January always feels like a fresh start, but this year it really delivered. From new hen houses to new lambs, from veterinary plot twists to a 14‑egg cake, the month was packed with activity, surprises, and a fair bit of mucking out. Here’s a look back at everything that happened.
New Homes & New Schemes 🏡🐔
We kicked off the year on 3rd January with the arrival of our new-to-us hen houses. They’re in need of some TLC, but once refurbished they’ll enable us to increase our flocks.
Just a few days later, on 7th January, our YOLK scheme officially hatched 
🥚✨. After months of planning, it was wonderful to finally share it with everyone and see the enthusiasm roll in.
Health Checks & Happy Moos 🩺🐄
On 9th January, Geronimo — our previously inconclusive TB reactor — finally got the all‑clear. For anyone outside farming, TB testing can feel like a jumble of jargon, but in real life it’s one of the most stressful and disruptive parts of keeping livestock.
Cattle are tested because bovine TB is a serious disease with big implications for animal health and for the wider industry. In our area, that means whole‑herd testing every six months as standard. It’s routine, but it’s never relaxing: every animal has to be handled, injected, measured, and re‑checked, and until the results are confirmed you’re always holding your breath a little.
An inconclusive reactor is the worst kind of limbo. It doesn’t mean the animal has TB, but it doesn’t clear them either. Instead, it triggers extra movement restrictions and forces you into a long wait before you can retest. In Geronimo’s case, that meant 60 days of uncertainty — two months of not knowing whether we were dealing with a false alarm or something far more serious. It hangs over the whole farm like a cloud.
So when his repeat test finally came back clear, it was a huge relief and a very welcome bright spot in the middle of winter 🌤️.
That same day, we kept the Flockdown girls entertained with a delivery of old Christmas trees 🎄🐔. Enrichment and recycling at its finest.
Markets, Meat & Maternity 🛒🍖🤰
The 10th January Martock Farmers Market came and went in its usual blur of early starts and friendly faces and sold out eggs.
By 16th January, we had a new batch of lamb tucked away in the freezer — always a milestone for the season.
Then on 22nd January, the maternity unit opened, with Una stepping in as our first expectant mum of the year. Little did we know how quickly things would escalate.
Lambing Begins 🐑💫
On 25th January, our first lambs arrived, kicking off the season with all the excitement that new life always brings.
That same day, some of our eggs were off on their own adventures, heading to the far‑flung big smoke of London 🚚🥚. Not bad for a small flock.
A Hard Look at the Industry 🌍📦
On 26th January, we shared an article highlighting one of the industry’s “dirty secrets”: the enormous volumes of soya imported into the UK every year to feed livestock. It’s a reminder that even food labelled as “British” often relies on global supply chains with heavy environmental footprints.
For us, this is exactly why we’re committed to being soya‑free 🌱. If our aim is to produce local food for local customers, then it makes no sense to depend on feed grown thousands of miles away. By avoiding imported soya, we keep our system more transparent, more sustainable, and more genuinely local — from the animals in our fields to the eggs and meat on your table.
A New Challenge: Entropion 👁️🐑
January wasn’t without its hiccups. On 27th January, we had our first experience of entropion — something we’d never come across. For anyone unfamiliar, entropion is when a lamb’s eyelid turns inward, causing the lashes to rub painfully against the eye. Left untreated, it can quickly lead to ulcers or infection, so it’s one of those conditions you need to act on fast.
Our first vet visit confirmed the diagnosis and taught us how to roll the lid out and pinch it to create a swelling enough to help the eye sort itself out – one eye worked, but the little one needed a follow‑up when her other eye didn’t recover. So back we went on 31st January for an injection to help the eyelid sit correctly. Thankfully, that did the trick. It was definitely a(n expensive) learning curve — and a reminder that lambing season always has a surprise or two tucked up its sleeve.
February: Settling In & Sweet Treats 🌱🎂
February began with a big milestone: on 3rd February, the lambs and their mum went outside for the first time, taking in the world with wobbly legs and wide eyes.
The very next day, 4th February, Bex made one of her legendary massive bakes a 14‑egg giant tray-bake cake — because … well, why not?
And finally, on 5th February, the little family joined the main flock, settling into their new routine among the ewes.
And Finally… Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud… 🥾💦
And of course, no January roundup would be complete without mentioning the mud. Honestly, at this point I’m convinced it’s developing its own personality. We’ve had mud of every variety: clingy mud, splashy mud, ankle‑eating mud, and that special brand of stealth mud that somehow leaps up the back of your coat when you’re not looking.
I’m already on my second pair of wellies this winter after the first pair betrayed me by springing a leak — something you only discover after you’ve stepped confidently into a disinfectant foot‑dip bucket. There’s nothing quite like the sensation of icy pink disinfectant sloshing around your socks to remind you that farming is, above all else, character‑building.
Still, lambs are bouncing, hens are happy, and the mud (probably) can’t get any worse. Hopefully.
