➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[littleprairieheartsfarm]

Sorry it didn’t go as well as you were hoping

But those minis sure are adorable!!

I really want minis haha but then again I also want goats, sheep, ducks, quail, rabbits, and several types of house pets but I won’t even get started on those.

Anyway, I think minis are adorable but the expense is part of what’s putting me off from them. I mean... food wise, they would probably be cheaper than a regular horse, and we have tons of grass (and I can plant special pasture grass if necessary) and can get hay but farrier and vet costs and everything are all still the same as a full size horse, right? Horses are so expensive.

I would love a full size one or two eventually too but they’re so expensive. And I don’t have much experience. I figure with minis I could get experience first especially with like training and stuff. And they’re cheaper initially like purchase price.

But I might just start out with lessons and/or leasing to get my horse fix haha

But at least with goats and stuff I could trim hooves myself.



I totally understand that. I am in a somewhat similar situation, though not as severe. I suspect I have carpal tunnel but I too am terrified to go to the doctor and also don’t want surgery so I haven’t yet.








Probably should though seeing as my hand has been numb since like Sunday....



OMG definitely get that checked out!! The brain is no thing to mess with!! You could have a concussion or some serious lingering side effects or something!



X2

I would say do the leasing. Owning horses is fun but lord have mercy they are expensive, destructive, and freak you out at the drop of a hat since they are so fragile thus causing you to call the vet then boom more expenses.
Also I would recommend lessons/leasing first anyways, horses are a gigantic commitment and jumping straight into it isn’t the best idea.

Oh gosh, I know I need the surgery. I was told when I was 13 that when I turned 18 that surgery was to happen..but then we moved to Texas.

Carpal tunnel isn’t something to mess around with either! You definitely need to get it checked out, it could be just a sprain in your wrist/hand.

I’ve had more concussions than I would like to admit, and seeing how my grandma had Alzheimer’s, I probably shouldn’t mess around. The brain is just so hard to understand, even most neuro-based doctors don’t know half the time. My grandmother was passed around and around until they finally figured out her diagnosis.

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

I totally forgot that your rescued duck hen (and forgot her name??? My memory is totally shot) was sitting on eggs last time I was around here. Gosh how time flies by! I’ll have to go look for pictures.

Oh!! Her name was Annabelle right or something similar? I think.. It took me four days to remember my general chem professor’s name when my director was asking me questions after the faint, I probably need to be checked out.

Yes, her name is Annabelle. She started out sitting on 8 eggs. 1 egg went bad/died in shell. 2 died after hatching. But 5 survived and thrived. Out of those 5, looks like I have 4 boys and only 1 girl. Pfft! That's the way it goes some times I guess.

 

[ShrekDawg]

The problem is that he wasn't taken in where we got him. He was transported by a rescue group from a shelter in Louisiana. The shelter here just gave basic health-related information and an estimated age, nothing approaching a complete history from the other place. I got most of that information by sleuthing.

Oh wow that is some expert sleuthing then!! Haha

I have symptomatic bipartite patella, basically the fibrous connection keeping my two kneecap pieces together was damaged and causes pain whenever it’s bent.

That sounds super painful.

I would say do the leasing. Owning horses is fun but lord have mercy they are expensive, destructive, and freak you out at the drop of a hat since they are so fragile thus causing you to call the vet then boom more expenses.
Also I would recommend lessons/leasing first anyways, horses are a gigantic commitment and jumping straight into it isn’t the best idea.

Oh gosh, I know I need the surgery. I was told when I was 13 that when I turned 18 that surgery was to happen..but then we moved to Texas.

Carpal tunnel isn’t something to mess around with either! You definitely need to get it checked out, it could be just a sprain in your wrist/hand.

I’ve had more concussions than I would like to admit, and seeing how my grandma had Alzheimer’s, I probably shouldn’t mess around. The brain is just so hard to understand, even most neuro-based doctors don’t know half the time. My grandmother was passed around and around until they finally figured out her diagnosis.

Thanks, that’s all really helpful! Didn’t realize they were so fragile haha the expense is legendary though I think are minis any cheaper than not really? I was reading the feed cost is at least lower? And that sometimes the farrier is too? And of course smaller halters and smaller medicine doses. But everything else is the same as big ones right? And they need like at least 4 vaccines every year? Possibly more than that? They’re probably what? Like $100? $200? Per vaccine? Plus a barn call or office visit fee?? So it’d probably be like a $500 or $600 vet bill every year? Or is it closer to $1000? For one horse. I would need two, right? Am I at all close? Or is this on the cheap end? Cause even that sounds crazy expensive haha I also have a cat that’s usually at least $100-$200 every year for her annual visit and shots, fecal, etc. so it’d probably be closer to $1500-$2000 a year or more for all my pets haha just for vet costs alone. Not even including food or anything. And not including the chickens in that. Add in all the feed and the cost of shavings it is starting to add up already.... although can minis be kept in a run in? So I might not need shavings? Still do for the chickens though ha

And yeah, they live like 30 years, right? So probably not the best idea if I plan to move in the next year or two or even the next five years.

I could keep it on our property though so that saves on board at least but then again I have to build something haha

The more I look into this, the worse the idea sounds haha

I just saw some cute minis recently and thought “I really want one” and started looking

Mostly just for fun though. I think actually getting one would be a horrible idea.

But I tend to do that. I get an idea into my head and then I get kinda fixated on it and really want it and do lots of research and stuff until I forget it and move on to the next one.

Did it with goats, sheep, dogs, rabbits, quail, etc.

But I don’t actually ever get the animal ha sometimes I come close though.

Although I really do think I will definitely get all of those someday. The quail I’m hoping soon.

And I actually used to take lessons off and on as a kid then quit for a while. Started up again at one point but then quit again. Well, not on purpose but there were a bunch of snow storms in a row one year so then I missed a bunch of lessons and then I felt bad about it and never called her and then I told myself it was too late to do so and yeah..... that was about 5 years ago. That was the most recent. But I was doing pretty well and helped out a lot at the barn and also rode a lot of different horses including one who they normally didn’t let most people ride just because she was a “go go go” energizer bunny type horse and she normally didn’t like very many people or let very many people ride her anyway but she liked me. As well as a few babies (a 5 year old Morgan and 6 year old draft, I think he was a Belgian). And one time one of the horses tried a bit of bucking with me but I rode through it and then he was great after like 10, 20 minutes haha he was old so he couldn’t really actually buck but he tried haha an older lady had ridden him before and he figured out she cried and got off when he did that and he got out of working plus he didn’t like her so he did it to her and he figured he would test me and see if he could get away with it with me because he didn’t want to work. He couldn’t and I made him work. once he saw that he was fine haha he had a lot of tricks to stop working.

Anyway, sorry, I’m rambling now.

I want to get back into horseback riding again but I’m so out of shape haha should probably get in a little bit better shape first.

I spent so long talking about the horses now I am going to have to make a separate post to reply to the other stuff.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I would say do the leasing. Owning horses is fun but lord have mercy they are expensive, destructive, and freak you out at the drop of a hat since they are so fragile thus causing you to call the vet then boom more expenses.
Also I would recommend lessons/leasing first anyways, horses are a gigantic commitment and jumping straight into it isn’t the best idea.

Oh gosh, I know I need the surgery. I was told when I was 13 that when I turned 18 that surgery was to happen..but then we moved to Texas.

Carpal tunnel isn’t something to mess around with either! You definitely need to get it checked out, it could be just a sprain in your wrist/hand.

I’ve had more concussions than I would like to admit, and seeing how my grandma had Alzheimer’s, I probably shouldn’t mess around. The brain is just so hard to understand, even most neuro-based doctors don’t know half the time. My grandmother was passed around and around until they finally figured out her diagnosis.

That last post got way too long since I got carried away talking about horses so I’m making a separate one.

Oh wow you should definitely get the surgery then! Maybe there’s a surgeon out there?

Hmm that’s true but I’m still nervous ha and idk, maybe but it’s both hands although one is especially bad. I think it’s carpal cause I’m on my phone waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much.

Oh wow yeah definitely get that checked out!! There could be something seriously wrong and you wouldn’t even know it.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Oh and also I do eventually want full size horses though so I can ride them and of course minis cause they’re cute but I think I’m going to wait until I have a lot more land and/or a farm haha they’re definitely expensive but I do eventually want some of my own. I just don’t think it’s smart right now haha you’re probably right about that. Although I was hoping minis were cheaper.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Okay idk if anyone really knows about horses but I just saw these on Craigslist recently and was wondering about them haha

I just thought they were kinda..... odd????

Like idk. Just with this one, seems to me like they should maybe work on the buddy sour issue instead of just finding him a friend to work with? Idk how bad he behaves but just that if it was me, I would want to fix it rather than always have to ride with someone else the rest of his life. But it’s not me so oh well haha and I’m sure it’s not easy to fix and I know buddy and barn sour horses are extremely common but I just personally wouldn’t want to deal with that.

And then this one is odd too. I wonder why no boarding situations? Maybe they feel they’ll get less attention or something in one? Or that they’ll get too much attention? Or maybe they don’t like other horses? But then they say they have to be with other horses. Just a bit odd haha but I don’t know much about horses so maybe this isn’t really an odd request?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Just was wondering. Sorry, I know that’s extremely random

 

[littleprairieheartsfarm]

Yes, her name is Annabelle. She started out sitting on 8 eggs. 1 egg went bad/died in shell. 2 died after hatching. But 5 survived and thrived. Out of those 5, looks like I have 4 boys and only 1 girl. Pfft! That's the way it goes some times I guess.

Maybe you have some late bloomers! I was 110% convinced that Dippy was actually a drake since she rasped so much when she was a young duckling, but then she started quacking.

 

[littleprairieheartsfarm]

Oh and also I do eventually want full size horses though so I can ride them and of course minis cause they’re cute but I think I’m going to wait until I have a lot more land and/or a farm haha they’re definitely expensive but I do eventually want some of my own. I just don’t think it’s smart right now haha you’re probably right about that. Although I was hoping minis were cheaper.

While I totally wish I could say they are cheaper, they aren’t unfortunately. Everything, from farrier to shots, costs the same (for us at least) as the big horses, and because they can get fat on air, they are super prone to laminitis. Snoopy being our little butterball who has decided to dabble in the laminitis world. You can keep them in a run in, but I know how much I love the fact that we can have ours in a stall in the barn.

 

[ShrekDawg]

While I totally wish I could say they are cheaper, they aren’t unfortunately. Everything, from farrier to shots, costs the same (for us at least) as the big horses, and because they can get fat on air, they are super prone to laminitis. Snoopy being our little butterball who has decided to dabble in the laminitis world. You can keep them in a run in, but I know how much I love the fact that we can have ours in a stall in the barn.

Thank you! This is really helpful. Disappointing but helpful hahah

I almost wonder, since they aren’t cheaper anyway, if it would be better to just get some full size ones?

JK of course. Definitely can’t afford one right now. But maybe eventually haha

And oh boy! Is laminitis expensive? I haven’t really read much on it but have seen it come up a lot. Also, everything I was reading kept saying to feed grain and hay? But I thought minis got fat really easily? So do they even need grain? And also most said feed a few times a day, even for the hay, but I read something a while ago that said it was better for horses to have food available all the time rather than only feeding a few times a day because they need food moving through their system constantly? So I was gonna feed hay free choice? And/or have them on the grass a lot. Whether I get minis or full size horses. Or is that a bad idea? I did read that they shouldn’t be on the early spring grass cause of laminitis but is it otherwise okay? I’d rather do what’s best for the horse, not just what’s most convenient for me, so if feeding free choice is best I’ll do that or if not I won’t. I did also read feeding hay at ground level rather than in a hanging hay net or whatever was best and better for their back and everything cause it was a more natural position so I was gonna do that too. But I’ve read feeding on the ground is bad cause they can ingest sand and dirt and stuff and get sick? So I was gonna get one of those hay pillow things or something that go on the ground and use that instead.

Told you I research everything ever

And thanks, that makes sense. Sure it would be fun having them close by in a stall but I was just thinking it might save on shavings? Since I probably wouldn’t need them in a run in? But if it’s safer for them to be in a stall, I would do it. Our property is also pretty small though, only about 2.5 acres, with only part of that yard (even though the yard is HUGE), so I can easily access the horse(s) either way, no matter what type of the shelter they have. Not like we have huge acreage where they could go run and hide in a pasture haha but I might just build like a shed or stall or something haha we have foxes and coyotes so idk if those would be a threat to minis? Those are the largest predators we have but our coyotes are HUGE haha

But this is all just hypothetical. I don’t think I’ll get a horse anytime soon. Definitely a bit out of my price range atm but still like to plan in case or ask questions haha

Maybe I should just get goats or sheep instead.