the daydream fund challenge thread

RAS

That looks brilliant. I really liked Lionacleit when I went there, particularly the way they combined school and community use.

Good luck with the fencer and look forward to a photo or two.

choille

A few of the schools are doing plant to plate - growing the grub they eat & incorporating the whole growing thing into the syllabus. I am always inspired when I hear talks on this scheme, it's truly wonderful. I think they should start again in secondary schools doing the garden skills & DIY, technical stuff. I'm sure a lot of kids would rather learn how to fix things, or grow things.....but that's just a rave.

lostinrates

choille wrote: »

I don't really like penning hens but it's obviously sensible. God these Orpingtons are gorgeous. I can see why people rave about them. The big ones in the big pen come stomping towards me when I go down with scraps - you can hear the thump, thump on the ground from their huge feet..

Because my horses are barefoot they can pretty much sneak up behind you, no such chance with my cochin or cochin crosses. :rotfl:When the full flock thunder towards you across the concrete yard it has people in stitches. I'm full of chicken love today, my little favourite from this years hatch Pet, came for a cuddle and a scratch, she really is a very, very beautiful bird, possibly the most beautiful I've ever seen.

I'm glad you love your orpingtons.

alfie_1

lostinrates wrote: »

Because my horses are barefoot they can pretty much sneak up behind you, no such chance with my cochin or cochin crosses. :rotfl:When the full flock thunder towards you across the concrete yard it has people in stitches. I'm full of chicken love today, my little favourite from this years hatch Pet, came for a cuddle and a scratch, she really is a very, very beautiful bird, possibly the most beautiful I've ever seen.

I'm glad you love your orpingtons.

it still makes me so goosebumpy when i hear people talk of thier "animals" with genuine affection...[ people who just "have" animals are missing so much.] be it a chicken, a sheep, with or without names , the respect for thier welfare is obvious to those of us who appreciate the species for what it gives us as well as what we give it. well done all.

Davesnave

Good Lord! I'm not keeping up very well here, but a belated 'Hello' to fuddle.

It's a lovely morning here, so I guess it will be back to grovelling in the mud.:( I'm putting in new pipes and bases for the two water troughs, which now find themselves inside our market garden area. The sheep will be with us by the weekend, so at least one of them has to be working by then.

To answer lir's question, asked elsewhere, these sheep aren't destined for our freezer, because Pete the farmer wants to pay money for their keep. That's fine; I think the going rate is about 60p per sheep/month. Anyway, it's nothing, compared with what we owe him, both financially and in goodwill!

For those who follow it, I have just updated our photostream, so here's the link:

Lotus-eater

Davesnave wrote: »

For those who follow it, I have just updated our photostream, so here's the link:

Amazing chillies Dave!

60p a month, hardly worth all the fencing for that, but you've still got to keep it in good condition somehow. What's the long term plans with the pasture land?

lostinrates

alfie_1 wrote: »

it still makes me so goosebumpy when i hear people talk of thier "animals" with genuine affection...[ people who just "have" animals are missing so much.] be it a chicken, a sheep, with or without names , the respect for thier welfare is obvious to those of us who appreciate the species for what it gives us as well as what we give it. well done all.

I do love them, as a group and individually, but I'm under no illusion they are here to do a job. Everything but the cats is here for a job. The bird boys, bar the resident cockerals are all called ''Supper'' because it reminds us what they are. Its important to me the Suppers have a good life, the best I can give them. Its important they trust me, so the end can be quick and as low stress for them as possible. In the same way I love my dogs and cats but don't expect them to be vegetarian we eat meat..but not every day. Doing that in the least detrimental and most ethical way is important to me, whether its the birds here or meat I buy. Its one of the things that troubles me most about making decisions to, for example, have a takeaway or eat out.

But nothing that doesn't do a job, except the cats, can come here. I expect to keep it in retirement or until its demise one way or another, but it must have a purpose.

Lotus-eater

I would think the cats do an important mousing job around the farm. Oui?

Or are they lazy fire cats

lostinrates

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I would think the cats do an important mousing job around the farm. Oui?

Or are they lazy fire cats

Our cats are both pretty formidable hunters...I've often half joked I expect them to bring venison home one day.., but we've inherited the feral barn cats who are something else entirely. Plus the farm next door has a colony of cats too.

We're trying to tame one of the ferals because we took her to the vet and she has the very beginning of renal problems...and really needs to be able to be handled for the future, or pts. I'm not sure yet how its going to pan out, its time consuming too.

In fact one of ''ours'' has become pretty much a house cat since moving, she'll only really go out with us, which is sad. I think she's home sick for Somerset. Poor wee soul, we make these decisions for them with barely a thought.

Lotus-eater

lostinrates wrote: »

we make these decisions for them with barely a thought.

True, when we moved into the country we were down to 2 cats, both very town cats, one the chirpy cockney cheeky type and one who hated being round other cats and needed space.

When we moved the one that needed space, hated it as it turned out and wanted to be inside all the time. Then went missing not long after we moved in. Although a few other cats from the village went at the same time and badgers are suspected.

The cheeky one caught a rat on her first day, promptly went missing and only came home after I had been searching for her for 7 days! I actually saw her walking home from the farm across the road she seemed very pleased with herself and absolutely stunk to high heaven, god knows what she'd been living in.
After that, she had to stay outside for a while (even when you stood next to her in the garden she smelt awful) and liked it so much she almost never comes in now, just leaves me mousey presents by the back door.
But she is impossible to keep out of the raised beds and leaves me "presents" in those as well, I think after she goes we'll give it a try without a cat.