Wister is becoming a big boy

Wister is becoming a big boy....!!!  Thanks Jamie for the picture

I think we got 3 or 4 sprinkles this morning about daybreak, so now we have humidity.  That seems to be all we get.  All of our friends in different areas have gotten inches of rain, we barely have 1/2 inch total.............!!!!  When it's humid for days at a time, the pens start smelling like an outhouse.  Although the pens are picked up daily, & we cover the "pee ponds" with dirt, the humidity lets us know the pee is still there right under the surface.  If it gets really bad, John will use the back hoe & dig out the pond, sometimes he has to go 2 or 3 foot deep to get it all, & bring in fresh dirt/gravel.  

I seem to be getting a handle on the skin problems for the most part.  We're still taking Gus in tomorrow for a scraping, even though I'm managing to keep his legs dry using Columbia Vet Powder, which is powdered zinc oxide.  

This is Jack the mini mule's shoulder, both sides & his belly looks like this.  Never has been wet or gooey, he had raised welts about the size of a pea & the hair sloughed off to this.  He's the only one that has this condition, all the rest are legs, except for the dry flakes, some of them have on their necks & backs.  

Still fighting the battle of the mesquite beans, no one is interested in coming in to eat, & more than likely will leave hay.  John has cut what he's feeding them at least in half, some of them even more than half.  So if they usually get 5 pounds of hay a day they are getting 2 1/2 pounds or less.  They don't seem to care at all..........brats......!!!  

Buddy was looking so svelte, at least for him.  It will probably take all winter to get the weight he's put on off again.  

BlackJack & Frijolita both have crests normally & they are getting bigger.  I'd really hate to have to pen them, but it might come to that if the beans last much longer.  Makes me wish we had a dry lot.