Donkeys and Farriers.

We had to find a new farrier. This was difficult as Donkey feet aren't quite the same as a horses. At the show we asked the Donkey people there for a recommendation. Choosing a farrier is a personnel thing, you have to feel comfortable with them and how they deal with your animal. Luckily H had done some work with our last farrier and had decided to start up his own business. We were saved! We like him and more importantly BJ know's him. He was taught by one of the best who knew the ins and outs of a Donkey's hoof. Problem solved!

Missy!

So much for Bio security! Just spent a few hours trying to persuade Missy to come home. She has last years lamb with her and has found a ring in. I'd prefer the ring in to go away as it's a ram lamb. At least last years lamb came from our ram, as previous years Missy has just found any old ram to breed with. One year she was delivered back to us by a couple that looked like Ma and Pa Kettle! We hadn't even noticed Missy was missing. Amazingly she was with our flock when we gathered then in for making and vaccinations. Then she vanishes again. I spotted her next door a few days ago, with the extras. I managed to get her into Ken's behind us, but today failed as she pushed under the fence and back next door!! There's so many spots where she can push under the fencing, which is more suited for cattle than sheep. I try and block these with wood and stones, also repairing the fence. So frustrated! I can't wait till the latest Border Collie is skilled enough to help me.

Hungry sheep.

It's been a dry summer and the sheep are hungry. There's little nutritional value left in the grasses, any protein long since dried by the sun. The forbs won't reappear until the rain returns. Hand feeding hungry sheep can be tricky as they rush you and you have to hold the bucket high or heads are push into them. As the feed troughs are usually pushed down the hill that makes it harder. Trying to move a long trough while sheep swirl around it and tread on it, while holding a bucket high is a skill. Last time I found myself riding one of our older wethers as he rushed for some spilt chaff and nuts. We used to use Maggie to hold the sheep back while we poured the chaff mixture but she never liked doing this. Now she stands behind us! So this time while our neighbour drove through the gate with the latest round bale, I asked Zak to hold the sheep back. While he doesn't really know what to do he's noisy and has some presence. Better than sheep running around the tractor getting in the way. How long this bale will last, not long I think.

Blue green algae.

We have a bloom of blue green algae in our front dam. Pip is banned from swimming as it can cause health issues and even kill stock. Luckily we don't have any stock in that field at the moment. Actually this is a type of bacteria known as Cyanobacteria and not an algae. A bloom occurs in still water when the weather is warm, stable and nutrient levels are high. These conditions can cause layers to occur in the water, usually a warm layer over a deeper colder layer of water. It's only the second bloom we've had in this dam. The locals told us back at the first bloom that a bale of Barley straw would cure the problem. So this time we bought a bale and place it in amongst the bloom and secured the bale to a post. It seems the rotting bale releases chemicals which inhibit the growth of the algae as it's a microbial process.The bale also encourages phytoplankton grazing organisms nearby which attack the algae, so scientific studies have found. All we know is that given time the bloom will go away and the dam will be fit for our stock and Pips swimming activities again.

Patterns in nature II.