Sunday Stills - Blues

Distractions

Hand-Me-Downs

A seventeen month old donkey....

A seventeen month old donkey....

I know, I know, I said no blankets this year, but it was seventeen degrees last night and he was cold.  What else was I to do?  

I am still hoping they'll both add some more fuzz and we can avoid the blankets.  It's supposed to back up to fifty degrees by the end of the week, so he still has some time.  What's the name of that stuff that's supposed to make men's hair grow?  I think Emma would have like a blanket last night as well, but I don't have one that fits her now and she has a lot more insulation than Ramsey, she was OK - a little grumpy, but not shivering.

I never mentioned it last year because I didn't have the heart to talk about it, but sometime in February or March, one of the (properly adjusted) leg straps on Ramsey's blanket slipped down over his stifle while he was laying down, when he tried to get up it caught and tripped him.  He made it to his feet, but pulled a tendon or ligament in his hip.  He was lame on it for months.  I hate blankets.

But, when your baby donkey is cold and shivering what else is there to do?  At least this one fits donkeys a bit better.

The last Straw

Several people wanted more information about the straw and why I wanted it.  Donkeys need very high fiber, low energy feed to thrive.  My hay, although cut deliberately late in the season so that it would be more mature, thus lower energy, higher fiber, is still a bit too rich for them.  The Donkey Sanctuary actually feeds barley straw as the main feed source for their healthy donkeys.   Of the three kinds of straw generally available, barley straw is lower in energy than oat straw and higher than wheat.  When fed with a balanced mineral supplement it can fill the needs for most donkeys as long as their teeth are good.  Whatever they don't eat, makes a nice bed for them so it is dual purpose.

For me however, straw is much harder to come by than hay and is exorbitantly expensive.  Often, it is not available at any price so hay has to be the main diet for Emma and Ramsey.  They do crave more roughage though.  For this reason, the wheat straw may actually be the best choice for us as it is going to have to be a supplement to hay rather then a replacement for it.  It's low energy will help balance the higher calorie hay and help satisfy their need for bulk.  I am hoping that it works that way for Tessa also as she needs fewer calories, but more bulk as well.

I can always tell when the horses or donkeys need more roughage, generally in the Spring and Fall, because they start nibbling on the barn.  The easiest way to stop or prevent wood chewing is to give them the roughage they need.  That truism, at least, has never failed me in all of the years I have had horses.

It is also the digestion of roughage that generates body heat and helps keep them warm.  Many people give their horses additional grain in the winter to help them "keep warm", but a heavy grain meal can actually rob them of heat instead.  A nice meal of coarse hay or straw is what will keep them warmest.

A Couple of Clever Ideas

I've been searching all summer for some barley straw for Emma and Ramsey this year.  The only thing I could find were a total four 40lb bales selling at a feed store for $14 each.  I was about to give up all together when I had, what I thought, was a clever idea to call the farm machinery dealer and ask them if they knew of any farmers growing straw crops this year.  I ended up with a short list of names and started making calls.  I was down to my last name and thinking my idea hadn't been all that clever after all when I hit the jackpot.

After the first few awkward moments when I try to explain who I am, where I'd gotten the number and what I was looking for he seemed very sorry that, no he didn't have any barley straw.  On the verge of hanging up, he said, "would wheat straw work?".  Why yes it would.  It would be my second choice, but it never occurred to me to ask because I have never heard of anyone growing it in this area.  He said he'd planted a bit just as an experiment.  My hopes were nearly dashed again when he said the bales were the giant square kind that weigh 650-700 lbs.

me:  "There is no way I can handle one of those and I don't have any way to move it."

Farmer:  "No problem, I'll just bring it to you."

me:  look at phone in amazement, "but I can't move it once it gets here."

Farmer:  "No problem, we can just slide it off wherever you want it.  Don't worry, I'll help you.  We'll put it wherever you need it."

me:  blink in astonishment, look at phone again. "That sounds good, what would that cost?"

Farmer:  "Well, I never usually sell just one these, hmmm, would $40 be too much."

me: "Uh no, that would be just fine.  Absolutely fine."

So, I made a space and a little platform for the straw in my shed.  Ramsey immediately gave it his seal of approval...

The farmer was able to back his truck right into the shed and with only a minimal amount of grunting and heaving, we shoved it half off the truck.  He drove out from under it and down it plopped neat as can be...

Here is where my second clever idea comes in, just in case you ever find yourself in possession of a 650 pound, ultra compressed bale of wheat straw which will explode everywhere as soon as the strings are cut.

Find some lengths of heavy twine and cut just one of the middle strings.  Use your other string to splice it back together leaving 3-4 inches of slack.  Repeat for each of the strings.  The bale will pop open and loosen enough to pull some straw out, but won't escape to run rampant all over the farm.  The strings can be re-tightened as needed to keep order.

It'a always useful to have someone check your knots when all is done...

It seems to pass inspection.  And sorry for the blurry photos, it was one of those bleak November days with no light.  The flash makes everything look weird and without the flash, blurry.

A Quick Question

If I put together a Dancing Donkey calender, would anybody be interested in buying one.  I think the price would be in the $12-14 range, plus shipping. 

Shadow Play

I have a very busy weekend coming up and I am going to take a few days off.  If I disappear for a few days, don't be alarmed.  Hopefully, next week I'll have some time to get caught up and actually write something.  In the meantime, I leave you with some self portraits.

You know, I don' think my head is really as weirdly small as it appears here.  At least I hope not.  It was really cold and I was wearing a big coat.

That's my story and I'm stick'n to it.

Have a nice weekend.