There was a very faint aurora last night and I had to do some exposure compensation on the computer to be able to see anything, but as usual, it was pretty wonderful being out there in the garden under the stars - the Milky Way was spectacular and lots of shooting stars.
The weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow is pretty wild so I don't expect we will see much of the hens tomorrow as they tend to hide in the henhouse until it is all over.
Farmer let the hoggs out into the field behind Shian and Duill today. He had noticed that one or two of them had picked up the 'heather eye' which is a contagious eye infection they can get from the hay and silage - or in different circumstances, from the heather. The ones showing signs of the infection, cloudy eyes, have been separated from the rest. When they are all eating from the troughs it is easier for infection to spread. By putting them out in to the fields again, he can shake the feed out onto the grass and they will be more widely spaced..vastly reducing the chances of any further infection spreading. The ones he has kept back will get some eye ointment and fingers crossed they will be right as rain before long.
No 63, our oldest cow, is now in the cattle shed, opposite the bull. She deserves some home comforts at her age.
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They all had a good view this afternoon, sheltered from ferocious hail showers and quickening wind.
The hoggs were all put through the fank before going out in to the field. Cap had a lot of frantic watching to do. Even Farmer cleaning up the fank needed watching.
These 3 are the 'spares' - they will go out next week with the larger groups of ewes, and catch any who have been missed so far.
More watching, even once the hoggs are in the field.
