Mouse in the house

There's a mouse in the house.
Last night I arrived home to an open packet of Tim Tams that had been nibbled on ... And unlike usual it was not nibbled on by Tom.
I put a bait in the pantry and woke up to half of it missing. Hopefully that will be the last of the rodent visitors for a while.

On a sadder note, when I arrived home tonight and locked up the chickens, there was one missing. With the sniffer dog Buck to guide me, I found a lot of feathers in the yard. Clearly the local foxes are getting very bold to come so close to the house during the day. The chooks will stay locked up for a few days to prevent any further loss. I'm now left wondering whether having Grace around would have helped to keep the chooks safe.

Soft

The not so tough Bucko was a bit chilly this morning.
When lighting the fire I was wishing for some Melbourne style central heating on a timer!

Operation Horse

A few weeks ago the time came that we could move my horse Willy across to the farm.
I have never floated a horse before, so I thought this might be an exercise that took quite some time. I was pleasantly surprised that he walked straight onto the float and let out a loud neigh to announce his arrival at the farm.
The chickens, as always were the welcoming committee and checked out the float when Willy was clear.
I have been for a couple of rides since he came over, and he seemed very happy and relaxed in his new home.

Blondes on the move

Tom moved the blondes last week while I was at work and got some pics for me. They have settled in well and were enjoying the sunshine this morning.

 

 

Grace departed the company of the hens today, and I don't think the girls even noticed. I was happy to be outside and not have to watch my back. We had a roast chicken (from the local shops) for lunch to celebrate.

Tonight I had a very different experience from what would have constituted a Saturday night in Melbourne. I played midwife to a ewe with pregnancy toxemia. The ewe was not going to live past the next 24 hours and after my persuading, Tom decided to try and give the ewe a c-section by torch light to see if the twins were alive. Unfortunately one of the twins was well gone (hence how sick the ewe was) and the other wasn't alive either. I'm sad that we didn't have any success, however I guess that's "life on the farm".

6 days and counting

The countdown is on until we become de-Graced. After an unprovoked attack on Friday morning from Grace on my way to work, I have finally agreed that Grace can not stay on the farm. Knowing that no one else would want a crazy rooster, his days are now limited.

On a more exciting note, 4 of the cows (Clover, Citrus, Chloe and Debra) and their calves (Gem, Gidget, Gucci and Gippy Girl) made the move over to the farm yesterday.
They seemed pretty relaxed when I got home last night, and I am sure they're enjoying the plentiful grass.
I'll upload some pics soon.