Fist Livestock on our Homestead

[Bruce]

I'm glad you got them fixed up. How did they get pink eye?

 

[MuldrowHomeFarm]

Absolutely no idea. We have cleaned and disinfected their pen and eating area. None of our goats or donkeys have it. They never go near the chicken coop soooooooo.....beats me. Any ideas?

 

[MuldrowHomeFarm]

However.......now that I think about it, we have a dozen or so chickens that randomly hang out in the Alpaca pen......

 

[farmerjan]

We have cattle at pasture, far from any chickens.... pinkeye seems to come out of the woodwork, the bushes, you name it. It is often carried by flies going from one to another, and tall pasture and the seeds and such of tall grass seems to irritate it. We find more of it when the thistles get high.
There is no one cause, there is no one cure. I have a calf in the barn that is not responding to anything so far.... LA, Draxxin, Today in the eye.... going to get drastic and use a 1/2 cc of dex and 1/2 cc of pen injected in the inside eye lid which we do in extreme cases. Thought I had it and then it came back. Neither of the 2 other calves in that pen have it nor the other 7 out loose with the cows; they can come in the creep gate into the barn for grain so they have access to it. We have found that we more often get it in animals that we "bring home" to the farm (bought cows). The calves raised here out of cows raised here or who have been here for years, don't seem to get it as much. Built up resistance maybe? Animals that are healthier often seem to have more resistance but not always.

 

[Bruce]

However.......now that I think about it, we have a dozen or so chickens that randomly hang out in the Alpaca pen......

It isn't that. I have 20 chickens and 2 alpacas all in the same area. There is a gate in the barn alley that keeps the alpacas in the last 15' of the alley but the chickens can walk through it and they share a 3/4 acre pasture and 1/4 acre pond. I've not seen the chickens wading like the alpacas do.

 

[MuldrowHomeFarm]

Hmmm.....well, where would they get pink eye from then? I have no idea!

 

[MuldrowHomeFarm]

Your Alpaca wade in the pond? Our girls demand to be sprayed with the waterhose when we are filling water troughs.

 

[Baymule]

You may want to get your male donkeys gelded. jacks can get rough, they can be sweet as sugar, but with testicles, you just never know when hormones will take over. Plus they will breed like rabbits and you will wind up with a LOT of donkeys.

www.lovelongears.com

That's a good site, full of information. I had a tri colored jack that i loved dearly, but when we moved i had to find him another home. Looking back, i should have had him gelded and kept him. Oh well. Donkeys are brilliant smart and very notional. They have their quirks and things that they do. Some make great pasture guards, some will kill the newborns or chase, bite and attempt to breed other farm animals when they come in heat. I had 2 donkeys as pasture guards with cattle years back and they stomped the chickens.

 

[Bruce]

Your Alpaca wade in the pond? Our girls demand to be sprayed with the waterhose when we are filling water troughs.

Their "water trough" is a small automatic waterer (I wish someone built and sold a QUALITY one, not one with cheap plastic valve parts). They don't drink very much since there are only 2 of them. I suspect I could spray them down with a fire hose and it wouldn't get down to their skin. I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and shear them myself. I was hoping the shearing guy was going to come around but the lady across the road with 2 alpacas hasn't heard from him this year.

 

[MuldrowHomeFarm]

Really? How long has it been since the boys were sheared? How hot does it get where you live?