Polytunnel

It's been up for a while now and so far has only been used as storage for the animal food, but we now have a polytunnel greenhouse. The plan is that we will soon have an abundance of vegetables on the go ready for later in the year.

Buster & Twist

Twist

Buster

Buster & Twist (the goats) will be two years old next month. It's hard to believe that they are the same goats that I used to pick up with one in each hand. They are both very well and healthy although Twist has got a little fat so is now on a bit of a diet. They are both comedy gold and very mischievous.

Wilbur

Lula

Wilbur

A few months back when Bailey arrived with us he needed a companion. Strictly speaking it is illegal to keep a pig on its own, certainly in a farm environment, so I'm not sure how people are even allowed to keep them individually in their homes but that's another story.

We bought 'Wilbur' who is a Kune Kune pig so that Bailey wouldn't be too lonely. Now that Bailey has gone to pig heaven we didn't want Wilbur to be lonely so last week we added 'Lula' to the crew. Lula is also a Kune Kune. Wilbur is a male but let's just say he won't be having any children after a visit to the vet. Lula is female.

Bailey the 'micro pig'.

Several months ago Bailey the 'micro' pig came to us. He was sold as a micro pig and the previous owners were told that he would only grow to 12 inches tall. This is becoming an all too familiar story. He grew and grew and started wrecking their house. There are several companies that sell these 'micro' pigs but any vet or pretty much anyone who knows anything about pigs will tell you that there is no such thing as a 'micro' pig, it is all a big con. Pigs don't reach their full size until they are three years old. Bailey was only two years old and was already huge.

Bailey enjoyed his time at Kadesh farm and always looked very happy and would roll over to have his tummy tickled. Unfortunately last week it became necessary to have Bailey put to sleep. It is suspected that he had a brain tumour but without an expensive post mortem we will never know for sure. Over the last couple of weeks he had become very aggressive and started to attack the other animals and me. The vet was excellent and put him to sleep without fuss and he died doing what he loved in life - eating!

If you or anyone you know is considering getting a 'micro' pig then give me a call and I'll soon change your mind. DON'T DO IT! PIGS ARE OUTDOOR ANIMALS!!!!

Danni & Jessica

Danni the cow has had a calf which we have named Jessica. Both cows have gone for a visit to our friends Gerald & Sarah who have a much larger farm as they were churning up the grass during the wet weather. They will return to us in the summer and if 'The Colonel' has done his job then Danni will be back in calf. This picture was taken a few days after Jessica was born at the start of the summer. She is almost as big as Danni now.

Evan the goat.

Two weeks ago Evan arrived with us. He is a pygmy goat and has come to live with us because he used to live with another goat who sadly died a couple of months ago leaving Evan very lonely. We are hoping that he is going to bond well with Buster & Twist although at the moment they seem to be bullying the new boy when it comes to feeding time. Evan is very good natured and super friendly, he loves people and comes to the gate when you go to leave as if to see if he can come with you.

Massive update incoming!!!

Apologies that we haven't update the blog for so long. A lot has happened in the last few months so this afternoon I went out with my camera and took a load of pictures, which as they say are worth a thousand words. Rather than write one massive update I am going to break it down and do a post for each thing.

Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink.

Last week we had our old bore hole checked out to see if we could get it working. Unfortunately the verdict is that it would be cheaper just to drill a new one but this is quite expensive and out of the question for now. Thankfully at the beginning of the summer we had a trailer purpose built to carry water from home to the farm. It's quite a large tank which means that we only need to do it about once a week. I have already managed to drive off with the lid laying on the back and lose it!

Wow, what a year!

We can't believe how much has happened since we started the farm a year ago.

We have seen goats born, chicks and ducklings hatch, eaten our own eggs, reared our own rare-breed pork, eaten delicious free-range chicken, cleared masses of brambles and fallen trees, had a wedding at the farm, met Danni Dexter, built raised veg. beds, and the list goes on....

This year we hope to cram in just as much, if not more!

The students at Kadesh have participated in every step of the work and have enjoyed it and hopefully benefitted from it in many ways.

This Summer our plan is to be in a position to open the farm to the community on Saturdays. The idea being that families can come up to the farm, meet the animals, have a picnic or a barbeque and just have a special community place to relax and enjoy nature.

We intend to create: a nature trail through the orchard, a duck pond, an ornamental lily pond, a compostable toilet, a goats' play area, a tree house, a greenhouse, a herb garden, and so many more things that we might not get around to doing this year!

If you are interested in being involved in any aspect of the Kadesh Community Farm project, please call Andi or Steve for more information on 07941 333455 or the DC3 office on 01379 644223.

VOLUNTEER WORK DAYS!

VOLUNTEER WORK DAYS:

Saturday, 20th March, Saturday, 17th April & Saturday, 15th May.

Spring is on its way and we have big plans for the farm project this year!

During 2009, the farm has provided the Kadesh students with hours of worthwhile activity.

In 2010, our aim is to open the farm on Saturdays during the summer for families to enjoy the picnic area and meet the animals.

In the run-up to Summer we will be doing things like making a duck pond, putting up a greenhouse, digging up tree stumps, painting gates etc. etc.

There is a job to suit everyone!

If you are able to help for a day (9.30 ‘til 4), or just an hour or two, we would be very happy to see you!

BBQ at lunchtime!

For more information, or to sign up, please contact Andi Roy, Steve Jeffery or Adrian Roy on 07941 333455, or the DC3 office on 01379 644223.