There is just as much work on the farm during the Winter, as there is in any other season, it's just colder, wetter, muddier and there are less hours of daylight to work in.
Most mornings I get up at 5:20am and get to bed by 10pm.
Lately, as I'm not currently milking, my mornings are quite relaxed, so I get showered and make myself a pearl tea to drink in front of the fire, while I have my morning prayer time and bible reading.
The last week, I've been checking my Jersey cow, Hazel, before sitting down, as she is 7 days past her due date, however, apart from having more milk each day and a small amount of discharge, she is showing no signs of giving birth and is happily meandering around the paddock all day.
On days I'm not working, Doug and I head down to check on the sheep and cows in the morning. We've had 10 lambs born, so far this season, with about another 10 expected. These first lambs were 3 Aussie Whites (a new breed on our farm this year), followed by 5 Dorpers (all black and 2 sets of twins) and Merino twins. The last 7 were fathered by our Texel ram, Marty, who died of a head injury this year.
We are feeding out every second day as our livestock are hungrier in the cold weather and feed is thin this year. Despite the season, our animals are all still fat and happy, due partly to regular feeds and partly to ample mineral block access. Mineral blocks are a hugely important part of our farm management. Having access to the right blocks for the season or current requirements ensures healthy herds, prosperous reproduction and uptake of nutrients from grass and hay.
Our 9 goats are all in yards near our house and need a hard feed every day; they get a biscuit of each, lucerne, clover and oaten or pasture, in each of the three yards, as well as a small ration of hobby mix with their minerals in it (Livamol and Dolomite). We have a Himalayan salt block in each of their yards as well.
We got our first ducks this year, 13 muscovys, who live at the front of the goat yards, where they have lots of water for swimming. They are very quiet, making a small squeaking sound and a little hiss. The greatest thing about them is that they seek out insects, bugs and slugs; so they clean up the garden and water, eating all of the mosquito larvae. We have had about 20 duck eggs over the last 2 weeks, which were delicious.
We are down to 30 chickens, after a high of over 60 at the start of the year, with the kids selling about half our laying girls due to the high demand for hens. Of our 30 chooks, 8 are roosters who let us know it's morning about 2 hours before sunrise, with a mighty rooster chorus. Sometime in the next month we will choose the best three to keep, and process the others for the table, along with 2 drakes.
Doug and Steele have worked hard processing 2 steers over the last few weeks, filling our freezers and the dry ager with lots of beef. We still have some lamb from the 12 we did a couple of months back, but beef is still the family favourite. Yesterday, Doug got the smoker going and we had succulent, smoked steaks for lunch and smoked brisket and ribs for dinner; it was amazing! Steele has really taken to learning butchery, as one of his homeschool subjects.
And so the winter jobs continue; rain, hail or the dark of the earlier dusk...
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