- Thread starter
- #561
Hi Kim
So sorry to hear about your goose eggs and losing the quail to rats. It really makes me shudder to think of them being eaten alive. I lost some ducklings like that to rats many years ago. It is horrific.
Pleased to report that I still have 4 ggs. Rascal is still not quite right but he is eating and enjoying all the TLC that is currently directed towards him. I got his poop sample after 2 days of chasing his bot for "outfall" and then wormed him afterwards with Ivermectin in case it has been lung worm. I really want to know his roundworm/red worm status in case that has been the issue, but he has always had low readings so I doubt it. I rang the lady at Westgate Labs and she was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. The general consensus from the vet and Westgate Labs and myself is that the stringy mucous stuff was shed intestinal lining perhaps as a result of an impaction. Apparently, lungworm are not thought to be able to complete their life cycle in a horse, so there will be no eggs in the horse's poop and you have to test the donkey that lives with them to see if it is harbouring them. Since my donkey has been dead for about 10 years, it is highly unlikely that Rascal could have lung worm. I am hoping to have his result back tomorrow.... I buy prepaid sampling kits for the year, so it made sense to send it off anyway before I administered the ivermectin.
My wonderful farrier came yesterday and put a shoe back on Rebel and had another look at MeMe's hoof because she was hopping lame again and had a bit more dig and this time it erupted. I'm back to hot poulticing but feeling more confident that we have cracked it this time. Again, he would not accept any payment so I sent him off with half a dozen eggs.....he is my hero!
Ian let me drive Zak out last night. We were checking a new route that we are going to do on Sunday when we host a meet of the driving club. There were a couple of off road bits that were a bit hairy as rain water had washed great ruts into the track and we have reluctantly decided to bypass them because there is a risk of a cart getting tipped over but the rest of the route will be a pleasant change for many people as it is quiet country lanes and private estate drives. Zak was obviously feeling a bit stiff and sore from his trip to the beach the other day because he was light as a feather for me to drive, even coming home!
Is your van diesel? Engine warning light can sometimes be something as simple as a fuel filter change (diesel engines like to have the filter changed quite often), which you could do yourself and they are just a few £s to buy. Mine failed on rotten sills but there is a local man who is very good at welding who will fix it next week. He had just done the same repair on another Freelander the day before I went to see him, so he should be well practiced. At 20 years old, I'm actually very relieved that it just failed on that as it should not be expensive to fix.
I was going to say that is all my news, but I suppose I should confess to having set 10 hatching eggs under a broody. I went to Durham hens and got 6 Exchequer Leghorns, 2 RIR and 2 Buff Orps. I have a Light Sussex setting them. She has been wanting to be a broody mother for so many years, both with my neighbour and then with me the past 2 years, so I have finally relented. I set them last Sat night. Hoping I have more success than you did with your hatching eggs from them, but at least I was able to go and collect them so no postal scrambling and fertility should be at it's height at this time of year.Not sure if I will candle them or just let nature run it's course.
Anyway, I am off up to the stables now for a final check on ggs before bed. Hope you have a lovely weekend..... the weather is set to be glorious!
Best wishes
Barbara
Hi Barbara! I’m so late in getting caught up with everything! I hope all is ok with the beastie’s? I’m asking quietly so as not to jinx anything if you say yes! Did the lab results come back ok? After 10 years surely they have to. Good news that the absces erupted! Fingers crossed all the gunk & rubbish is now out
Was the new route good last week? The cart tipping over sounds scary though! I’m sure you managed to avoid those bits though.
You have eggs cooking!
My single goose egg seems to be coming on ok. I’ve stopped turning and the air cell is drawing down now with shadows appearing above it so all seems on track for hatching. I’m just waiting for it to internally pip now 
It looks so bare in the incubator with only one egg in there! Yes my van is diesel and it was only serviced at the beginning of the year with all new filters put in. I got a local guy to plug it in to the computer to see what this fault is and it’s come back with two faults. #1 something on the turbo. Apparently it could be one of two things with that but they wouldn’t know until they took it off and looked inside. #2 is an unknown fault! How can you fix something that’s unknown!
He does not think it’s anything major so for now I’m plodding on with it and going to trade it in for a new one when I get chance to get to the dealership!!
I’m getting 2 flags out!
Last Sunday and today! Last Sunday was a nice quiet hack round the village and all went well. Today was a nightmare
I went with a couple of liveries that I’ve never been with before and they do endurance riding. One of them shot of way in front @90 mph & H was not happy so was jig jogging, a wagon was coming up behind us so I got on the path and he slipped and went down. Thankfully he scooped me up on the way back up! He grazed his knee and it’s a good job he had back boots on because they got ripped as he blundered to the floor. I’d rather have to get a new pair of boots than fix his cut legs! So all in all an eventful ride out. He’s got an ouchy!
I’ve just been back and he’s not lame and it’s not swollen just a bit hot so I think we have may have got away lightly.
Just need to keep it clean and the flies away!
Hope you are having a good weekend
Kim xx
Give Harry some wither scratches for me. 
There is another Harlequin quail, a brightly colored black and white faced bird. So I got confused. 
