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Lesley

The Good Life - an update! - photo heavy...

By Lesley, in The Nesting Box

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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We had to visit my SM in hospital this evening and were back around 8.15 - we went straight out to milk the ewe and the lamb got up!!!!! :D We watched for a minute and she started to suckle!! :D

 

We made sure that she was getting milk and decided to let her carry on and we'll check the ewe's udders in the morning.

 

That saved us 20 mins. - and we still didn't get to eat dinner until 10pm!! :shock:

 

I watered all the plants - and think I've managed to save almost everything. A few brassicas are past it and some Pak Choi seedlings are no more.....but the tomatoes are OK - a few crispy yellow leaves to remove, but they've picked up.

 

Calf No.2 is coughing now - she'll wait until we can get to the Vet's on Tuesday for antibiotics.

 

The 20 minutes we saved on not milking the ewe made up for the 20 minutes I wasted phoning the local airfield after we had half an hour of an aerial performance by some clown in a WWII plane :evil: - looping the loop and dive-bombing and near taking the roof off the house. After spending the best part of the weekend looking after poorly animals, we'd just let the calves in with the sheep.....they were settling down nicely when all hell was let loose! The calves were trying to find any escape - the sheep were terrified and all over the place and all the cockerels complained loudly. I was fuming.........I got some terrified lad of about 16 squeaking "Yes, we do know about it - others have complained - but they have permission from the CAA" It obviously wasn't his fault but I then had to fire off a very angry email to the CAA. That was the third time in as many days we've had unwanted aerial displays - why are they allowed to do it over farms and livestock!!!

 

I think I'd better go to bed :D - tomorrow's another day!

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Daphne Feathery Fanatic

Daphne

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I often forget about this thread and then read about 10 pages at once as a sort of saved-up treat. I'm sorry to hear about all your troubles - I see I'm not the only one who likes to follow the ups and downs of a life that sounds so appealing.....but very hard work. Good wishes and good luck with the livestock and the plantstock; I hope today has been better for you :D

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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I'm glad I don't have to live 10 pages worth at a time :lol:

 

We did as much veggie plot tidyingas we could today but thought we'd have half an hour off at 4pm and go to the local plant nursery. We took the cash we'd got ready for the shearer as we could get some from the bank tomorrow. We chose some plants, paid and took them to the car.......point of no return......the shearer phoned to say he was at our house *roll*

 

We had to race back, get the calves in the barn and the sheep down into the pen area - watched by the man who shears 35,000 sheep in the season *groan*

 

The woollys are not woolly any more! - they've had a manicure and pedicure, blue tongue vaccine and blowfly treatment. I've rolled all eight fleeces and now I can't stand up straight. We had to ransack all pockets, bags and the egg money to be able to pay him! All the other animals were late being fed and the eggs were collected at 8.00. We walked the ewe with the poorly lamb down to be shorn and when we took her back the lamb was nowhere to be seen!!! - she'd gone off into the field and Carl had to catch her - obviously feeling better :D .

 

The ewe with poorly lamb has spent a lot of time lying down herself - we think she was a bit under the weather as well - and yesterday I spent a lot of time watching them both to see if the lamb was feeding or pooing....... Taking the time to do that revealed odd behaviour from the ewe and I thought she might have fly strike :? We cleaned up her rear end and cut off some of the mucky wool. We couldn't see anything but put some of the Barrier blowfly repellent on her. When she was shorn she did have fly strike :( - and a lovely patch of maggots :vom: She's had plenty of the Barrier on and we can keep an eye on her as she's still in the barn. That part of her fleece is on the compost heap with all the mucky bits I pulled off the others.

 

Dinner's in the oven - should be eating before 10pm tonight....better than we did last night :D

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Lewis Chronic Clucker

Lewis

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Nice relaxing Bank Holiday weekend then? :wink:

 

:( about the flystrike. Looks like she couldn't have been shorn at a better time and good job it was caught early!

Hopefully with that cleared up it will make her a bit better and in turn the lamb better.

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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We're wondering if the little lamb just wasn't meant for this world :?

 

She had a second sort of antibiotic from the vet - the same one we had to give to both calves with snotty noses....

 

We had to milk the sheep and syringe feed the lamb with the milk for a few more days but soon she was strong enough to feed from her mother. The lamb picked up and started to thrive. We kept her in the barn so that we could observe many times a day. Even having visitors for the last 10 days, we were able to make sure that lamb and ewe were well without having to intervene or walk miles...

 

On Wednesday we noticed that the lamb struggled to get up and then limped behind her mother.....we had a look and she has a large bony lump growing on her breast bone, almost in her 'armpit'. She still seemed bouncy and feisty so we waited until we'd taken our gusets to Heathrow yesterday and then took the lamb to the Vet.

 

She had never seen anything like it :shock: She ultrasound scanned it and whatever it is has a large blood supply so she can't perform a needle biopsy. As long as the lamb isn't suffering then we are happy for her to stay and join 'The Lawnmowers' We will have to watch and wait.....if the lump stays the same she may be OK but if the lump grows with her than she will have problems......most likely, given the blood supply we saw on the scan :( Lamb has had painkillers and antibiotics and went happily back to her Mum.

 

I'd carried the lamb on my lap to the Vets as we didn't think she'd be coming back - so, I had lovely cuddles both there and back :D

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Lewis Chronic Clucker

Lewis

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I was wondering how the lambs and calves were getting on the other day.

 

I wasn't bored in a general studies exam, honest :whistle: it was about farms and healthcare so it kind of makes sense :anxious::lol: .

 

:( Doesn't sound too promising, but if she's doesn't look uncomfortable then she should be ok?

 

Hope you hear something positive soon :)

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