On the Mend

Lots on the go today, and another heat advisory.  I had a wonderful morning out with the beasts doing morning treatments and barn cleaning.

I walked the horses out to the Willow Paddock, treated Winny's greasy heels and gave them both big hugs and told them to come back when the bugs got too bad.

Pulled some ragweed on the way back--then treated Princey's sheath ulcer. Yep--good thing Maria told me to check for pizzle rot. Seemed just like a bit of that thick brown sebum stuff they have on their inguinal region was stuck on the end of his sheath, but after I removed it and cleaned it with vetricyn I noticed a tiny ulcer starting, so he's being treated topically twice a day, until tonight where I'll reassess and decide if I should give him some penicillin too, which is the treatment for severe pizzle rot. Shy boy won't quite show me his prepuce though--apparently it can get infected quite severely and render a ram unable to mate successfully. I also want to catch the entire flock this weekend and check feet, eye colour for FAMACHA, body condition and check Axle's sheath as well.  Too bad on the timing of this since he's been getting more and more comfortable with us, and even came to sniff my hand today. 



The fibre mill in ND contacted me yesterday and suggested that Mama Ewe's fleece might be better as roving, which I could spin myself.  She said it carded well but then there were tiny pieces in it that will not spin on machined well.  I'm not surprised, as the ends of her fleece seemed brittle.  She had been bred in her first year, and last summer was the drought in Wisconsin, then it was hot when she was moved here as well.  So I'm suspecting the stress of pregnancy and being a little malnourished took it's toll on her fleece.

I'm going to have my hands full this winter!! I'm also getting Axle's fleece back as roving, so I'd better get back to my practice spinning in preparation...