The English Paysanne

Once again it was time for Vanille and Bambo to have their little hooves clipped by their favourite farrier. Yves, who knows how to handle donkeys very well by being gentle spent no time at all cutting and filling each hoof, the knack is holding the leg correctly (and not being a pushover). A lot of farriers will not work with donkeys here as they have a bit of a reputation for being a bit naughty with complying with what is asked of them, some call it stubborn. Vanille and Bambo just know they are going to be supplied with carrots on demand if they behave themselves - they did get through quite a few this time.

Although the cows at La Singlarie are free ranging the fields there is not a lot of grass for them so hay is on the menu from now on. Now hay does vary, some is delicious we can't get enough of it and some is well were hungry so we will eat it, some is a bit brambly and weedy and some bits may not of dried out enough when it was bailed. The later was served to the cows the other day. They sifted through the good bits and left the bad bits which have to be taken away and disposed of, usually to be burnt. A pile of old wood, off cuts from the laurel bushes and weeds has been built in the small field where the donkeys are waiting to be burnt. This is where the old hay has been placed as well. Only a donkey would eat this hay, two donkeys who are so starved they forget the morning and evening ritual of carrot and fresh hay given and have been relegated to eat the left overs. If they had the number for the SPA here I'm sure they would be on the phone consta...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie "Cows to the left of us, cows to the right here I am stuck in the middle with you". "Yes Bambou but if you look really closely my ears are behaving like cows, shall we start mooing"?

It has been a week since one of our cows had her emergency Cesarean and thankfully she is doing really well, she had a bit of a high temperature at the beginning of the week but after two antibiotic injections she will be let out tomorrow to join the herd. Her and her calf who is also absolutely fine and feeding well have been in the hanger for the week to let her get over the operation as the hustle and bustle of herd life may of interfered with her stitches healing, the fight for best position at the hay and with the free range of walking the fields may of been a bit much. Vanille and Bambou have been keeping her company, chatting over the gate. They are a bit fed up being turfed out of the bestest place ever (the hanger), not sure why they love it so much in there and we have had a week of unbroken sleep as those donkeys love to make a noise clanger the metal fences, at least it hasn't rained on them. The calf, another male has had his ear tags put in...

After living at La Singalrie for 11 years at last the donkeys have a job to do. Not sure their up to it but there being given a permanent summer job of eating down the top section of one of our hay fields. For a few years now a clover like weed has started to grow and take over patches of our hay fields and other fields around, It seems to like the wet humid conditions, however the hay cutter doesnt like it so cutting isnt an option. The cows ate it last year and will do again in a different field. The year before that we pulled up clumps and clumps of it filling the tractor bucket time and time again moving it out of the field to compost. This was hard work so were hoping that Vanille and Bambo are going to help by eating it before it seeds. They left the security of the hanger today after an electric fence had been put up to stop them entering the rest of the field to be cut for hay, which by the shock I got from it today when testing to see if  it worked should keep t...

Vanille and Bambo are very happy with their trimmed hoofs, The farrier came on Monday when it was incredibly windy here making Vanille a bit stressed, animals don't like the wind, a bit like children they act a bit different and as Vanille is a bit highly strung on a normal day it didn't look good but calm Yves kept hold of her back leg as she done that shaky thing donkeys are so good at. I cant keep hold of their feet when this happens but then i wouldn't argue with Yves the farrier either and not even 30 minutes later all eight hoofs were neatly trimmed. Now we are searching for a donkey groomer as Bambo is loosing her winter coat but looking more like she has mange at the moment. There is a new dog groomer set up in a village that not that far away offering his services for 30 Euros, only the add says small dogs so not sure I could get away with a donkey. Although she is petite her ears may be a give away but I could do with  a hair cut but may come out like ...

On a very frosty chilly morning today the donkeys, Vanille and Bambo were booked in for a hoot trim, not by farmer J this time who's back is not up to the task at the moment but a very nice French marechal - ferrant, a farrier to you and me, who was so calm and efficient I only had time to take one photo. I had fretted during the night that these two girls were going to play him up (as they do with us) but they were as good as gold, I'm sure I caught Bambo fluttering her eye lashes at him. It still took half a bag of carrots to keep the calm but they are now wearing nicely cut and filled sabots (hoofs). And for 10 € a hoof it was money well spent as far as I'm concerned (not too sure about farmer J's feelings on the matter)

Miss F came back from Toulouse to celebrate her birthday.We met her French boyfriend (being English this can be quiet daunting for both parties) for the first time. We can't of been to frightening and not too bonkers as his returning for a few days tomorrow after enjoying his time chopping wood with farmer J and master C, who also returned before leaving to work the summer in Scotland.  The chicks have been enjoying the outside pecking at the grass and if an insect lingers long enough. The grass was so long it had to have a strim first as the chicks would of been lost, it's a bad enough corralling them in of an evening so hunting in the long grass was not an option. After one accidental death we now have 29 putting weight on ready for the table. The eldest pigs were brought down from their enclosure up the top, one went for pork at the beginning of the week with the other three next in line. They have had a good life here, a lot longer than an industrial pig as ...

 Sandy has now been moved to the birthing suite, she is due to farrow very soon although at the moment apart from a bigger tummy is showing no signs of piglets on the way, only hoping she hasn't been eating too many pies.  The day old chicks are now a month old and looking very different with their feathers. this is their panic pose when you enter the pen. Tomorrow they are going to be let outside now they are big enough not to escape through the wire fence.  The cows have moved fields a few times now, although there is plenty of grass in the rest of this field they seem to think they should stay in the mud. A ploy for a sympathy vote to be moved again to pasture new as the grass is always greener on the other side. a Another pair who are sulking due to being evicted from the poly tunnel are Vanille and Bambo, rather than sheltering under the trees they stay out looking like sad donkeys waiting for a passing carrot at pig feeding time. They are having d...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Pedicure time

It all got a bit too muddy for the seven pigs up the top of the hill (and for farmer J who was feeding them) so a move to empty enclosures was welcomed. The pigs moved in record time over electric fencing so I think they were as fed  up with the mud as much as we are. It's so much easier to fed when your boots don't get stuck. The piglets are growing, they have not yet ventured out into the enclosure still. Think they may be pigs that don't do mud. They have been introduced to cereal which they are beginning to get a taste for, mums been trying to fit in under the fence to get to their food as yet she hasn't managed, settling for a bit of hay to distract her. The nine laying hens from last year have been moved to join the old hens, two cockerels, gorgon and the two girls as well as the sheep. Shutting them in for a day (Gorgon was not pleased at being shut out for the day) I thought come the next morning they may return to the barn the following...

  After clearing half of the poly tunnel the other week (the other half is work in progress) an idea came into my head. Why not let the donkeys use that cleared half to shelter from the rain and damp weather.  So in they came, with no encouragement they were at the fence gate that surround the tunnel and proceeded to eat the weeds i had left - if only i had thought before weeding they could of saved me the job and they are pretty good at manuring it to. Electric fence wire has been threaded through both sides and tied to fence posts - they don't know it isn't connected, and hopefully it will stay that way. Not sure what they will think when they have to be evicted, which is what will have to happen as Vanille and Bambo seem to be spending a  lot of time hanging around inside waiting for hay and carrots to be brought to them. If the pigs food wasnt in the other half I may put them to use eating the weeds and breaking up the soil but a...