by Steve Byrne | Dec 21, 2013 | animals, buildings, permaculture, smallholding
Well, the winter solstice is here, and as the shortest day comes to a close, its amazing to look back on everything that has happened over the last 12 months, and all the people that it has been our privilege to welcome to the farm. This time last year we had yet to grow a vegetable here, and without the hard work of all the volunteers, from near and far, we wouldn’t have seen the results that we did. The highlight of our year was surely the time we spent with our permaculture course visitors, and the energy that they brought to the farm.
by Steve Byrne | Nov 17, 2013 | animals
We hatched two lots of eggs this year, and would you know it, from nine chicks we got only two hens. Seven cockerels shouting at dawn every day is seven too many, and so they have all gone for the pot, bar one. Martin (I don’t name them;) is a wily young chap...
by Steve Byrne | Jun 1, 2013 | animals, permaculture
I’ve been fortunate enough to be around horses for 30 years now, and very early on, decided that horses would be my career. I’m ashamed to say that it is only now that I am getting to grips with pasture management. From a permaculture point of view,...
by Steve Byrne | May 7, 2013 | animals
This is Rain. He’s a two year old cob, who came to live with us this weekend, having been a resident at Holly’s Horse Haven, a horse rehabilitation and rescue centre in County Louth. He seems to have been more neglected than mistreated, and so apart...
by Steve Byrne | Mar 30, 2013 | animals
Horses are the most benign, friendly non agressive creatures, right? Well – never annoy one, or you might just end up like Mel. He must have upset Sherafey yesterday, because he came in from the field with a huge hole in his neck. She must have been very...
by Steve Byrne | Mar 24, 2013 | animals, smallholding, the farm
At last the rain and snow have stopped, and there is a hint of blue sky above us now. The wind is still bitterly cold though, and the snow shows no sign of leaving us any time soon. This winter has been an especially difficult one for anyone with livestock, and we...
