Farm Cats and Robots Down on the Farm

# Come join us down on the farm today

# Learn about nature along the way

# From seeds to crops and field to barns

# So much to do down on the farm

# Summer, autumn, winter, spring

# Ploughing, planting, harvesting

# With JB and Storm to lead the way

# Come join us down on the farm today. #

COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!

Hi, I'm JB and welcome to Down On The Farm.

In winter, there isn't much grass for cows,

so we make sure they have plenty to eat.

While I get food for the cows here, let's see what Storm is up to.

This is farmer Ben.

He has over 200 cows on his farm.

And I'm going to help him today.

-Hi, Ben.

-Morning, Storm.

Thank you, but I thought I was here to help with the cows.

-We've got robots helping us with the cows.

-Robots?

That sounds amazing!

Yes, they do lots of things like milking and feeding.

I can see from my phone if anything needs doing.

-Some cows need milking now.

-Well, we better go.

Well, I am all ready to help out with some milking.

There's no need, the robot does all the milking work for us.

I may as well take these off then.

When a cow is ready to be milked, it walks into the milking machine

and the robot's arm swings underneath it.

Lasers help the robot find where to put each of the milking tubes,

and the robot milks the cow.

It must be really helpful to have all these robots around?

Yes, we don't have to get up so early and we have lots more time.

What do you do with your spare time?

We spend it checking on the cows, feeding them and bedding them down.

Ben puts silage down for the cows to eat every day.

This is where we feed the cows. Sometimes it can get quite messy.

-I'm happy to help clean it up.

-There's no need.

We have a robot to do that. It's a silage pusher.

Here it comes now.

Now, THAT is clever.

So how does it work?

It's been programmed where to go, and as it moves,

the bottom spins around and pushes the feed closer to the cows.

-Does it not bump into anything?

-No, it has a sensor on top,

so it knows if it's going to hit anything and stops.

I used to use a tractor to do this job, now the robot does it for me.

Another sensor can tell when

the robot has reached the end of the route.

Then it returns home and recharges its batteries.

So, you've got robots to help milk the cows and feed the cows,

you must have robots to help you clean up all this poo?

-Not yet, I'm afraid, Storm. That's where you can help me.

-Thanks.

Yuck!

Now, let's find out what ducks do at this time of year.

Winter can be the best time of year to see wild ducks.

Lots of different breeds arrive from colder parts of Europe

to find food, joining ducks that live here all year round.

The male ducks, called drakes,

have their smartest feathers at this time of year.

They can be seen showing off to the females,

displaying their colours and calling noisily.

If you see a duck bobbing about in the water,

with its tail in the air, it's a type of dabbling duck.

These ducks dabble around near the surface of the water

to find weeds to eat.

Mallards like this one are dabblers.

Others, like these tufted ducks dive right down to the bottom to feed.

Diving ducks can spend a long time underwater searching

for small creatures to eat, like pond snails.

Of course, water can freeze over in winter,

making it hard for ducks to collect food.

If this happens, they will search for holes in the ice

or fly off to find somewhere warmer.

Today, I'm in Wales to help look after some donkeys,

and I'm really excited, because I haven't met many before.

Jess and her helpers are looking after the donkeys today.

-Hi, everyone. ALL:

-Hi, Storm!

-So, who do we have here? ALL:

-Donkeys!

This is Arthur.

This one's called Millen.

The black and white one is Madoc.

This is Coco.

There's lots to do to keep them healthy in winter.

Let's get to work.

First, we've got to groom the donkeys.

So, why do we have to brush the donkeys?

To get rid of mud and dirt.

-And so they look nice and clean and tidy.

-Yes.

His coat is really thick.

Their coats aren't waterproof, so in winter,

they stay inside the stables to keep warm and dry.

There we go, all clean and tidied. So, what's next?

Now we are going to go and pick Coco's hooves.

We have to check the donkey's hooves every day in winter.

Why do you do that?

To make sure there's nothing in the hooves to make it sore.

-What do you think Jess looks for?

-Rocks and stones.

-Mud.

Donkey smelly poo.

Jess carefully scrapes away any mud or stones

from each of Coco's hooves.

I use a special tool to pick out the donkeys' hooves.

It doesn't hurt them.

Now we know their feet are healthy,

-we can take some of the donkeys for a walk.

-Let's go!

It's Coco and Arthur's turn today.

The donkeys are walked like this to make sure they get plenty

of exercise in the winter months

when they spend a lot of time inside.

And then once the donkeys have stretched their legs,

it's back to the shelter.

Well, I've had an amazing day helping to look after these donkeys.

-What about you guys? ALL:

-Yes!

Now, it's time for a frosty winter poem.

The night is cold

The sky is clear

As if by magic, frost appears

A dazzling layer of crystals fair

Their spikes of ice freeze in the air

All it touches turns to white

It glitters in the morning light

Like the finest crust of fairy dust

I wish it would stay, but melt it must.

MEOW

Lots of animals help farmers.

Horses pull trailers and dogs round up sheep.

Today, I've come to meet farmer Carol

and the cats that help on her farm.

-Hi, everyone.

-Hi, JB.

-I hear you have some really helpful cats.

Yes, we do. We have nine cats on the farm.

They live outside and inside the barns

and they have a very important job.

-And what do they do?

-They catch mice.

The mice on the farm eat the other animals' food,

and we have to stop them.

The cats help us by catching or scaring them away.

These cats aren't pets, but Carol and her helpers do

-give them some food to eat.

-It's feeding time now.

-Sounds good.

This cat is a feral cat.

He was born without a home or anyone to look after him.

He was rescued and brought here to keep him safe.

Today, we have two new rescue cats coming to the farm.

-Can you help us get everything ready for them?

-Absolutely.

When the cats first arrive, they stay in a pen inside a barn.

This helps them to settle in before they meet the other cats outside.

-It's safe and warm in here.

-Is there anything else they need?

-Water and bedding.

-That's right.

This straw keeps the pen warm and dry.

And the cats will have a cosy place to sleep.

There's some water to drink, too.

-Is that everything?

-Yes, and the cats are about to arrive.

Great, I'll go and meet them.

This is Hayley. She rescues feral cats and finds new homes for them.

-Hi, Hayley.

-Hi, JB.

-Well, we've got everything ready for these two.

Great, let's get them inside.

OK, guys, we've got the cats.

So, we need to be nice and quiet so we don't scare them.

Oh, look, he's popped straight into his new bed.

Hayley, how long before they can start looking for mice?

About two weeks, once they are used to the farm.

We'd better leave them to settle in.

Now, here are some tips for when you are outdoors

in the darker winter days.

It's fun to play outdoors and go for walks.

In winter, it gets dark early, so make sure you can be seen.

Wear bright clothes

and take a torch when you're out and about.

Lots of people put glass in the recycling bin,

but what happens to it next?

Today, we're at a glass waste plant to find out...

..and to show us around is Ryan.

The glass is brought here in big recycling lorries

and put onto a long conveyor belt.

The first steps in the glass recycling process is

to remove rubbish which is not made from glass and we do this by hand.

Next, special machines remove smaller bits of rubbish,

then the glass is dried in a big dryer ready for separating.

The glass is sorted into three colours...

..clear...

..brown...

..and green.

Once the glass has been through all of our machines,

we end up with this. This is called cullet.

It now goes away to another factory to be remade into new glass bottles.

At the glass factory, the cullet is melted together

with other materials, in a big furnace.

The melted glass is cut into small pieces called gobs.

Each gob has exactly the right amount of glass to make one bottle.

They are dropped into moulds and blown into shape using air,

just like blowing up a balloon.

The new bottles are reheated and cooled down slowly.

This makes them really strong.

The bottles are sprayed with a protective coating.

Finally, after being checked, the bottles are ready to be used.

If they're not good enough,

they are melted again and made into new bottles.

That's what makes glass a real recycling superhero,

because it can be recycled over and over again.

MOO!

Storm and I have had a great time on the farm today.

If you want to have fun with your own farm,

go to the CBeebies website to play the Down On The Farm game.

See you next time. Bye!

Moo!

# Come join us down on the farm today

# Learn about nature along the way

# From seeds to crops and field to barns

# So much to do down on the farm

# Summer, autumn, winter, spring

# Ploughing, planting, harvesting

# With JB and Storm to lead the way

# Come join us down on the farm today. #