Just back from a walk through the woods. Quite a hike actually as there are lots of huge, recently fallen trees to climb on and over. Recalled a bit of my youth balancing along one large one :). Easier than fighting through the brambles, Cooper in front of me while Anni was out of sight enjoying exploring. I was looking for morel mushrooms but didn't spot any. The May Apples are just starting to pop up. I find it a pity that they are poisonous.
Today had a very high pollen count, from trees ! Not sure which ones are already pollening, as the buds are just forming, but when I was watching the bees returning to the hive earlier this week, they had bundles of bright yellow pollen on their legs, so somewhere, something has pollen.
Buttercup had her twins on the 15th, a small girl and then a much larger boy. I was at the computer in the lounge and saw her down in the bottom corner of their pasture, and it looked as if something was hanging from her. I saw her lie down, then get up, and lie down again all the while baa'ing plaintively. Although she is our "talker" sheep, this was unusual so I went to investigate. Yep, she had a blood / water filled bag hanging about halfway to the ground, but no sign of hooves or a nose. I went about some farm chores and then went to check on her again, the bag had broken, still no sign if a lamb. Time to go help so I washed my hands and arms, grabbed some lube and towels and went back to her. She'd nuzzle my hand looking for a treat but wasn't too happy with me trying to see her back end. I clamped her between my legs, lifted her tail and had a look. OK, need to go fishing. Lubed up my hand and gently pushed into her. Found a hoof, then a nose. Pulled gently, and then went to find the 2nd hoof. Found it and pulled both feet out, and a bit of the nose. Buttercup was helping push, and I worked with her contractions. Eased the whole head out, and the rest of the lamb slipped out. I thought it was dead, but it wriggled and mama immediatly started cleaning it. I checked, a little girl, also with 2 dark circles around her eyes, and lots of black on her back. After watching until she was up and nursing, I backed off to give Buttercup bonding time. I thought there was another lamb to come, as the little girl was very small, but wanted to see if she could handle it herself. I came inside and told Herbie I'd just pulled my first lamb ever. He looked out the window and said there was another lamb on the ground that Buttercup was licking. I went back out to her, a much larger little boy who seemed either weak or lazy. Helped him onto his feet and pushed him under mum to nurse. He's slower than his sister, but the two are doing fine. He has brown markings on white, also with the dark around the eyes. Don't think Prince was the papa of any of the lambs born so far this Spring :(.
On Thursday I found the placenta on the ground which I chucked over the fence for Anni and Rosco. Think Anni got it all. I always make sure the placenta has been expelled so I don't have to worry about septicemia.
The chickens are laying well and I found a duck nest below the lower barn enclosure on my walk. It's in the middle of a thicket. I don't want a mama duck siting out there on them, that's an open invitation for the local fox. So tomorrow I'll take a pruning shears and go get them. Currently have 2 Toulouse geese sitting on about 14 eggs in the one window well. The White Chinese goose is laying her eggs under the creeper next to the front door but isn't sitting yet. Counted 9 eggs yesterday. I've collected some that I eat for breakfast, but Herbie won't eat them and I've had some enquiries for goslings so am letting them hatch.
Eleanor is 5½ months old and I've started separating her from mum Daisy May overnight. I leave Dolly and Eleanor in the lower barn enclosure and take Daisy May out to the others in the pasture. In the morning she lets me know she wants to go back to the barn by moo'ing and moo'ing from about 6am. I get all the milking stuff set up before going to get her, giving Eleanor some grain in the lower barn as if she meets mum when she gets in the gate and latches on, I can't separate them and thus get no milk. So I race down to the lower barn to get Daisy May tied in her stall, milk her out and then let Eleanor have what's left. They spend the day together until I take Daisy May back to the pasture. She's such a funny girl. She won't leave the lower barn enclosure unless I have a grain bucket for her. But she'll race me from the pasture back to the barn ! I've started drying Dolly up as she is due to calve late June / early July.
Had the vet out for Max. He has given me such frights. I look out at the pasture and see a dead horse ! I start thinking of logistics and go outside and he still just lies there. Then all of a sudden up pops his head ! Damn horse. But he won't go into the main pasture with Missy and the cows, something must have happened, and he wasn't eating hay or drinking water. I carried a bucket of grain, a chopped up apple and some deworming meds out to him after closing the gate trapping Missy and the cows in the main pasture. He won't let me near him, but did eat from the bucket after I backed away. Both his back hooves were bruised, and he had deep cracks in both front hooves, but no damage to his legs. He just holds the one back one up most of the time, but the vet didn't find anything wrong with his legs. I think all that galloping around in the snow with the rocks coming up out of the ground was how he hurt himself. The vet started out as a farrier, and he had to sedate Max as he wouldn't stand for him, never having had his feet done in all his 10 years. It was problematic as he didn't want to give him too much as then he couldn't judge where his feet were tender if he was too drugged up. So ended up sticking a needle into him 3 times, but got his feet done. Also had Coggins testing done on both so we have the option of selling them. Weird. There hasn't been an outbreak of Coggins for years and years, but it's a State requirement that if a horse is sold, moved over State lines or entered into any competitions, they have to have a current, clean Coggins report. At $30 a pop it's not cheap and is supposed to be done every year. Wow. Just think how much money this is costing everyone. He sold me a tube of horse tranquilizer for Missy and gave me the name of a farrier who used to work with him. I will have to tranq her 40 minutes before he arrives, otherwise he won't be willing to touch her feet. The joys of unbroken, untrained horses.