Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[picklestheduck]

Hey everyone! It has been a minute! We got rain yesterday, but it was fast and hard and passed quickly, I was driving home in it and we were all doing 55 on the freeway since we could barely see, but once I got off the freeway I drove out of it. We had some major major flooding with those storms a while back but everything is back to normal thankfully. The birds are well, I finally had the three extra roosters culled a few months back… four roosters that faught was just too much after a while, and everyone has been peaceful since. I was letting them into my old goat pasture to graze and scratch around and get out of the mud, but a hawk caught on quickly and landed in a tree that’s in the run!! I was not home but thankfully a family member quickly got all the birds inside and safe, and they are now locked up in the secure run. One of my drakes seemed to have hurt his leg the other day and was limping pretty bad but a few days of crating him seemed to have done the trick. The next problem is one of my hens, Karen, seems to be acting oddly, and I’m thinking it’s something internal, for all I know maybe even cancer, but she’s functioning mostly normal and I’m watching her. As far as the horses, well my main riding horse has heaves, and when the smoke from Canda was heavy a few months back, it started a flare up with her respiratory problems that has just been getting worse. She’s on three breathing supplements, I have a cough syrup remedy for when she needs it, Ive given her a horse inhaler, and did a 16 day round of steroid injections to keep her airways open, but she still seems to be struggling. I called the vet yesterday and they are going to call me back and talk about a time they can come see her. I’m worried about her but I don’t know what else to do. Oh and look what I got in the garden a week or two ago. The tomatoes are on steroids, and we have gotten bushels and bushels of them. We’ve spent days canning and dehydrating them and making all sorts of recipes and they are still coming out our ears

 

[Folly's place]

Sorry about your mare, asthma and that smoke have been a terrible combination this year! Hope she can improve, and you are doing your best for her. Has she been allergy tested? Anything that you can get out of her environment that she's already allergic to?
It's why we have critters, so they can make us crazy...
Mary

 

[picklestheduck]

Sorry about your mare, asthma and that smoke have been a terrible combination this year! Hope she can improve, and you are doing your best for her. Has she been allergy tested? Anything that you can get out of her environment that she's already allergic to?
It's why we have critters, so they can make us crazy...
Mary

I’ve actually looked into getting her allergy tested, so I think that’s one of the next steps. I have been unable to ride her for like 3 months now. It sucks for me but I refuse to get on her when her sides heave so hard. A few people have told me to just ride and walk her but if she’s working that hard to breathe, I can only imagine what it does for me to add weight on her. I’m also looking into a nebulizer.

Edit- All their grain is soaked, and I feed in hay nets. They are not stalled ever unless their is in injury, they are just fed inside. I’ve soaked her hay here and there, but I do have a homemade hay steamer I’ll have to dig out that we used last year, made from a husky tool box, sone dishwasher hose, and a wallpaper steamer. It works amzing for $200 and can fit a whole bale, instead of paying $1,000 for one that can steam 2 flakes.

 

[1muttsfan]

She could have summer pasture associated obstructive airway disease, which is is to pollens and particulate matter. It is more common in southern states, but I have seen a few. Most horses in the North with heaves are allergic to the mold dust in hay.

My pony had heaves, and also foundered, a terrible combination that resulted in putting him down. The steroids necessary for decent breathing exacerbated his feet to the point of having difficulty walking. So sad.

 

[picklestheduck]

She could have summer pasture associated obstructive airway disease, which is is to pollens and particulate matter. It is more common in southern states, but I have seen a few. Most horses in the North with heaves are allergic to the mold dust in hay.

My pony had heaves, and also foundered, a terrible combination that resulted in putting him down. The steroids necessary for decent breathing exacerbated his feet to the point of having difficulty walking. So sad.

I’m sorry to hear that. Oh thanks for the info I’ll look into it! Yeah, mold is a huge problem for her. Her previous owners let her get into a bunch of very moldy round bales. Now the hay that we get is thoroughly checked and we try to get the best quality possible. we do not use round bales, because when they stick their heads in them, they just inhale all that dust. We’ve completely eliminated that, and feed and hay nets. I have another one with heaves, I know! Tough luck! But she seems to do worse in the winter, and better in the summer. They are both very different.

 

[Folly's place]

Do you blanked her in the winter? Is she outside, or in a barn more? Get that allergy testing done!
Mary

 

[picklestheduck]

Do you blanked her in the winter? Is she outside, or in a barn more? Get that allergy testing done!
Mary

I only blanket when she gets cold or we we get a winter rain, and I usually only use the lighhtweight rain sheets. She’s outside 24/7, they only come in for grain. I’m trying to find someone to do it, our local vet does not, and the only other one I know who will do it I will not have out unless he’s the last resort, since we’ve had a bad experience. I’m waiting for a vet we used before to call us back, I’ll probably have to haul her there but at this point it’s probably worth it

 

[RaZ]

It's why we have critters, so they can make us crazy...
Mary

They make us sane and crazy at the same time.
For example, when I got home from work today all of the chicks were outside the run and the ducks were inside. Not sure how they got out but they were all ready to go back in. They all went in as soon as I opened the gate.

It's 60'F with 87% humidity but it feels a whole lot colder. I'm rather concerned that I don't have enough firewood laid in for the winter. I have plenty of deadfall in my woods that I can cut & split but I've been too darned exhausted to drag it out. I blame the new meds that I've been on. Side effects are bad. Doc says I'll get used to it over time. I don't think I have that much time.

I don't have cable or antenna TV here but I have Peacock and the Lions are on. Happy to be watching football again. Going to try to stay awake for the whole game. Tomorrow might be rough to wake up for work.

 

[Sally PB]

THE LIONS WON!!

Can you believe it?!?! They beat the defending SuperBowl Champions!

 

[saysfaa]

Even if there is no other reason to can tomatoes, it might be worth doing it for the sole reason of fully appreciating how easy peaches are to can.