Farming Friends

It is important to keep chicks and guinea fowl keets warm once they have hatched out. Putting them in a brooder with a heat lamp is highly recommended.

TopVeg asked in a comment, “Please can you tell us how long we have to keep the chicks under a light to keep them warm?”

Both chicks and guinea fowl keets require heat for about the first 6 weeks after hatching and then the heat can usually be turned off after 6-8 weeks depending on the conditions where the brooder is located and the number of birds in the brooder.

When turning off the heat lamp keep an eye on the chicks / keets and if they start to huddle together then reconsider turning the lamp on for short periods of time until the chicks / keets become accustomed to the ordinary air temperature.

Also you need to remember that the brooder temperature must be 90-95 degrees fahrenheit for chickens for the first week and then can be reduced by 5 degrees fahrenheit each day until the temperature reaches 70 degrees fahrenheit.

For guinea fowl keets the brooder temperature should start at about 95-100 degrees fahrenheit for the first 2 weeks and then reducing by 5 degrees fahrenheit.

Snowy was limping the other day and I was worried it might be something serious and I would have to take her to the vet. Thankfully that was not the case.

The following day Snowy was still limping a little bit but the next day she was back to her normal spritely self.

I inherited Snowy when I moved to the farm four years ago. She has always lived outside and was very much a ferral cat. The farmers used to just call her puss but I decided to name her Snowy.

Four years on Snowy can be stroked, she will come when called by her name (probably as she knows this means it’s feeding time!), she likes to rub up against my leg and she will roll around on the floor in front of me which is a sure sign that she is comfortable with me.

Honey glazed roast quail makes a great starter or gives the roast dinner a sweet taste.

Spread honey mixed with a dash of balsamic vinegar onto the quail and then roast in the oven for no more than 30 minutes on a medium to high heat.

If served as a starter, cut the quail in half and serve half a quail to each person.

One quail is enough for a main course serving.

A family of moorhens have been living in the back field for some time now and every so often I get a glimpse of one of these lovely black birds. They are very quick birds with extremely good hearing and my approach usually sends them running or flying away.

On Sunday I could see three of the moorhens near the back field and I luckily had my camera so managed to catch two of the birds on camera. I’m afraid it’s not the best photo but at least it’s evidence that they are inhabiting our land.

What unusual birds have you spotted in and around your garden?

Sexing the male guinea fowl means looking out for the following characteristics;

Male Guinea Fowl

• Males have more upright posture.
• Males have longer, larger cupped wattles.
• Males only make 1 syllable call.
• Males have larger helmets.

Guinea fowl sexing can be difficult so let farmingfriends know if you would like any help with identifying the gender of your guinea fowl.

Pruning roses is our gardening job at the moment. My husband has found that if he prunes the roses, they flourish and flower in the Summer months and produce beautiful displays like this rose archway.

We look forward to seeing these beautiful roses that arch the entrance to our garden.

What flowers are you looking forward to seeing in your garden this year?

Join

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As The Garden Grows for more information.

Lots of things are heavy on the farm.

A sow weighs approximately 200-300kg.

A straw bale weighs approximately 250kg.

A silage bale weighs approximately 600kg.

A cow weighs approximately 650kg.

A bull weighs approximately 900kg.

A modern tractor weighs approximately 5000kg.

A combine harvester weighs approximately 10,000kg.

There are lots of heavy objects on the farm!

If you would like to join Photo Hunters then click on the image below for more information.