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  1. Debby

    Connemara ponies.

    I have not read her books. BP is on a biotin and methionine supplement. And she is on a "ration balancer" which contains magnesium, although I don't know if Pat Colby would consider it enough. She has entered the phase where the corrective shoeing begins to bring the coffin bone back to it's...
  2. Debby

    Connemara ponies.

    This is a hard update to write, but I want to. On May 2nd my mare had a filly without much difficulty and easily passed a normal placenta. But by the following day she was running a fever and had to be treated with IV fluids, banamine, gentocin, penicillin, and antibiotic uterine flushes...
  3. Debby

    Nice to hear from another AMD owner. Where did you get your heifers? Are you going to milk...

    Nice to hear from another AMD owner. Where did you get your heifers? Are you going to milk them? How would you describe your farming efforts? Are you a "real" farmer? Hobby farmer? Homesteader? I'm curious what you will do with your heifers, because now I have two cows, two...
  4. Debby

    Connemara ponies.

    HAPPY EASTER! And a gorgeous day it is. The sun is shining and the air is warm. My family will gather for lunch and that procrastinating mare is perfectly happy with the situation. She is now officially overdue by two weeks. If the juices of Spring are urging her to contribute to Earth’s...
  5. Debby

    Training herding dogs?

    Thank you both. I'm leaning toward the Indian runners.
  6. Debby

    Training herding dogs?

    I took a herding lesson this morning. The instructor was very good and has a wonderful set up with an indoor arena. Her sheep are very well behaved and she seemed to know just what Becca needed to become more interested in the sheep. Now I want to get some ducks to practice on. Do some of...
  7. Debby

    Picture Of The Week (POW) Information & Submissions

    Good choice! Don't feel bad, Jack the bull, lots better have been up staged by babies.
  8. Debby

    Connemara ponies.

    Thank you, Taylorm17
  9. Debby

    18 mouth old jersey no heat

    If you have the vet out, he or she can palpate to see if there are any follicles--if she is cycling--or if she is (secretly) bred. The longer she is with the bull, the more likely the vet can palpate a pregnancy. IIRC it is about 30 days that they can be pretty accurate with a pregnancy...
  10. Debby

    Connemara ponies.

    Thank you, Jake. They are pretty level headed animals and she is great on the trail. Pionneer, she is a maiden mare. And my dog is an Aussie. You're right on.
  11. Debby

    18 mouth old jersey no heat

    That's late. My heifer was showing very "noisy" heats by eight or nine months. My experience has been that the young ones have more obvious heats. But when they are with a bull, I never saw the cow's heat as much. They were more expressive when there was no one there to give them...
  12. Debby

    Training herding dogs?

    THANK YOU ALL, SO MUCH! I'm going to take all of your suggestions. Can't wait to go home and watch the Ted Hope videos. I've trained for obedience and tracking and I love them both. This is all new to me. Can't wait! I might have to get some ducks, because my cows will chase her and the...
  13. Debby

    Training herding dogs?

    Thanks, Mike. I will look into a book. There is one local trainer, too. But she works with droving dogs, German Shepherds. I'm not sure, but I think that might be a little different.
  14. Debby

    Connemara ponies.

    "BP" is my 15 hh, 16 year old, Connemara mare. I've had her since she was two and I'm very proud that I managed to train her myself. (Mistakes and all!) I've only had this one, but I would recommend a Connemara for anyone who wants a quiet, reliable horse to play with. They make great...
  15. Debby

    Training herding dogs?

    I have a very good Australian shepherd. She is always obedient and also interested in the cattle and chickens. Does anyone have experience with starting these dogs? She wants to help, but often gets the herd scattered or turned in the wrong direction. If I could just put a few commands...
  16. Debby

    Hello from Iowa

    Well, they're really lovely animals. How is it that their legs don't freeze in the long, dark, Icelandic winters? Years ago I read The Greenlanders, by Jane Smiley and she talked about how they milked their sheep and made yogurt from them. I wonder if Icelandic sheep could be milked. Debby
  17. Debby

    Devon Milking Cows (New Pics 1/29/14)

    Thank you, WildRose. I've learned a lot since this thread started and I wouldn't even call it a school of hard knocks. That's what a docile, healthy breed does for you. They pretty much take care of themselves. I love them as much as the day I got them. There aren't too many things you can...
  18. Debby

    Devon Milking Cows (New Pics 1/29/14)

    Much to my surprise, I like Devon bulls very much. They basically act like cows except when they're "open for business." But in the interest of full disclosure, I'll say they aren't all like Jack and Russ (the second bull above). Here's another Devon--a young bull named Duke who stayed on my...
  19. Debby

    Hello from Iowa

    Hello Greenmulberry, Those are wonderful sheep! Especially the white and black one. Does that color have a name, like party colored? What am I thinking? They're Icelandic. It probably has a name like skólt landnámabók, or something equally unreadable. Do you spin, weave or knit? These...
  20. Debby

    Picture Of The Week (POW) Information & Submissions

    American Milking Devon Bull, Jack
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