomes somehow damaged or fails to produce the necessary levels of estrogen. A hen’s left o***y is the only organ in her body producing estrogen. Without the left o***y properly functioning in a hen, the estrogen levels in her body will drop to critically low levels and conversely testosterone levels will rise. Without proper estrogen levels, how do chickens lay eggs? The hen will no longer produce eggs.
More disturbing though, a hen who’s left o***y has failed and consequently has elevated testosterone levels in her body, will actually physically transform to take on male characteristics. Such a hen will grow a larger comb, longer waddles, male-patterned plumage, and spurs. Moreover, this hen will also adopt aggressive rooster behaviors — such as a hen crowing.
You might be thinking to yourself, just because a hen with high testosterone levels grows spurs, long waddles and takes to crowing like a rooster — does not make her, in fact, a rooster. It just makes her a very butch hen. If that was all that happened in a spontaneous s*x reversal of a hen — you would be correct." -backyard poultry
5 mile walk with the gang today! Desperately needed and well deserved! We were lucky and missed all the rain and even got chips after! Now we've been through all our seeds available for this year, and realised how late we are doing it, we're planning out what we'll be growing this year, among the seeds we have some sunflowers that came from my home in Enfield London which we will be growing again and will also be available for sale along side our eggs!
Looking forward to brighter days ✨️ 😊
Stop taking photos and just throw the ball!
Poochies 🥰 last day with our Daisy dot so we have had lots of play time and cuddles! We cannot wait for her to start her new journey in such a beautiful, loving home 💜
Welcome to our newest additions! Frazzlexsilkie chick's and two beautiful bunnies have found their forever home 🥰
Spilsby
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Bean 2.0 (yes we named her after the dog) is very chatty today.... what do you think she's saying?
The key risks to farmers when their land becomes flooded are, physical loss and damage to crops, livestock buildings and/or equipment. The land ifself may also become damaged, for example, compaction caused by long periods under water. Soil compaction can have negative effects on crop production, including restriction on root growth and reduced water-holding capacity as hard landscaping does not allow rainfall to drain into the soil below.
Fencing complete 💪 For this paddock anyway! Stock fencing is a fantastic all- round fencing. Though the electric is a great deterent, some animals (like ours) learn that if they run through it fast enough, they don't get much of a zap AND are able to steal extra snacks! It is also liable to be affected by overgrown grass, trees, or hedges, or the pigs dig and bury the wires in mud and will reduce the voltage, making it less effective or non existent The combination of stock and electric means the pigs are unable to charge through the electric (or bury any wires) and the goats, though are able to climb this type of fencing, are unwilling to do so because of the electric. This also reduces our electric usage as we now only have 3 wires - one low for pigs, one mid point for young livestock like kids, and one high to stop climbing. We can not wait to start on the next paddock! What a game changer!!
An evening feed consists of more than just chucking dinner in and then feeding ourselves (once warmed and dried) We do a quick check on fencing. Any faults in the electric or structural damage could mean escapee animals (we've had enough of those) or even wildlife endangering our livestock. We do a visual check on our animals and monitor their intake to keep note of their health and any changes. Frozen water will be rebroken, and ice is removed, and those that are shut in pens will be shut in for the night. The safety, health, and comfort of our animals are top priority, and we have been known to be out late in all weathers until all is well... we just wish the animals had their own safety, health, and comfort in mind too cause sometimes it seems like they are oblivious 🤣
Ruminants (cattle, sheep, and goats) create “energy” from the digestion of carbohydrates. But they also need adequate protein to help digest the forage. This “heat of digestion” helps the animal stay warm in cold weather. It is even more crucial to feed animals well in winter months, we like to up their intake slightly to help them keep weight which also aides in keeping warm!
Animals need a constant supply of water. They can’t go more than 24 hours without water. Cold temperatures can freeze pipes, which limits supply and can lead to pipes breaking, flooding buildings, and making an uncomfortable housing environment. With this being such a risk, as we are still in the process of properly installing automatic troughs and insulating pipes, we ensure a full water check multiple times a day, this includes breaking frozen water troughs and removing any ice... It's not my favourite job 🤣
Luckily, most of our animals don't struggle with fireworks. We have one worried dog and a panicked pig, back in their pens, safe and sound for now.... it'll be a long night, but I'm sure we'll get through. Please always notify anyone near you who may have animals before letting off fireworks. It allows us to prepare and prevent animals from escaping, like tonight.
When it comes to barnyard animals, goats might be the weirdest. Unlike sheep, which are content to stay with their herd, goats are naturally curious and independent, often getting into mischief as a result. In a recent interview with National Geographic, University of Maryland sheep and goat expert Susan Schoenian explained that of all the livestock she’s worked with, goats exhibit the oddest behavior. Even getting them to stay in a pen proves surprisingly challenging. “We frequently tell people [that] if you want goats in a fence, you need a moat,” she says. “They're always looking for a way out.” - nationalgeographic.com
Good morning from the piglets 🌞
Violet and our new lady piglets (Bean & Toffee) met today! Violet is a very social pig and loves being around her new friends. She's shown very maternal behaviour, though never having farrowed before. She is very gentle, and we are looking forward to our girls growing up and farrowing together ❤️
Our new OSB girls are getting used to us. We don't like to pressure them into making contact but still need to work with the animals for easy handling, especially as when they are fully grown, these ladies can roughly weigh 129-145kg . At this age its good to just be with them, getting them used to your smells, sounds, and movements.
New paddock = happy pig 🥳
Not bad for a 5-minute job! Needs completing and sprucing up but we're hoping for some happy pigs and some well dug up soil for our allotment next year!! This is a great example of how we can utilise our animals for our benefit while giving them new adventures and a fresh zest for life 🥰
Ita been a bit hot for our big girl Violet but she loves a hose down in the sunshine! We love a happy pig 🥰
The good ol'English summer ☀️ Rain never stops us. We just learn to dance in the rain, and if we fall, what a great excuse for a giggle (and a cuppa tea while you dry 🤣)
Barry our young buck Boer goat! He's a friendly, playful chap and was actually our very first livestock at Muddle Farm 🚜
Morning feeds ✅️ Fill water ✅️ Cuddles ✅️ Muddy puddles for cooling pigs ✅️ Poo picking ✅️ Feeling the heat already ✅️
Happy Birthday Spaniel 🥳🥰
We haven't had much, if any chance to do our garden lately, soo... send in the goats! They're fantastic at eating weeds and keeping the grass short!!
Dinner time 🥳🚜
