Page 15 - News

Well hello again,

So Spring has Sprung    Woo Hoo I hear you all say, Yes me too. So my question is who has finished lambing? Bought birds.... the egg laying kind? Has a new pony/horse or extending their grazing? Is new to electric fencing? OR Does your naughty dog or cat keep getting in the nice growing flower bed? Well if you are any of the above or something I have not mentioned then this blog might be right up your street..

So you have been on the  line and bought a nice shiny new kit, you

Have you ever been to Stirlingshire?  It is a beautiful part of Scotland - the 'Gate Way to The North'.  If you haven't been there - you should visit.  And guess what... I know a great farm stay which is beautifully done up and right in the middle of the farm so you can get involved if you want to.

I was lucky enough to be brought up at Old Leckie. The farm is now run by my brother, Fergus, and his wife Alison Younger (with their three girls).

Fergus and Alison have made a few changes over

As you may already know we support the fabulous charity Hillside Animal Sanctuary. In fact we did a blog on the Sanctuary and one of their stars Candy Floss the Highland cow last year. 

This summer, life continues to be very hectic at the Sanctuary with new animals requiring care and attention, arriving at the centre on a daily basis.

Most residents at Hillside Animal Sanctuary  have been rescued from the farming industry including many chicken, turkeys, ducks and geese.

Extended offer Now till the 30th June 2016

Check our great offer on the Centaur below!  

So the time of year has come for the ponies to be let loose on new grass but we all have the moment of dread, just how much will they eat and how big will the waist line end up?

Many of us think oh help... Laminitis... when we see the lush grass coming through and panic and suddenly remember the plan we had meant to execute over the winter period and buy a strip grazing kit to have ready for this exact moment

Are you sick of lugging that heavy battery up and down the field? Sick of forgetting to check the power left in the battery?

Well we have a solar panel that will attach to some batteries to lengthen the life of the battery at least 6 fold so go from charging the battery every 2 week to approx 4 times a year ( position to the sun dependant)

Sound too good to be true well its not...

If you have one of the following Energisers

Gemini 40.80 or 120

Raptor 0.2, 0.8, 1.7 or 3.2

Super Merlin

Super Hobby

Incubator Special

So you’ve taken the plunge and decided to bring on your own chicks – hurray!  Oh, but hang on a second….you’re going to need an incubator and you’re worried it’s going to be scary and difficult to decide which one to go for!

Nah, it’s easy really … although there is a lot of choice on the market you really just need to decide on a couple of things to help you choose which incubator to go for.

1. Method of Turning used by the Incubator: As the eggs incubate it’s essential to

Spring – Has it Sprung Yet?

So, what do the weather techies and scientists say about this year’s spring weather? Well you might be surprised... or again, you might not.

The National Met office say that we are now seeing a Growth Season for plants that’s around a full month longer than in 1990! Wow that sounds an awful lot to me. That surely must be good news ? -  but unfortunately it will also favour crop pests and diseases too..  For more details on how the weather is affecting plant growth

Native Breeds need support in the UK.  There are so many wonderful breeds - we should be mindful to look after them or some of them could be gone in a generation.

Connie, Joe and I got lucky and in the spring we went to see two lovely little Belted Galloway bullocks.  I have heard since that they have learnt the art of escaping and were found the other side of the river in a neighbour's field.  Time for some electric fencing ...??

Belted Galloways were featured on Countryfile a few weeks ago

We answer questions regularly on gateways, here are a few examples of different gateway openings for you.

This time of year is when the poaching damage can be done, here are some examples that might help you with this problem.

The Live Gateway

As you can see there is rope across the gateway stopping the livestock from pushing through or using it as a scratching post and bending it making it more likely to bounce open.

This means the field is protected from every angle should you have naughty livestock

Hi Guys,

Well today here in East Lothian the sun came up at 06.22 and goes down at 20.01 and the sun is trying to show the clouds, keep trying sun...

So that is over 14 hrs of daylight ( not I do not say sunshine lol), With the longer days I am sure those of you with chickens are loving the fresh eggs check out our kits and our offer of the Month of May

Then for those of you who are solar users do not miss out on this solar energiser offer ends 30th April 2016 we also have other energiser that