Michal and Naomi (got here yesterday) started settling in today. Michal (17 year old girl from Chicago) is going to stay the summer and help me out here.
I checked on babies and did ranch up-keep today. Aud has been working on building new fences all week. Karen continues to work, work, work with the horses for me, so that my job is easier.
Karen and Aud moved Chance and Ghost back to their normal pasture with their normal herd - we'll bring them up again to do some intense work once things calm down. They also got pictures of four of the yearlings for me so I could send them out to a perspective client.
I drove Michal and Naomi to town in the afternoon in order for them to go stay with a near-by rabi for the sabbath. Came home and got ready for a couple to come up here to buy some goats.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Thursday June 14, 2007
Got up and checked on the horses - Karen has been handling the babies for me and they are both doing great. We moved Echo and her little colt to the goat pasture (emptied of goats - let them run free) so they could run around for a bit. Moved Mariah and her's to the Lower Little Barn pasture to stretch their legs.
I went to town to get our guests at the airport, then came back. We immediately put them to work! They cleaned the stalls of the mares and foals as I got some things ready for the vet to come up. Then we all walked down to a far pasture and led Blackie and Stormy back up, while the 5 youngsters in there followed. We let the youngsters hang out in the yard and put Blackie and Stormy in a pen.
The vet got here and ultrasounded Blackie and Stormy. Neither are pregnant (very good - I realized I had them in with the stud colts for a while) but both seem to be cycling and could be bred next month as I planned (at least with stormy - I may not breed Blackie anymore).
The vet then looked at the mommas and babies. All are doing well and Echo is clearly kicking into mother gear. A little worried about Mariah's baby's leg - one is a bit twisted. We will restrict their freedom a bit so they don't run so much until it straightens up.
Turned Chance and Ghost out to big barn pasture today to give them some grazing time. Brought them in during evening.
Long, long, long, long week and day.
I went to town to get our guests at the airport, then came back. We immediately put them to work! They cleaned the stalls of the mares and foals as I got some things ready for the vet to come up. Then we all walked down to a far pasture and led Blackie and Stormy back up, while the 5 youngsters in there followed. We let the youngsters hang out in the yard and put Blackie and Stormy in a pen.
The vet got here and ultrasounded Blackie and Stormy. Neither are pregnant (very good - I realized I had them in with the stud colts for a while) but both seem to be cycling and could be bred next month as I planned (at least with stormy - I may not breed Blackie anymore).
The vet then looked at the mommas and babies. All are doing well and Echo is clearly kicking into mother gear. A little worried about Mariah's baby's leg - one is a bit twisted. We will restrict their freedom a bit so they don't run so much until it straightens up.
Turned Chance and Ghost out to big barn pasture today to give them some grazing time. Brought them in during evening.
Long, long, long, long week and day.
Wednesday June 13, 2007
Moved Mariah at 2am because she was so agitated about being in the Big Barn. But the only other choice was the little barn stall next to Echo, and we are worried enough about her that we don't want to add to her stress by putting another mare in there next to her baby. So Karen and I nailed up curtains between the two stalls at 2am, settled Mariah in and went to bed.
At 8am the foalert system went off and we rushed out for Mariah's birth. She had an easy birth with a beautiful, dark red baby girl with 4 white sox. Tiny little thing with a VERY Arab looking head. We were delighted with all of it. Did the handling, all the medical things and all went well. But we didn't like how Echo was doing. She has been worse and worse at being a mother.
We were suppose to be picking up two guests today at the airport but as I was preparing to leave I heard that they had missed their flight. Had already arranged to go to town and meet with the vet about Echo, so I did that anyway. He sent home some Oxytosen, a hormone we started giving her around 4pm. I ran two other errands and then came home to look that over. Decided to move Echo and her baby down to the Big Barn, since they needed to be alone, in my opinion.
As we started the process of walking them together all the way across the property, Echo started getting frantic about keeping her baby by her. This is good, as all mothers act this way when they first leave the stall with the new baby. We were really pleased to see this. I stayed in the stall with them for a while, giving the Oxytosen periodically, making sure the baby was nursing and watching Echo's actions. It went great - by 9pm I felt we had gotten her past the problem. I think she is going to be a good mom now!
Turned Chance and Ghost out to big barn pasture today to give them some grazing time. Brought them in during evening.
At 8am the foalert system went off and we rushed out for Mariah's birth. She had an easy birth with a beautiful, dark red baby girl with 4 white sox. Tiny little thing with a VERY Arab looking head. We were delighted with all of it. Did the handling, all the medical things and all went well. But we didn't like how Echo was doing. She has been worse and worse at being a mother.
We were suppose to be picking up two guests today at the airport but as I was preparing to leave I heard that they had missed their flight. Had already arranged to go to town and meet with the vet about Echo, so I did that anyway. He sent home some Oxytosen, a hormone we started giving her around 4pm. I ran two other errands and then came home to look that over. Decided to move Echo and her baby down to the Big Barn, since they needed to be alone, in my opinion.
As we started the process of walking them together all the way across the property, Echo started getting frantic about keeping her baby by her. This is good, as all mothers act this way when they first leave the stall with the new baby. We were really pleased to see this. I stayed in the stall with them for a while, giving the Oxytosen periodically, making sure the baby was nursing and watching Echo's actions. It went great - by 9pm I felt we had gotten her past the problem. I think she is going to be a good mom now!
Turned Chance and Ghost out to big barn pasture today to give them some grazing time. Brought them in during evening.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Tuesday June 12, 2007
At 8:30 this morning, the foalert alarm went off and I shot out of bed. Karen and Aud rushed out just after me and I got to the pasture to find that Echo was having her baby. After last year's hard birth and rejection of the foal, we were all nervous about this one. Also, she showed so few signs that she was ready. I think her vulva didn't stretch as it should have - she had a very hard time pushing the baby out. Karen and I pulled and pulled. Took 15 - 20 minutes. Had a lot of trouble getting the shoulders around her opening. She kept getting up, then going and laying down in the mud, then standing up again. Finally Karen and I were able to both pull and we got the baby out.
Echo immediately started talking to the baby and turning to check it out, even as the feet were still in. That was a very good sign. We cut the bag and tried to keep the baby as warm as we could in the mud-puddle it was in. Once he (its a boy!) was out, we called Dave out and he lifted the baby and carried it to a stall which we quickly prepared for them.
Through the course of the day we stated to worry about her mother instincts. She had episodes of striking and biting at him when he nursed, then other times seemed fine with it. We talked to the vet a bit, but are waiting to see what develops.
By mid-afternoon Mariah's milk was white and she was waxed up. We expect her to foal tonight. We put her in the big barn, but she really didn't want to be there. Are keeping an eye on her now.
Turned Chance and Ghost out to big barn pasture today to give them some grazing time. Brought them in during evening.
Echo immediately started talking to the baby and turning to check it out, even as the feet were still in. That was a very good sign. We cut the bag and tried to keep the baby as warm as we could in the mud-puddle it was in. Once he (its a boy!) was out, we called Dave out and he lifted the baby and carried it to a stall which we quickly prepared for them.
Through the course of the day we stated to worry about her mother instincts. She had episodes of striking and biting at him when he nursed, then other times seemed fine with it. We talked to the vet a bit, but are waiting to see what develops.
By mid-afternoon Mariah's milk was white and she was waxed up. We expect her to foal tonight. We put her in the big barn, but she really didn't want to be there. Are keeping an eye on her now.
Turned Chance and Ghost out to big barn pasture today to give them some grazing time. Brought them in during evening.
Monday June 11, 2007
Sat. night passed without babies or problems and Sun. morning we went to check Flicka and found that her milk was NOT white. She seemed back to where she should be. I found it very difficult to be gearing up for a baby that may have very little chance of making it. Was exausted and spent a lot of Sunday in bed.
Today (Monday) we took her down to the vet (my vet is back, thank goodness) and had about an hour to wait while he had an emergency call. Went into his office and got some hand soap and a few paper towels, then went around back to the hose he has out there and gave her a bath while we waited. When he got there he checked her and thought she was in good shape. Not at risk. So we loaded her up and were happy to get her home.
Turned Chance and Ghost out to the big barn pasture today, then brought them in before bedtime.
Mariah's milk is starting to turn. Echo is hardly bagged up at all. We put Mariah in a birthing stall for the night.
Today (Monday) we took her down to the vet (my vet is back, thank goodness) and had about an hour to wait while he had an emergency call. Went into his office and got some hand soap and a few paper towels, then went around back to the hose he has out there and gave her a bath while we waited. When he got there he checked her and thought she was in good shape. Not at risk. So we loaded her up and were happy to get her home.
Turned Chance and Ghost out to the big barn pasture today, then brought them in before bedtime.
Mariah's milk is starting to turn. Echo is hardly bagged up at all. We put Mariah in a birthing stall for the night.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Saturday June 9, 2007
Aud worked outside on the fence much of the day, making good progress. The farrier came and put shoes on Flicka and Cami. We moved Chance and Ghost to a pen by the big barn so we could work with them and groomed up Chance. Did some work with the electric shaver to get his winter coat remnants off. He was great.
Kept the little goat kid with a cold in the stall with the heat lamp for some of the day. Gave him antibiotics as well as giving them to Chico, who is also coughing.
Saw that Flicka had milk in her bag and decided to put her with the birthing mothers to keep an eye on her. We have her due date as being in Aug. so we were sure she couldn't be this early, but she sure looks like she's ready.
As we tucked the mares in and checked everyone's milk this evening we found that Flicka's milk is white. This usually means she is going to birth tonight. Karen and I took her down to the vet stocks and installed a foalert transmitter in her. We set up the birth stall and put her in there, gave her warm bran mash and tucked her in. Then I went in and looked at my records of when she gave birth last year to see if it is at all possible that she is ready tonight. The earliest possible date she could have gotten pregnant makes this only 310 days pregnant - far too early. My vet is on vacation, so I called the back-up he had. He told me to get Flicka to town immediately and get an ultrasound done at Blue Mountain clinic. But when I called them they said she was probably aborting right now and there was nothing to do but let her (that's typical of them).
The thing is, she doesn't seem distressed about anything. She seems FINE. She seems normal. I get no energy that there is anything wrong at all. In fact, she doesn't seem particularly ready to brith, either. I have a camera on her and the folert transmitter in. If anything starts I will know it. This may be a long night.
Kept the little goat kid with a cold in the stall with the heat lamp for some of the day. Gave him antibiotics as well as giving them to Chico, who is also coughing.
Saw that Flicka had milk in her bag and decided to put her with the birthing mothers to keep an eye on her. We have her due date as being in Aug. so we were sure she couldn't be this early, but she sure looks like she's ready.
As we tucked the mares in and checked everyone's milk this evening we found that Flicka's milk is white. This usually means she is going to birth tonight. Karen and I took her down to the vet stocks and installed a foalert transmitter in her. We set up the birth stall and put her in there, gave her warm bran mash and tucked her in. Then I went in and looked at my records of when she gave birth last year to see if it is at all possible that she is ready tonight. The earliest possible date she could have gotten pregnant makes this only 310 days pregnant - far too early. My vet is on vacation, so I called the back-up he had. He told me to get Flicka to town immediately and get an ultrasound done at Blue Mountain clinic. But when I called them they said she was probably aborting right now and there was nothing to do but let her (that's typical of them).
The thing is, she doesn't seem distressed about anything. She seems FINE. She seems normal. I get no energy that there is anything wrong at all. In fact, she doesn't seem particularly ready to brith, either. I have a camera on her and the folert transmitter in. If anything starts I will know it. This may be a long night.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Friday June 8, 2007
As usual, I was exhausted and hurting after a day babysitting my sister's kids. However, NOT as usual, I was able to stay in bed almost the whole day and rest! Karen and Aud did the feeding and Aud worked all day cutting up firewood and fence poles and preparing the pasture for the new fence. Karen got the birthing box ready and did a number of other things around the ranch. I got up for lunch and a few minutes here and there and mostly spent the day in bed. What a relief!
As we were doing the evening feeding we found that one of the baby goats is sick - looks like a cold. He's weak and having trouble breathing. We gave him penicillin and put him and his sister in a stall with the heat lamp on and lots of grain by themselves.
We also castrated the male baby goat we wanted to castrate.
Cooked dinner around the campfire and relaxed.
As we were doing the evening feeding we found that one of the baby goats is sick - looks like a cold. He's weak and having trouble breathing. We gave him penicillin and put him and his sister in a stall with the heat lamp on and lots of grain by themselves.
We also castrated the male baby goat we wanted to castrate.
Cooked dinner around the campfire and relaxed.
Thursday June 7, 2007
Karen came to town to help me babysit my sister's kids today. Babysat for 9 hours and I am exhausted. Thank goodness I had help!
Aud stayed at the ranch and she and Dave (Dave after work, Aud all day) took down electric fencing, knocked down the old, broken wooden fencing and dropped half a dozen trees that were dead and in danger of falling where we want our new fencing to go. She made a great start on the first pasture we have marked to re-fence this year!
One of the baby ducks is missing. I think my house cat ate him. Don't know if I should lock them up or not.
Aud stayed at the ranch and she and Dave (Dave after work, Aud all day) took down electric fencing, knocked down the old, broken wooden fencing and dropped half a dozen trees that were dead and in danger of falling where we want our new fencing to go. She made a great start on the first pasture we have marked to re-fence this year!
One of the baby ducks is missing. I think my house cat ate him. Don't know if I should lock them up or not.
Wednesday June 6, 2007
Karen and Aud cleaned the barn up for me a bit today and got a slash pile burning. They did most of the feeding and we walked around and saw all the animals. Karen (a nurse) helped me re-stitch Echo's foal alarm transmitter, as one of my stitches had come loose. She showed me how to do that more effectively.
Tuesday June 5, 2007
Picked up Karen and Aud at the airport today. They are staying for two weeks and I am very excited to have them here. They're good friends and also a LOT of help around the ranch. Pouring rain all day and in the 50's. Let the mamma duck with her 7 little babies out of their room today - they are really cute zooming around the pond.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Monday June 4, 2007
Went to town to get vet supplies we need to be ready for the birthing horses. Took a good nap in the afternoon and cleaned the house, fed animals in the evening. In bed early.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Sunday June 3, 2007
We spent most of the day in town with my sister's family and got back to the ranch at almost nine. I was exhausted and in pain, as I am so often by the end of the day these days. Since my back injury, my energy is lower even that usual for me, and the slightest bit of activity leaves me sore and hurting. I know this is normal and it will take time to heal, but I find this discouraging, none the less.
We fed the goats and the donkeys (they are penned up in a stall right now because they are becoming dangerously fat on all the spring grass - donkeys were made to subsist on desert rations, not these lush pastures). We fed the rabbits and we checked the pregnant mares. Echo's foal alert monitor is partially pulled out and this is going to require a good bit of work on our part to re-sucher. In any case, we hope it will hold until tomorrow (or that if it comes out the alarm it sets off alerts us before the monitor goes dead). For now I need some rest and tomorrow I will go to town to get more suchering materials and implant her monitor again.
We fed the goats and the donkeys (they are penned up in a stall right now because they are becoming dangerously fat on all the spring grass - donkeys were made to subsist on desert rations, not these lush pastures). We fed the rabbits and we checked the pregnant mares. Echo's foal alert monitor is partially pulled out and this is going to require a good bit of work on our part to re-sucher. In any case, we hope it will hold until tomorrow (or that if it comes out the alarm it sets off alerts us before the monitor goes dead). For now I need some rest and tomorrow I will go to town to get more suchering materials and implant her monitor again.
A Perfect Evening
Last night around 9:30 it was still light out as it is out here this time of year, a blissful 70 degrees with a light breeze. The air was full of the fresh, beautiful smell of spring in the mountains. I asked Dave if he wanted to go on a walk and, to my utter surprise, he said he did. We walked our land until after 10, checking on how the drainage was progressing and the grass coming in back in the far pastures. At one point, as the light was just beginning to fade, I looked across the Big Barn Pasture and saw my cat, Smokey, sitting on a log mid-way across the field, watching for our return. Twenty feet behind him on a little bridge that crosses the creek into our yard, sat Magellan and Indigo, two of our other house cats, also marking our progress and awaiting our return.
We made our way back to the house just as the light was beginning to fade, and neither of us was ready for bed. It was Saturday night and all we wanted to do was sit up and enjoy the night air. We decided to drive down to Frenchtown to a bar with an outdoor deck.
Neither of us has really been to bars much since our... well, okay, neither of us really went to barns much during our college days either. In any case, this was a bit of a gamble, as we had no interest in the night-life - only in the night. But we wanted to go out, and we wanted a snack, and we wanted to enjoy the night a while longer before we went to bed. So we drove 20 minutes to town and I read to Dave all the way down (we always have a book going which we are reading aloud together).
We got there to find that the deck was deserted and we had the warm night all to ourselves. We ordered chips and salsa and I had a margarita. We sat for an hour and talked about our day, and the summer, and various little projects we wanted to do around the ranch. We held hands.
This, I think, was a perfect night. The kind we have out here so often during the summer. The sitting around the campfire, or on the porch, or in the hammock gazing up at the star-spangled sky, kind. The kind with peace and contentment and no, no, no rush anywhere at all. And I look forward to many more like it as the summer moves along.
We made our way back to the house just as the light was beginning to fade, and neither of us was ready for bed. It was Saturday night and all we wanted to do was sit up and enjoy the night air. We decided to drive down to Frenchtown to a bar with an outdoor deck.
Neither of us has really been to bars much since our... well, okay, neither of us really went to barns much during our college days either. In any case, this was a bit of a gamble, as we had no interest in the night-life - only in the night. But we wanted to go out, and we wanted a snack, and we wanted to enjoy the night a while longer before we went to bed. So we drove 20 minutes to town and I read to Dave all the way down (we always have a book going which we are reading aloud together).
We got there to find that the deck was deserted and we had the warm night all to ourselves. We ordered chips and salsa and I had a margarita. We sat for an hour and talked about our day, and the summer, and various little projects we wanted to do around the ranch. We held hands.
This, I think, was a perfect night. The kind we have out here so often during the summer. The sitting around the campfire, or on the porch, or in the hammock gazing up at the star-spangled sky, kind. The kind with peace and contentment and no, no, no rush anywhere at all. And I look forward to many more like it as the summer moves along.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Saturday June 2, 2007
Got up this morning to wait for the farrier to come shoe some horses. He was three hours late (not uncommon with farriers and vets - you just never know how long a job will take) so Dave and I moved all my tack into my new tack room while we waited. Then we trimmed both donkeys and put shoes on Mariah's front feet. I was so exhausted after that I slept for two hours, but was woken my by the baby ducks. I thought they were hurt - they were hollering - but when I ran to check, they were all fine. We got dinner and are now just waiting for the afternoon to cool off before we go do the evening feeding and a few other chores.
It got above 85 today and at this high altitude, the sun just beats down. Lovely, but by about 2pm it is intensely hot outside until around 7pm, when it cools down a bit. Luckily, out here it stays light till at least 10pm this time of year, so there is time to come in during the intense heat and go back out later.
It got above 85 today and at this high altitude, the sun just beats down. Lovely, but by about 2pm it is intensely hot outside until around 7pm, when it cools down a bit. Luckily, out here it stays light till at least 10pm this time of year, so there is time to come in during the intense heat and go back out later.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Friday June 1, 2007
Ranch work was light today. We did the basics, unloaded 10 bales of straw from the truck (for the birthing stalls) and took it easy. I am discouraged at how worn out I have been lately. Since my accident I can't seem to do any little thing without becoming exhausted.
Thursday May 31, 2007
Fed horses and checked on mares today. Lock our new mother duck and her 7 brand new ducklings into the greenhouse so they would be safe. Moved a rabbit to a new hutch. Filled bird feeders. Hiked over to a neighbor's for dinner and had bbq chicken and such. Good day.
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