patandchickens
Overrun with beasties
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2009
- Messages
- 781
- Reaction score
- 7
- Points
- 89
I have gotten somewhat frustrated by posts by well-meaning but really unprepared animal owners, and would like to gently promote the very large virtues of two things:
1) *Right now*, before you have any reason to need it, figure out exactly how you will isolate one or two of your animals (small pen or stall). If it requires you to do any construction, materials-acquisition, etc, get to work on that NOW (really it's something that should be done before even bringing the animals home, but better late than never). Really, this is part of basic livestock-husbandry equipment, unless you want to take a "whatever happens to them, happens" approach.
2) *Right now*, if you haven't already, sock away at least a few hundred dollars towards emergency expenses in a dedicated separate savings account, or shoebox, or DEFINITELY ALWAYS available free space on a credit card, or what-have-you. This isn't just meant as a vet expense fund (although yes, that is one big purpose of it), it's also for things like "oh wow, someone crashed through the paddock fence and I need $100 worth of lumber and posts to fix it". Nearly everyone who can afford to keep animals in the FIRST place can afford to pare back on other expenses for a while as necessary, to build this fund up. And then do the same to replenish it if tapped. THEN go buy new doodads or fancier food or acquire more animals or whatever.
Unexpected expenses and unexpected need-for-confinement-or-isolation are just as much a PREDICTABLE part of animal ownership as feed bills, hoof trimming, that sort of thing.
Please make them part of your regular setup, so that little fixable things do not snowball into much larger maybe-less-fixable and certainly-more-expensive-and-dire situations.
<off soapbox>,
Pat
1) *Right now*, before you have any reason to need it, figure out exactly how you will isolate one or two of your animals (small pen or stall). If it requires you to do any construction, materials-acquisition, etc, get to work on that NOW (really it's something that should be done before even bringing the animals home, but better late than never). Really, this is part of basic livestock-husbandry equipment, unless you want to take a "whatever happens to them, happens" approach.
2) *Right now*, if you haven't already, sock away at least a few hundred dollars towards emergency expenses in a dedicated separate savings account, or shoebox, or DEFINITELY ALWAYS available free space on a credit card, or what-have-you. This isn't just meant as a vet expense fund (although yes, that is one big purpose of it), it's also for things like "oh wow, someone crashed through the paddock fence and I need $100 worth of lumber and posts to fix it". Nearly everyone who can afford to keep animals in the FIRST place can afford to pare back on other expenses for a while as necessary, to build this fund up. And then do the same to replenish it if tapped. THEN go buy new doodads or fancier food or acquire more animals or whatever.
Unexpected expenses and unexpected need-for-confinement-or-isolation are just as much a PREDICTABLE part of animal ownership as feed bills, hoof trimming, that sort of thing.
Please make them part of your regular setup, so that little fixable things do not snowball into much larger maybe-less-fixable and certainly-more-expensive-and-dire situations.
<off soapbox>,
Pat