The pigs are drinking lots of water these hot days. #rarebreed #freerange #NativeBreeds

Ducklings hatching several days early 🙄 but now up to four #RareBreed #ShetlandDucks

But on the bright side, it seems spring is finally here and my #rarebreed #chickens are allowed out to play! Fruit trees are blossoming, the sweet peas are starting to romp away and we’re taking a bunch of sprouted and chitted potatoes up to N’Yorks to plant.
Now to find a good tree surgeon to help the old #oak up there

It’s been raining all day and already I miss the snow. But hammering through 30cm of ice in the sheep troughs every morning was getting to be a chore. #organic #regenerative #RareBreed

@vermisstpfarrer we slaughter them ourselves with great care. They’re for our own consumption, not commercial. This year, in total, I’ve hatched, raised and slaughtered ten drakes, sold on six ducks to new breeders and kept four ducks to add to our tiny flock. Eating them is essential if a #RareBreed is to be kept going. Thanks for asking the more ‘delicate’ questions and, as you say, hooray for the CW!

Preparing the last of this year’s drakes for the freezer. They’re Shetlands, a #RareBreed and are black with a white bib and about the size of a mallard, so not huge. I keep them because they’re good sluggers, rare and therefore needing breeders, shy and a delight to watch… and eat. It’s a good rainy day job.