Relaxed Farming - our farm in your classroom

After the rain and the wind it has been fabulous to have a day of sunshine. As mentioned on Sunday 27th we are no longer putting animals in the bottom paddocks but that still leaves half of the acre which at the moment we are happy to have the livestock out on when it is not raining. The turkeys in particular really spread their wings and not only headed out into their paddock for a run and a flap, but then managed to get into the rabbit area and then up on the roof of the hutches (see end photo). Here they proceeded to peck at all the leaves, both fallen and still attached, no doubt adding a few bugs to their diet en-route.
The chickens headed for the top of their enclosure to where the grass was the driest and getting the most sun whilst the dairy goats ran down to their paddock (avoiding the muddy bits where they could) and then proceeded to stand on the decking breathing in that lovely fresh air and looking somewhat bemused but content.
The only 'slight' worry we now have is the fact a fox was spotted IN with the chickens yesterday afternoon at around 2pm!! He was scared off by a passing neighbour on the footpath above our land but we are just a little concerned he may come back. Foxes tend to hunt and eat at night, hence most poultry owners ensure their birds are shut in by dusk. However, daytime fox sightings and raids are getting more common and if a fox sees lots of birds in one place during the day, the opportunity for a quick and easy dinner can be too good to miss...