Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[snowflake]

Its sometimes harder with minis due to them having no ground manors. A lot of the fight me and kick. Most owners dont know how to get them to stand still or even control them. I think them are the worse to deal with... the owners lol not the minis. But yes my back is shot at 35 years old. But the more I do them again when weather gets nicer. My body will adjust to not be so sore.
But some trims I can say are a accomplishment and I am pretty proud at the end of the day.

maybe you could build a stand for them,, I saw some goat stands for milking once, I think at a 4H fair. If you could hold the head still in a head stall of some sort. make it portable so you can take it in a truck

I can see were the small ones will be harder. especially if they are not trained to stand still.

Opa I love your brooders. are you going to be selling any Welsummers or hatching eggs at CS? I think I would like some eggs

 

[BobBry]

I find ponies much harder to trim because you have to get so low to the ground - hard on the back.

I'm confused. Why are ponies harder to trim? A hoof is a hoof and they all work against the earth. Right? What am I missing?

Also, How did you harvest your honey? You have top bar hives, right? Your first year , correct? Mine too. Bry and I built the hives last winter.

 

[ASilkieLife14]

Good for you, it's never too late to quit. I never started I was born with a weird lung capacity. I had a biological sibling with Cystic Fibrosis so there is definitely something there. The lung tests showed 80 yr old lungs when I was 20.   But shortly after my 25th bday my asthma just disappeared. It only bothered me on occasions like super cold weather or illness. Now, it's back with a vengeance.

you should try dōtarra essential oils. There all natural and have helped many people I use them and they sure helped us

 

[1muttsfan]

You just can not pick their feet up very high because their legs are so short, so to hold the foot between your knees you have to crouch waaay down.

My hive swarmed last summer and did not leave behind a queen, so i did not harvest, ordered another package of bees for this spring and will leave the combs for them. Tragically it sounds from what a neighbor told me like the swarm flew into the road and got smucked by a pickup.

 

[mindylee]

You just can not pick their feet up very high because their legs are so short, so to hold the foot between your knees you have to crouch waaay down.

My hive swarmed last summer and did not leave behind a queen, so i did not harvest, ordered another package of bees for this spring and will leave the combs for them. Tragically it sounds from what a neighbor told me like the swarm flew into the road and got smucked by a pickup.

Theres no way I can put a foot/leg in between mine to trim.
Its a bent straight over kinda job. And hands/knees.
And unfortunately a stand wouldn't work. Not even goat stands for goat's work. Because they have sides, when the animal movers or jumps, ur arm get smacked up against them and actually can break ur arm. No good!
So stands are useless. Good for other reasons, not trimming.
This year is my 12th year of being a mini horse and goat farrier. So ive been there, done that, saw it all kinda person when it comes to hoofs. Lol

 

[bigmrg74]

Theres no way I can put a foot/leg in between mine to trim.
Its a bent straight over kinda job. And hands/knees.
And unfortunately a stand wouldn't work. Not even goat stands for goat's work. Because they have sides, when the animal movers or jumps, ur arm get smacked up against them and actually can break ur arm. No good!
So stands are useless. Good for other reasons, not trimming.
This year is my 12th year of being a mini horse and goat farrier. So ive been there, done that, saw it all kinda person when it comes to hoofs. Lol

Maybe what you need is build yourself one of those deals that they'll use on cows. Its a chute deal that they can pull around on a trailer, you set it up where you want it, you load the animal up in it, you can reach in and grab the legs of the critter and lash them to one of the four post there on the chute. Then, you hit the switch and the chute flips up on hits side, and you open the floor up to access the hooves. Simple easy peasy. When I saw it in use, the farrier was just going to town on the cows with an angle grinder.

found a video of it on youtube....

 

[birdman55]

Anyone have a white crested black polish rooster? I have three hens and no rooster. Or even just some hatching eggs?

Thanks

i have some...a pair of them and my aunt also has them...pm me

 

[shrparatch]

Maybe what you need is build yourself one of those deals that they'll use on cows. Its a chute deal that they can pull around on a trailer, you set it up where you want it, you load the animal up in it, you can reach in and grab the legs of the critter and lash them to one of the four post there on the chute. Then, you hit the switch and the chute flips up on hits side, and you open the floor up to access the hooves. Simple easy peasy. When I saw it in use, the farrier was just going to town on the cows with an angle grinder.

found a video of it on youtube....

Now that is some fancy stuff...I bet they have to charge a pretty penny to cover the cost. Probably worth it though and probably safer for the farrier. Course this is coming from a true greenhorn on the matter.

 

[mindylee]

Maybe what you need is build yourself one of those deals that they'll use on cows. Its a chute deal that they can pull around on a trailer, you set it up where you want it, you load the animal up in it, you can reach in and grab the legs of the critter and lash them to one of the four post there on the chute. Then, you hit the switch and the chute flips up on hits side, and you open the floor up to access the hooves. Simple easy peasy. When I saw it in use, the farrier was just going to town on the cows with an angle grinder. found a video of it on youtube....

Horses cant be placed in anything like this unfortunately. Very dangerous to both horse and owner or anyone. The difference with horses vrs cows is... Horses freak out once their feet leave the ground. The panic and will do some serious damages. Also they have such large lungs and heavy internals, they can suffocate and cause internal damages. Cows are way more relaxed when flipped up like this. And also their internals can handle it a bit better. It has been done, but very rarlely with horses due to all the dangers that can happen. I will just keep doing what I do unil my body says np more. Its all part of the job being a small equine and goat farrier.

 

[vintagegem]

I'm down to 5 hens from 9 at the start of the winter, really would like to expand my flock just a little, would anyone have 3 or 4 cold hardy pullets available this May? I'm in the Thumb area. Not fussy about breed, just want some more egg layers

. By the way....Spring can start anytime now....I'm ready