rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

I'm kind of unhappy about my LGD's prey drive. I rotated them to a new pasture yesterday and for the past 24 hours they've been chasing and killing and carrying around dozens of rabbits of all ages. And then Riker take's them all and won't let Cookie have any and then hordes his carcasses in the goat barn and won't let the goats go to bed. This time he even kept them out of the barn pen. Riker is behaving in a counter productive way and he and Cookie love chasing and killing. Meanwhile the other LGD in the buck pen (that can't remember faces for some reason) has more rabbits nesting in his pen and he doesn't care. They are non-threats. He barks at them and they ignore him.
Riker and Cookie also attempted to take and horde to Summer's bucks kid and take and consume Summer's afterbirth as it was hanging. I'm a little concerned about adding the young goats I've raised into this equation.

 

[Baymule]

My LGD’s kill everything that ventures into their field. Sentry was the ringleader, but he died last summer. They especially loathe bunnies and my place seems to be bunny haven. Durned bunnies are smart enough to NOT go into the dogs fields. Bunnies run up and down the driveway, driving the dogs barking mad. They are also smart enough to build their nests close to the fence where the dogs can’t reach them, but they have the benefits of the dogs protection from predators.

Sentry killed turtles. Despised them. Have 2 ponds on the place and a cornucopia of turtles. Sheba never cared about turtles, Buford was Sentry’s avid student. So far, Buford hasn’t gone nuts barking at turtles. Don’t know if any have gone in their field, I guess we’ll see if Buford follows in Sentry’s footsteps.

A hanging afterbirth is reason to lower the boom on the dogs. Neither one of mine even wants afterbirth. They may get a dried up one and drag it around but usually I bury them.

 

[rachels.haven]

Hopefully the baby goats will be okay then. Today there were fewer rabbit murders. Young probably bald eagles were chased (brown heads, long wings, huge birds) Cookie sulked a lot the way she did when Riker took her rabbits and Riker laid around looking sulky and sour (I took HIS bunnies that HE took from Cookies and he already distrusts and dislikes me since ever since the waaaay back at whenever point in time grudge he decided to nurse lately popped into existence...makes me wonder if it was the time he got pneumonia or his neuter or just coming home from his breeder that most offends him...or when I catch him and unstuff a feed sack of hair out of his coat and shave his sanitary in the spring/early summer, that's a good one, I'm sure he loves that).

Cookie is probably in her stupid-boopid puppy phase, and Riker is weak minded and open to suggestions always because he seems to have few thoughts, the combo of which I believe helped them get into trouble together lately. They should get through this period in time just fine, I hope.

 

[Baymule]

I kept Buford out of the pregnant ewes night pen. He was right next to them, so experienced the births, but no access. One day, I saw a ewe about to give birth, I got a chair, my granddaughters and I watched. I called Buford and he laid beside us and watched too. Once he carefully approached the ewe, sniffed very carefully. I said a low asannnttt and he backed off. He went to a vantage point where he could watch her and still see the flock. He got lots of praises. He was almost 2.

A couple of weeks later, he installed himself in the ewes pen for the night and gave me this look of confidence. A few mornings later was a ewe with twins, still wet, afterbirth hanging. Buford was close, but not interfering.

A lot of training over his puppyhood led to that success. He would stand at the fence, confused by the appearance of these tiny intruders (newborns) and bark at them. I took him in with the ewe and lambs, he got beat up and hid behind me. I gave him lots of gentle talks, encouragement, correction and most of all, time.

Riker is Riker. There’s hope for Cookie. LOL Given time she will mature, give her guidance along the way. I advise not letting them in with birthing does, unless you are supervising. If they approach the afterbirth, gently correct or if you think it necessary, lower the boom and have a come to Jesus meeting. Whichever method works, make it clear that the afterbirth is off limits, unless it’s laying on the ground.

You hand breed your does, so you have a good idea of due date. If possible, keep dogs out. Witness births with dogs so you can correct them.

You probably already know all this, just throwing my 2 cents out there.

 

[rachels.haven]

Thank you. That's a good idea. I may use Summer next time she kids because after they went after her afterbirth and son she took Cookie to task up and down the pasture for a few weeks and LGD's don't seem to forget super easily so maybe there will still be some leftover respect there.


The vet just left. He said the lump on the back of Dator's head feels like a hematoma and he was probably butting heads with Pepper and got whollaped hard. He said he feels blood clots and fluid rather than puss. I also felt chunky junky stuff on one side of it earlier so I know what he's talking about. He didn't want to stick a needle in it and risk introducing an infection so he said to keep Dator in the stall and quiet and let him know if it does burst and he'll culture that. The lump also looked a little smaller today and that would support it not being CL. So there's a good chance we're probably okay. So I guess we'll just continue on our trek to making Dator healthier and gain more weight. (vet also said my bucks looked better than most people's bucks right now as far as body condition, but I'd like a more dad-bod figure for the rest of the year because rut is always coming or it's here and I'm trying to keep them from starving themselves to death)

To illustrate his point on how hard sheep/goats can ram the vet also said he's seen rams get to 300 lbs and then headbutt so hard they break their necks. I think I'll take a Dator/Pepper injury over that. Hematoma vs a cremation or burial? Oh yeah.

 

[Mini Horses]

Darn boys!!! Human or animals -- testosterone rules! I have 2 Boer bucklings I want to grow out this year, hoping they'll become what I envision

Rarely do I do this, preferring to buy outside lines. But since I'm considering downsizing ( you know how that goes!) -- well, if they are really good, ok. If not, sell & buy then. Not like I don't have the space or graze. And there's always a goat for sale!

 

[rachels.haven]

And you can't grow out just one. Then he'll be bullied and lonely! (yes joking, but also seriously, it's true!)

 

[murphysranch]

Last night I had a dream. I was standing by a fence. Hubs was there along with another person. There was a ram looking at us. I was teaching the other two humans that they cannot trust rams - ever. They can do severe damage to us.

shrugs.