Farm animals

 It is a good idea to place some sort of flat structure where the chicks sleep and collect clean chicken manure. Its simple to scoop it and use it in the garden. I place into a bucket and add lots of water. Then I mix it well and spread it all over the kitchen garden

I read about people complaining how much their hens eat in the winter yet they dont give any eggs. I let mine roam free and find them often on the neighbors pile of horse manure, sifting through it with diligence :) I feed them only a bit extra in the morning and evening.

 Last summer I didnt have time to move all the straw bales from our field into the stable before the rain fell. Once wet I couldnt do much with them but to leave them where they are. This happened to be part of the new sheep field and Im glad now that I left them there. During rainy periods our clay soil gets very muddy and sheep dont like walking in mud all day. In this image you can clearly see the sheep resting on top of the straw bales. I see them often standing there, keeping their claws away from the mud which can otherwise cause claw infections. I will make sure from now on they always have some high ground to retreat to during muddy weather. You can also see in this photo that I have build a small corral connected to the shed. This really helps me a lot when catching he sheep for claw and wool clipping. Less stress for them and less stress for me :) 

 We simply LOVE our Muskovy Ducks :) They roam free around the farm and are always following after us. They have such great personality and I cant imagine life on a farm without them.

Living a DIY Life

The life on The Willow Farm is going on even though I'm not blogging lately about it :) Its a good life, simple life, a Do It Yourself (DIY) life. We were renovating one room in the old part of the house which is to be a guest room. We also wanted some new night tables and since we have pallet wood it was most natural to use it. So this is the design we have found on the net. We are very happy with it.

 They will be varnished slightly to darken them just a bit.

 Guest room is finished and is very cosy :) 

I have also built a new shelf for the pots in the kitchen to replace the metal Ikea one which you see on the wall. It has to be painted in white before it gets mounted on the wall.