Speed Farming

I think I've invented a new Olympic sport. It's suitable for individuals, or can be run as a pairs competition.   The first rule for the pairs option is to clarify who is responsible for turning off the electric fence.

The event goes like this (I'll put it all in one breathless paragraph to give you a sense of the speed involved);

Rip open roller door on garage, fill containers with layers pellets and chick mash, grab water container. Enter chicken house, fill feed trough with pellets, open chooks exit door and ventilation windows. Tell Abu off for pecking at my feet. Climb over chicken mesh dividing wall into baby chick section. Fill food containers, empty grass and muck out of water dish then refill. Dash outside and gather big handful of fresh greens for chicks, filling big chooks outside water container at same time.  Close door into chicken house then leap into car before driving madly up to The Farm. Open gate, zoom up driveway (keeping cautious eye out for escapee piggles).  Scoop up half a container of pig nuts. TURN OFF ELECTRIC FENCE. Climb over fence, spread pig feed across ground.  Race up to tap at house, fill four bucketsful of fresh water for pig trough. Fill chooks water container, grab chook food and wade through long grass to chicken run. Fill food container, clean and fill water container. Look for bantam in pig paddock and round up back into chicken run.  Remove piggle from water trough. Fill trough with four more buckets of water.  Scratch piggles heads, turn electric fence back on and leave.

If that doesn't require athletic skill and stamina I don't know what does!

The reason I've been speed farming lately is that life has been so busy, with more excitement than an episode of Shortland street.

Had our first medical emergency on Friday night.  Just in case I was over-reacting I called The Boss in for a second opinion.  Abu and his girls had been monstering Pinecone my wee frizzle rooster.  They'd not only plucked the back of his head, someone had partially scalped the poor little man! The Boss agreed it was time for an intervention, so we caught wee Pinecone and he spent the night sleeping in a cat cage in our lounge. Saturday morning we rehoused him with Figgy and her brood. After a few dramas things appear to be going fine.

Tomorrow I'll cover Thanksgiving Dinner and the rest of the weekend fun, but right now I have to go clean out the chicken coop and thank Apple for the egg she has hopefully laid.

What I've learnt today:
1. In the modest period of time "Abu the Roo" has existed, my blog has had visitors from New Zealand, Australia, USA, Malaysia, Germany and the UK. I'm curious to know how some of these folk have found me.
2. Constantly checking the Trade Me auctions I have closing this afternoon DOESN'T make more people bid on them.