Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Folly's place]

It's a heat wave!
For some reason, I'm not getting alerts about activity on this tread, so I'm way behind. So glad the sub-zero weather is over, for now. My birds did fine. Last week the unwell Speckled Sussex hen died, and it was so cold I didn't do a post. She was older, and I'll never know what carried her off. Still two SS hens, love them!
Today we've had an unexpected disaster; our nineteen (!!) year old boarder, a sweet Dutch Belted ox, was cast in a cold water filled ditch in the pasture. Bad news! He's now covered in hay and a tarp, warming up, and maybe he'll be able to stand in the morning.
.
At least we found him this afternoon! His owner shows up almost daily, and saw him down there, and away we all went to try to help him. I'm slightly hopeful, but we'll see in the morning.
Mary

 

[bigmrg74]

It's a heat wave!
For some reason, I'm not getting alerts about activity on this tread, so I'm way behind. So glad the sub-zero weather is over, for now. My birds did fine. Last week the unwell Speckled Sussex hen died, and it was so cold I didn't do a post. She was older, and I'll never know what carried her off. Still two SS hens, love them!
Today we've had an unexpected disaster; our nineteen (!!) year old boarder, a sweet Dutch Belted ox, was cast in a cold water filled ditch in the pasture. Bad news! He's now covered in hay and a tarp, warming up, and maybe he'll be able to stand in the morning.
.
At least we found him this afternoon! His owner shows up almost daily, and saw him down there, and away we all went to try to help him. I'm slightly hopeful, but we'll see in the morning.
Mary

Poor guy. give him plenty of hay to eat, that will help him warm up. At least it's still warm out relatively speaking right now. Maybe try to keep him moving around a little as well. He's in a barn right??

 

[Folly's place]

He's not up to eating yet, so not good. And he weighs in at about 2700 pounds, so isn't very movable. Our tractor can pick up his front end, which is how we got him up on his sternum at all, but no way can it pick him up. Dragging him 300 to 400 ft. across wet snowy ground wasn't a good idea either, so we did our best to get him uphill from the ditch and braced and wrapped in hay.
Sometimes things just go wrong...
Mary

 

[bigmrg74]

He's not up to eating yet, so not good. And he weighs in at about 2700 pounds, so isn't very movable. Our tractor can pick up his front end, which is how we got him up on his sternum at all, but no way can it pick him up. Dragging him 300 to 400 ft. across wet snowy ground wasn't a good idea either, so we did our best to get him uphill from the ditch and braced and wrapped in hay.
Sometimes things just go wrong...
Mary

Yeah, I would be encouraging him to get to his feet as much as you can. But yeah, get him surrounded with hay bales for a windbreak would be an OK option for him if he's not up to moving around yet. Did the owner want to get a vet out there to see him? They might be able to give him something to help perk him up enough to get him up.

 

[aart]

OyVey @Folly's place!!

 

[chickflick]

Congrats on the eggs, RaZ!
Hi, Snowflake! Nice to see you. Don't be a stranger!
Folly, I hope the ox perks up!
Warm weather, a nice break from all the brutal cold, but, now the soggy ground and muddy paws. Crazy weather.
Have a good day, peeps

 

[Folly's place]

He's still not up this morning, but alive, and the vet will be coming out.
Mary

 

[1muttsfan]

Sorry to hear that Mary. Maybe if the ground was soft enough he won't have any muscle damage. Do any farmers close by have a big enough tractor to help get his hind end up? Very hard to muscle a big guy like that around by hand.

 

[SillyChicken]

congratulations on the first eggs Raz!

Hope the ox pulls through! Poor fella..

I also lost a hen, found her on the floor Saturday morning. No signs of issues, but this batch has not been very thrifty compared to others I've had.

Sunday we went for a day trip to Lake MI to check out the light houses. S. Haven and Grand Haven piers. There was blue ice forming at the mouth of the canal, it was pretty cool.

 

[RaZ]

I hope the ox recovers. What a strange thing to happen.
Sorry to hear about losses. It's always a different feeling when they suddenly die or get taken by a predator. Way different when they go to freezer camp or the processor.

No new eggs this morning but more chickens are squatting. I'll keep checking several times during the day. Also have to monitor the coop conditions. Humidity is 98% here. Rain hasn't started yet but most of the snow has melted. I'm not sure where the melt-water is going, there is no flooded areas to speak of. Just a few puddles. The county put new gravel on my road last fall and it is in great shape.