The Horse Pasture

I decided today was as good as any day to move the sheep into the horse's pasture.  Actually, I got sick of rotating their fences, pulling out the ground rod (not an easy feat) and hammering it back in at it's new location, trying to find nearby outlets, running extension cords, etc., etc.  The whining could go on.

So I figured there was enough pasture grass to go around until at least I set up a larger portable fencing in the backyard so they could come back and mow it for me.  The other reason was I noticed a definite decline in weight in my ewes.  Not my original ewes but rather the new older replacement ewes.  And since I'm hoping for October babies, they needed to fatten up and get some decent nutrients in them.  So it was into the horse's pasture they went.

However, today was perhaps not the best day as it was sweltering out and I had to herd them to a location they were not familiar with, and yes they have snuck into the horse's pasture before many, many times however they had never gone threw the gate!!  On top of that, they were being herded by a novice stock dog.  Ivy has been iffy to say the least.  When she's good, she good.  But when she is bad, she is bad.  I know I need to spend more time on her and the sheep but finding the time is hard and I need a more secure pen for the sheep when working her because they simply jump the netting when I place them in their to work her.  So she ran them around and around and around until finally I got the last of them into the pasture.  The original's went easily and swiftly via their own route (aka under the fence) but the larger, newer ewes didn't fit.  By the time they got it figured out and was safely behind the gate inside the horse's pasture and away from that dog, they were a huffing and puffing.  I thought they would keel over and die.

Thankfully they didn't.  I tried to help by filling up two huge barrels of water but it wasn't water they wanted.  I headed across the pasture to the far back at the top of the hill.  I didn't think they would follow as following me earlier didn't seem appealing to them or else it would have saved them alot of running around.  But no, I looked back and was surprised to see them on my heel.

Down the hill they followed, across the pasture floor.

And then back up the other side.

I didn't think they would keep following, particularly considering the distance we were going and the terrain we were dealing with.  After all, these gals were exhausted and about to keel over, I didn't think they could go on.

But on they did.  It was if they had complete trust in me.

Not knowing where I was going or taking them, they trusted and followed their shepherd wherever she shall lead.  Until at last I led them to where they needed to be.

Shade.

Blistful, beautiful, cooling shade.  You see, having had my girls nearby for a long time now, I have been able to watch and study them and knew what their favourite thing was to do if not grazing.  It was lounging under a maple tree.

And like the good shepherdess I am, I led them to a haven of maple trees to lounge under.

They were in sheep heaven.  So I left my girls grazing beneath the shade of century old maple trees and headed back to the house.  Admittedly I was a bit nervous leaving them there.  The fence is not sheep proof and though the pasture has plenty of yummy morsels for a hungry sheep, the other side of the fence looked far more appealing.

Nevertheless, I left them alone up there and headed home.

It was while I was nearing the house that I was struck with the idea of adding goats to the pasture.

And while I was out there photographing the goats grazing on the horse pasture, something caught my eye.

Them those teets looked mighty big.

And appears to have some waxy substance on them.

I am by far no expert on expected momma-to-be's in the animal kingdom, but from my few experiences, a waxy substance was always present.  So we shall see...

Meanwhile my horse pasture is becoming a diverse gathering place.  We have horses.

Horses and miniature horses.

Miniature horses and sheep.

Sheep and goats.

Goats and horses.

Horses and sheep.

 Sheep and miniature horses and....little boys. :)

Heck, I even have the ram and the billy goat in there amongst them all.

And for now it's working.  Everyone is co-habiting nicely.  My only complaint.  Contrary to how the photos make it look, there really isn't enough room for them all.

Rain and 4 Weeks

It finally rained here all day and night.  It was much needed.  My pasture was so dry and hard I could barely stick the temporary posts in the ground to rotate the horses on the pasture.  The grass itself is a joke so rain is a wonderful appearance.

We celebrate the arrival of rain by playing baseball of course!

The meat chicks are now 4 weeks old.  Half way to slaughter!

Blossom's Eye

An update on Blossom's eyes.  At birth she had inverted eyelashes which isn't an uncommon condition with newborn foals.  I was able to correct it myself without having a vet out and stitching the lids up, a procedure they do with one stitch.  Taking a dry wash clothe I manually pulled the lid back and pulled out the lashes.  As precaution I gave a drop of polysporin to the eye.  My administration appeared to be working but then the one eye began to run and look sore once again.

When I'd go to pull back the lashes I discovered they already were out and that the problem was not inverted lashes any longer as I had corrected that problem.  I continued to give that bad eye polysporin but then I noticed one day that her eye looked like one red glowing bulb.  It was bleeding.

So I called the vet in and had him look at it.  Apparently she had poked it on something and an ulcer had developed.  She will always be blind in the spot of the ulcer but thankfully it is near the bottom of her eye and not in direct line of sight.  I was pretty upset that something in her environment could have done this to her eye so I went about and removed any dangerous screws in her stall and checked for anything else that could be poking out and then I tackled the miniature pasture.  There is a line of trees there that over winter the horses had chewed down pretty good.

Between each tree there had been two pine trees in their infancy standing no more than three feet tall.  When the horses were done with those pine trees there was nothing left but the tree trunk and empty branches.  Branches that were in direct line with Blossom's eye level so they had to come down.  I spent a couple hours today cutting down at least 20 budding (but dead) pine trees, tree stumps, and lower branches on the bigger trees leaving the pasture a much safer place for baby to roam.

I've also been administering her with Tobrex for the past week now and there has been considerable improvement.

She will always have the ulcer but at least she won't be blind.  At least I hope so.  The vet is to come back and check on her recovery and give the final verdict but from what I can see, her vision does not seem impaired.

Her fetlocks are improving but still not fully correct but according to the vet, that will come in time.  It certainly doesn't stop her from running about.

She's gained lots of weight and is beginning to graze alongside her mother.

Whether she is actually eating or not is another matter.  But she is definitely learning the concept.

Or maybe not.

Loss

We had a huge loss of meat chicks overnight and early this morning.  The weather has been crazy unpredictable from one extreme to the other.  Last couple days we had been melting in high heat and humidity.  I had rushed to get the chicks outside because they were sweltering and dying inside the greenhouse.  Then in a blink of an eye, the weather turned freezing overnight and I went out to the tractor to find three dead.  One thing about broiler chicks is they are not the smartest birds.  Instead of huddling for warm under the shelter, they chose to huddle out in the open, exposed to the elements.  I fed them and gave them fresh water then went off to do the rest of my morning chores which included rotating fences for the sheep and horses.  Hence I was gone a long time.  When I went back to the chicks to remove the dead ones I was shocked to find at least eight more dead chicks.  It is a windy and cold morning and they were not holding up well.  So me, hubby and the Bambino went about moving the remainder all back into the greenhouse where they are free ranging and looking ten times more comfortable.

The little buggers don't have enough feathers to protect them from the elements (particularly when the mercury level wants to drop below a comfort zone) and would like to keep them indoors until they reach 5 weeks old.  But if the weather gets sweltering once again I'm not sure what I'll do.