PIGS & GOATS ARE LEAVING MONDAY........!!

This has been an "interesting" day.  Pigs out this morning after breakfast.  They had gone thru the fence inside the shelter, between them & the goats & then took out the 6 foot gate they bent the first time they got out, & wiggled underneath the corral panel standing in front of it, behind T-posts.  A few horse treats & they were more than willing to follow me back to the pen.  John & I spent most of the morning pounding T-posts & attaching corral panels & pig panels to them.  Probably less than an hour later, John gave the cry, "pigs out" & sure enough they were running around in the  donkey pens, with the donkeys watching from afar.  This time they weren't quite so willing to head straight back to their pen, but eventually went in.  More pounding & attaching........!!!  Probably less than 1/2 hour, & they were out again, pulled the T-posts out of the ground.  

I was in the house trying to catch up on what I should have gotten done earlier, & John came in said they were out, & the big one bit him.  He picked up a stick to try to head her in the right direction & she turned on him, knocked him down & bit him.  She only bit him once & backed off, thank goodness.  

We obviously had no way to keep them in effectively, so they are now staying in the stock trailer until we take them back to the owner Monday.  She said the reason the pig went after John was a guy that took care of her one time, use a hot shot stick to move her.  That might have been good information to have, huh?  

The goats have not been much better, they have destroyed the outer fencing around the chicken pen area.  SIGH!  The owner said to bring them too, which is fine with us.  

I hope she finds a place to live soon, I guess we'll still have the 6 horses unless they really mess up.  Sprite one of the mares, really hates the donkeys & doesn't seem to be changing her mind about it either.  So the sooner they leave the better.  The donkeys really don't care, they just stay away from her pen.  But Rusty the mule would love to be friends, he loves horses.  So he keeps trying to go close to her pen, & she lunges at him.  

John has threatened to crush my computer if I ever see an ad to take care of someone's animals, while they find a new place to live.  LOL

Buffy's new owner's picked her up this morning, & the other 3 got released in the back yard.  They came back for supper tonight, so I guess they aren't holding a grudge.  We put their daddy, (OJ, he's an orange tabby) in their "kitty condo".  (Yes, we caught him last night)  He's actually not bad to work with, he meows at us, instead of hissing & lunging at the wire.  I'll call Monday & see if we can get him in quickly for "brain" surgery.

Now if we could just catch Hobo, I think our mission would be accomplished. 

WE CAUGHT HIM, NOW WHAT...???

Last night I got the brilliant idea that since the kittens have been neutered, the male might not recognize them as family anymore & might kill them.  And also if we set a trap for him, we'd probably catch kittens.  So John set the trap on the back porch & within an hour we had "lift off".  A very unhappy large male orange tabby cat, that just barely fits in a trap made for skunks & raccoons.  

WONDERFUL...........now what?  The kittens are still in their kitty condo, although we plan on letting the other 3 out, once Buffy's new family picks her up.  Trying to figure out how to line up doors that open different ways, or just don't line up at all, is giving me a headache.  Moving a large tom cat is quite different than moving little 5 pound kittens.  He hasn't acted aggressive, you know slamming against the cage with teeth bared & claws at the ready......!!!!  But even if he's not an attack type of guy, given the chance I'm sure he wouldn't "hop" from one cage into another.  So he got to stay in the trap all night & when we get done with chores, we'll see if we can get him moved.  He's going to have to stay in a cage until I can get an appointment with the vet hopefully Monday.  

This morning the dogs were barking, John looked out & there was a coyote drinking from one of the water tanks.  We haven't seen a coyote on the property in a long time, now I'm worried about the kittens, once we turn them loose again.  They have survived this long, so hopefully this coyote was just passing thru.  

Hobo usually won't come up on the porch if the trap is there, but this morning I looked out & she was laying beside it.  So I guess they do have a family relationship, rather than the "BIM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM", I think of as a "cat date". 

Well tonight at feeding time was quite interesting.  I was in the house after John & Destiny had gone out to do round-up.  I heard what sounded like a lot of noise, horses whinnying, feet pounding, really strange.  Went out & saw Sprite the appy mare running around like a maniac........!!!  Since she was suppose to be in a pen I was a little surprised.  Yelled at John, who incidently was also running around like a maniac, what happened.  During the day the mares & 2 foals have access to all of the pens on the west side.  In the process of getting them all back into their pens, John thought he could leave a side gate open & they wouldn't notice.  Sprite noticed..........!!!!  He said the first & foremost thought in her mind was...........GET RUSTY...........!!!! She lunges at him anytime he gets within 5 feet of the pens.  She is such a witch that Tula doesn't even want to go into her pen to eat, they share a corral panel & Tula doesn't want to be that close to Sprite.  

 SPRITE & GALILEO

So she comes out & proceeds to chase poor old Rusty all over the place.  John had managed to keep her colt Galileo, in the pens.  So she would chase Rusty for awhile & then come back to the pen to try to get in.  Then off to chase Rusty again.  We got Galileo, Angel & Azul (he & his momma are both blue eyed) into another pen, opened the gate to the front pen & in she went.  She is well behaved, but sure doesn't like the long ears.  

This morning John had to do some more work on the pig pen area.  Niki the momma pig can really tear stuff up.  I gave them some bananas this morning, they were a definite hit.  Not so much with the goats.  

John set the trap to hopefully catch the kitten's daddy, a great big yellow tabby tomcat.  It would be really great if we could catch him tonight, because tomorrow we'll let the kittens outside.  It's been 5 days since their surgery, & they have all done just fine.  I know they will be glad to get out of their little "apartment" & back to running between the hay barn & the back yard.   I would imagine if we don't get him tonight, we'll probably catch some of the kittens before we get him, if we ever get him.  He might be as smart as their momma, Hobo.  Buffy will be going to her new home tomorrow.  

This is Noelle, "visiting" with Echo & Wicked, the stud colts.  She has been spending quite a bit of time with them.  She really seems to prefer horses although we have seen her with Jenny & Frijolita a few times.  

When I went out to get her, she whirled around & took off running back towards her pen.  She's a little "fluffy" to be running, but all that flesh flopping around didn't seem to slow her down very much.  

John has been cutting back on the amount of alfalfa he was mixing in her hay.  A few days ago she stopped eating her hay.  John upped the alfalfa & she went back to eating.  I don't know if we will ever get her weaned off alfalfa, we've never had one hold out like she does. 

JENNY SEEMS TO LIKE HER BOOTS........!!!

She seems to be walking more comfortable today in her new boots.  I sure hope so, the last few weeks she has moved slow & you could tell her feet were really bothering her.  I use to take Lucy's off for about 6 hours during the day, but lately she's been wearing hers all the time too.  In our haste to get them on her & get everyone else trimmed in a timely manner, we managed to put them on the wrong feet, the logo is suppose to go on the outside of the foot.  I e-mailed Courtney to see if there was a reason to have them like that.  She said it didn't matter the  Soft-rides are round, so there really isn't any difference. 

We were in Tucson all day today.  This is the first day since the influx of "visitors" we've been gone for the day.  We were rather anxious & hoped they behaved themselves & they did for the most part.  Well, except for the goats, trying to get thru the destroyed gate that is now guarded by a corral panel.  They didn't make it, but I'm sure they will try it again.  

Got a call today from a friend that wants to give Buffy a home.  Michelle has met Buffy & says it's time for Mr. Snickers to have a companion.  Buffy will be a good house kitty, I'm glad she will have a family of her own, she really likes people.  

WE'RE NOT BORED, THAT'S FOR SURE.................!!!

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't updated in a few days.  It's not because of lack of something to write about.  It's because there is only so many hours in a day........!!!! 

Let's see, where to start.  I took the kittens to the vet Monday morning & they got their "brain" surgery.  Everybody did fine, they are back in the spa room in their "condo" for 5-7 days to recuperate.  I put up an ad at the vet clinic, so if someone calls before their healing time is over some of them might get a new home.  Otherwise we'll turn them loose to keep doing what they were doing, living in the hay barn & eating in the backyard.  

The 2 mares & their foals settled in nicely & Monday morning we went back to get the pigs, goats, & the stud colts.  We took both vans, I drove the tan van & trailer, & John drove the white van, & the woman had borrowed another stock trailer for him to tow.  

Loading really went well, she had already loaded the pigs by the time we got there.  The goats are suckers for anything in a bucket than sounds like food.  The 2 colts were a little wary, but really all in all loaded pretty easy.

I hauled the colts & John had the others.  We got home about 4pm & then the fun started.  There had to be pens built for all of them, except the goats.  Eight & one half hours later, (that's 12:30 in case you're keeping track) we finished the last pen & got the colts in it.  It had to have hot wire ran, in case they decided to go on walk-a-bout.  

We happened to have about 1/2 a bale of straw, which the pigs rooted around into a nest.  It's been really cold so today I went to the thrift shop & got a couple of blankets for them.  Between the straw & the blankets they should be comfortable.  When John gave them the blankets he said they grabbed them & were working them into the straw.  A friend of ours has 6 pot bellied pigs & they roll up in blankets.  Guess that's where the saying "pigs in a blanket" came from..........I know, that was really silly wasn't it.  

We got to bed about 4am Monday morning, & about 6:30am the dogs were really barking.  Needless to say we weren't very bright eyed, but John finally got outside.  Came back in to report that not only were the pigs running wild, but so were the goats.  Interesting way to start your day.........!!!! LOL  

Getting them back in was no problem, shake a bucket with food or something that sounds like food & they will go anywhere.  Actually the pigs about ran John down when they saw him, they really are people orientated, & so are the goats, they were busy trying to get back in the pen.  They seemed to know that there wasn't going to be any food unless they were where they belonged.  

It took John most of the day to fix what they tore up, & to try to outsmart them for the future.  Every place there was chicken wire he had to cover with corral panels.

Added to all the confusion was a herd of donkeys that was watching their new neighbors with a mixture of curiosity & sheer panic.  Before we got the pigs & goats back in their pens, they were running in amongst the donkeys, or trying to.  The donkeys weren't having any of it.  Wish I had my camera, it was absolutely hilarious.  Once the pigs were in their pen, Chester spent quite a bit of time, standing by their pen, trying to figure them out I guess.  

We also have some donkeys that think it's fun to unplug the hot wire around the colt's pen.  They obviously don't know how much fun they would be to chase if the colts got the chance.  John used duct tape to wrap the plugs, hopefully that will discourage them. 

Today the big pig took John around the pen & showed him where it needed to be fixed, if he wanted them to stay in it.  One area we'd left loose to use as a gate, she stuck her head under & lifted it enough that a couple of shakes of her shoulders & she would have been out.  Then she went to the other side of the pen & showed him where they had forgotten to hook it to a T-post.  So he got to fix those places.  In the process he forgot to put the corral panel back across the gate the goats took out to escape Sunday night.  Sure enough when we were feeding, Destiny the girl that helps us sometimes, asked if the goats were suppose to be standing by the wash..........!!!  NO, they weren't.  John went over with pellets in a bucket & they were more than happy to go back in their pen.  Actually the one with the long horns didn't make it out, the hole wasn't big enough for him to clear his head gear. 

We're going to be gone tomorrow all day, I hope everyone stays where they belong & we don't come home to a mess.  Just about the time we think we have them outsmarted they show us we aren't as smart as we think we are.  We're quickly getting use to the feeling. 

Courtney came today & we finally got Jenny's boots on.  Her feet were long enough I didn't want to put boots on until they were trimmed.  Courtney said everybody's feet are looking pretty good.  Even old Pepper's feet have improved & this year he can actually stand on 3 feet to get trimmed.  Last year there were times when we had to almost hold him up, & a time or two, Courtney just trimmed what she could without lifting his feet at all.  She really has made a difference with the nasty feet some of them have. 

OH........BOY......!!! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FUN NOW......!!!

This afternoon we went down to Hereford & picked up the 2 mares with their babies.  They loaded pretty good & rode well, except for whinnying every time we slowed down.  In the gas station we were the focal point of interest by everyone in there, since the horses were yelling their heads off the whole time.  Got home & of course had the usual welcoming committee blocking the driveway & surrounding the trailer.  Rusty the mule was very excited when he figured out there were horses in the trailer.  I finally had to get a whip to get him away far enough so John could back up to the pens.  

Of course when it came time to put everyone in their pens, we had some problems.  We decided to split them up, because one mare gets more hay than the other, & unfortunately she isn't the dominant mare.  Daisy got thrown out of her pen as planned, but with the change in plans, Chester got put in with Tula.  Tula doesn't like him in her pen, actually she doesn't like any one in her pen.  And she particularly didn't like 2 horses next door.  So it took awhile to convince her to go in.  Daisy & Frijolita took the opportunity to change pens, & we left it that way, which just added to the confusion.  But finally everyone got somewhere & got fed.  John is going to build a pen for Chester tomorrow, not sure where...........!!!! 

Tomorrow we will go back & pick up the pigs & the goats.  There was a woman interested in buying the 2 stud colts, but if that doesn't happen I guess we'll bring them home too.  I'm starting to feel like we're running an Ark...........!!! (G)  

 

Here is one of the 3 goats.  She says he's never butted, with those horns I hope she right. He likes to drink Kool Aid out of a cup.

 

This is the 2 pigs, momma & her little girl.  They are both friendly as they can be, so hopefully they will be good little guests when they get here. 

We took the 2 geese & the rooster & hen to Terry on the way home.  When we left the geese girls were trying to entice her gander & he was ignoring them.  She has a little banty rooster with her hens, so for the time being she put the 2 new ones in a separate pen, maybe she will be able to put them together later.  

Tomorrow morning around 8am I'll take the kittens in for their "date with destiny".  They should be ready after 4pm, so we might be able to get them on the way home from picking up the other critters.  Somewhere in there we need to "cobble" a couple of pens together, one for the pigs & one for the stud colts, complete with the required electric wire.  John's given up asking when his relaxing retirement starts...........!!!! (G)

WHAT WAS I THINKING........??????

Over the last couple of weeks or so a woman had put a call out locally on the internet for a place to put her animals, because of having to move & not having found a place.  She was afraid she was going to lose her animals.  I saw the first couple of messages, but the last one was getting down to the wire, this Monday being the last day.  

I asked John if he thought we could help.  Of course he said yes, (you'd think he'd learn by now) so I got in touch with her.  She came out yesterday & we put out heads together & came up with a plan, that hopefully will work.  

There are 2 mares with 4 & 5 month old foals.  Looks like Daisy is getting thrown out of her pen at feeding time, but C.J's little pen is available, so she can eat in there.  She also has 2 stud colts age 1 & 3.  We figured out a large open space out by the driveway gate they can go in a pen with hot wire.  We've never used a hot wire, so that should be educational, I hope not TOO educational, cause I'm sure I'll be the first one to "test" it.  Since they are at the "boys will be boys" stage she's afraid they might think chasing old crippled donkeys might be fun.  Then there is the 800 pound momma pig with her daughter.  They are pets, & she knew no one would give them a forever home.  She has hog panels, & a pen can be built over by the chicken pen, & they will be able to use one of the pens as shelter.  Did I mention the 3 goats?  While they are here, they will have use of the chicken pen & our chickens will stay in their house, which is 13 x 18.  As they have gotten older they have spent most of their time in there anyway.  

We're not even involved with the great dane, smaller dog, momma cat & her 3 kittens............!!! LOL 

She says 2 months at the most, I certainly hope so, because her base of operations is about 50 miles away...............which means we'll be taking care of them most of the time.  

She also has 2 twenty year old geese, & a rooster & hen.  Terry a friend of ours has offered to take the poultry, don't think the deal is done as yet.  Terry has a rather large family of animals, including dogs, donkeys, mules, pot bellied pigs, & an assortment of ducks, chickens, etc, & seems to always have room for one or two more.  

We will probably help with the hauling tomorrow, I think we'll haul the mares with their babies, & the goats.  

The kittens have really mellowed out.  We can't hardly keep Buffy in when we feed, or change the litter boxes, she wants to come out & get petted.  Someone ask what we're going to do with them once they are "fixed".  We'll bring them home & after a few days to heal turn them loose in their childhood neighborhood.  It's fairly safe, coyotes don't like the donkeys & it's a mutual dislike. The neighbor's dogs are down from a high of 16 to only one that runs loose.  The tom cat has laid out on the porch with them running around, I hope having them spayed & neutered, won't change his mind about them being part of the family.  We will try to catch him as soon as possible, for his date with destiny.  So unless someone wants them, they can stay here. 

KITTY CONDO......?

The cage we had the 4 kittens in is about 3' x 4', which isn't a lot of room for them.  So last night we put our collective minds together & came up with an idea to give them a little more room.  

 

They now have a living room/bedroom & a bathroom, dining area.  Still not a lot of room, but they don't seem to really be upset.   Although Snooky & Julius do still hiss at us occasionally, but not with a lot of rancor.  I hope now that there is room for 2 litter boxes  they won't fill up so fast.  Four kittens & one litter box, wasn't doing very well.  

Buffy is the one that is "front & center".  She seems to think it's all a great adventure & very interesting.  Wookie isn't quite as involved, but she doesn't seem to be too upset.  The 2 boys, Julius & Snooky still don't think much of the whole situation.  Just wait until Monday, they'll really be unhappy......!!!!!  LOL 

It stayed warm enough last night that Sha'ba didn't need his blanket.  We put a micro-fiber blanket on him, just in case.  They really work well if a "real" blanket might be too much.  He can even lay down & it stays on him.  Our winter could be over, at least the below freezing part.  We usually only have bad weather from around Christmas until the end of January, so hopefully we're thru the worst part.  I know our winter isn't anything compared to what a lot of the country gets, but desert dwellers really whine when it gets cold & stays that way for a few days. 

 

GOT 'EM...............!!!

 MICHIGAN 1893

I am happy to say we have all 4 kittens in a large cage in the spa room.  This morning we tried baiting the trap, & both Wookie & Julius wasn't having any of it.  We also brought Buffy & Snooky down from the garage & put them in the spa room. 

We had a couple of tours this morning, which the donkeys really enjoyed,  & had to go someplace this afternoon, so after no interest this morning, I decided to try opening the spa room outside door & maybe they would go in & visit with their brother & sister.  They had great fun hopping in & out, but as soon as they would see us, they would HOP OUT quickly......!!!  

Michelle was here cleaning house, when we left.  When we got back she said Wookie was in the spa room.  Michelle had been cleaning outside & left the spa room door open, & I guess Wookie went in & didn't notice someone was within range of the door.  

Of course having her in the spa room, meant we had to catch her.  We have a big fish landing net, we use to use to catch guineas...........well attempt to catch guineas.  They are hard to catch even in the dark, I swear they can see even if you blind them with a flashlight.  

So John put on his field jacket & started trying to catch her...............Hmmmm she really wasn't interested in being caught & it took us awhile to finally get her.  She got her shot & joined the other two in the cage.  One more to go, & Julius really was a challenge.  He would go into the open door to visit & to eat, but as soon as anyone moved he flew out the door.  John even tried sneaking out the courtyard door & as soon as Julius saw him in the back yard, he took off.  John finally had what I think was a brilliant idea, he opened the door just part way, tied a cord on it, ran it across the porch to the patio door & we waited.  Didn't take long before Julius went in to eat, John pulled the cord, & the door went shut.  He was harder to catch than Wookie, he bounced off the windows so many times, he ended up with a bloody nose, poor little guy.  

But now they are all together, until Monday when they have appointments to have "corrective" surgery.  I told the vet clinic I think we have 2 boys & 2 girls.  I had great plans to check everyone to make sure, but never did, it was a miracle that we got them caught & checking them got lost in the battle.

When we had the tours this morning, Buster nipped a woman on her backside.  She wasn't forthcoming with hay pellets I guess, & he thought he'd speed up process.  Lucy & Buster have always been out when people come & usually escort the people around in a mannerly way.  But I guess Buster decided to up the ante.  Quilla use to be out too, but he now has to go in a pen, for less that stellar behavior.  Looks like Buster might be joining him in the future. 

IT JUST GOES ON & ON.......!!!

I just got an e-mail about a 24 year old gelding who's owner lost her home and isn't fitting in where he was rehomed...........SIGH.....!!!!  It just never ends, I'm afraid.  We'll have to talk it over, since we're of course full as usual.  

This afternoon we started catching the 4 kittens to have them spayed and neutered.  Wish we could catch Hobo, I think she has had another litter, we saw her yesterday and she looks thin.  She also was hissing at Wookie & Buffy, wouldn't let them come close to her.  So I guess her motherly duties to these 4 are over.   

So far we have Buffy and Snooky.  Buffy wasn't much of a problem, John said he probably could just pick her up, but we set the trap and she hopped in.  She got her rabies shot and went in a holding pen in the garage.  John set the trap in the hay barn next, and when he checked it Snooky was in it, bouncing off the sides.  Reminded us of Stryker, who probably is the kittens uncle.  We think he and the big yellow tom cat we can't catch, are brothers.  Since Stryker did go to the vet for "corrective" surgery, he's not responsible for the kittens.  

Snooky was really unhappy, hissing, and bouncing.  After mellow Buffy he was really being a drama queen about the whole situation.  I talked John into wearing his field jacket & gloves to take them out of the trap, & hold them while I gave them their rabies shot.   We decided the best place to work was the garage bathroom, with the door shut.  When John opened the trap, Snooky was ready to fly.  Of course with gloves on it's a little hard to catch and hold.   Snooky kinda flew thru John's hands and was headed across the sink to somewhere.  I pinned him in the sink, as he bit down on my thumb, and dug a claw into another finger.  One thing I've learned after a lifetime of dealing with animals is....... no matter how bad you think it is, if you let go, it's going to get worse.....!!! LOL  So I hung on until John could grab him and get Snooky's head trapped under his arm.  He got his shot, and once we put him in the holding cage with Buffy, he just laid down and acted like it was no big deal.  Of course we haven't tried to mess with him either......!!!  

So far Wookie and Julius aren't going to play the game.  Of course we haven't put out dry food for them either, so they are on the back porch looking in the window like we aren't too bright.  We've about decided to go ahead & take the trap out of play for the night, feed them, and give them a chance to hopefully forget about what happened to their brother and sister.

Jenny is walking pretty good for her, finally.  It's warmed up somewhat, don't know if that is helping her or not but I'm glad to see some improvement.  I'm anxious to see if the boots will make a difference.  They sure have helped Lucy be more comfortable.  

 FORTIFIED RAILROAD BRIDGE

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

We got home from the races tonight 1/2 hour earlier than last night.  Rang the bell, & it didn't take them very long to show up to go into their pens.  Actually when we drove in & I was unlocking the gate, they started braying from Burroland, so I would imagine they started moving when they heard the van.  

The races didn't go as well as we would like.  Our good friend Larry raced yesterday and today.  He's raced over 40 years like us, so he's a little "long in the tooth",  as they say.  But he is a good racer, he goes out there every time & is fun to watch.  He was leading the race and we all had visions of a win against all those "young" whipper snappers.  He was coming down the back straight away went into the corner and it was like something broke on the car.  He went into the wall, climbed it, and then the car went over the wall and landed on it's wheels.  I had to wait until someone came over to the grandstands to tell me what happened.  They told me he blacked out, didn't remember what happened after he came out of turn # 2, until he "woke" up on the wall., in between turns 3 & 4.   He wasn't hurt or anything, but we're all a little worried because no one knows what happened.  John drove Larry's rig about 1/2 way to where he lives & his neighbors met us & drove him the rest of the way home.  He was arguing he felt fine & all that, but we out voted him about driving home.  

I guess the donkeys will be shocked tomorrow when they get fed at the regular time.  It only takes a day or two for them to settle into a new routine, so I would imagine they will be over in Burroland at feeding time.  They do react to the bell being rung though. 

There was a call on the answering machine when we got home, from a lady in Phoenix that wants to bring a group out for a tour.    I had forgotten a few months ago a writer came out to get information for Phoenix Magazine on interesting places to visit in Cochise County.  So now we've got to find a Phoenix Magazine to see what they said about us. 

We went racing this afternoon, races started at 1pm.  What this means is, we have to feed early enough so the old guys have time to finish before we have to leave.  It also means that we don't get home until after normal afternoon feeding time.  Tonight we didn't get home until 8:05pm, which is about 3 hours late.  

There were no donkeys or mules in the driveway.  BlackJack, Sha'ba, Jack, & Rusty showed up  immediately & when John rang "the bell" we heard a chorus  of everyone else from Burroland.  By the time we went in the house, & fed the cats, there was a herd by the feed room.  Poor little Sha'ba doesn't like to be close to the others, but he wants to keep track of John, so he gets his treat.  Of course all the others have the same idea, which makes for a mess of donkeys all wanting  John's atttention, well actually to be put in their pen & get their treat.  I usually put Sha'ba in  his pen first, but John puts in whoever is the most obnoxious.  Sha'ba kept dancing in & out of the herd, trying to keep track of John.  He'd head for his pen, look back & see that John wasn't coming.  So he'd come back & try again.  It took about 5 or 6 abortive attempts before he FINALLY got John's attention.  He usually won't go in his pen unless we are there to shut the gates, so none of the others can get in there with him.  He seems to know he's vunerable, because of his crippled leg, & blind eye.  

We managed to get them fed in less than an hour, which is great.........BUT........... it still takes the old guys quite awhile to eat.  So we're up late, watching Saturday Night Live.  WOW, there's a whole world out there I don't know about, & I don't think I understand it either.......!!! (G)  Maybe by midnight they'll be done, so we can get some sleep, because we have to get up & do it all over again tomorrow.  Hopefully the races will get done earlier tomorrow.  Thank goodness they don't have these 2 race days back to back very often. 

I'm going to be sending Jenny's too small boots back tomorrow & hopefully the bigger ones will get here quickly.  She's walking a little better but not much.  I have looked all over her foot & don't find anyplace that looks like an abscess.  I hope there aren't changes for the worse going on inside her foot.  She is going out & walking around when we let her out of her pen.  For a couple of days she just stayed close to her pen & laid down a lot, so I hope that is a good sign.  

Today John cleaned up  "pee ponds"  in some of the shelters.  I don't understand the reasoning for peeing in them.  It stinks, at least from my point of view & Sha'ba seems to like to lay down in it.  This time of year he is wearing his blanket, which means it gets yucky.  So John got his little Kubota out, set up the sifter in the wash & started sifting.  He has to dig out the yucky pee infested dirt & gravel until he hits clean gravel.  He also has to find someplace to dump the yucky stuff.  Once it's dug out, he fills it in with nice clean sweet smelling sand & gravel, smooths it out & it looks great.  I bet that by tomorrow morning someone will pee in them again.  It's like a cat & a clean cat box, I guess, they can't just leave it clean, it has to be made their private property. 

I spent the afternoon making Pepper a new knee cover.  I'm sure someone that knows what they are doing could have done a dozen in the time it took me to do one, rather pathetic looking one.  I'll probably do better with the next one, but at least his knee is covered.  The one he was wearing was getting worn thru from him laying down.  

Noelle, is continuing to eat her bermuda alfalfa hay mix.  John plans on feeding less & less alfalfa & thinks he can wean her off of it.  She seems to be a formidable opponent when it comes to mind games......!!! (G)

Got a call from Honcho & Buddy Brat's new mom today.  She says they are doing great, have even decided to allow the goats to come in their pen & eat a little hay........well at least sometimes.  She has made them some slow feeders out of rubbermaid rectangular storage containers & hay nets.   She said Buddy was already trying to figure out how to get the darn thing apart, so he could eat faster.  I'm not surprised Buddy does like to eat, that's why he's so "fluffy". 

 MOBILE ALABAMA 1902

Jenny is really having problems with one of her front feet.  I soaked her again this morning, but unfortunately her feet are so "shelly" that I'm afraid to soak her very much.  If it's an abscess soaking would help to get it to open up, but I really don't think her feet will take it.  Courtney said she will come out Thursday to see if there is something more we can do.  Courtney said she's seen some other abscesses this week, so hopefully that's what it is.  Jenny doesn't need any changes for the worse in her feet, that's for sure.  

Miss Noelle is enjoying her alfalfa & will eat the bermuda as long as they are mixed together very well.  This morning John was a little lax in his mixing, & she preceded to throw the larger clumps of bermuda over the side.  We went to the feed store this afternoon & got her a good bale of alfalfa, that hadn't been sitting in the chicken house for weeks, so tomorrow morning she should really be thrilled.  

I also found out she will eat Strategy, but still  will not eat timothy pellets or Lakin Lite.  She will only be getting about 1/4 a cup twice a day & I will continue to "sneak" in a few of the others just to see who is going to win the battle.  That shouldn't be too much to interfere with her "diet".  She's carrying some extra weight we'd like to get off her.  She is pretty sway backed, & with exercise & losing the weight she is carrying, we hope she will get a little better top line.

She still doesn't know who to hang with, so far Jack the mule seems to be the chosen one, although she has come in with Tula & Chester a couple of times.  At least Quilla has stopped trying to keep her out of her pen, I really don't know why he thought he should be in charge, glad he stopped.  Now he just ignores her.....!!!  (G) 

SHERRIZONA.............RIP

The little mule didn't make it.  This is such a heartbreaking situation, she was so cute & so many people had become involved in her birth & the days following.  They have 8 more mares that might have the same situation.   Maybe this little girl was the educator, to make sure the others get taken care of properly.  

We have proven that Noelle is more stubborn than we are I guess.  This morning we broke down & mixed a couple of pounds of alfalfa in with her bermuda.  She just hasn't been eating much at all.  We assume she is eating when she is out of the pen, but I doubt that she has eaten 10 pounds of hay since she's been here, about 2 weeks.  When we'd put hay in her feeder, she would just look at us with sad eyes.  

With the addition of alfalfa, she ate all of the hay in her bunk.  So we will continue to add alfalfa to her hay & put in less & less, until hopefully she'll just be eating bermuda.  I have a feeling she will figure out what we are doing & we'll get more sad looks.  

Jenny is really having trouble walking right now.  I don't know if something is going on in her front feet or what.  We know from x-rays taken about 3 1/2 years ago, she has demineralization of the coffin bones.  We thought about taking her up to Gilbert to the Equine Clinic for evaluation.  Courtney has had experience with feet like hers, & says eventually she will start laying down & there would come a day when she won't get up.  I would hope we would not let her go that far before we let her go.  We ordered some boots for her but they are too small. Courtney  told me they probably would be, but I thought the other size was much too big.  SIGH!  I told Courtney she shouldn't listen to me.....!!! (G)  So now we have to wait until we get the new ones to see if they make Jenny more comfortable.   

It's warmed up enough that Sha'ba is just wearing his blanket at night, no leg wraps or boots.  Pepper is still prancing around like a youngster.  He's worn out the knee covering we've kept on his bad knee for the last month or so.  I need to try to make another one.  I am NOT a seamstress, & it shows when I do sew something.  I'm pretty sure it won't be a thing of beauty, but it will keep his knee warm. 

THANKS SHERRY.......  CHILI & TIRZA two of our alumni.......!!!

Sherry has done a wonderful job with these two.  She is now riding Chili &; she says he doesn't want to go home.  Guess he isn't "barn sour", huh?  Tirza is somewhat of a prima donna, not sure if she will enjoy riding or not.  But she's got a couple of years before she "has" to grow up. 

I guess we'll have to stop using the name Miss Cranky for Noelle.  Yesterday she seemed to make a decision that we weren't going to eat her &; is now taking treats, &; letting us pet her &; hasn't kicked again.  She's tried hanging with the donkeys, but so far seems to end up with the mules.  I would imagine because her companion for years has been a horse.  That will probably change over time as she settles in.  She has a big scab area underneath her throat, like she's scraped it on a fence or something.  She was in  corral  panels when we picked her up & had been in there for a couple of weeks so I have no idea where the scabs came from.  She seems to think John is "the man", of course he gives her treats every time he sees her.  Yesterday when I was checking the scabs he told me about, she reached around to me like I was suppose to give her a treat.  When I didn't give her one, she walked off, so I guess we can figure out what motivates her......!!! (G)

She's still not eating as much hay as she should in fact this morning she won't even look at it.  She can afford to lose some weight, & I hope she will finally decide that alfalfa is just a fond memory.  

Heard from Hoofprints on the Heart Rescue that the little molly mule is having problems.  There is a problem that can develop with newborn mules like RH factor with humans.  She's had plasma IV's & she is still too weak to stand & nurse, so they are having to feed her every 2 hours, until she hopefully gets enough strength to stand on her own & nurse.  

They have 8 more mares that are PG with mules hopefully this doesn't happen with any of them, although the percentages aren't good, about 1 in 10 mules born have the problem.  

The owner said they lost 4 babies last year, at the time no one thought much about it.  And I don't know if it was donkey babies or mule babies.  But if it was neonatal isoerythrolysis (NI) in the mules, it will become worse every time the mares are bred to the same jack, which they were. 

It's finally warming up a little, which is a GOOD thing..........!!!    

NOELLE HAS A NEW "FARM" NAME

 

We lovingly refer to her now as Miss Cranky.........!!!  Although she is warming up a little bit, she isn't the friendliest donkey we've ever had.  She acts like she has had very little interaction with humans.  She was a companion with a mare for years I think & maybe the people didn't pay any attention to her.  Her skin crawls like Tula's does if you touch her.  She spends quite a bit of time scratching her neck on trees, so if we do try to touch her we go for the neck.  Figure if it itches she'll appreciate the attention.  She is also a kicker if you get in what she classifies as her space, although if you approach her carefully you can put a rope around her neck & then put a halter on her.  The halter is not allowed as a stand alone process, the rope comes first, or "no halter".  She is not interested in treats, nor is she interested in eating bermuda hay.  One day I tried her on a little bit of the chicken's alfalfa hay, & she seemed to think that was just fine.  So I would imagine she has always been fed alfalfa.  She has finally started eating a little of the hay, but not enough to keep her going.  But she is now out most of the time, so I figure she is probably eating "wild" stuff, since "we don't know what to feed donkeys"....!!!  Since she only has those 2 little teeth in front, I don't know how the rest of her teeth are.  She doesn't quid, but she'll be on the "check" list when Bert comes thru again, in the spring.  Hopefully by then her manners will be better. 

She's kicked out at me a couple of times, & I let her know that wasn't allowed.  John, bless his heart, has never learned to react immediately when necessary.  Last night he had an opportunity to let her know kicking isn't a good thing, but spent too much time trying to get out of the way....!!! LOL  At least that's what he told me when I said he should have reacted quicker.

She knows where her pen is, but for some reason Quilla has decided it's his job to stand in front of the gate, so she can't get in.   And if she does try to go in he kicks at her, not with vengeance, just to let her know he's there.   But that means we get to do another lap around the pens, because she won't confront him or go around him.  The other day Buster got tired of her not going in & blocked her way, so she had to go in.  Maybe he was a cutting horse in a former life, who knows..........!!!  

I think we'll all be glad when it warms up.  The last couple of weeks have not been the type of weather people come to Arizona for, that's for sure.  I'm still having to blanket Sha'ba every night & don't see anything in the next few days that will change that.  Dreary days & nights in the teens.  

The first little mule has been born from the rescue of the 9 mares, 2 geldings & 4 jennies we went on a couple of weeks ago.  It's a little molly, the mother is a bay with black points, & the little girl looks like she is going to be quite a bit lighter.  Don't think she has a name yet. 

 Noelle & Rusty in the background

Got up this morning to 13 degrees..............NOT what we expect in Arizona, especially after yesterday only got into the 40's & not very far into them at that. 

John went out & immediately came back in to report the pipe that goes from the well in the well house to the 2000 gallon holding tank was split.  I remember having a conversation more than once in the fall about wrapping the pipe to keep this from happening.  At the time I was told the donkeys would eat the insulation or at least remove it.  So it didn't get done.  Now he gets to go to town today to buy the stuff he needs to replace the pipe..........!!!   Inquiring minds want to know if he will wrap or not..........??  (G)

Heard from Ernie that C.J. has settled in, & Moose his gelding thinks she hot stuff, & the mare, not so much.  He didn't say what the goat thinks, but before it's over I bet she will be running the place.  She really has a lot of personality

Noelle went out yesterday wandered around, sometimes with the others, sometimes by herself.  When it came time to go in for evening feeding, we headed her in that direction & in she went.  This morning not quite as smooth, but she does seem to be smart enough to figure out there's two of us & only one of her.  

She still isn't eating the bermuda hay at all, I don't worry so much now that she is going out, she can eat wild food.  She needs to go on a diet anyway.  She isn't interested in Lakin Lite or timothy pellets, will eat Fruit Loops (with a pergolide capsule, she doesn't know about yet) & animal crackers, although she won't take them from our hand.  

If I was taking bets I'd say she has always been fed alfalfa, & was kept as a companion for the mare she was with at the rescue.  She doesn't act like she's had much interaction with people at all, & seems to be use to discontinuing the relationship, by just walking away.  I won't let her do that, we always end our "conflict" with her at least facing me with both eyes.  She shows no interest in having anything to do with people.  That's OK, we'll work on it.