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7 unusual facts of life only farmers would understand

9 October 2017

From squealing piglets to sneaky horses, it’s never easy being a farmer. Taken from the ±«Óãtv Two series , here are seven of the best lessons learned down on the farm.

Greedy horses will eat a little bit of all your bales rather than just all of one

If you have a horse willing to break through an electric fence to get into some yummy silage goodness, then don’t expect it to have a structured plan for munching though them when it gets there.

When you’re in a fix, you can feed baby lambs with milk formula for humans

As farmers Janet and Alastair discovered when a young lamb was starting to suffer on the long road back to their farm on Bute, a bit of human baby milk and the smallest bottle available worked like a charm to get their little one perked up for the rest of his journey home.

Piglets squeal a lot — and not really in direct relation to any pain they endure

“Squeal like a pig!” — well, actually, please don’t.

This litter had to get a wee shot of iron from their doting owners Stuart and Aylett to keep them healthy.

But it sounds so much worse...

There are MANY ways to get a beast back on its legs

When 70 stone Julia-Kay – a continental crossbreed known for their size and weight – was weak after an emergency caesarian, farmers Sybil and George employed their forklift and a feedbag to get the big girl up.

It probably save her life.

Delivering calves in the wild is an all-hands-on-deck affair — and this includes the film crew!

When Robin discovered this Highland cow in labour, deep in the woods, he knew the calf had to be delivered there and then.

This meant getting the TV filming crew involved.

Even strong bulls need help from time to time, especially if they’re as dumb as they are big

When farmer Mel heard a crashing sound coming from the cowshed, she discovered Lomu the prize bull had somehow managed to get his head stuck between the bars.

Funny at first, situations like this can quickly become dangerous for Lomu and others.

The simple things in life are what really matter — like plastic sheeting, a hose and fairy liquid

After a hectic few days bailing hay in the Scottish ‘summer’, Tracey, Andrew and Lucy took a bit of time to remind themselves that family and fun are what really matter in life on a farm.

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  • Documentary series following the struggles and triumphs of six very different farming families in some of Scotland's most beautiful and remote landscapes.

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