# A Greenhorn's Journal



## Lizzy733 (Nov 19, 2021)

November 29th, 2021 is the date if our escape.

Ten more days and we can finally see our new home: 3.16 hectares of hilltop pasture, sprawling orchard, productive gardens and native bush.

I'll get to meet my new flock of Romney and the 3 old wild ewes which inhabited the land before fences were erected.

There are lambs, 7 fluffy ewes and another 3 little rams. The youngest is currently 2 weeks old. There are 10 adult ewes total - all but the natives, 4 toothers. A ram, and some 'eaters'. Sounds like we will have lots of meat coming into winter.

In the meantime, I am letting the poultry flock occupy my time. My hatch in October added 6 to my existing flock of 3 hens and I just added a new blue splash silkie today because I need another organic incubator to go with my first white fluff muffin.

The new property is sounding like quite a handful already, but in a good way - we'll be having trouble keeping up with the 200 tree orchard, berry patches and produce that's going to be coming up.

Good news is it sounds like predators are scarce - hawks, yes, but that's to be expected. Many in the community actively trap and the current owner has caught very few since he's been there - the most being 4 feral cats over the course of 5 years, only 1 possum and no traces of stoats, which was my worry with poultry.

It looks like the sheep are due for a shear in December. Did I mention I am new to ruminants? It seems the quality of the land and our fair winters allow them to be quite hands-off, with no need for supplemental feeding. A handfull of nuts here or there to get them moving sounds like the most they'll need aside from drenching, shearing and trimming.

Water is plentiful. With all the irrigation and drip systems in place and with two people, it's only ever run half empty and at 60k+ litres of storage, that's quite a generous float.

In drought, the land can handle over a dozen sheep without supplemental feeding, so I think we'll be okay for a good while if we manage our flock numbers.

Maybe we can do a mass sell-off to fund my goat and pig aspirations 🤣. It sounds like there will be ample food waste and spoilage to keep them all happy.

It's all coming both too fast and too slow. I have move week off, then have to go back to work for another two weeks before christmas break, which will be nearly four weeks of paid leave and public holidays. Plenty of time to ease into our new roles as wardens of this new domain we will soon call home.


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## Baymule (Nov 19, 2021)

Adventure! Off to your new life and what a wonderful life that will be! It looks like a beautiful place.


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## farmerjan (Nov 19, 2021)

Looks like a very nice and productive place.


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## Alaskan (Nov 19, 2021)

Incredibly exciting!!!


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## HomeOnTheRange (Nov 19, 2021)

Looks wonderful!!  New Zealand was my best trip ever!  One very beautiful country.  Are you north of Auckland?


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## Finnie (Nov 21, 2021)

Exciting! Can’t wait to follow along.


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## Lizzy733 (Nov 27, 2021)

Two more sleeps... 

The lawyers have all our money and our savings account has never looked so empty but everything's been paid upfront 😂.

I've spent today breaking down our old 5x6m chicken run and letting everyone get a good free-range in the backyard. Our flock is all happily integrated and I brought home 5 baby poults to add to the menagerie. 

Just a quick rundown of our chicken flock; we have 10 total.

Two silkies, one white hen, one new blue splash pullet (pol). One Silver Laced Wyandotte hen, one all black hen from an Ayam Cemani breeding project, then there's the chicks... All 6 weeks old, two golden Campine pullets and two cockerels; one black orpington pullet and one cockerel. Once we're set up, the boys will be kept in a bachelor arrangement so I can be selective when breeding. 




Our new poults are all around 3 weeks old and of mixed parentage. Hopefully, we have 2 jakes and 3 jennys... Time will tell. They're a mix colors, mostly heritage bronze in varying shades with one white (I think) boy with a sizeable snood. These will be our founding flock, so all are pardoned from freezer camp.

There are a few scale babies as well to move across - my bearded dragon, Mazdamundi, and our 3 green and golden bell frogs who have not been happy with my gutting their viv and putting them in temporary housing for the move - I did not know frogs could throw a tantrum... 

Two more sleeps, then we get to settle our new home. This little one's got the right idea...


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## Alaskan (Nov 27, 2021)

Incredibly exciting!!!


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 1, 2021)

Three days in and it's all been a blur. 

Our move day happened to coincide with record breaking temperatures and no wind. 

Our spanframe home was *hot*... So hot, it killed our bell frogs who were in a sheltered central location on day two. So hot, I took our bearded dragon for a walk to cool him down. 

My poor chooks have been heat stressed and several moves and modifications later and they're finally comfortable for the time being. 

There's still much work to be done erecting their tunnel house - my husband and the tools are still back in Auckland awaiting covid results so he can cross back over the border to northland. 

Our turkey poults? Absolutely not fussed about the weather and begging for their humans to come back. Let them have the run of the back where all the tropical plants are and they had a ball. Went up onto a ladder to hang a sail on the top corner of one container and had one suddenly fly up to my shoulder. Really intimidating how high they can and will fly if they want.

I'm slowly whittling down the flight zone on our sheep. Sheep nut and patience... Closest I've gotten them is maybe 3 meters. The boys are much braver, but I'm keeping myself on the opposite side of the fence while trying to gain their trust. They're so wooly... Shearing to be done soon for sure.

There's so much here. The previous owner took a few personal effects and left everything else - furniture, dishware, linens, books, knick knacks, clutter...  Going through it all has been an adventure and there's already a big chuck\give away\burn pile outside. 

I've been working on my office space and have found the start of a fernery! Really want to expand on that. There's a few basic ferns and ponga in pots... Now just need to add some nikau, kawa kawa, kaka beak.. more ferns... 

Also, we found a half dry pond we didn't know about and it looks like we have a forest guardian waay down the back in the native bush. Here he is in all his glory, surrounded by moss covered boulders and a carpeting of ferns. The pic really doesn't do it justice. 




Still so much work to do and I'm so glad I took the week off. It's a shame the covid lockdown has kept us from freely traveling back down and has trapped my husband in Auckland for the first few days, but he'll hopefully be coming home tomorrow... 

Still such a strange concept calling this place home and being that we own it and can do as we please. Being life-long city renters, it's been quite a shock. My son summed it up best when he told me he felt like it was all a dream on day one. Still is in many ways, but a good one nonetheless.


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## Baymule (Dec 1, 2021)

A dream land! Yes it is a  dream that will last forever. How wonderful. Love the big tree!


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## Alaskan (Dec 1, 2021)

Lizzy733 said:


> Our spanframe home was *hot*... So hot, it killed our bell frogs who were in a sheltered central location on day two. So hot, I took our bearded dragon for a walk to cool him down.


Well....incredibly sad.  So sorry about your frogs.  

Everything else sounds exhausting but exciting!


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 11, 2021)

Hard to believe we've been here almost two weeks now!

So much has happened since! 

If you've seen my other post, we've come to find our sheep have been a bit neglected and we lost a ewe to anemia shortly after IDing there was a problem within our first week of being here.  

We've had the shearer come round and everyone has had a good trim. The vet had recommended having the shearer assess her and it was after her trim that she gave up on us. Had drench on-hand and ready to go too. 

Hard to believe they've been carrying all that wool into the start of summer. Packed up one big sack and three heaped wheelbarrows full leaving me soaked in lanolin up to my elbows. 

We also lost our little orpington cockerel who decided to sleep on the above ground pool while it was being drained for removal, slipped in and drowned. 

I've just picked up a new SLW cockerel around 8 weeks old to replace him as my heavy line breeder and my flock is keeping with the easy-going integration and not giving him too much trouble. Little guy seems a bit small for 8 weeks though. Will put him on some extra protein and get him caught up with my campine boys in no time. NZ seems to really skimp on the protein in their feeds. I've been supplementing my turkeys with hard boiled eggs and b complex in their water because apparently, 20% meat bird crumble is supposed to be good enough to raise poults on . Cannot find game bird crumble to save my life at the moment.

It seems like all our friends have been having a bit of a drought while we've been getting a bit of rain here and there - benefits of being on a ridgetop, I suppose. Today though, there's a supposed cyclone coming through and it's bucketing down! 

Won't be getting much work done outside at this rate. We're behind on getting the greenhouse up for the chooks - they're secure and have space, but there's only so much cover, so will be some wet birds today for sure! They really arent fussed though; at least it's warm here and if the tanks weren't full before, they will be now. 

Will be picking up two little kune kune mid-next week when the auckland border lets up. Still sorting out their paddock, but they'll probably be indoor piggies for some time anyway and we'll be home constantly to keep an eye on them. 

They're only about the size if a boot, so shouldn't be too much of a hassle... Hopefully. 

The garden's a bit overgrown and probably the most secure grounds, so will let them loose on it to get those weeds and grasses under control  around the raised beds. 

Also, the former farmer was very mono-crop, so won't mind them gobbling up a few kumara, garlic and shallots - there's too much as it is... All overcrowded and pest-riddled.

My husband is already on it with diversifying a bit, pulling up what's overcrowded and putting all those sample seeds we've been hoarding to good use getting us some lettuces etc going. 

Released some predator insects in the spanframe too and they've been smashing the aphids etc. 

The coffee is so happy, they've put on new growth and started flowering again. 

Here's hoping the next week will be productive. I'll be working all next week then it's three weeks off for the holidays and I'll have a chance to get things to a manageable state... Hopefully...


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## Alaskan (Dec 11, 2021)

Sounds like maybe a bit of a breather!

Good update


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## Baymule (Dec 12, 2021)

You already have experienced losses in farming, it happens. Now you can move forward to the joys in farming and there is a lot more joys and happiness than there are losses. 

Piggies the size of a boot just means they are small enough to find tiny escape holes you never dreamed of. LOL LOL

3 weeks off! You will get a lot done!


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 12, 2021)

Baymule said:


> You already have experienced losses in farming, it happens. Now you can move forward to the joys in farming and there is a lot more joys and happiness than there are losses.
> 
> Piggies the size of a boot just means they are small enough to find tiny escape holes you never dreamed of. LOL LOL
> 
> 3 weeks off! You will get a lot done!


I'm well aware of a pig's propensity for escape. I'm going to try a dog shock system cause its much cheaper than a hot wire and can be run through vegetation as their orchard is bordered on one side by a stand of harakeke and is at the property border. 

It isn't here yet though and, as mentioned, will start them inside where I can keep an eye on them. Will treat-call train them early, that's for sure! Need to get a giant cast-iron dinner bell - I want a stampede every time I ring that thing!


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## Mini Horses (Dec 12, 2021)

I had some pigs who had been contained well and one day began escaping.  I checked and checked, couldn't find escape spot.  One day, I'm near their pen and they decided to join me.....I watched them put a nose under the gate, lift and scoot under!  Bam, gate dropped back down, no evidence.  😁. Fixed that!!!


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 12, 2021)

Mini Horses said:


> I had some pigs who had been contained well and one day began escaping.  I checked and checked, couldn't find escape spot.  One day, I'm near their pen and they decided to join me.....I watched them put a nose under the gate, lift and scoot under!  Bam, gate dropped back down, no evidence.  😁. Fixed that!!!


I just hung ours with gudgeons as it had been hung with twisted wires only. The way the gudgeons are, they have a lip which catches on the gate, blocking it from opening outward and  making it harder to lift when the gate is closed. - unplanned bonuses, I suppose. If needed, I'll solder on some caps, but will be a while before they're big enough to try lifting. 

More worried about them squeezing under on the high side (the ground isn't level). I've gotten it as close as I can to the ground, but there is a bit of a gap. - another reason they'll stay inside for a while. Let them get a bit bigger and wait for those shock collars to arrive.


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 15, 2021)

Our little boys are settling in.

Spotty Dotty, looking over his little brother Rusty Venture... They're so tiny! No way they can fit their harnesses. 

Having a look at the parents, looking like they'll stay pretty small. Their moms were hardly up to my knee. 

Spotty is surprisingly heavy though... All muscle!

Can't wait till these guys are either treat-trained or can fit their harnesses so I can get them out in the garden. At the moment, they'd probably just bolt.


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## Alaskan (Dec 15, 2021)

Lizzy733 said:


> Our little boys are settling in.
> 
> Spotty Dotty, looking over his little brother Rusty Venture... They're so tiny! No way they can fit their harnesses.
> 
> ...


Ah, so pets only?  Not future bacon?

Very cute.


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## Finnie (Dec 16, 2021)

Lizzy733 said:


> I've been supplementing my turkeys with hard boiled eggs


Just thought I would mention, we think of eggs as high in protein, but they are actually only about 16%. So supplementing your 20% feed with eggs means you’re actually lowering the protein content of your poults’ diet. 

If you can’t find gamebird starter, they should be ok on 20%. Due to skyrocketing feed prices, I’ve been raising all my birds this year on 16%. (Chickens, turkeys, ducks) I don’t know if it will cause any long term effects, but so far they all seem to be developing properly.


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 16, 2021)

Alaskan said:


> Ah, so pets only?  Not future bacon?
> 
> Very cute.


Yup, strictly pets. 

My husband doesn't like the idea of killing something that clever, so they're organic lawnmowers for the orchard and our substitute puppies - due to the no cats\no dogs cause kiwi etc... 

Have just ordered some smaller harnesses and can hopefully get them mowing in the garden soon. My husband has been pushing me to unleash the chooks back there, but they'd go straight for the strawberries in the raised bed and not touch the grass, so wouldn't really do the needful.


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 16, 2021)

Finnie said:


> Just thought I would mention, we think of eggs as high in protein, but they are actually only about 16%. So supplementing your 20% feed with eggs means you’re actually lowering the protein content of your poults’ diet.
> 
> If you can’t find gamebird starter, they should be ok on 20%. Due to skyrocketing feed prices, I’ve been raising all my birds this year on 16%. (Chickens, turkeys, ducks) I don’t know if it will cause any long term effects, but so far they all seem to be developing properly.


I'd been giving them two hard boiled eggs at breakfast. 

I would really love to be able to get a hold of some soybean meal and cut their feed with that, but none of the feed stores seem to carry additives. Can't really get it posted either. Our post box is not that big and is 5k down the road. Postshop delivery won't hold packages that big either  I will be keeping an eye out and get a big bag when I can find it. NZ seems to have a big problem with putting enough protein into their bird feeds. 

A lot of 'pheasant and game' crumbles only list around 20% protein and I can't find any carried at the feed stores nearby (as in 30-40 minute drive away nearby... we're pretty far off the beaten path!) I've been raising them on premium chick crumble (19% protein) with b-complex added to their water. Layer feed skimps too... around 15-16%. Our weather can be pretty hot and higher protein diets are meant to help with heat tolerance according to some studies done in aus, so I've always kept my hens on more premium feeds with higher protein content in general. Unfortunately, everyone's on grower at the moment and there's only one brand in the shops.... Might just give everyone meat crumble until my new girls come into lay.

Once the turkeys are done with the chick crumble, they'll be moving onto 'meat bird crumble', which is 20% but at least contains the correct vitamin ratios. It's supposedly for chickens, pheasants, quail, turkeys... but yeah... big issue here as mentioned. I could also comment that turkeys in the super market are nothing like their american counterparts - generally quite small and eye-wateringly expensive. 

I think I have too many jakes, but they're so sweet... hopefully they can still do the deed come breeding season next year and not be too caught up with themselves.

I still plan to separate my hens and roos - roos will either go into the garden or stay in what has been dubbed the future 'grow out pen' for my meat birds...  so much to do around here! can't wait till I'm on leave next week and can just focus on that.

Hopefully, the storms will be done with as well. My poor water tanks are dripping down their sides with how full they are right now. I suppose I shouldn't be complaining, but we've been getting a lot of rain lately... I should really go check to make sure no more of the bananas have fallen over...


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 19, 2021)

Geeze, my luck. 

Looks like the one of our new little boys has a respiratory something going on. It's the bigger of our two kune kune...Not obvious, but with observation and having his younger sibling to compare, we can tell something's up. He has less energy than his little bro, a runny nose, occasional sneezing or coughing. His breathing is also quite heavy and rapid in general. He's a happy little boy otherwise and has no issues getting around or eating.

My first thought was maybe lungworm. Will go get some broadline spot on tomorrow and drench him to see if his symptoms clear up. If not, I suppose he'll be having a trip to the vet to see about some antibiotics. Hopefully it's not viral.

The youngest had ticks and there's lots of flea dander etc on both of them. Have given them both a good flea shampoo this week too and noticed they're itching less aggressively today, so perhaps that's making a difference. 

They're being kept in the greenhouse at the moment; well ventilated and where my office is located so I can keep an eye on them and pop on a fan when it gets a bit warm.

They're settling in quite quickly and starting to be allowed out to graze under supervision. They're honestly quite respectful of boundaries - maybe it's their hotwire training or maybe they're just content with what they're given. We'll see if that changes once our big boy is feeling better. His younger brother is quite adventurous, but is too loyal to his brother to go far on his own.


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## Alaskan (Dec 19, 2021)

Bummer about the whatever illness issue.


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 30, 2021)

There is always a something to do here and the turkeys are growing up so quickly! 

Our little sick kune has been to the vet and received antibiotics about a week ago. It was a slow turnaround, but he's in great spirits and his breathing has finally leveled out. 

The newest thing thrown our way came in the form of an orphaned day old quail that decided to squeeze its way into our kitchen. No mom in sight, so the little one is in the brooder. Unfortunately, it doesnt seem like anyone nearby has day old chicks at the moment, so he's an only child, unfortunately. 

I dont think he's gotten the knack of eating yet, which is worrisome. I've tried tid-bitting, but he doesn't seem to get it. He's on a meat\game crumble which has been blitzed and scattered about the brooder. He's been with us three nights so far. 

Seemed a bit low on energy today, but yesterday evening was a bit on the cool side - still at least 35 degrees in the brooder. I've been keeping him hydrated with a syringe and gave him a bit of polyaid today and added some supplemental heating. 

He's no longer flighty, which is good. There's a quail breeder in auckland which has a hatch due in around 4 days... May need to go get some day olds then if I cant find him any company beforehand.


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## Alaskan (Dec 30, 2021)

Lizzy733 said:


> There is always a something to do here and the turkeys are growing up so quickly!
> 
> Our little sick kune has been to the vet and received antibiotics about a week ago. It was a slow turnaround, but he's in great spirits and his breathing has finally leveled out.
> 
> ...


One year we made the mistake of getting only 2 turkey poults. Too few.

We had to go and remind them to eat every hour all day long for the first week.

Take a finger and tap the feed...  and they would eat.

With quail that were slow to eat, some times if you took the crumb and dropped it on the ground of the brooder, the bouncing food would entice them.

We read that crumpled up tin foil below the feed to have some sparkle could also entice the slow to eat... that didn't work for us.


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## Baymule (Dec 30, 2021)

Poor little birdies, no parents to teach them to eat. I hope your little quail starts eating and doing what quail chicks do. Adding a few more will help.


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 30, 2021)

Alaskan said:


> One year we made the mistake of getting only 2 turkey poults. Too few.
> 
> We had to go and remind them to eat every hour all day long for the first week.
> 
> ...


Good to hear its at least a bit normal. Our turkeys were past that point when we got them - looking to be 3 boys and 2 girls in our turkey flock. - not an ideal ratio. Perhaps I should bachelor coop one or two of the boys with my cockerels as they grow. 

They eat very well and have learned how to use the chook feeders from the chickens. They've outgrown my pullets and cockerels hatched in october. I've decided to keep them together for the time being as I dont intend to bring in any more outside birds anytime soon (except maybe quail for the aviary) and I religiously keep on top of my flock's health. 

I've tried popping him in the puppy play pen with my silkie - she is very gentle with stranger chicks, but unfortunately not broody at the moment. He did watch her use the waterer, but was more distracted by the size of the pen and she wasnt too keen on food at that particular moment. 

I tossed her a few mealworms, but she smashed those out while the chick wasnt paying attention. - might try again with her later today. She will only give a warning peck if he gets right up in her face and is always pretty gentle about it, so I trust her, but wouldnt leave him alone with her just in case. 

Will try the aluminium and keep going with the syringe for now. First few days, I wasnt too worried because I knew he'd be running off yolk reserves, but it's been night 4 with us now and he should really be eating. 

Another cool evening, but I added a seedling heat mat under his brooder and the probe was reading 38c overnight. I havent had a good look at him this morning, but he sounds to be up and running around. Hopefully, he's just pecking about when Im not looking.


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## Alaskan (Dec 30, 2021)

Quail are incredibly tiny...  so harder to feel...

But if you can...  feel if the crop is fully.


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## Lizzy733 (Dec 30, 2021)

Alaskan said:


> Quail are incredibly tiny...  so harder to feel...
> 
> But if you can...  feel if the crop is fully.


Incredibly tiny, indeed. It is such a small chick. I did see it scratching around a bit earlier, so it looks like it may just be eating when I'm not looking after all!


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## Lizzy733 (Jan 10, 2022)

Plans for the property are finally underway!

We've decided to build a 30sqm office attachment for the greenhouse so we can have a lockable kitchenette and livingroom with AC as the temps in the Greenhouse have been soaring to around 45C lately (110F). 

We're starting to make a move to get quotes together as this will be a DIY project, but thankfully, my family have experience in this area from their own bach builds, so should be quick to bang out once we get all the bits here and delivered. 

I'll be renovating our horrid yard and adding a crush so it's easier to pick out individual sheep for health checks and maintenance. There's also lots of 'shanty' gates to replace with real steel hung gates. We do have a few good ones, but I'll need at least a few 5' or 10' to really kit the place out and get rid of all the wired together bedframes (seriously) and pallets strewn across openings in the fences.

A few days ago, our neighbor across the way came over to give us a demo on homekill and butchering. So now I've officially culled and field dressed a lamb - left the butchery work to my DH after we left them to hang outside overnight. Not ideal - eventually, we'll have to get a fridge kitted out with a topbar so we can hang them properly. Did two, one of which being my only other problem ewe who was having hoof trouble, so now my flock are finally on the up and up. 

I'm thinking I might start moving them to the yard weekly to get them used to, and less afraid of checkups. 

For future planning, I've decided I'll get rid of the Ram and Cull\Sell down to 5 ewes and keep the wether to help with moving them from the main field (he's a real glutton for sheep nut). Next year, I'll get a weaned or nearly weaned intact arapawa ram and new wether and raise them up by hand so I can start converting the flock to purebred arapawa the slow way. The ones we have that have obvious feral blood are much hardier than the white romneys - their hooves were less overgrown, better body condition, better famacha scoring, more active... just hardier in general. 

So sheep will be staying long-term as a meat source and I still eventually want to get goats, but will need to get an energizer and run a few additional perimeter lines. - Once again, going to go with hand-reared and pay it forward in regards to husbandry so i get tame does. - will leave billies out of it for the time being. There are plenty of studs around and I can just send them off when the time comes in their second year. 

There's also the matter of building a proper shelter as all the sheep have at the moment are some ancient trees and a few shade cloth structures. I have two solid wooden bedframes - 1500x3000 which I'll be using as the base for a 3mx3m stable. 

I got the chance to meet with a local goat rescuer and had a good look at her setup, med kit, feed and supplement routines and fencing. It was definitely an invaluable source of info and resources I'm sure will come in handy for more than just the future goats.

My husband has been hard out converting the raised beds from monocrop to more useful mixed beds properly spaced, weed resistant, and now planted with crops we'll actually use. We've always had more of a summer cottage gardening style with lots of companion planting, pollinator attracting plants and a more natural layout. The main field will be slowly getting converted to a food forest with swails, fruit and nut trees, and interspersed crops. In about 5-7 years, we should have something very diverse and productive. 

The kune kune have been hard at work making garden paths and beating back the overgrown undergrowth around the future deck area while demanding their belly rubs and treats when they decide to pop back into the greenhouse for a midday snooze. Our smallest, Rusty, has the odd habit of foaming up and squeaking his gums after a big meal while he's snuggling up for a nap. There's plenty for them to do around here to the point that I'm not concerned with moving them to the orchard any time soon. 

By the end of the month, my roosters may be ready to start mounting some hens!  It's been kinda hard enforcing that 1m respect rule, especially since the turkeys and pullets are all still allowed in my inner bubble, but I don't want to end up with disrespectful randy boys I can't trust. My broody has decided now is the time to start brooding when I have no eggs to give her, so not sure when I'll be able to start hatching. I can't trust the spanframe for incubating right now - it just gets way too hot during midday. There's still my new silkie I bought as a second broody. She should be POL, but I have yet to see an egg from her and I've had her for nearly two months now. I know silkies are slow to develop, but she is full size... actually bigger than my original silkie. Starting to wonder if maybe she's a dud.  

The quail are doing well - though we lost one of the coturnix to drowning in a drowned proof bell. I'd heard they were particularly prone to it, but never had one drowned in this kind of bell when we used them at birdcare, so was a bit surprised. I've stuffed it with rocks now, so no more drownings. The coturnix are well on their way to being fully feathered and California isn't far behind.  Only problem is, the coturnix are white, so I have no way of telling if they're boys or girls! They both seem to be the same size so far and look to be feathering in at the same pace, so may be a mono flock - just not sure which way! Guess I'll have to wait a few more weeks for eggs (geeze they grow up fast!).


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## Alaskan (Jan 10, 2022)

Fantastic update, so much happening!!!


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## Lizzy733 (Feb 14, 2022)

It's happened, the dreaded 'Flystrike'. 

We've been dealing with stormy weather for about a week now and the tail of a tropical cyclone which has been ripping through the whole region. I consider us lucky to have gotten out unscathed and still have electricity. A lot of other properties have been 'smashed' and my run into town today to grab feed was all about dodging trees on the road.

So today, I notice one of my 'killers' sitting in the corner, so I go and investigate and find he has 'all' the dags. I round him up (he's one if the tamer ones) and dag the crap out of him with hand shears. I'd already suspected flystrike so came around with a bottle of meds and iodine ready to go. Poor boy was 'covered'! 

The worst of it is one leg and his belly on the other side where the skin is leathery, but I didn't see anything open. The leg has been sprayed down with iodine and wrapped, but considering the location and smaller size of the other, I've left it open to the air. His famacha was pretty pale, so I gave him a matrix + vitamin drench along with the pour-on. I direct dosed anywhere I found live larvae and gave him a stripe on the back. I think I found them all.

He musta just been lying in poop the whole cyclone - they were even on his chest. His tail has also been docked waaay too short. He practically doesn't have one.

After all the work, I've loosed him up in the garden where I can keep an eye on him and keep his injuries clean. I'll pop by the vet and see if I can't get him some pain killers cause that's one thing I don't have on hand. Anything else I should be doing for this glum boy? 

He's alert, obviously sore, but getting around the garden and exploring a bit. I might move the wether in with him if he starts to act depressed. 

The girls have access to the front field at the moment and seem a bit more curious about coming up with him in the garden, so there are others within sight of him. 

It's been one crazy month so far going from one weather extreme to the other. I'm trying to sell off a good chunk of the flock and sell our romney ram so I can get in an arapawa boy. 

I've been trying to work with these sheep and get them less feral. I have three female lambs which are getting pretty tamed down and I've managed to get the wether to do the 'touch' command and stand still for a few pats. He also comes running to see me, it's just taken him ages to get to this point.

If our sick boy makes it, I may keep him as a second wether to help coax in the flock as he's not far behind the wether for tameness. Fingers crossed for him. We'll see how he's faring in the morning.


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## Baymule (Feb 14, 2022)

Poor boy! Good thing you found it and have treated him. I can't even imagine! I hope he improves, I know it won't be for lack of care on your part. Hang in there!


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## Lizzy733 (Feb 14, 2022)

Baymule said:


> Poor boy! Good thing you found it and have treated him. I can't even imagine! I hope he improves, I know it won't be for lack of care on your part. Hang in there!


He seems a bit brighter this morning, less in pain and a bit more flighty. Did a bit of flocking with the kune piglets, but they won't stay in the garden, so seriously thinking of moving the wether in with him after my morning meeting. 

He reluctantly snubbed my offer of sheep nut but was nibbling on a bit of grass, so not too concerned. He's been mostly sticking near the hen run since yesterday evening. 

I don't know that his bandage is doing much good. Probably rubbing and making his leg sore more than anything else. Will see what the vet has to say when I call them up later.


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## Alaskan (Feb 14, 2022)

Sounds like you have done all that can be done. 


Crazy weather


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## Lizzy733 (Feb 17, 2022)

We did a phone consult with the vet over baa baa black lamb and his injuries, which I provided photos of and they were actually quite happy with how they looked. Told us to keep them clean and let them air out. Been spraying a few times a day with Iodine, which he does not like. They got us a shot of meloxicam to administer and he's been a bit more active on it. 

I just can't stand to see him getting harried by flies though, even if the drench is doing its job and keeping him clean, so I've gotten some fly-off horse spray that I've been applying anywhere that's not an injury as a deterrent which seems to work at least for a little while. 

His wounds are a bit 'cracky', but don't look so raw. He's getting a bit more sun smart about moving to shade and having a drink midday as we have been getting 'hammered' since the cyclone passed. 

Been taking the opportunity to train him to 'touch' and get him used to handling and coming when called, the good boy.

Might have found a seller for the rest of the ewes minus my keepers, so I can get the flock down to a more manageable size. 🤞

Would make things heaps easier and I can put that money into getting a few new farm gates, properly set up the yard and start in on some concrete shaded platforms where they can get off the wet ground when it rains, which will be all winter. 

Now just need to find a buyer for my ram and I can look into getting an arapawa boy for the rest. Missed out on a pretty boy local that sold just after I got my add up. Ah well. 

Not too fussed if we miss a breeding season, though the ram has been 'really' interested in the girls this morning and vice versa, so might be someone's in estrus. 

Freezer meat's still lasting. We've never been too big on eating lamb and my husband considers it more of a winter food, so the two we culled have gone a long way.

Now, if my roosters can show me they're ready for some girls, I'd be happy. My Jakes aren't so little anymore and have a lovely show for me every time I pop down to the bachelor pen.

In the interim, I managed to get a hold of a lovely frizzle hen who had been with a silkie roo. Tried giving  some of her eggs to my broody, but not thinking she was fertile as I havent seen any development. She wasn't on the lay when I brought her home and I suspect she might have recently finished a broody cycle. Took her about a week or two to start laying here. 

My old white silkie finally finished her brood and it looks like my young blue splash pullet that just started laying about 3 weeks ago has taken over her clutch. Silkies are the best, love this uninterrupted broody swap they have going on, now if only those eggs had some chicks in them :/.


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## Senile_Texas_Aggie (Feb 24, 2022)

Miss @Lizzy733,

I saw on the news today where a bull there in New Zealand got swept over a waterfall.  (See https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-river-over-a-waterfall-and-almost-out-to-sea ).  Did that happen near you?

Everything else OK with you?

Senile Texas Aggie


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## Lizzy733 (Mar 5, 2022)

Another week, another gaggle of farm stuff going down. 

I have a new flystrike victimee, though I believe I've caught this one at the very start. It's my little lamb that's pretty much weaning age, born mid Nov, but still seems pretty tiny to me. Rough estimate, I'd say she's around 10-15kg or so. Easy enough to pick up and heft around. 

Her backside was absolutely covered, but the maggots were still quite tiny and I didn't see any open wounds. She got a good dagging and treatment with Zapp. Good thing my pour-on applicator just arrived in the mail friday. Much less spill and wastage this time around and I'm confident I nuked them all. 

I am a bit concerned though as she seems quite lean - as in I can hook my fingers under the edges of her spine - but still new to judging condition of sheep and don't trust myself to really know what I'm doing just yet.  I didn't hear much activity outta her guts while I was treating her. Wasn't able to coax her into eating any sheep nut either, but have seen her browsing a little on her own in the field. She's been hanging out on the fringes of the flock for a bit now and her mom seems pretty disinterested at the moment. 

Her nose was pretty runny, but clear mucus, and she didn't seem to have any trouble breathing. 

She was a bit pale, so also gave her a bit of matrix drench for the vitamin boost and turned her back out with the flock, but she's back on the fringes again. Will have to keep a close eye on her, I think. Any suggestions considering her age?

Our boy is doing very well. He's started showing a bit of sass. Almost all his scabs are in the process of peeling and the skin on his leg is looking much more 'normal' than burn victim, which is excellent. Very happy with this little man's recovery! 

On to other news, our first quail has come into lay. Looks like our coturnix duo is a pair and she has a bit of the celadon gene, so getting some lovely spotted eggs with a pale blue interior.  They don't look to be fertile so far - though it's kinda hard to judge in that tiny of an egg when cracking it into a pan. Hoping my california cockerel isn't disrupting things for my coturnix boy since they're in the same aviary. He keeps with his siblings mostly though, which both seem to be girls. I would think they should be too young to be thinking about breeding though. 

Still waiting on my cockerels to man up. May need to try onea my boys in with the girls again to see if he's interested in dancing. None of their siblings have come into lay, though they are starting to redden up and drop their wattles.

The pigs busted into the bachelor pen, trying to raid the feed-o-matic and, I think, started a territory war amongst my turkey jakes when they got out. Hormones were high, many bites were received, and I had to jump in and enforce a little time out with two of them as they really don't let go once they latch on. Back in their pen and no longer squabbling, maybe a few hurt feelings, but all is peaceful once more. The girls were out of sight, so not sure what really tripped them off aside from the extra space. I have one earmarked for freezer camp if he becomes too much of a problem as they get older. Luckily, they completely ignore the roos and me when this sort of thing goes down.

If my silkie pullet is still feeling broody, might be giving her some quail eggs sometime soon. XD


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## Alaskan (Mar 5, 2022)

Lizzy733 said:


> I have a new flystrike victimee, though I believe I've caught this one at the very start. It's my little lamb that's pretty much weaning age, born mid Nov, but still seems pretty tiny to me. Rough estimate, I'd say she's around 10-15kg or so. Easy enough to pick up and heft around.
> 
> Her backside was absolutely covered, but the maggots were still quite tiny and I didn't see any open wounds. She got a good dagging and treatment with Zapp. Good thing my pour-on applicator just arrived in the mail friday. Much less spill and wastage this time around and I'm confident I nuked them all.
> 
> I am a bit concerned though as she seems quite lean - as in I can hook my fingers under the edges of her spine - but still new to judging condition of sheep and don't trust myself to really know what I'm doing just yet.


I would guess... since you know they weren't managed very well, and since they were overgrazing...  that it is a heavy parasite load.

Have you gotten a fecal done?  So you know what kind of worms they might have?

But, worms would be my first guess.

Blows my mind about the fly strike.  Of course, I now live in the frozen wasteland...  so not a big issue up here (but it can be... just depends on conditions).  Back in Texas you could get all sorts of nasty things.


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## Lizzy733 (Mar 5, 2022)

Alaskan said:


> I would guess... since you know they weren't managed very well, and since they were overgrazing...  that it is a heavy parasite load.
> 
> Have you gotten a fecal done?  So you know what kind of worms they might have?
> 
> ...


All the lambs have very short tails with the vulva exposed, so I am blaming bad docking. None of the tailed adults are having trouble with dags.

She's seemed a bit brighter this afternoon, but is still not too keen on flocking and is sticking to the fringes. 

As mentioned, she's been given matrix drench, which is a vitamin\mineral boost plus dewormer. I've just been going by famacha and attitude for deworming. Not everyone is anemic. We have a good microscope here, fecalizer, slides and sodium nitrate, but I haven't taken the plunge to doing my own floats just yet. Really should do though.

We are  hot and humid with high uv here in nz - and high winds being on a ridgetop, with more rain or pockets of humidity than surrounding areas, it seems. All their shelter is pretty meh. Shade sails and tree canopy.  There aren't any areas for them to get off the damp ground... yet. I want to make some covered cement platforms so they have the option and get a little stable going. - all on my todo list. 

Her feet were fairly overgrown for being such a tiny bubs, but her mom is the more feral of the girls that'll go right to the native bush at the first sign of trouble, so maybe the terrain's been a bit much on her. - They're all up by the house at the moment and frequenting the driveway though, so can't get to the bush block for the time being. Lotsa grass up here for them to chew through.

Gave her a good trim and shaved down her hooves a bit. Looks better, but I still feel I'm being a bit conservative with how much I take away when I trim.

The main pasture definitely got a bit low, but there was always bright grass down in the bush block available to them. When I sold the four 4 tooths, the buyer said they were in great condition, which was reassuring. Hopefully, now that they have tall grass to browse on a different pasture, it'll help with the worm load. I really wanna get ahold of some bioworma to use as a preventative, but seems quite scarce at the moment and I've not been able to find a vendor with stock.


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## Alaskan (Mar 6, 2022)

Lizzy733 said:


> Gave her a good trim and shaved down her hooves a bit. Looks better, but I still feel I'm being a bit conservative with how much I take away when I trim.


I think it is best to go slowly, especially if they are super overgrown.   Taking them down, in stages, I think works best.  I go at it a week between each trim, until the feet are right again.   If they have driveway access then their hooves might shape up great on their own.  So damp ground is so bad for hooves.

My baby sis has dry ground, and so many rocks.  The hooves on her horses and goats stay pretty good, and only need rare trimming.  

I have truly close to zero rocks,, and soft ground that is often moist if not damp.  My goats needed feet trimmed about once a month,  and horses once every 6 weeks.  


Lizzy733 said:


> We are hot and humid with high uv here in nz - and high winds being on a ridgetop, with more rain or pockets of humidity than surrounding areas,



All of those are tough.   Wind can chap udders (but maybe sheep udders are protected enough by the wool??), and humidity is bad for feet.  Also humidity can lead to rot of all kinds.



Lizzy733 said:


> We have a good microscope here, fecalizer, slides and sodium nitrate, but I haven't taken the plunge to doing my own floats just yet.


I never did my own fecals. I was luckily enough to have a great vet.  Very rare thing though.  The vet I used to use, who was gold, has passed away.  There isn't anyone with experience even close to his.


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## Lizzy733 (Mar 6, 2022)

Alaskan said:


> I think it is best to go slowly, especially if they are super overgrown.   Taking them down, in stages, I think works best.  I go at it a week between each trim, until the feet are right again.   If they have driveway access then their hooves might shape up great on their own.  So damp ground is so bad for hooves.
> 
> My baby sis has dry ground, and so many rocks.  The hooves on her horses and goats stay pretty good, and only need rare trimming.
> 
> ...


Yeah, the drive is gravel with some small natural cave stones in it. Being near a cave network, our land has little to no natural rock formations. In the bush block we have a lovely totara growing on top of one giant boulder and there's a short vertical cliff face, but that's pretty much it aside from the driveway stuff. No buried gems .

My piggies have access to the greenhouse, which has a concrete walkway and their feet have been staying in top shape. Their hooves are light enough you can clearly see the quick, but the little girl yesterday had black hooves, so was a bit blind on her. They might've been wearing a bit unevenly. Tips seem longest, which is why I went in with the file and the center was quite recessed. Haven't cause any bleeding toes yet, thankfully. Have only had the one with a limp, which we dispatched. Her heel was crumbly. Everyone else gets around well though they are all probably a bit overgrown since I did them in Dec.


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## Lizzy733 (Mar 6, 2022)

Just finished doing all the older girls toes and the younger girls in with them. Still need to get to my boys and the ones with my flystrike wether in the orchard, but feel pretty accomplished after the 7 I got through today. 

Realized one of my ewes has a crooked face\nose. She was so brutal about not getting penned. I can imagine why. Was leaping 1200mm tall fences to get away, but finally managed to round her up and just decided to put her right into a halter and let her fight it out a bit on a tether so I could get in there an manage her properly. Got a little bloody nose from thrashing about. Just a drop, really, so not too concerned, but worth noting.

Another one, an older white ewe has one enlarged teat, which I've been told is a sign of having had mastitis in the past. No sign of any localized fever or chaffing etc, so pretty confident it's not a current issue. She's also a full mouth, so have her on my next to cull list along with crooked face. Nobody's going in with the ram this year. Still need to move him on so I can get in an arapawa boy, but not rushing to that. Plenty to get through to get down to ideal numbers, so no need to rush into lambing before we're ready. 

Found onea my california quail dead in the aviary too. Thinking she musta flushed and smashed her head because the only mark on her was a red spot above her nostrils between the eyes and her neck and one shoulder looked a bit red (though I'm not sure if cervical dislocation happened, or at least the spinal cord felt intact). She was cool, but not rigor mortis, so woulda been quite recent. Couldn't find anything else wrong with her. Condition was great, crop was full, organs looked fine... still green coned her out of an abundance of caution. Down to one boy and one girl for the california quail.


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## Alaskan (Mar 6, 2022)

Lizzy733 said:


> Realized one of my ewes has a crooked face\nose. She was so brutal about not getting penned. I


So odd!  Wonder how and why that happened! If it was at birth or an injury.




Lizzy733 said:


> Another one, an older white ewe has one enlarged teat, which I've been told is a sign of having had mastitis in the past.


Definitely possible.   Nice that you got to look them over so carefully. 




Lizzy733 said:


> Found onea my california quail dead in the aviary too.


Sheesh.  

Quail are tricky.  They do pop directly up with great force, and then fly horizontally. 

I have read a bunch of stuff on the "ideal " cage height.  Supposedly it either needs to be super short, so they stop before they start...  or really tall.  I have also read of some who put foam or other padding on the ceiling of the cage.

I don't think any of my cages were this "ideal" height (whatever it was or is), but I somehow managed to never have one smack itself to death.

Stressful that you are down to a pair.  I would incubate anything and everything she lays.


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## Lizzy733 (Mar 7, 2022)

Alaskan said:


> So odd!  Wonder how and why that happened! If it was at birth or an injury.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, definitely something older, like a person with a broken nose. No telling what happened there, but explains why she's so against being penned.

The california are a bit young for breeding, not even all their adult feathers in though the coturnix is now in lay and I have a pair there as well. My silkie pullet is off the brood now. Days are getting a little cooler, so could try the incubator, but not sure if they're fertile. The eggs I've been cracking certainly don't 'look' fertile, but I'm new to having possibly fertile eggs, so could be wrong.

The aviary is a decent size walk in - I think 3x2m but haven't properly measured it. I estimate it could hold 20-25 quail and the roof is pretty high up there. I needed a stool when patching it from the inside. The california like to jump up and walk along the crossbars around chest height.

I don't think she hit the shelter considering where she died unless the death was delayed. It has an overhand of corrugate roofing all around and a few exposed nail tips on the inside, but not easy to reach. Might clip their wings after this. My coturnix keep to the ground cause they're little sausages.


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## Alaskan (Mar 7, 2022)

Lizzy733 said:


> My coturnix keep to the ground cause they're little sausages.


 

I only had Coturnix.  Never the California quail


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## Lizzy733 (Mar 7, 2022)

Alaskan said:


> I only had Coturnix.  Never the California quail


We didn't plan for the california, mind you, just had a flock of babies go running through our house minus the mom and a day old chick pop into the kitchen, which is why we got the coturnix to keep it company. Definitely harder to keep alive than chickens. Have lost a couple over dumb or unexplained circumstances. My son wanted the coturnix and now hardly pays them any attention, but we expected as much. Fortunately, our farm came with the aviary, thing just needed 'all' the work as it was being used to house a veggie box, not birds.


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## Baymule (Mar 7, 2022)

It sounds like y'all are coming right along with the sheep, pigs, chickens and quail. It's quite an adventure!


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## Alaskan (Mar 7, 2022)

Lizzy733 said:


> We didn't plan for the california, mind you, just had a flock of babies go running through our house minus the mom and a day old chick pop into the kitchen, which is why we got the coturnix to keep it company. Definitely harder to keep alive than chickens. Have lost a couple over dumb or unexplained circumstances. My son wanted the coturnix and now hardly pays them any attention, but we expected as much. Fortunately, our farm came with the aviary, thing just needed 'all' the work as it was being used to house a veggie box, not birds.


I really enjoyed the Coturnix.  I was constantly amazed by the speed of their growth. 

Sawing open 20 eggs for breakfast, though hilarious at first...  gets old after a bit.


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## frustratedearthmother (Mar 7, 2022)

If you open very many quail eggs you might consider a quail egg cutter.  They make the job a whole lot easier.  I've seen them on both ebay and amazon.


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## Baymule (Mar 8, 2022)

I raised quail many many years ago. I broke the tiny eggs into a measuring cup. Fried, there was a yolk in every bite!


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## Lizzy733 (Apr 19, 2022)

Daylight savings has hit and we're moving into fall. 

I finally have a clutch of eggs in the incubator from my slw cockerel now that it's cooled enough that I don't think they'll end up cooked midday. 

Have had a third sheep with the flystrike, but once again, not too severe. A bit of bad news for our first boy to get struck... He seems to have developed partial paralysis in his back legs. He had a flystrike wound on his back which took 'ages' to heal. I'd turned him out in the orchard with a few of the girls and he did well for a while before this started to develop. He was still getting around with the flock until I caught him off on his lonesome recently and moved him to the yard.  He got a few days of rest there and the scab on his back finally cleared up, though the site is still looking tender.

I've been making sure he's up on his feet at least once a day and its hard to say whether there's improvement or not, honestly. I think he's been better since moving to the yard. I've since moved him in with the ram and wether for better grass. He's getting around a bit in there, but it's a bit of a steep paddock and he hasn't been keeping to the flats. 

100% certain it's sciatic nerve damage, just unsure if he'll come right. His body condition is good, famacha is nice and pink (he was drenched when in for flystrike initially), he's alert and not showing any signs of pain, has a good appetite and can still get himself up on his feet when he tries. His hocks were curling under (not swollen that I could tell), but have straightened out a bit since his time in the yard. He sits up or stands front erect with his back legs bowed in and his rump with a down curve.  He's a bit wobbly on his feet, with a wobble in his hips at times and is preferring to stay off his feet for the most part.

Anybody dealt with nerve damage in their flock? I know it 'might' heal, but takes a long time and may never come right. 

We've had cyclone weather at the moment, which makes getting out to check on him a bit tricky, but I've been going out with a bit of nut at least once a day. 

Any suggestions on how to manage this poor boy or should I just queue him up for slaughter? Anybody had any luck with something like this?


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## Alaskan (Apr 19, 2022)

Lizzy733 said:


> Any suggestions on how to manage this poor boy or should I just queue him up for slaughter? Anybody had any luck with something like this?


Huh... I would worry that some nasty parasite had crawled into that wound that was open for so long.....

That would be my guess.

In which case... well...  you have parasites I probably haven't even heard about...  wonder if it could be killed with some kind of medication...  or if yeah... he should be sent to slaughter.


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## Lizzy733 (Apr 19, 2022)

Alaskan said:


> Huh... I would worry that some nasty parasite had crawled into that wound that was open for so long.....
> 
> That would be my guess.
> 
> In which case... well...  you have parasites I probably haven't even heard about...  wonder if it could be killed with some kind of medication...  or if yeah... he should be sent to slaughter.


He was treated with both matrix drench and encore pour on when the flystrike was discovered, so I'd be surprised if anything got through those. The injury was scabbed over the whole time, not actively bleeding, but I wonder if he didn't reinjured himself by scraping it on a low branch or something as the area has been wool-less for some time. His flystrike was severe and in several places, but all surface wounds. The one on his back, I initially missed, though the drench took care of the larvae. When I did find it, I treated it with iodine spray to ensure infection wasn't retarding its healing process. One entire leg was scabbed over (this has healed and is now regrowing wool). I'm hoping that now he's scab-free on his back that his motor functions will return as the skin in the area continues to repair. He's a black skinned sheep and the fresh skin is still light grey, so has a fair bit of mending still to do. 

Poor guy has had such an uphill battle. Hopefully he'll come right. I have others I'd like to target for cull first, but need to wait for the weather to cool so they can at least be hung overnight and for our offal pits to empty a bit more. 

I have one girl that is a full mouth and has an enlarged udder, which I've been told means she's likely has mastitis before and another with a crooked face that 'hates' being penned to the point she jumps 1.2m fences to get away like a psychopath, but will come to a bucket..  odd thing. 

We don't really need the meat - haven't even gone through much of our first two culls... Wondering if I should get ahold of the meat works. Still have my ram, though I haven't let him breed. I could maybe throw one girl in with him as a trial run for myself with pregnancy and breeding, but still really want to get an arapawa boy in for the flock's future. We still have 11 girls out in the paddock and 4 boys in the ram's pen. Much less than our starting 22, but still more than I'd like.


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## Alaskan (Apr 19, 2022)

Lizzy733 said:


> He was treated with both matrix drench and encore pour on when the flystrike was discovered, so I'd be surprised if anything got through those. The injury was scabbed over the whole time, not actively bleeding, but I wonder if he didn't reinjured himself by scraping it on a low branch or something as the area has been wool-less for some time. His flystrike was severe and in several places, but all surface wounds. The one on his back, I initially missed, though the drench took care of the larvae. When I did find it, I treated it with iodine spray to ensure infection wasn't retarding its healing process. One entire leg was scabbed over (this has healed and is now regrowing wool). I'm hoping that now he's scab-free on his back that his motor functions will return as the skin in the area continues to repair. He's a black skinned sheep and the fresh skin is still light grey, so has a fair bit of mending still to do.
> 
> Poor guy has had such an uphill battle. Hopefully he'll come right. I have others I'd like to target for cull first, but need to wait for the weather to cool so they can at least be hung overnight and for our offal pits to empty a bit more.
> 
> ...


Wow...  lots of work.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. 

And sorry I can't be of any help.


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