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.