Latestarter's ramblings/musings/gripes and grumbles.

[Latestarter]

Looking closely at Bang, who is supposed to be either very dark brown or black, she is red highlighted throughout, so I'm pretty sure she's copper deficient. I have tried 2 types of minerals. A couple of them will eat it, but most don't/won't. They do rather enjoy dumping over the bucket/bowl however so it's going into the soil every time it rains. So I guess the good is, eventually they'll get some benefit when they eat the grass in that area.

I'm going to start with just the 4 gram boluses for all, and then when I get the paste in, I plan to give that once a week over a 4-6 week period for the adults, and probably every other week for the young ones. I'll see how that works for them. Once they're back in tip top shape, I'll stop until it looks like they need it again. I really do NOT want to OD them on anything... But want to make sure they ARE getting what they need. I also understand none of this is a quick fix, and it will take a little time for the results to really show or be noticeable.

OK, so the ground has dried out a little from yesterdays all day rain. I took some bread out of the freezer to thaw (I rarely use it, so keep it there so it doesn't spoil). Let me go do the peanut butter sandwich experiment and I'll get back here and disclose results. I think I'll actually bolus each quarter this time as well. WTH, it's only 8 capsules... If they don't eat it, small loss; 4 slices of bread and a couple teaspoons of peanut butter...

Well, mixed results...The 2 that needed it most did in fact get theirs and eat it; Dot and Bang. (I think Bang may have come back around for 2nds) My big piggie April took hers but may have only mouthed it and spit it out, can't be sure. The buck wouldn't take it at all. There were 8 quarters, 7 goats, and 3 on the ground trampled when it was all over. I'm pretty sure CC didn't get one either. So I think it was Bang - 2, Dot - 1, CB - 1, April - 1 which means CM, CC, and RJ didn't get theirs. Hmmm On another note I've decided I have to find a better way to do it so I can keep track of who gets what while dispensing...

 

[Baymule]

Can you make a cow panel chute wide at one end and narrow it down? Once in the chute, you might have a better chance at making them take their medicine. LOL

 

[Latestarter]

I basically have all of them trained to be attached to the fence. That's how I milk Dot and how I trim hooves. So essentially, I'll attach them to the fence then have both hands free to manipulate their heads/mouths to do the balling gun or syringe with wormer, or tube with paste/gel... blood draws... whatever. I've tried to "guide them" into CP traps before and they recognized it immediately and I was left to try chasing them around their pen. So I go in and they all come over for scratches and such and I just take each in turn for their turn.

Today's experiment, I didn't (need to) grab them, I just offered them the 1/4 PB & Copper sandwich when they stuck their heads through the fence, and waited watched to try to make sure they ate it. Several of them dropped them the first try and I picked them back up and tried again. So then several of them took the sandwich and pulled back through the fence and in the mob I couldn't be sure which actually ate them and which spit them out. As I said, there were 3 on the ground partially eaten/trampled.

So next time I will most likely attach them to the fence, bolus/paste them, and trim hooves at the same time and just do all 1 after the other. That way I'll know for sure that all have been done, and all on the same date. Will make it easier to track stuff going forward as well, like which are the most thrifty, who has better hooves, etc.

 

[Alaskan]

yeah... I have one girl that really needs her hooves done every week or 2. Odd..they look fine... not sure why they go wonky so fast.

 

[Latestarter]

same here... seems like I just did her a couple of weeks ago, and I just checked her a couple days ago and they were looking horrible... Came directly back to the house and got the snips and went down and trimmed her up. I'm kinda surprised, cause I didn't anticipate they'd need to be trimmed as often as they do. Seems their hooves grow faster than my fingernails...

 

[Alaskan]

same here... seems like I just did her a couple of weeks ago, and I just checked her a couple days ago and they were looking horrible... Came directly back to the house and got the snips and went down and trimmed her up. I'm kinda surprised, cause I didn't anticipate they'd need to be trimmed as often as they do. Seems their hooves grow faster than my fingernails...

my baby sister is in the hill country where they grow rocks every time the sun comes up. She never has to trim her goats hooves.

 

[Baymule]

LS is your son and family coming for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Any more on them moving to Texas?

 

[farmerjan]

For the balling gun and the boluses not staying in; we stuff a little grain in the gun around the bolus so it fits tight enough to keep it in there when we do calves or the sheep or whatever.

 

[Latestarter]

Daughter is coming for 10 days over Thanksgiving. Son and his family should be here before and up to Christmas or right after Christmas till right after new years. Not sure yet, depends on work schedules. Since she just changed jobs to a new school with a 20K/yr increase in pay, they're there for a while. She's also concerned that her teacher's retirement is tied to her staying there her whole employed life. I tried to explain vesting to her and she said she'd check into it further.

I guess with her employment contract she had to choose higher income and less direct retirement input, difference made up by the govt, with vesting requirements. Or higher direct participation with less govt and no vesting. She chose the former. No idea what the vesting requirement is...

 

[Alaskan]

anything with more government involvement would scare me off