I had great plans for cleaning a bunch of coops, the garage, the kitchen, replacing the plywood sheet that keeps Oak from stealing an entire hay bale at a time with wire mesh (his neck is rather giraffe like in it's reach), muck out the lamb stall. Instead, I'm driving to Wisconsin again to pick up deworming medication for Henry and Prince. It's really only about an hour 20 out of my day, plus I'll stop at the neighbours to treat their hens again. By the time I get back I'll want lunch, and a little break, so by the time I'm actually back to work it will be almost 4pm, then I have chiro in town at 4:45, so will have only had time to check on the horses and sheep and refill water buckets if necessary. Then I'll be back by 5:30 or 5:45, and then it's time to start evening duties. There goes the day.
Last night I didn't start evening duties until close to 7pm since it was just so hot out, and I prefer the barn at night anyway. But that meant I didn't get in until 9pm. Skyped with G who's in Chile. Think I was making dinner after 10pm. Then I stayed up too late, slept in since I didn't set my alarm. Good thing I recognized Captain Jack's crowing as his "I'm sulking because you slept in and I want attention" style of crowing.
Did the horses' feet this morning. They were both very quiet and Winston was great in cross ties. Strange...He seems a little stocked up, and Oak is a little heave-y so I'll give him his mask later, and try to take Winny for a walk. It was very humid last night and this morning. When I went out to do night check around 12:30am there was a mist swirling and hanging in the air. There was a tiger salamander party at the back door of the house!!! Four of the cool little beasts strutting along like mini komodo dragons. And yes, I petted one.
Merciful cloud cover today, and it even sprinkled for a few minutes. Still managing Winny's bite wounds and a girth sore that had healed, only to be opened up by those damn flies again. Today will be 83-85ish, so I'm keeping their fly sheets on. Other days recently it's just been too hot for even Oakley's super fine mesh sheet. On those days I just had to make sure to coat any wounds very thickly two to three times a day. I really don't see how I could have a full time job with all of these things that need attending to, multiple times a day, every day.
So back to Henry. He's been a little raspy and occasionally quiet. Both the lambs had a wild night out with the herd on that crazy windy night, when I felt the conditions were right to leave them for their first overnight with the big kids. The wind and cool conditions seemed to distract the big ewes, and they had little interest in bullying the lambs. The next night, however, it was hot again, and at night check at midnight they were getting hammered by Lace who was jealous of the attention I gave them, and then smashed into the barn wall a few times. I know for the most part they are built to handle this, but I just felt they needed a break. I moved Oakley out of the barn and shut the big door, called the little guys and they were more than happy to follow me, cantering, to the safety of their stall. Peace prevailed.
Yesterday morning I decided to temp him, worried that his respiratory condition had come back. Normal temp, but he defecated when I caught him and I noticed a few funny looking things that I couldn't ID on the tiny pellets. I brought a sample to the vet office in WI, and we got the results this morning. Normal fecal oocyst count for coccidia where you don't need to treat is 50 per gram. Henry has 650 per gram!! Plus 750 strongyle eggs per gram. Yikes!! Poor little man! Coccidia can and does kill lambs and kids. A severe roundworm infection can as well. Henry and Prince were dewormed several times before coming to us, with one dewormer that doesn't cover coccidia. The stress of moving, leaving the only flock they've ever know, and being weaned like that often does lead to health issues. So I'm so glad I took the time to bring the sample in.....We'd been planning on bringing one in for the entire flock around final hoof trimming/body condition check/eyelid colour check around the time of the first solid frost, when we can see what they are carrying, and choose an appropriate dewormer. Then they can't get reinfected until the spring. We will still do that, but Henry couldn't wait until then.
Better get out there. Time's a wastin'.
My lil' henry nephew! :(
ReplyDeletepoor kiddo... give him hugs.