Scything continues with more fields this year but sheep to help me - though at the moment everything is growing so fast they can't manage to eat it quickly enough. The bracken is sprouting again and although there are same number as last year (alas), this year they are much, much smaller - which I take to be a good sign that I'm exhausting them. The grass seed in the new field has germinated which I hope will speed up the bramble eradication.
Sheep are now sporting leather collars and bells. I 'dagged' them this morning (cutting the wool around their backsides and on their tails). It stops the wool getting clogged with droppings which attracts blow flies who lay eggs is the wool - the maggots from which cause dreadful problems for the sheep frequently leading to death. I'll treat them against 'fly strike' with a pour on treatment (a replacement for old fashioned sheep dip) but the dagging is a good first defence. I think the blow flies don't exist in the high mountains so once my pasture is improved I may well put the sheep in the mountain 'estive' during the summer. Keeping the summer pasture for hay for the winter. It's amazing how thick and tough the wool is even though they're only lambs. They wont need shearing until next year when they've had their first winter coat.
This afternoon I went for a walk up the hills behind the Col de Sarraille which I can see from my house (1083m). There was no path, though fortunately the dead bracken from last year is still fairly well flattened from the winter snows. I nearly trod an a pair of adders near the summit. The views were interesting but not that dissimilar to those from just up the road.
1 commentaire :
brrr je n'aime pas les serpents, ils me font peur ! Je préfère nettement les fleurs... ;D
Evelyne
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