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Donna Wildwood

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Posts posted by Donna Wildwood

  1. Phantom Pregnancy

    in Lurchers & Running Dogs

    Posted

    Is she eliminating as normal? Drinking as normal?

    Any discharge at all. If she were mine I would take her temp. She's probably fine but she could be starting pyometra.

    If not maybe pups are taking up room inside more than showing outside, try feeding a tiny portion, if she eats it then feed her little and often. Sometimes looking at a mountain of food can put em off.

    How is she on her walks?

  3. Soap Suggestions

    in General Talk

    Posted

    I have laughed so hard at these suggestions I nearly wee'd a bit!!!!

    Loving the idea of sweetie scented soap, could go well with my parma violet vodka I make :thumbs:

    I'm going to try a batch of pine tar (nearest to coal tar I can manage) once made and cures in a month or so I will be needing volunteers to try it :bye:

  4. Soap Suggestions

    in General Talk

    Posted

    Soap onna rope!!!! i had forgotten about them! Ace.

     

    I made my bloke some castille shaving soap and poured it to set in a tankard for Christmas, and got him a shaving brush to go with... Perhaps do them as well?

     

    I can't understand why shower gel is so popular, it makes me itch eeeeew!

    When I get my sheep carcasse back tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can make some soap from the mutton tallow;)

  5. Soap Suggestions

    in General Talk

    Posted

    I need some male opinions :D

     

    Along with everything else I make, I also make soap. i have now gotten to the stage where i can get my recipes certificated and be able to sell my soap legally (already have a shop in London wanting to sell it ;)) However, My recipes are all rather feminine.

    What scent of soap do you manly men prefer?

    All I have suitable at the moment are an unscented goatsmilk bar (made from tallow) and a mint and tea tree (made from coconut oil)

    I was thinking about trying a batch with pine tar added? Mixed with coarse sea salt it would make a really good scrubby bar for filthy mitts!

     

    Suggestions please :D:D

  6. Sheepskin

    in Taxidermy & Tanning

    Posted

    Yup 25 kg was what I got back as eatables :)

     

    Could I buy a herdwick fleece or 2 from you this coming shearing please? I LOVE making felt and spinning and the coarse herdy fleece is such a change from the shetties fleece, and a lot stronger for more hardworking items (in fact don't tell anyone but I have extended some of my dreadlocks with felted herdwick roving ;))

     

    What do you do with their skins from your meat animals?

    Again if ever you tan them/have them tanned I would very much like to buy one, herdy is a skin i don't have yet but is way up there on my wish list, that and a wensleydale skin :wub:

  7. Sheepskin

    in Taxidermy & Tanning

    Posted

    I don't weigh mine as a rule as usually they are only going in my freezer, i go by eye and condition. Or behaviour! The last hogg I sent came back as joints and chops weighing 25 kg not to shabby for a little sheep.

    I don't feed cake really just a few nuts in a bucket once a week or so to keep them keen on following the bucket.

    I give em hay when the weather is bad.

     

    You can see when to start rooing, and they will begin to shed at the wool break. Usually around late April. If it's still cold at lambing i will roo out the ewes, they feel the cold then and head for shelter when it is very wet, taking the lambs with them ;) I find the lambs very hardy, but not keen on damp bellies! I always give em somewhere with a dry floor to rest on if they choose.

     

    What sheep do you keep? Do you have shetlands too?

  8. Sheepskin

    in Taxidermy & Tanning

    Posted

    I have a couple of crossbreds ewes, their lambs are for meat, the rest are pedigree and I have a Registered ram, so for the pure breds I can wait and see how they turn out looks wise and behaviour wise.

    If they have a crap fleece, are poor mothers, are too flighty, show aggression to me, have foot problems etc they are freezer material.

    They are very easy to keep, they clear land of weeds and ragwort, they rear their lambs with ease, slaughter ready at 6 months, but tastiest at 18 months.

    This is the first problem I have had with one getting out on a regular basis.

    Only ever had to help one birth, you can hand pull (roo) their fleeces rather than shear them, which as a spinner means no cut ends spoiling my yarn!

    Being small no one wants to nick em either which is a bonus!

  10. Sheepskin

    in Taxidermy & Tanning

    Posted

    well I finally had enough of my best ewe constantly escaping, jumping out, destroying fences even from the goat pen which has 8 foot fencing....

    So she went on a little trip, and comes back on Thursday as chops and joints (we'll see if she can escape the freezer!)

     

    However she had the finest fleece of all my sheep (and was my first registerable sheep from my flock, sod's law) so I got the slaughterman to save and salt the skin for me.

    I have scraped and fleshed till my hands can take no more. The skin is now in a salt acid solution for 3 days. Never done this before so fingers crossed eh?

    I sent 9 skins away to be tanned last year, they spoiled 8 and I am still waiting on the 9th to be returned :(

    I figure even if I ruin it, at least I'll learn something.

    I will keep you updated :D

  11. My New Goldfish Tank :)

    in General Talk

    Posted

    Trust me my fish are worth any amount to me, since keeping them I have been able to cut down on my head meds. It really is true when folk say that watching fish is good for you ;)

     

    The cups and saucers are because I like them, and it means I can have some plants on the bare slate. I have the area of bare slate as that is where i feed them, and it is dead easy to siphon out any leftovers off the smooth surface ;)

     

    I don't grow commercially as such, but when I do the pruning i can either sell the cuttings, swap them or my local fish supplier has them for a bit of store credit ;)

    They are in 330 liters at the moment, and so far no algae!

    I think they will love it, and since August my white one Fsh has gone from the size of an almond to the size of a goose egg! Alot of people don't realise that they can grow to the size of a coconut, without the fins!

    • Like 3

  15. My New Goldfish Tank :)

    in General Talk

    Posted

    Yes please! how much do you want for it?

     

    Goldies have a reputation for destroying plants but mine are well behaved. But then I feed them veg and put duckweed in specially for themm to munch on.

     

    I have 19 different plant species growing in mine, from bacopa to tiger lotus :D

     

     

    To my reckoning, the tank will hold 720 liters :D:D:D

     

    Its 5 foot by 2 foot by 2 1/2 foot!

  17. My New Goldfish Tank :)

    in General Talk

    Posted

    lol! Not koi there are 2 of them in my avatar pic! 4 fantails 2 of em with only one eye each, 1 with deformed eyes, one with half a tail and a ranchu thing. I seem to collect broken fish :D

     

     

    Northern Lad, It came with an aqua one 1250 external canister, and I have the 750 external in my current tank so can move that over.

    Am building a stand for it, got to build a lighting unit too, but I'm not worrying with a hood as i want to grow some of the plants emmersed so their roots can strip the nitrates out the water ;)

    The good thing is, the current fish tank has paid for this one just from selling aquatic plants and red ramshorn snails! Bonus!

    • Like 1

  19. Best Way To Deter Unwanted Visitors?

    in General Talk

    Posted

    I don't want to ask a load of travellers lol! that's the reason for the move, I live on a traveller site and am pig sick of it now, the constant threat of eviction is shite, and I am fed up of the we share everything attitude. When you help pay for feed and hay, and pay the rent of my pasture then yes we can share the lamb. If I'm paying for everythig and doing all the work then i have all the lamb, simple!

    10 years was fun, but I want some roots now and something to work towards. This new place is legit and has permission for the static yay!

    I have a load of bare root black thorn so I could easily do that prickly fence idea!

     

    I got a good man, but don't want to be 24/7 with anyone so he has his own place ;)

     

    My mate has suggested that I just paint 'Kingdom Hall' on the gates. I bet that'd work!

     

    You guys are fab, thanks so much for the help x

    • Like 2

  20. Best Way To Deter Unwanted Visitors?

    in General Talk

    Posted

    Thanks for all the ideas lads!

     

    I am liking the idea of gleanies, noisy and taste delicious!

    I think I will take a friend with me, plenty of space and less times when no one is around plus company round the fire is always nice eh?

     

    I already have a Collie, and a few geese. Maybe a sign on the gate saying 'gates in constant use, no parking'?

     

    As for the 12 bore suggestions, I doubt I would get a license living in a static but would be handy if only for the foxes.

     

    Only downside I can see at the moment is I haven't seena single bunny on the ground yet?

  22. Best Way To Deter Unwanted Visitors?

    in General Talk

    Posted

    Well I am moving in the next couple of weeks, to a 3 acre market garden in the arse end of nowhere. At the moment it is a right state, and consequently all and his neighbor think it ok to go and help themselves to scrap etc.

    Got some big gates up now with a good chain and lock but.....

    I was there the other day clearing up and getting ready fo the move when a flatbed pulls up and the driver starts to have a nose about. I went over and asked what he wanted.

    .

    he asked how long I was planning on living there, so I said forever.

    He wanted to know if I was going to be there on my own, so i said no. Then the last thing he said before driving off was 'handy looking dog you got there'.

     

    How do I best deter unwanted visitors? I am going to be there on me own a lot of the time. Yes my dog is handy, but I have to go to work and take the dog with me. I'm just worried about putting in a load of graft to have someone else nick it.

     

    Any advice for me lads?

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