The Lock of the Lowe’s visitors centre managed to get one of the new camera working today. I had hoped that the main PTZ camera would be working, so that we could see the last of the Osprey chicks before they migrate. They are going to try to get it going next week. We are sending another camera to them next week to get a closer view of what you can see on the new camera. It is positioned on a feeder that is visited by both Pine Martins and Red Squirrels.
We have been sorting the Sheep and Lambs out today, to take to market in the morning. The lambs being free range had to be got into the pen before we were able to catch them. There were only six to catch, but it finished up taking the best part of two hours. The time it took us, any decent sheep farmer could have done it in half an hour Taking livestock to a Market is not the way that I like to sell animals. I would much prefer to sell them privately, to save them the stress that they obviously go through when being sold in a busy market, and going from one vehicle to another. I did advertises them a number of times since I have had them penned in. We had a couple of phone calls, but no one came to look at them. We are taking all of the sheep to market except for the Portland’s, as there is a rare breeds auction on the 11th of August, that would be a better option for them.
When you take animals to market, it is better to pen them so that the sheep are of the same type and size, it is then easier for the buyer to price them. So it is an early start tomorrow. When they are in the pens the potential buyers, touch, prod, and feel to see what condition they are in. The cattle part of the market is the worse place. Where the Auctioneer walks around the the sheep pens to sell the sheep, the cattle are put into a ring, where they are moved around by the market workers, by prodding them with sticks. Very often the cattle are whacked harder than they need to be. As much as I have a lot of respect for the RSPCA in what they do, at cattle markets they do not seem as diligent as they are in their other good work, and allow in my opinion unneccassry use of sticks on cattle.
As we were sorting the Sheep, I had second thought about sending the Texel’s Ewes, Dolly and her gang off. There are five of them that were orphaned when they were Lambs, and bottled fed by a young girl. They are very friendly but unfortunately I really cant keep them. We can only hope that they get a good home.