Jest Another Day in Pear-A-Dice - Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm in Alberta

[CanuckBock]

Son's update...

GIANT crate in his vehicle...

Tomorrow morning...add ram lamb...

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Flowers and whatnots...

Aug 31

Wild roses gone to hips

fish pond

The forget me nots in pond...for some reason this year,
not alot of flowers...no matter, always next year

Taters...love their flowers.

Did I mention I love potatoes in flower?

When the bees pollinate potato flowers...

These show up, seeds produced are not same as parent plant
but hey, might explain how we are able to get all the varieties?​

Taters....

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[drumstick diva]

The girls with the crabapples put me in mind of one of our Cockers, ages ago, she was more cat like than dog. By that I mean she treated us like servants.

My mom used to put green tomatoes in brown grocery bags to ripen.This dog used to check out the bags often. She's steal a green tomato and hide it under the dining room table- in full view to us. One bite and she'd spit it out ,apparently never learning her lesson. One by one all the green tomatoes ended up under the table with one bite in them.
My mother didn't learn her lesson either, setting tomatoes on the floor was just asking for them to be taken.

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

The girls with the crabapples put me in mind of one of our Cockers, ages ago, she was more cat like than dog. By that I mean she treated us like servants.

My mom used to put green tomatoes in brown grocery bags to ripen.This dog used to check out the bags often. She's steal a green tomato and hide it under the dining room table- in full view to us. One bite and she'd spit it out ,apparently never learning her lesson. One by one all the green tomatoes ended up under the table with one bite in them.
My mother didn't learn her lesson either, setting tomatoes on the floor was just asking for them to be taken.

We had lots of tomatoes on the Coast...even there the growing season was never long enough for us to get many RED tomatoes...we also put green ones in a cardboard box (paper bag would do too) and a ripe apple gave off ripening gasses and one by one, sure enough, harvested and ate RED tomatoes into spring time.

I love how your one Cocker would keep trying the green tomatoes...every hopeful, ever positive...what I adore about dogs. Happy to see you no matter...more than willing to keep it on the sunny side!

Eldad is the nicest shedding ram lamb -
Not the biggest, not the widdlest...jest right!
He's the one with the smudge mark (scratch & sniff anyone) on his side
Middle of photo, third on the back
​

Now on the sunny side of life...son has sent two photos of Eldad...ram lamb is on his way here.

Now that's a crate I did good picking out...
To comfy house a ram lamb in, eh!
Cost a fortune too (twice as much as the next crate down)
Lots of room, airy and even the lady breeder said,
"good looking crate no trouble loading"
The lady seller put a collar on him ​

I am feverishly cooking (MY BOY!) potato salad eggs and taters--now all cooling in fridge. My son is picking up chicken at A&W on the way here (steaks for Fri or Sat dinner and one huge honking stuffed roast chicken for Sunday Dinner--he leaves early Monday morn for back home...wah ha ha!). So dinner is pretty much done like dinner should be with welcomed guests (the ram...the ram lamb...!!) on the way.

I can already feel the tiredness and fun happening...going to be some plum weekend this one.


So I got some odds and sods to do up--way more than I will be able to complete. Going to have Èder out & about in the goose area; so a fenceline between them and allow Eldad to stretch his legs and us to see him.

The Ram barn is divided into two sections inside...so Eldad will be in the barn and Èder also...get to know each other with a gate between so no uglies to happen. Introduction period...for some sheep, instantly OK and friends for life...best to err on side of caution.

I got a bed to make for my kid and rest of all the what nots AND drive this afternoon, too. And then, and then head for home because there are TWO boys to see and enjoy!

Should be fun! Son is here till Monday, so want to spend as much time with him as able.

Boy...boy...boy--he is on his way, eh! ​

​

Sheep...sheep...sheepy--he is on his way, eh! ​

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[CanuckBock]

Something funky with BYC...son & ram lamb on way...posted a post with two photos son sent ...where is it??

There, think it is there now? Anyway Eldad and Alexander on route...here this evening...ton to do to get ready for the BOYS!

​

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Been a delightful day!

"Hmm...was that, no it could not be!
Could that be another boy that just drove by?"​

Everyone is sleeping, except moi...and soon that will be me too...ZZZZ...

Eldad kennel bound...but not for long!​

Let the two boys share a fenceline, and Rick said, we should let them be together--flock animals and all. Went off without a hitch.

Eldad is exactly two months older than Èder ​

Emmy and Lacy got to greet the new sheep thru the fence, but not for too long as I don't want him overly stressed after his long journey here. Time later for dogs and sheeps.

Tonight they are in the barn together with two water buckets and two hay holders, Boss Man outside in the corral with his own hay and water...the boy's club. I will house the two young ram lambs together...take them back to the goose run grass they were having so much fun on tomorrow morning and click more photos. My son has a bunch of errands to run in the city, so between chores and bus runs, Y'all know where I'll be...oogling the new sheeps!

I am so happy for these two boys...ain't they the cutest! ​

Just what we hoped for...chummy budsters!

Alexander and I walked them down to the barn...both did well on lead...considering it is likely Eldad's first time on halter and lead. We had to go past the ewe barn and boy oh boy...that put a quickening in Eldad's..."GIRLS...you got more Dorpers here than just Èder and they're GIRLS!"

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[Akrnaf2]

Tara don't you have to quarantine?

 

[drumstick diva]

Tara, you are always so funny - love the remark about "scratch and sniff," no thanks!!

That's neat about the rams - no integration problems like with chickens.

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Tara don't you have to quarantine?

Identical health status and the boys are off on their own so I am not sure what the point would be?

No hoof rot, keds, lice, no OPP/Johnnes, ORF, abcesses, etc. I recall one set of advice being, if you want to know if your flock and another have any contagious...room one of your own animals with the one in quaratine and see if anything happens. I guess I am seeing if anything happens?

I will be deworming everyone shortly as a fall scheduled routine when it gets cooler, so even worm loads will be similar once that is done.

I have been preparing Èder for weaning now for a few weeks and it was him that was fussing last night, not the new ram lamb. I can only imagine how stressed he would be if I was weaning him by himself. I wanted TWO ram lambs born, not TWO ewe lambs. Two ram lambs and I would have had not to bring in a new one but such is fate.

Tara, you are always so funny - love the remark about "scratch and sniff," no thanks!!

That's neat about the rams - no integration problems like with chickens.

There could have been trouble, but both seemed quite happy to be together and with only two months between and the new ram being pretty amiable. I am overjoyed.

Let the off jokes, beer drinking, scratching, spitting, farting and general manliness unfold...or am I thinking wrongly thar?

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Fires, 14 K outside of the nearest town from us. Red Sun, heavy smoke...water bombers and fire fighters. We knew it was going to come haunt us close to home...just a matter of when again. No fire bans or other preventatives and super dry again. Oh well...

Maybe I will be putting that new crate back together this weekend and high tailing it to safety...oh man, I would not be looking forward to a work bee like that.

​

Have a moment here...I chose a farm where I trusted the word of the persons selling me the animal. Not saying everyone is trustworthy but what the hay, eh.

Here's a bit more details on the QUARANTINE aspect with sheep...

Tara don't you have to quarantine?

How long does one quaratine the ram lamb for contagious disorders?

- PARASITES (external, for internal do fecal float) you would see, lice, keds, so you can examine an animal prior to introducing them to any flock members for creepy crawlies.

- DISORDERS OPP and Johnnes, unless you know the source and their integrity...good luck with prevention of that. Chronic, slow to appear (likely 2 years old when they stay thin, females only have singles...chronic and slow...). So how for both OPP and Johnnes...the quarantine period would be...at minimum for OPP...TWO year quarantine...good luck with that.

Add in "However most infected sheep never show clinical signs of disease." and what is a person to do?

http://www.oppsociety.org/About_OPP.html

OPP Concerned Sheep Breeders Society
— GENERAL FACT SHEET —
Ovine Progressive Pneumonia
By Cindy Wolf, DVM

General

Ovine Progressive Pneumonia is a viral disease of sheep in North America. Common synonyms for this disease are Progressive Pneumonia and OPP. The OPP virus closely resembles Maedi-Visna which is a similar slow or retrovirus found in other parts of the world. The OPP virus can cause disease with any of the following signs: severe and progressive weight loss, labored breathing or pneumonia, paralysis, swollen joints associated with lameness, and palpably hard, unproductive udders. However most infected sheep never show clinical signs of disease. Once a sheep is infected with the virus, that animal stays infected for its lifetime and serves as a carrier even in the presence of high levels of circulating antibodies. Unlike some viral diseases, the presence of antibodies is not indicative of immunity.

"A recent study found that 26% of the sheep in the United States are infected with the OPP virus."

Prevalence
A recent study found that 26% of the sheep in the United States are infected with the OPP virus. In some flocks the incidence of infection is much higher and can approach 100%; in others it is much lower. Related retroviruses are found in sheep worldwide with the exception of Australia, Iceland and New Zealand. The incidence of infection increases with ewe/ram age probably due to sheep-to-sheep spread of the virus. The percent of infected sheep that develop clinical disease is variable and is possibly dependent on flock management, strain and dose of virus, and genetics of sheep.

How long does one quaratine the ram lamb for contagious disorders?

"The infection happens in the first few months of a lamb’s life but the sheep may stay healthy for a very long time. Symptoms of disease may not show up for many months to years later."


https://johnes.org/sheep/faqs.html

JOHNE'S INFORMATION CENTER
- University of Wisconsin - School of Veterinary Medicine
FAQS

What is Johne's disease and what causes it?

Morphology
Johne's (pronounced "Yoh-nees") disease and paratuberculosis are two names for the same animal disease. Named after a German veterinarian*, this fatal gastrointestinal disease was first clearly described in a dairy cow in 1895.

A bacterium named Mycobacterium avium ss. paratuberculosis (let’s abbreviate that long name to “MAP”) causes Johne’s disease. The infection happens in the first few months of a lamb’s life but the sheep may stay healthy for a very long time. Symptoms of disease may not show up for many months to years later. This infection is contagious, which means it can spread from one sheep to another, and from one species to another (cows to sheep, sheep to goats, etc.).

MAP is hardy - while it cannot replicate outside of an infected animal, it is resistant to heat, cold and drying. See "Biology of M. avium ss. paratuberculosis" for more information about this bacterial pathogen.

Another aspect about ovine disorders...some of the tests are not that good. False positives...and way back, one OPP test which should cost you about $15 tops in the States...costs us $250 if you deliver the sheep to the clinic. Not alot of persons out there that want to have a test done for $250 for ONE potential disorder!

I vaccinate for abscesses...our best vet advised us to do so in 2003 using Glanvac (which was disallowed and now is allowed again in Canada)...so my sheep will test positive for that because they have anti-bodies in their systems because we humans exposed them to a form of the disorder so they would not succumb to the more malicious expression of the said disorder. And around and around we go.

So to answer Benny's question about quarantine...to even attempt to do it properly, I am looking at minimum of a TWO YEAR QUARANTINE if I am hoping for expression of the disorders like OPP and Johnnes. By the time two years is up, I am thinking perhaps Èder will have joined his father Boss Man and I would have a ram flock in existence and then have no need for a weaning buddy for Èder!

My advice on getting a new sheep...trust...you need to know the health status of the flock you are interested in and trust the persons you are getting your new sheep from--trust them to be truthful with you, trust they know what they are doing, and blind luck trust things will go along for the best.

Sure you can be let down & and "I" chose to risk the farm (the ruminants)...but there is always, always a risk bringing in new animals to join an existing flock--what is not killing or harming yours, could kill the new one and vice versa.

I named Eldad hoping he would be "beloved to God" and the grace of the Powers that be...there go I!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada