Updates on Animals (and chicks)

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Echo

Echo is driving me nuts because he has another hoof access which means he's out of training for awhile.

He came up lame on Friday and that was the day the farrier was there, so that was good!  He found the ouchy spot in his left front toe but was unable to get to it.  So it was 3 days of a soak bandage but no improvement.  Vet came on Monday and said it was for sure an access and was going to come out at the coronary band.  Which takes forever  : ((

So he is being soaked in epson salts and warm water twice a day plus Ichthammol on the soft spot to help draw.

The first day of bucket soaking, he kicked over 3 buckets before he stood still.  It was windy that day and noisy in the barn and he was spooking but since then he's been good.

Good at holding his hoof in the bucket but not so good at the bandaging part!!!!

Tonight's bandage is a mess!  It was the third try and my back gave out!!

I have forgotten to get a photo every darn day!  I'll try to remember tomorrow!!

Chickens

They are in their coop!!

They are doing fine and today I opened their chicken door and, after an hour, they ventured down the ramp into the run!  I haven't gotten the sand as yet but that is coming.  I raked some old leaves in there for them to scratch through.  They are roosting on their roosts in the coop at night without a "lesson"

  : ))

The first two nights they spent in a large dog cage in the coop.  That was way too much trouble to do things in the cage so today the cage came down and the chicks are free!!!  (Sort of)

Here is the coop.  I'm using my toboggan as a poop board till I think of something better.  It has PDZ in it and I can slid it right out the door when it gets stinky.  I'll just scoop it like kitty litter in the mean time.

I have to hang up the water container yet.

Here's the scary ramp to the big outdoors!  The container out there is for their dust baths.  Part dirt, part wood ash and part Diatomaceous Earth.

Here they are out in the run

That's Martha.  She was the first one to venture down the ramp.

Lily

Tomorrow I have to put a tarp over half the run and add another bag of shavings inside the coop.

Good night all.

Shirley