Wiltshire Village Meats Farm Diary - May 2008 -

	Wiltshire Village Meats Welfare - - Quality				In association with Walter Rose and son Family Butchers
NOV 2008 OCT 2008 SEP 2008 AUG 2008 JUL 2008 JUN 2008 MAY 2008 APR 2008 MAR 2008 FEB 2008 JAN 2008 DEC 2007 NOV 2007	FARM DIARY THE EVERYDAY STORY OF LIFE ON A WILTSHIRE FARM
	Links to other pages HOME FARM SHOP FARM SHOP - Greeting Cards WALTER ROSE ABOUT OUR FARMING FARM DIARY RECIPES QUESTIONS CONTACT US		May 2008 May Day festivities Across the country many people celebrate the 1st of May in all kinds of strange ways. For Rachel and Muriel it started with an early morning phone call to say some pigs had escaped and we needed to go and catch them. Fotunately it was a fine morning and the pigs were hungry and quite happy to go home for breakfast. We returned to the house to find Maggie, our little cat had started to have kittens in Camerons clothes draw. By School-time Rachel had seen the second kitten safely born, by mid-morning we had five healthy little kittens. They are all mainly black with white toes. The day ended with another phone call - a sow had escaped onto the lane at Crooked Soley - unable to raise any of the local staff Cameron and Stuart had to make the return 25 mile journey to put her back and mend the fences. Some days it never seems to stop! 7th May Heat Wave After such a cold spring it feels like July - the sows are making full use of their wallows and the grass and crops are growing at an incredible rate. I have no idea if this weather is here to stay but it's lovely while it lasts. 9th May Little cat Diary Our five kittens are growing wonderfully, in fact they are huge. Despite being small, Maggie is being a great mum and so far is looking really well herself. The two females have now opened their eyes, but none of the males interestingly. All three males are bigger than the females. We have been weighing them every couple of days and one of them has put on 65g in 2 days! Unfortunately I have very few photographs as my Camera broke after taking a few photographs just after they were born. However, black kittens against a black Mother in a dark drawer were very difficult to photograph. A new camera has been ordered and I will make up for lost time once it arrives 10th May Birthday Picnic and Red kites Saturday afternoon we had a birthday picnic at Crooked Soley for Camerons two year old nephew, Jonathon. It was a beautiful afternoon and Cameron drove us all round the pig fields which everyone really enjoyed, particularly birthday boy who loves animals and machines. The highlight of the afternoon for the adults at least was sight of a Red Kite. Although I have seen them nearby I have never seen them there. It flew right above us twice, both times of course when I didn't have my Camera. Next time I'm up there I will try to get a picture. 14th May Pig Fair and Prizes This week what remains of the British Pig Industry converged at the Royal Show Ground in Warwickshire for the biennial 'Pig Fair'. Whilst it was definitely a smaller show than previous years it was a very interesting day and gave us the chance to catch up on various friends and business contacts and look at all kinds of new machinery, equipment and innovations we can't possibly afford. Perhaps the best part was Muriel winning £300 for guessing what the average pig price would be this week. This was a competition launched in March by the trade magazine 'Pig World', which I entered for a bt of fun - never dreaming of actually winning! 15th May - Little cat Diary Two weeks old The kittens are almost walking, all their eyes are open. They are even beginning to play in a wobbly kind of way and once I heard one purr!
	For further information on anything on this site please contact Muriel Naughton Email: Naughton@Farming.co.uk