Life below 0. Animal updates.

It's January, so just like in past years I tend to blog a lot about the weather.  Hopefully that's not too boring for anyone reading.  But since this is my journal, I get to share what's relevant and important and on my mind. 

Two nights ago it was -25 C, plus a horrible painful wind chill.  I locked the sheep in the barn.  I'd worked in the backyard coop to add some more insulation, put up a safer heat lamp http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=131924&cat_id=132&species_id=6

and blocked some drafty areas.  The sheep have thick fleece coats right now, but their ear tips, noses, eyelids, tail tips and especially hooves are susceptible to frostbite.  When I see my ewes standing there shaking their feet, or lifting one up painfully, I don't feel bad about locking them inside.  

Winston has a swollen sheath, just as he does every winter.  The wind chill is tough on hairless bits! I wonder if it will ever get actual frostbite and have the tissue devitalize.  That would be awful....

Before the cold snap I became concerned about our ewe Starburst.  She let me pet her and examine her last week, and I noticed that her weird floppy tail was sloughing skin and was coated in gunk, just like it was at shearing time.  I was worried this area of poor blood flow would easily get frostbite. Luckily my vet was in the area, and was able to swing by and have a look.  According the the vet tech, I am on the list of top five clients with weird medical cases.  I call them about things they have never seen, so it's understandable that they don't quite believe what I'm telling them until they actually see it.  I told them that Starburst couldn't lift her tail properly, that it was flaccid, and she would end up urinating on it all the time.  In the summer that could lead to fly strike if the skin rotted. 

So we have taken care of it (almost) once and for all. I hope.

I sorted the sheep into some confined areas so the vet and tech could go to work on her.  And sure enough he confirmed that the tail was atrophied and apparently without innervation on at least the caudal 3-4 inches.  We decided to put a band on it, which will gradually stop the circulation, and the end of the tail will shrivel and die.  Gross, I know.  This is what is done in long tailed sheep breeds all the time.  It's just not usually needed in short tailed primitive breeds like Shetlands.  Who knows what happened to her? Was she born like this? Did she damage herself? 

The vet chose the spot to put the band on very carefully, she needs enough to cover the vulva.  He shaved and betadined the area, and Starburst didn't feel a thing.  We decided she didn't need pain medication, but she got her CDT vaccine updated. She was happily munching away on alfalfa ten minutes later. 

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I'm happy with the amount of hay still piled high up to the rafters in the barn.  Now that the temperatures are finally falling and giving us the Minnesota winter we have been waiting for, it just becomes routine to keep watching the speed at which the pile dwindles, do some math, and count how many months until we will have pasture again.

Right now, we should plan for at least four more months of hay.  that will bring us to the middle of May, and in past years we even had a snow storm then, so we always need to plan for extra.  If we get spring rains, we can't put the horses on the pasture, they will destroy it and turn it all to muck. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Last month I bought a truckload of legume hay from a local farmer.  I'm doling it out slowing to the sheep, in addition to their grass hay.  The alfalfa is also for Winston, who is 29 years old now! He gets a few pounds of it every day when Oakley isn't looking.  

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Zane our dog is keeping me pretty busy.  Last Friday I had him in the barn with me while I mucked stalls.  He had a long tie out so he could investigate the barn and paddock a bit.  He was doing admirably with going out of sight of me for little bits of time (he seems to have separation anxiety and will follow us everywhere, and bark when we go out of sight).  But then he was sniffing for mice in the stall I was working on, and as I walked over to the wheel barrow with a forkload he got in front of my snowpanted heavy-boated legs, and tripped me. The handle of the manure fork whacked me hard in both knees, Zane got out of the way just in time and I crashed down on my right shoulder. Luckily I remembered what not to do, and didn't put my hand out to break my fall. Really frustrating and not what I needed.

The beatings continued, as later that day while attempting to get Oakley settled down in cross ties so I could harness him, he crushed me against the aisle wall, right against the iron door.  He was completely freaked out by the sound of snow and ice sliding off the barn roof.  I hate when he's like that.  Normally I won't put myself in that situation, I can tell him to move over and stop dancing around, but I got too confident and as he ignored my pokes in his ribs his giant body just kept coming at me and I wondered if my ribs would snap.  I'm ok except for a big bruise on my scapula.

I managed to get him calmer with some targeting and treats, and got him focused again.  Coach was running late so I started to harness him myself.  He arrived just in time to help.  We had a great drive, Oakley worked hard pulling the stone boat on the hay field hills in the deep snow.  He's been on steroids again lately for his lungs, so maybe that had something to do with his overacting in the barn.

Zane's first day tethered. He was really stressed.
 The next time I gave him a tie out twice as long and attached it to the bucket hook

Dull grey afternoon. Mild enough though so the ducks were happy to be out for some exercise.

Just a few days before winter solstice our hens started laying again! We hadn't had eggs in months while they all moulted and the days grew shorter and shorter.  Now we are getting 6-8 per day from the palace, and 2-3 per day from the bantam hens.  Sadly though, along with hen hormones came rooster hormones, and our big roo brothers in the palace Shadow and Shade, raised together for two years, started fighting badly. I'm happy at least I was there to see it, or it could have ended in severe injury or death.  Neither of them were backing down, and there was blood being drawn.  So we made the tough decision to pull Shadow the dominant roo and put him with the backyard flock.  He used to make the long trek from the palace over there every day anyway.  The hens were used to him, and for the most part he'd been very good to them.  The only problem is that he is still 'homing' to the palace, and he will jump out of the fenced in area and trek back to the palace, stand outside the door while the hens look back at him, while he freezes his feet and makes distress noises that Zane barks at.  So we'll have to see how all of this plays out. Boys ruin everything.

Looking from the backyard coop into their run. I'm so grateful that G changed this run to be full human height with a great door. No more low height back-killing runs. We're hoping with the larger size the thermal mass in there will be more helpful than the smaller one they had before. Yesterday morning it was -20 C, and it was 0 C in the run. 

I did anesthesia for my friend the other day while she did surgery on her hen, and I brought my surgery cap home to dress up Zane with.  He seemed very pleased with our laughing. Look at that smile! It's great to see him being a ham and not being constantly anxious.  

Now this is the proper Oakley! Big smoosh doing hand targets and kisses for treats and hay.  

Winston looking furry and warm in his new coat.

Both of the horses got new winter blankets, just in time for the cold.  I'm relieved that they are comfortable, and the blankets fit well so they don't cause sores or rubs.  They will always be healthier and happier if they are free to be outside, and I feel like giving them this protection means they can stay out longer.  I've only ever locked them in the barn when it gets to -30 C to -35C.  

Well there are a million other things I need to write about, but I need to head out and do some errands.  At -25 C poor Zane gets very sore feet when we go out for walks, so I want to find some protective dog boots for him.  The county salts the roads here and that can also burn their pads. He's already been through so much lately, and is slowly recovering from his ailments.  The least we can do is prevent more pain!  He's a really sweet kid. 

So here's hoping the tail falls off, Winny's sheath doesn't, and I can find more time to sit by the wood stove.