A Greenhorn's Journal

[Lizzy733]

I would guess... since you know they weren't managed very well, and since they were overgrazing... that it is a heavy parasite load.

Have you gotten a fecal done? So you know what kind of worms they might have?

But, worms would be my first guess.

Blows my mind about the fly strike. Of course, I now live in the frozen wasteland... so not a big issue up here (but it can be... just depends on conditions). Back in Texas you could get all sorts of nasty things.

All the lambs have very short tails with the vulva exposed, so I am blaming bad docking. None of the tailed adults are having trouble with dags.

She's seemed a bit brighter this afternoon, but is still not too keen on flocking and is sticking to the fringes.

As mentioned, she's been given matrix drench, which is a vitamin\mineral boost plus dewormer. I've just been going by famacha and attitude for deworming. Not everyone is anemic. We have a good microscope here, fecalizer, slides and sodium nitrate, but I haven't taken the plunge to doing my own floats just yet. Really should do though.

We are hot and humid with high uv here in nz - and high winds being on a ridgetop, with more rain or pockets of humidity than surrounding areas, it seems. All their shelter is pretty meh. Shade sails and tree canopy. There aren't any areas for them to get off the damp ground... yet. I want to make some covered cement platforms so they have the option and get a little stable going. - all on my todo list.

Her feet were fairly overgrown for being such a tiny bubs, but her mom is the more feral of the girls that'll go right to the native bush at the first sign of trouble, so maybe the terrain's been a bit much on her. - They're all up by the house at the moment and frequenting the driveway though, so can't get to the bush block for the time being. Lotsa grass up here for them to chew through.

Gave her a good trim and shaved down her hooves a bit. Looks better, but I still feel I'm being a bit conservative with how much I take away when I trim.

The main pasture definitely got a bit low, but there was always bright grass down in the bush block available to them. When I sold the four 4 tooths, the buyer said they were in great condition, which was reassuring. Hopefully, now that they have tall grass to browse on a different pasture, it'll help with the worm load. I really wanna get ahold of some bioworma to use as a preventative, but seems quite scarce at the moment and I've not been able to find a vendor with stock.

 

[Alaskan]

Gave her a good trim and shaved down her hooves a bit. Looks better, but I still feel I'm being a bit conservative with how much I take away when I trim.

I think it is best to go slowly, especially if they are super overgrown. Taking them down, in stages, I think works best. I go at it a week between each trim, until the feet are right again. If they have driveway access then their hooves might shape up great on their own. So damp ground is so bad for hooves.

My baby sis has dry ground, and so many rocks. The hooves on her horses and goats stay pretty good, and only need rare trimming.

I have truly close to zero rocks,, and soft ground that is often moist if not damp. My goats needed feet trimmed about once a month, and horses once every 6 weeks.

We are hot and humid with high uv here in nz - and high winds being on a ridgetop, with more rain or pockets of humidity than surrounding areas,

All of those are tough. Wind can chap udders (but maybe sheep udders are protected enough by the wool??), and humidity is bad for feet. Also humidity can lead to rot of all kinds.

We have a good microscope here, fecalizer, slides and sodium nitrate, but I haven't taken the plunge to doing my own floats just yet.

I never did my own fecals. I was luckily enough to have a great vet. Very rare thing though. The vet I used to use, who was gold, has passed away. There isn't anyone with experience even close to his.

 

[Lizzy733]

I think it is best to go slowly, especially if they are super overgrown. Taking them down, in stages, I think works best. I go at it a week between each trim, until the feet are right again. If they have driveway access then their hooves might shape up great on their own. So damp ground is so bad for hooves.

My baby sis has dry ground, and so many rocks. The hooves on her horses and goats stay pretty good, and only need rare trimming.

I have truly close to zero rocks,, and soft ground that is often moist if not damp. My goats needed feet trimmed about once a month, and horses once every 6 weeks.


All of those are tough. Wind can chap udders (but maybe sheep udders are protected enough by the wool??), and humidity is bad for feet. Also humidity can lead to rot of all kinds.


I never did my own fecals. I was luckily enough to have a great vet. Very rare thing though. The vet I used to use, who was gold, has passed away. There isn't anyone with experience even close to his.

Yeah, the drive is gravel with some small natural cave stones in it. Being near a cave network, our land has little to no natural rock formations. In the bush block we have a lovely totara growing on top of one giant boulder and there's a short vertical cliff face, but that's pretty much it aside from the driveway stuff. No buried gems .

My piggies have access to the greenhouse, which has a concrete walkway and their feet have been staying in top shape. Their hooves are light enough you can clearly see the quick, but the little girl yesterday had black hooves, so was a bit blind on her. They might've been wearing a bit unevenly. Tips seem longest, which is why I went in with the file and the center was quite recessed. Haven't cause any bleeding toes yet, thankfully. Have only had the one with a limp, which we dispatched. Her heel was crumbly. Everyone else gets around well though they are all probably a bit overgrown since I did them in Dec.

 

[Lizzy733]

Just finished doing all the older girls toes and the younger girls in with them. Still need to get to my boys and the ones with my flystrike wether in the orchard, but feel pretty accomplished after the 7 I got through today.

Realized one of my ewes has a crooked face\nose. She was so brutal about not getting penned. I can imagine why. Was leaping 1200mm tall fences to get away, but finally managed to round her up and just decided to put her right into a halter and let her fight it out a bit on a tether so I could get in there an manage her properly. Got a little bloody nose from thrashing about. Just a drop, really, so not too concerned, but worth noting.

Another one, an older white ewe has one enlarged teat, which I've been told is a sign of having had mastitis in the past. No sign of any localized fever or chaffing etc, so pretty confident it's not a current issue. She's also a full mouth, so have her on my next to cull list along with crooked face. Nobody's going in with the ram this year. Still need to move him on so I can get in an arapawa boy, but not rushing to that. Plenty to get through to get down to ideal numbers, so no need to rush into lambing before we're ready.

Found onea my california quail dead in the aviary too. Thinking she musta flushed and smashed her head because the only mark on her was a red spot above her nostrils between the eyes and her neck and one shoulder looked a bit red (though I'm not sure if cervical dislocation happened, or at least the spinal cord felt intact). She was cool, but not rigor mortis, so woulda been quite recent. Couldn't find anything else wrong with her. Condition was great, crop was full, organs looked fine... still green coned her out of an abundance of caution. Down to one boy and one girl for the california quail.

 

[Alaskan]

Realized one of my ewes has a crooked face\nose. She was so brutal about not getting penned. I

So odd! Wonder how and why that happened! If it was at birth or an injury.

Another one, an older white ewe has one enlarged teat, which I've been told is a sign of having had mastitis in the past.

Definitely possible. Nice that you got to look them over so carefully.

Found onea my california quail dead in the aviary too.

Sheesh.

Quail are tricky. They do pop directly up with great force, and then fly horizontally.

I have read a bunch of stuff on the "ideal " cage height. Supposedly it either needs to be super short, so they stop before they start... or really tall. I have also read of some who put foam or other padding on the ceiling of the cage.

I don't think any of my cages were this "ideal" height (whatever it was or is), but I somehow managed to never have one smack itself to death.

Stressful that you are down to a pair. I would incubate anything and everything she lays.

 

[Lizzy733]

So odd! Wonder how and why that happened! If it was at birth or an injury.



Definitely possible. Nice that you got to look them over so carefully.



Sheesh.

Quail are tricky. They do pop directly up with great force, and then fly horizontally.

I have read a bunch of stuff on the "ideal " cage height. Supposedly it either needs to be super short, so they stop before they start... or really tall. I have also read of some who put foam or other padding on the ceiling of the cage.

I don't think any of my cages were this "ideal" height (whatever it was or is), but I somehow managed to never have one smack itself to death.

Stressful that you are down to a pair. I would incubate anything and everything she lays.

Yeah, definitely something older, like a person with a broken nose. No telling what happened there, but explains why she's so against being penned.

The california are a bit young for breeding, not even all their adult feathers in though the coturnix is now in lay and I have a pair there as well. My silkie pullet is off the brood now. Days are getting a little cooler, so could try the incubator, but not sure if they're fertile. The eggs I've been cracking certainly don't 'look' fertile, but I'm new to having possibly fertile eggs, so could be wrong.

The aviary is a decent size walk in - I think 3x2m but haven't properly measured it. I estimate it could hold 20-25 quail and the roof is pretty high up there. I needed a stool when patching it from the inside. The california like to jump up and walk along the crossbars around chest height.

I don't think she hit the shelter considering where she died unless the death was delayed. It has an overhand of corrugate roofing all around and a few exposed nail tips on the inside, but not easy to reach. Might clip their wings after this. My coturnix keep to the ground cause they're little sausages.

 

[Alaskan]

My coturnix keep to the ground cause they're little sausages.

I only had Coturnix. Never the California quail

 

[Lizzy733]

I only had Coturnix. Never the California quail

We didn't plan for the california, mind you, just had a flock of babies go running through our house minus the mom and a day old chick pop into the kitchen, which is why we got the coturnix to keep it company. Definitely harder to keep alive than chickens. Have lost a couple over dumb or unexplained circumstances. My son wanted the coturnix and now hardly pays them any attention, but we expected as much. Fortunately, our farm came with the aviary, thing just needed 'all' the work as it was being used to house a veggie box, not birds.

 

[Baymule]

It sounds like y'all are coming right along with the sheep, pigs, chickens and quail. It's quite an adventure!

 

[Alaskan]

We didn't plan for the california, mind you, just had a flock of babies go running through our house minus the mom and a day old chick pop into the kitchen, which is why we got the coturnix to keep it company. Definitely harder to keep alive than chickens. Have lost a couple over dumb or unexplained circumstances. My son wanted the coturnix and now hardly pays them any attention, but we expected as much. Fortunately, our farm came with the aviary, thing just needed 'all' the work as it was being used to house a veggie box, not birds.

I really enjoyed the Coturnix. I was constantly amazed by the speed of their growth.

Sawing open 20 eggs for breakfast, though hilarious at first... gets old after a bit.