Feelin' a bit sheepish...
Mike CHS
Herd Master
I answered you PM. For some reason I tried to post earlier and the post just hung there.
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- #553
Beekissed
Herd Master
Got a new chicken dog this evening. Time will tell if he works out but he seems like a nice dog, just never really got to be a dog much in his life. Black Lab/GS mix, neutered male, 5.5 yrs old. I sure hope Blue and Pinky Pie likes him.
Baymule
Herd Master
That dog will have a great life on the farm.
- Thread starter
- #555
Beekissed
Herd Master
I sure hope so! I took him on his first leash walk this morning to the back of the land, worked on sitting when I stop, walking on a loose leash...hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Finally did get him to keep lying down when I put the feed pan down and being given permission to approach the feed. Didn't take as long as I imagined...he had the idea right off the bat, but he just needed reinforcement.
Brushed him and cleaned out his eye...I have a feeling that's why they were getting rid of him, so they wouldn't have to vet him....both of his owners were nurses, you'd think they'd do some home vetting? He has an injury to his cornea, so is tearing and has light sensitivity, but no blindness there. I cleaned it well and applied antibiotic ointment in there...if it doesn't improve over time, I'll take him to the vet. Brushed him down well and you should have seen the fur and dandruff fly!
We'll work on recall today and I'll keep working on training him on obedience and bonding a good bit before we train on chickens.
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- #556
Beekissed
Herd Master
Second lamb of the season and likely the only one we'll have this spring besides Rocket...none of the other ewes seem to have gotten preggers besides Shine and Lola.
Came home from a 4 day fishing trip and was rolling up the drive, counting heads in the field next to it and came up one ewe and two dogs short. Stopped the car and investigated...as soon as the dogs heard our voices they started to bark from an area we could not see easily but a whole field away from the rest of the flock. We were missing Lola, so figured she had lambed up in that neck of the field....but the dogs came running and so did Lola, baaing all the while.
As she got closer we spied a black looking item hanging slightly out of her hoohoo and Eli said, "Oh, crap, she's prolapsed and it's dead tissue" and I thought the same at first glance but a second glance revealed tiny black hooves and a black nose sticking out. She had run to us about 200 yds like that!
So, I grabbed her leg until Eli could grab her head, then I proceeded to investigate....elbows were back, so did a gentle push on the nose while pulling one leg and that started some progress, the head started to want to come as soon as I had the one leg pulled into position, but I prevented it until I had the other leg pulled forward as well. After that the lamb came quickly. Don't know how long she had been stalled in her delivery, but the dogs had licked her and the lamb clean and she was dry back there, the lamb was golden when it came out, so some meconium going on there.
Have a healthy ewe lamb on the ground now and am thanking God for His impeccable timing!!!! I figured she would lamb while we were away and during that cold snap with the snow and winds, but God provided and had us come home at just the right moment. I praise Him!!!!
Pretty proud of these young dogs of mine, staying with the ewe while she was isolated and in labor, then barking to let us know where she was. I'm also pretty pleased with Lola that she's so peanut butter dog biscuit trained that we didn't have to traipse all the way up field to find her and that she came to US. Can't get any better than that!
Came home from a 4 day fishing trip and was rolling up the drive, counting heads in the field next to it and came up one ewe and two dogs short. Stopped the car and investigated...as soon as the dogs heard our voices they started to bark from an area we could not see easily but a whole field away from the rest of the flock. We were missing Lola, so figured she had lambed up in that neck of the field....but the dogs came running and so did Lola, baaing all the while.
As she got closer we spied a black looking item hanging slightly out of her hoohoo and Eli said, "Oh, crap, she's prolapsed and it's dead tissue" and I thought the same at first glance but a second glance revealed tiny black hooves and a black nose sticking out. She had run to us about 200 yds like that!
So, I grabbed her leg until Eli could grab her head, then I proceeded to investigate....elbows were back, so did a gentle push on the nose while pulling one leg and that started some progress, the head started to want to come as soon as I had the one leg pulled into position, but I prevented it until I had the other leg pulled forward as well. After that the lamb came quickly. Don't know how long she had been stalled in her delivery, but the dogs had licked her and the lamb clean and she was dry back there, the lamb was golden when it came out, so some meconium going on there.
Have a healthy ewe lamb on the ground now and am thanking God for His impeccable timing!!!! I figured she would lamb while we were away and during that cold snap with the snow and winds, but God provided and had us come home at just the right moment. I praise Him!!!!
Pretty proud of these young dogs of mine, staying with the ewe while she was isolated and in labor, then barking to let us know where she was. I'm also pretty pleased with Lola that she's so peanut butter dog biscuit trained that we didn't have to traipse all the way up field to find her and that she came to US. Can't get any better than that!
Baymule
Herd Master
I love a happy story. Lola knew you would help her and she ran to you. That is the humbling trust Gods creatures put in us. What a beautiful experience, it has to make you swell with love for Lola. And your dogs! They knew she was distressed and did their best to comfort her. Then they barked the alert to you. How awesome.
- Thread starter
- #558
Beekissed
Herd Master
Can't fault a ewe that will bring her problems right to the gate so you don't have to walk the field, huh? I think it was more a case of wanting a peanut butter dog biscuit than knowing I could help her...she's obsessed with those biscuits, even more so than the older gals.
She's a keeper, either way!- Thread starter
- #559
Beekissed
Herd Master
Checked on the new mother and lamb this morning and found they had traveled quite a bit down the field and were near the rest of the flock but still quite distant. Blue had chewed threw his tie out in the night and hadn't harmed the lamb, so it's all good. Had tied him up due to him getting too close and too excited about licking the lamb but by the time he got off that tether, the lamb was fully licked and I'm hoping she had expelled her placenta....hoping that Blue didn't tug on it and break it off inside her.
Lamb is spry and running quite fast beside her mama, so nothing bad going on there. Lola is being a good mother, so no worries there either. Will watch her closely for any signs she didn't clean out well.
Lamb is spry and running quite fast beside her mama, so nothing bad going on there. Lola is being a good mother, so no worries there either. Will watch her closely for any signs she didn't clean out well.
- Thread starter
- #560
Beekissed
Herd Master
The two dogs are sticking like glue to the new mother and lamb and she is still remaining separate from the rest of the flock. They aren't bothering the lamb but they are moving real close to them as they travel, one on either side of the pair. I find that very endearing but I could just be looking at that through rose colored glasses....they could just be waiting for her to drop something tasty out her rearend again!
