Fly strike is the bane of every sheep farmer’s life over the summer months and the first part of the morning was spent treating a ewe with a small patch under her tail. By shearing off the fleece over the affected area, it dries up and the maggots die and caught early it’s not too much of a problem. Miss it for a few days though and the unfortunate animal is driven to distraction as it’s consumed alive and eventually dies.
The exceptional weather of the last couple of months has had a profound impact on us here. When you live off the land, weeks of cold and wet are more than just an inconvenience and never before have we come so close to running out of vegetables. The freezer stock is all gone and the dried beans are dwindling, but finally the summer crops are coming. Courgettes, french beans, runners, turnips and beetroots have all been kick started by the sudden heat and finally we can stop eating spring cabbage!
Courgette in bloom
The New Zealand bunnies are nearly six weeks old now and before they are separated from the doe I thought I’d get a family photo. She’s done very well rearing the ten young and I hope for a decent price on Saturday, when a couple of the young does will be off to market. I haven’t broken it to the other bunnies yet that some of them are already booked onto a course – rabbit preparation and butchery!
N.Z bunnies with the doe