Glenn managed to get the guinea run covered yesterday--I helped for a bit since we were reclaiming some chainlink from a spot that was pretty reclaimed by Mother Nature...It was a lot of work! I escaped for a bit to go to a tack swap... I was looking for a boot to put on Winston, since Friday the poor old guy must have caught his left front shoe on something. I came home from the feed mill and found him limping, and after checking all of his joints first I found the shoe warped, and a nail starting to rip out of the wall of his hoof. Of course it was almost five o'clock on a Friday evening...
I called our farrier and left a curt message, since he hadn't even gotten back to my messages from earlier in the week. I just wanted him to come by and pull the shoe if he was in the area. Since I knew better than to wait around for him, I called our vet, thinking that he could come and pull the shoe on the way back from his last call of the day. Instead the new receptionist gave me the phone number for the vet's son who is a farrier. He just happened to be nearby, and was at our house within five minutes!! We went out to see Winston in the middle of the field, he pulled the shoe and then I had him look at Oak's feet too, to see if he thought he could handle a big guy like that, with the few minor foot issues that he has. Oak was showing off for company of course-he lifts his feet when I point at them or give a voice cue.
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| Winny's warped shoe!! Ow!! |
Our farrier called around 7:30 that night. I told him Winston was sore, but at least the shoe was pulled, and when could I expect him for shoeing both boys? He likes to interrogate me a little. "Well why did he pull the shoe??" me: it was warped, and pulling the nail through the hoof wall. I asked him to pull it. "What made you call 'farrier's name'??" me-I called Ed to see if he could help and they gave me the number. So when he said that Winston's foot would be fine since it's muddy out now, I was a little confused. My concern is that any bacteria or fungus will travel up the hoof wound, and turn into an abcess. According to his logic then, mud doesn't have the capacity to contaminate a wound. How am I supposed to have confidence in that?? Was sort of glad his ego took a hit since I called someone else who came through in a pinch. Glenn and I put a wrap on the foot yesterday, and I'll do my best to keep it clean until he's re-shod and maybe patched. I've discovered that Winny likes massage, and worked on his glutes and back this morning. It was pretty sweet--if I went up to his head and petted his neck, he'd walk two steps so his rump was once again presented to me as if to say 'well come on, a little more please'.
The one little gimpy guinea was getting beat up by the guinea daddies yesterday, so I caught her, with a fresh bleeding head wound and brought her inside to the brooder. her leg that we've been concerned about has gone from a little clumsy on the perch, to outright lame. Miss D has been a little more lame than usual too. I've put a post out on FB asking for any ideas from vet types, but there hasn't been any response. From a little bit of research I've done I've decided that there's a pretty good chance that it's caused by a mycoplasma synoviae that guineas get, that affects their joints and can also be respiratory. So luckily Tylosin antibiotic is mycoplasma specific, and I have it on hand. It's put in the drinking water. I could get the injectable form but it can be damaging ot the muscle when injected. Hopefully it works! She looks so sore!
Captain Jack also looks a little off today. Think he's caught a bit of a cold after being outside the last few days.
Sounds like a winter storm will be hitting us Tuesday afternoon with 4-6 inches of wet snow. Glad we got the paddock filled with sand this past summer so it doesn't turn to a complete mud bog in the winter and spring. I have a raincoat on order for Winston, since he has a heavy winter blanket but nothing for transition season.
The young chooks went out ranging again this morning before the rain started--it's pretty great to see them out there so far, acres away, adorning our property. They really are gorgeous. Sounds like this will be their last week on earth. They got a reprieve this weekend, and we got to enjoy their company while we worked. There's just something so charming about an entire flock following you around, talking and grumbling, their feet thumping along. I will miss that so much!! But I'm glad I have some great photos of them, and we will both remember them fondly.
I raked up lots of poop and moulted feathers in the chook palace the other day, added some horse manure and some fresh shavings, and G started building their inside winter shelter out of pallets, and stacked some hay bales by the door to block the crazy south winds we've been having for a few days. Chooks don't seem to mind the cold, or a bit of rain, but when it's blowing hard like that they just want to take shelter.
Glenn got the greenhouse door finished yesterday, and it looks great! Nice and toasty in there. Our neighbour Andy came over yesterday to cut down our dying crabapple tree, so now I have my pick of great branches to use for perches in the banty runs, and the leftovers will be for crafty-type projects, and some will be chipped for use in our smoker.
Still hoping to write a bit about the Amish B and B, but this last manic push for winterizing is keeping my to-do list pretty full... Oakley eye, Princey pizzle rot treatment, rebandage Wookie, weigh Pepper, check Rusty Cage's beak, clean and super bed down the young chooks and the Pepper crew, clean the three banty runs in the garage, clean the new guinea house and the guinea daddie's run in the garage so we can move Millie, Petunia and Phoenix. Those are just a few of the regular things without the added tasks of insulating coops and putting poly up over the runs.
Well, day light's a wastin'.
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