Michigan

[Ooopsy_daisy]

Quote:
Good luck sister! Been there, done that years ago. The lambs (sheep died here of old age) Note to self....set up auto bottles on their stall walls and leave well enough alone. You'll feel much better about it, when processing time comes.

 

[Ooopsy_daisy]

Okay , so last year did I learn my lesson well enough NOT to rehab Raccons? Thought I did.

Well a very close friend that has an exotic sanctuary here near me, ... she had to go in for cancer surgery last tuesday and her husband called. Said my wife has refused to go into surgery cuz she has a litter of Raccoon kits that are aprox 2 wks old. *sigh, next statement from him...Carol can you....can I what ??? Take care of them until she's up on her feet and ready(my words next: to deal with crabby, growling, pooping , fingers biting 3 female kits? LOL yeah.) SO off I went and brought them home. Now its a week later, I know the damage they can do, and yes they are vermin. *shakes head....so here I sit for 8 days now, TRYING not to get attached to the lil buggers while they climb on me and depend on me for food, potty and clean faces after being fed. Their tote is next to my pillow so I can hear them wake in the night for a feeding.

Call me foolish, I do everyday..but there is just something about being a mom that a man nor beast can figure out. SO while you all enjoy your flocks, please remember I have 3 Tasmanian devils here that want to kill my hens and laugh about it
.

Wish me luck and hopefully she'll have a speedy recovery and will come for the coon kits, soon.? (daughter thinks Im nuts) LOL

Happy Mothers Day everyone!! *blush

 

[Mom 2em All]

YAY OOPSY!
Rehabbing raccoons was the hardest crittter for me to do! They get so attached- or maybe the rehabber does- cute little buggers/biters/troublemakers! And those little hands grabbing onto the bottle when you are feeding them. Ugh. The baby stage is the best- when they are the mid-size youngsters hissing , growling and trying to bite- not so cute. Oppossums are my favorite wild critter to do. They never like you, no matter how long you are rasiing them up before release.

I havent posted in a while. I had a great mothers' day. Kids and husband cleaned the house while I played out in the yard. wonderful. Now, though, back to work.
Everyone have a great day!

 

[Opa]

Good morning all. The coffee is sure tastes good this morning. Yesterday I saw the the cold weather has hurt several of my flowers. The trumpet vines and the climatitis had grown about 3' and now all the leaves look wilted and black. The weather this morning is certainly not going to do them any good. Thirty degrees is not condusive to plant growth. Last week David was covering lots of this at his place to keep them from freezing and now he's not home so what ever he had been worrying about is getting frozen for sure. I just looked out at my apple trees and they're frost covered and looking wilted. This won't be good for this years apple crop.

When I looked out side I saw the bright red flash of a male cardinal flitting through the branches of the apple tree closest to where I've parked David's truck. Silly bird has fallen in love with the rear view mirror on the passenger side. He will sit there for hours looking at his reflection. He has the mirror so dirty that I can't see anything with it.

I've got to go out and check on the birds and then head off to work. While it is a necessary part of the project I'm working on, it seems strange to be installing air conditioners in sub freezing weather. I've also got a crew power washing the house before painting and this cold is going to make their task miserable.

 

[DaughterOfEve]

Good Morning, looks like things are gonna stay on the cool side this week. I have three shelves of plants from started seeds that need to be planted but I know from living in Michigan all my life, you gotta just wait it out.

The incubator is on day 21 tonight. So I am setting up vigil after work. You know if you stare at those eggs long enough it looks like they are breathing, in and out, in and out. yeah right!

I love it when birds become attached to your car. I had a robin some years ago, fight with my rear mirror, and poo all down the side of the car every day. Man was I glad when migration time came that summer. he he

 

[SillyChicken]

A frosty good morning everyone.

I finally got my garden cleared and some good old manure spread and tilled in yesterday. Lastnight for dinner, we ate some fresh morels we picked from the yard! Hopefully, if it's not raining, I'll get some stuff planted in the garden tonight.

I finished painting the front gate at the driveway. It looks much nicer now that both sides match. Last year the deer flies got so bad I couldn't finish it. The cold weather's been great keeping the bugs down.

I joined freecycle and gave away some light fixtures. The lady also posted for some perenials since she just got a new home... so I gave her some of my plants. My garden is only a few years old, but I got alot of my plants free, so I returned the favor. She was so excited about the lights (not cheap ones either) and plants she kept losing her keys, even though they were always in her pocket. I'm hoping someone will have some farm supplies I can get.. gates, feed/water tanks etc..

It made my day when my DSD called to wish me a happy Mums day yesterday... I don't expect it from her, but it's nice to hear it.

Ellen, I'm so sorry about your roo too.

Maybekeeper, Good luck, and keep us posted!

Yak Lady - just save two of those yak babies for me next spring!!!

 

[wyliefarms]

Hello!

Found out this morning that it is $150 to test my dead chickens (2 so far) to find out what they died from!

Not in the budget for sure

So I talked to the avian vet and he said if I cut open the birds and take pictures he can help diagnosis via email for free. So I guess that is the route I am taking. He did tell me to double the dosage of medicine to see results. But this morning we have a rooster that isn't feeling well.

Depending on what is wrong, it could mean that they can not leave the premise and would be infected for life. So that would be killing the flock, disinfecting, and starting over from scratch! (which we have about 100 chickens right now!)

Off to go and mix up some more medicine for the water containers.

Sarah

Welcome new folks!

 

[YakLady]

Quote:
Bottle babies are the best! I have had many bottle fed goats and helped with some bottle fed sheep and there is nothing sweeter. I would love a Yak too, but curious why these folks don't get some Livestock Guardian Dogs? Seems it would be easier, cheaper, etc. unless they just want Yaks, and that is good too, because those are some cool animals!!

Apparently they tried Great Pyranese (spelling?) dogs and it was a disaster. They didn't provide details on the subject, but showed obvious distaste at the suggestion of trying it again.

Oopsy-REALLY?!?!?! A raccoon? I would probably get suckered into it, too, though. I've never seen a raccoon kit, but I bet they're adorable. My husband shot a coon out of a tree recently, and it darned near made me cry (even though I know they're chicken killers). DH used an air gun, and it took several shots. Poor thing. I don't have a problem with killing predators, or killing animals for food, but I think it should be done quickly and humanely. Hate to see anything suffer.

 

[vicki2x2]

That is too bad, my guess is they didn't get them from a reputable breeder or they were just puppies and while most have wonderful instincts, they still need training, because they are, after all, puppies. I would look for trained adults and start there with someone who would work with them and the dogs to get the right fit and help them make it work. Depending on the number of sheep and acreage, they would need at least 3 or 4, but possibly even more if they have a large or multiple herds and a big area to protect.

I know nothing of Yaks and their guarding abilities, but would they protect the sheep? Or are they just hoping they will be enough to scare off the coyotes?

 

[ChikeeMomma]

Afternoon everyone. I believe we've lost our roo, Peanut Butter, to a predator. I thought it was weird that I didn't see him after I let them out to free range this morning. I just went out to find feathers scattered in an area just on the other side of the coop. RIP, Peanut Butter -- he did a wonderful job of taking care of his girls for almost two years.

I am wondering if it was a hawk -- it seems like if it was a fox, etc. that the girls would have been held up in the coop. They have been ranging all around today.