Udder Balm

I am still hand milking! We are waiting for a part for the vacuum pump to be delivered next week. Hubby has the machine up and running but the vacuum isn't strong enough.
I was so excited about the new milking machine that I almost cried with disappointment once I realised that I wouldn't be able to use it for another week.. The hand milking is going very well now. Mama Moo is letting down easily and averaging about 10 litres a day. Her teats have healed up great after I made her some easy homemade peppermint udder balm.

Recipe
4 parts Olive oil
1 part beeswax
Peppermint leaves

Just heat up to melt together. It works great as winter hand balm, lip balm or even for polishing wood.


The young chicks are doing great and are growing feathers. They are still under the heat lamp but I will start to turn that off during the day when the weather warms a bit more.
We have our first salads of the year to harvest in the polytunnel. The peas and broad beans are flowering. It has been a very late spring.
The weather has been too poor for the bees to fly and forage but I'm delighted to see plenty of dandelions in flower surrounding us. This is a very important early food source for the bees.