All Together Now

There is a new configuration around the dinner bale these days...

It's taken a while, but I would say that Ben's integration is complete.

Those ears generally need a whole separate space of their own, but they make it work.

The hay is all the same and someone could got to the other net, but you know what they say....

....The family that eats together stays together.

A Prince Here, a Prince There...

When Ben first came here, he never slept in the barn.  The others all do and I could see that Ben thought they were crazy for it.  He would sleep just outside the barn on the hard packed gravel, on the snow, the mud....he was not fussy.  He was a big, tough, man and only wimps slept in barns.

Then, in January, he got sick with the latest tick borne plague and he spent a lot of time lying down and even spent some time lying in the barn.

A couple of months after that, I was putting fresh bedding down and, like most equines, he decided it looked like it would be fun to roll in.  Down he went and he did an excellent job of spreading the bedding around.  Finally, he was lying still and I could just about see the little thought bubble form over his head,

"Ohhhh, so THIS is what bedding is for."

Much to Emma and Ramsey's dismay, he has taken to sleeping in the middle of the barn where the bedding is deepest.  No more snow or gravel for Mr. Benjamin, no sireee.  He has seen the light and decided that he too would like to be a Prince.  Big, tough, men get the best spot in the barn and soft, cozy beds aren't just for little brown donkeys anymore.

One can kind of understand why Ramsey thinks of Ben as an interloper.  Monarchs have never been known for sharing. 

The Prince and the Pea

Some horses and donkeys are prone to getting bed sores - nasty little sores on their hocks, knees, elbows, etc. that can lead to nasty joint infections.  Most equines can lay down on all sorts of terrain and never get a sore.  Maybe 1 in 500 do.  It's a genetic thing.

If you happen to have a critter who gets bed sores, there is only one way to prevent them or get rid of them: you have to pad the bony parts.  If the animal only gets sores on the hocks, which is most common, you can use special padded wraps or you can provide deep bedding.  One way or another, the only solution to bed sores is a lot of padding.

If you have a creature like Prince Ramsey, who gets bed sores on his hocks, knees, elbows, stifles, hips AND above his eyes, the only option is lots and lots of deep bedding.

Ramsey got his first bed sores on his knees about an hour after he was born and we have battled them ever since.  I had hoped that he would eventually toughen up and grow out of them, but no such luck.  His Majesty is why there is always bedding my barn.

The best bedding for bed sores is a deep layer of hay and/or straw.  There is only one problem with this for my herd, who are all on perpetual diets - they have taken to eating all the bedding.  So, I have been experimenting with other options.

I have tried pelleted bedding that I soak first.  The pellets break down into sawdust when soaked in water....

That is three bags of pellets and several buckets of water.  The chicken is purely gratuitous, she was not helpful to this endeavor.

The pellets work well while they are fresh, but they dry out quickly and become extremely dusty.  They still work OK if they are very, very deep, but tend to keep breaking down into finer and finer particles and if they get thin, they actually make the sores worse.  They act like sandpaper unless you can keep them 4-6 inches deep.  In an open barn like mine, that is very difficult.  I tried putting some old hay in there as well and you can see how well that worked...

I have just started adding shavings on top of the pellets and that is working better for now.  The combination packs in better than either alone, but I can see where they too will be very dusty and need frequent refills.  I'd rather not have to use any bedding in the barn because of all the dust, but I can't have Prince Ramsey being a bloody mess.

I am still looking for something that works as well as a nice bed of straw, that is not dusty, won't cause bankruptcy and won't get eaten.  It is a work in progress.  We wouldn't want the Prince to be feeling all those peas after all. 

Growing Up is Overrated

"Ahhh....This being an adult thing is so exhausting."

"Always having to be on guard and responsible all the time....it's so overrated.  Why didn't anyone ever tell me how much work it is?"

"I think I'm gonna just skip it for a while." 

Joined at the Hip

A Legal Adult

"Hi Bloggy peoples!  It's ME, Ramsey, the BIRTHDAY boy!"

"It seems like its been forever since I got to write a blog post.  Seeing as how it's my BIRTHDAY, Ma finally let me at the computer again.  You'd think she wouldn't be so stingy with it considering what a lousy job she's been doing lately, but at least I am here now."

"I know you all probably have big celebrations planned to celebrate my BIRTHDAY and I wouldn't want you to miss me during all your fireworks and parties."

"Ma keeps trying to tell me that everyone is celebrating Independence Day or Canada Day or whatever, but I know that can't be true.  She is just being mean because she doesn't like fireworks and she never gets any for HER birthday.  They are just fine by me though, I'm not like that wimpy Border Collie!  Bring em on I say!  

"This is an exciting BIRTHDAY too because I am FIVE years old.  Can you believe that?"

"Ma says turning 5 is like turning 21 and I am a legal adult now.  I'm not sure how turning 5 is the same as 21, but that's human logic for ya.  It has something to do with the drinking age, which makes NO sense at all.  I haven't been allowed to drink in ages...sigh...I still miss it....

"Since I am a legal adult now, I think that the big grey donkey should admit that I am the boss, but he doesn't seem to notice yet.  Maybe all the fireworks will show him the error of his ways." 

"Anyway, I hope you all have a good time celebrating my BIRTHDAY and, if you must, have fun celebrating that other holiday as well.  

Happy Birthday Ramsey!

How did that happen?

Sorry I dropped off the face of the blog planet for a while.  I can't even give you a good reason why other than brain fatigue, insanity at work, lack of vitamin M (for motivation)....I don't have any good excuses other than - it's summer??

We are all still alive and well and the donkeys are here to prove it, although, watching this video, I see that I have to get even meaner about the donkey diet.  That should go over well:)

I will try to do better.  I know this weekend will be full of travel and craziness for many people.  Have a fun and safe holiday and look out for your animals because this week is hard on them.  I know I will be here on my hill trying to convince my border collie that we are not under attack.  I know he won't believe me and, given how crazy the world is these days, it keeps getting harder and harder to prove that we aren't.