birthday tail

busy weekend.  dr. martin came on saturday to give maggie her first shots, and banjo his final (rabies) shot.  we banded maggie's tail last week with the elastrator, which will dock her tail (the band cuts off the circulation, causing the end of the tail to die and fall off).  i'd only done it once before, with our first ewe lamb, and it went smoothly.  little maggie is not as clean, and it's been warm, so we had to bathe her in the laundry room sink to prevent infection.  she now gets a daily dose of naxcel (antibiotic), and a squirt of betadine and anti-fly spray on her tail. stephanie the blind bantam is having problems with balance.  on saturday, i noticed she wasn't eating or drinking, and could barely stand.  dr. martin checked her out and suggested that we tube feed her, and start a course of antibiotics.  she's in a cage in the den, receiving bird formula via syringe 3-4 times a day.  i'm not sure what's going on, and hope that she's able to regain enough strength and balance to walk and eat on her own.

james and niko cleaned up the yard and washed the outdoor furniture in preparation for james' birthday bbq on saturday night.  i smoked back ribs, grass-fed trip-tip, and salmon on a cedar plank.  it was fun to have kids running around, gawking at the sheep and chicks.  pattie brought some of her home-made bleu goat cheese and gave james' some personalized egg cartons (hilarious).  it was good to spend time relaxing with family and friends.

yesterday, we took a long drive to hemet with the dogs to pick up more bantam hens.  now that there's more space in the pen, and since we have so many roosters, more hens would add some balance to the flock.  i found a woman online who raises bantams - never realized til i started looking just how hard they are to find.  we brought home 2 black silkies and 7 cochins of various colors.  

surprise

the ground is finally dry and the sun is out.  we've had a couple of days with high winds, but things seem to be calming.  a taste of spring is finally here.

we had a surprise on friday night.  as i drove home from work, james called to say that becky had a lamb.  whaaat?  little becky (who we assumed was infertile)?  after cleaning up in the back, james had decided to spend some time with the lambs in the sheep shed at dusk.  as he neared the shed, he could hear a lamb bleating.  then he saw becky moving close to a tiny lamb, laying in a feeder.  he realized that it must be hers and ran for a flashlight.  in her third year, becky finally delivered.

we've spend most of the weekend keeping an eye on both of them.  dr. martin was scheduled to visit on saturday morning to give the rams and lambs some shots, which was good timing for him to check out the new arrival.  mom and her lamb, maggie (at last, a girl!) seemed healthy, though maggie may be alittle underweight.  becky's been coughing more than usual, which is normal since she's been under stress, but we need to make sure she doesn't succumb to a respiratory infection.  we weighed maggie this morning, using an old t-shirt as a sling that hooked onto a hanging scale.  she's about five and a half pounds.  i guess it shouldn't be a surprise that she's small, since her mom is petite.  we'll need to make sure she gains enough weight as the days pass.  we finally let becky out of the shed with her lamb, who seems to stop every few feet for a nap.  becky calls to her, and seems to be staying close to her, which is a relief.

james finished the bantam "palace" last week, and the birds are enjoying their new home.  it's huge, with hanging waterers and feeders every couple of feet down the length of the pen. stephanie (the blind hen) and her companion hen, angel, are finally on the ground, in a pen within the pen.  at night, they're carried into a cage inside the coop, to protect them as they sleep.  the birds seem quieter now that they're further away from the rest of the chickens.  a couple of the roosters were sparring on their first day in the pen - tiny zeke and his grandson, zach, who's the largest roo.  zeke bloodied zach's comb and wattles, and chased him into the coop.  amazing that the smallest bird can intimidate the largest (i guess it's all about the attitude).  after that battle, all seems calm,  we've had a few friends stop by this weekend, to see the new lamb and the "palace", and all are impressed by james' handiwork.

pattie is aready planting some seeds this week, which makes me wonder if i should start some seedlings soon.  we're supposed to have a warm week.  the past couple of years we've had a warm snap in march, followed by a cold streak, which really confuses all of the plants.  maybe i'll wait until april.