With Josh away, I had to go to Tregurnog. At the moment all poultry has to be kept indoors due to avian flu outbreak in wild birds. This happens most winters. I went into the large shed where the chickens live on Saturday morning to find a lot of storm damage to the back wall. There were tin sheets flapping everywhere. My father was in the adjoining barn so I shouted through. “I’ll look when I go passed on my way to feeding the sheep” He shouted. I did hear the quad drive passed but I was busy clambering around in the old sheep shed. The area was divided into lots of pens when there were sheep in there. The hens love to lay in nooks and crannies that I can’t reach. Josh with his long gorilla arms can reach them all easily. I failed to reach 2 and climbed back over into the main shed. But where were all the chickens?
I looked towards the door, it had blown open with the added wind caused by the gaps in the back wall. Luckily I had shut the bottom door in the porch because the feathered little buggers were all in there. As fast as I picked one up and pushed it back through the door, there was another to replace it. I didn’t know where they were all coming from. It was like trying to push water uphill. In the end I had to use the garden fork, parallel to the floor about a foot up to make the space smaller causing them to have to go back in. Naughty cluckers. With them all sorted and a somewhat disappointing egg haul, I went to walk around the sheep with Skye.
When I got back to the truck I put the dog in expecting to see my father sitting there but no sign. Oh heck! I headed around the side to the back of the barn. There was a hen strolling about so I grabbed her and held her tight out of the wind. I found him sitting on a chair. “How did you manage to catch her she was up there just now?” “Sheer skill and a rapid turn of speed” I smirked. 😁
“Are you OK?” “No, I’m wiped out from propping 2 posts up to keep those sheets down. I need a rest” “I’ll fill the hay bag for you.” “NO! I’ll do it after a little rest” So stubborn aye. I waited, still cwtching the chicken until he finished resting. He insisted on filling the hay and tying it down to the quad ready for the morning. Then off we went back through the barn. I got the travelling hen back on home turf and shut them all in tight. Again.
Neil fed at Garth Hall in the morning while I was at Tregurnog. I went to Garth Hall in the afternoon, fed the Piranhas and the outfield sheep before going down to the alpacas. Thankfully by now it had stopped raining. Neil had taken a new bale round in the morning making it easier to take hay to the weanlings, boys and jail. As I was heading back from that, I saw the lights of Neil’s quad. I heard a few beeps of his horn meaning something was up. He was quietly driving 3 ewe lambs down from above the boys field. I made my way up and we kept them steady in the top corner section. “The one I cut out of the brambles yesterday has a big sore patch on her side. We need to have a look at her. Take the crook and we’ll drive her into the pen. I’ll just go and open the small gate.” He drove down on the quad to open the gate and came back up to meet me and the sheep. We had made up about half way down where there is a gap in the hedge. I was worried they would make a break for it and of course they did. Neil went off in hot pursuit.
I wandered aimlessly around, trying to avoid having to walk all the way back up the field cos its steep and tiring. He would be back in a bit. I knew they were on their way back because Atlas, Tex and El Cap started joing in the chase from inside the field that Neil and the sheep were going around. The boys were frolicking about like lunatics. “Stay on the corner then send her down!” This was all too reminiscent of the time I was the sheep dog when we didn’t have one while I was in primary school. I didn’t mind the running. I was the 2nd fastest runner in Cwmlai after Nicola Ridley, from chasing sheep. What I didn’t like were the sheepdog commands my father came out with once. I went ballistic. Anyway, I digress.
Getting sheep to go where you want without a well trained dog is worse than trying to push water up hill or herding chickens. You think you know what you’re doing. You have a plan. The sheep need to go from A-B. Simple. Except the sheep NEVER do what you want. There were a few more back up the field attempts with Neil reversing to stop them but then we thought we had her. She was heading for the corner. “Run Helen!” I mean I did my best but I can’t run downhill in mud. I fell last week so I’m even slower on the mud now if that was even possible) Plenty of shouting and waving the red shepherd’s crook and I had her in the corner. “You’ve got her! Catch her with the crook!” She was facing the left, back up the field. I moved the crook to get her as she made a break for it and bugger me she turned and went the other way! I had been wrong footed. I moved the crook as fast as I could the other way but only managed to hook a back leg. She was off. We couldn’t chase her anymore or it would cause distress. She can’t be that bad if she can move that swiftly. We’ll try again tomorrow.
Sunday came with yet more rain. Luckily our waterproofs had managed to dry but I’ve developed a small leak in my left welly so I’ll have to get a new pair. The hens behaved better today. As a reward I took them a white cabbage. Its hung up for them. It’s a bit like a punchbag but they peck at it. They demolish it in a couple of days too! There were 3 hens sitting in separate places. I collected eggs from a few spots and gave them food and fresh water. Hens still sitting. I spent a bit of time trying to fix a portion of the back wall from inside the shed. By then one of the hens had moved. One lovely warm egg. I made my way to the next hen. There were 6 eggs when she got up. Not all hers so definitely a popular place to lay. Then onto the final hen where I got 3 eggs. 17 eggs today + 2 that I couldn’t reach so that was much better.
From there I took the dog out. When we got back I expected my father to be in the truck but once again there was no sign of him. I went to the back of the barn. He was worried about a large tin sheet flapping dangerously about in the wind a good 10 foot up the wall. “Well need to go inside so I can secure it!” “I’ll go up the ladder.” “No, I’ll do it!” So there I was at the bottom of the ladder holding it as secure as I could while a stubborn old man went up it. My heart was in my mouth but eventually it was done.
The weather is so bad, with no respite we can only make temporary repairs. I’m assuming if it’s dry and less windy Josh and my father will look at it on Monday. I just hope the shed and the chickens are all safe in the morning.
The downpipe from the barn at Garth Hall has been the only other casualty (so far). A section has blown completely off. It’s part of the pipe that fills the IBCs so in the morning, once the silvernoses and barn ewes are fed and watered, I’ll have to go and search for that. There’s just no let up in the bad weather. The lambs are due next weekend, the fields are waterlogged and now repairs to do as well! I wonder what will be next? I’ll be off soon to survey the damage…
Helen x
