Fist Livestock on our Homestead

[Bruce]

Teddy was shorn last year. Laddie, who is a ROYAL PITA when it comes to shearing, was sheared 2 years ago. You don't need an exercise program if you shear Laddie even with his head latched high and all 4 feet tied to the platform's corner posts.

It does get to the 90s (more often than we like).

 

[MuldrowHomeFarm]

Laddie sounds like a handful! Yes, the 90's can be rough.....wish I knew someone reliable for you!

 

[MuldrowHomeFarm]

@Baymule Yes, our little boy, Branson, has been gelded. NASTY business and I am not looking forward to having River gelded. I couldn't watch but DH sat through the whole surgery, which was done outside, yes, I know they are large animals but still! And it was done with a DRILL. Ugh!! I had researched it a lot and dozens of folks had yelled at me on other forums to get it done before he turned crazy. All I had read basically told me that many vets do not know how to do gelding on donkeys because it is much different than a horse. So I worried and I fretted. I delayed. Then DH said, "Branson has appt tomorrow to get gelded." So......off to the vet we went. I was very verbal about how hesitant I was to do this. I'd rather him be alive and ornery, than dead from a bad operation. I questioned our vet to make sure he knew what the difference was between a donkey and a horse. He had a great sense of humor about my fear and worry but he was kind about it. He assured me he had watched lots of you tube videos and felt completely confident about doing it. His vet tech was full of assurance that she had helped him do dozens of geldings in the last 10 years, probably hundreds, by now and they had never lost a boy yet. Needless to say, he did a great job and our little boy is nutless now. It's been 4 months since his procedure and he will now, once again take apples from my hand, as of yesterday...lol.....

 

[MuldrowHomeFarm]

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.

I'm glad to read this. When our goats came home, they got pinkeye, from the auction house, possibly, since our land was freshly cleared and no animals had been housed there.....unless, it can be picked up from the land/plants.. ..or wild animals.....we have Racoons, Skunks, Armadillos, Coyotes, Oppossum and, of course deer. That doesn't include the birds: hawks, vultures, sparrows, cardinals galore and so on.

 

[MuldrowHomeFarm]

@SpaceBus how is your little group doing?

 

[Bruce]

It's been 4 months since his procedure and he will now, once again take apples from my hand, as of yesterday

Held a grudge for a while I guess.

 

[farmerjan]

Held a grudge for a while I guess.

Gee @Bruce .....wouldn't you?????

 

[Baymule]

Gee @Bruce .....wouldn't you?????

You beat me to it! LOL LOL

 

[MuldrowHomeFarm]

If you have never seen the procedure done with a Dewalt drill, let me tell you, I held a grudge for him against myself! He was such a good patient though. When they sedated him, he was so woosey and I sat on the ground next to him, petting him. It was the closest I had ever gotten to him. Once the drill came out, I was outta there. Poor Branson was like, "Hey, Friend? Where you going?" I felt horrible for him but I knew it was the right thing to do. We already had 5 donkeys, 3 of which, are fertile females. When we got home, the vet had said to let him be with his herd but to watch the bleeding. It should have been minor drops for about 12-18 hrs and that's exactly what it was. I was so relieved. The next day, though, we couldn't find him and I was convinced he had wandered off and died.....nope, he was hiding under the house. It is raised 5 feet so he fits under it perfectly, just out of sight. What a brat! And when I would walk towards him, he would walk away. I guess 4 months is long enough to hold a grudge though!