Lambs at Play on a Wintery Day

With winter underway (although technically it is still fall), the lambs are out in the snow, growing and having fun.  I am bringing them in the barn only at night so the moms can get extra oats and the little lambs are safe.

We did have a horrid cold snap a week ago along with a good amount of snow, but this week temperatures have been warmer - I even got out with the camera.

Here we see Girlie and her triplets that were born in October on Canadian Thanksgiving.  At first I had been worried that the black lambs might not be getting enough milk to drink because at first they were smaller than the white ewe lamb but after a few weeks it seemed the tables turned and one day I had to bring the white ewe lamb into the house and bottle feed her.

 I returned her to the barn that night and over the next couple of days I continued to bottle feed her, then I noticed one of the black lambs was also not looking good.  For a few days I was bottle feeding two of them.  Then suddenly the white lamb started refusing the bottle, for days I tried to feed her and she refused - the black lamb was fine and insisting on his bottle.  I was quite concerned about the white one so started putting her in a stall by herself with lamb starter crumble so she could eat it without being pushed out of the way by the larger lambs (we have 2 sets of twins born after her but they are larger).

As it is now I am just bottle feeding the black lamb twice a day, the other black lamb is fine on his own, and the white one simply refuses the bottle but is eating lamb starter twice a day.  She is now the smallest of the triplet lambs but is otherwise looking healthy overall.

To note - you can tell if a lamb is doing poorly and needs bottle feeding because it will often stand humped up.   If you think your lamb (or any pet) needs veterinarian attention  you can ask a veterinarian for free help by clicking the logo above.

How to Help a Horse Gain Weight

One problem for some horses is keeping weight on.

If you have rescued a thin horse, or your mare is having a hard time putting on weight after having a foal, or you have a performance horse that just cannot keep weight on, or you have an older thin horse, there are some things that can help.

Typically people try to help their horse gain weight by offering it more feed, and while this can help it wont always do the trick. Additionally some horses are prone to colic by eating too much grain and others just become too “hot” when their grain ration is increased.

Arab mare and foal

You should worm the horse and make sure its teeth are in good condition. A horse with poor teeth may need them to be “floated” which is where the sharp edges on teeth are sanded down by a veterinarian.

Additionally you should be aware of some supplements for helping your horse to gain weight. Horse.com sells a large range of supplements including those for thin horses. One of their most popular products is Farnam Weight Builder. Below we will look at some of the top products for helping horses to gain weight and stay in shape as sold by Horse.com.

Farnam Weight Builder for horses provides horses with extra protein, fat calories, fiber, and minerals. Not only does it help a horse to gain weight but it improves their skin and coat too.

Start to Finish Cool Calories 100 is specially formulated to add more energy to a performance horse without making the horse become high strung. This is a product that many Olympic riders feed to their horses and recommend to others.

AniMed Weight-Up offers additional support beyond just adding calories to your horse's diet. It contains healthy bacteria to improve your horse's digestion. This is a great product for all horses and particularly those who may have had issues with malnutrition.

These three feed supplements for horses are just a small sampling of the many products available for weight issues in horses from Horse.com (or at your local feed store).

If you are a horse owner, or somebody involved in horse rescue, and weight issues are a concern for you, then I encourage you to worm your horse, examine its teeth and consider adding a supplement to your horse's feed, such as those mentioned above from Horse.com. To help you out here is a link you can click on free shipping (or use the above banner link for discounts and other savings).

Coupon Offer: FREE SHIPPING on orders $129 or More at Horse.com! Use code CJHSH129 at checkout.

Also with Horse.com if you sign up for “Autoship” you receive a 10% savings bonus on your orders.

To see the foal in the picture as she grew up read her story here.

About Keeping Chickens and Ducks Together

I have kept chickens, and have kept call ducks, but we did not keep them together, each was in its own pen.  The chickens were also free range - loose, but the ducks had duckings and we knew the cats would find that too tempting, so the ducks were kept in a large pen where the cats could not get in.

I often am asked if you can keep ducks and chickens together.  Many people want to do this year round, but more often it is a consideration for the winter as it is easier to have all outdoor animals together rather than going from pen to pen through deep snow.

One of the main considerations in regards to keeping ducks and chickens together is food. Ducks cannot have medicated chick starter.  The medication is toxic to ducks, so if you are feeding medicated chick starter or any medicated chicken feed, you cannot have ducks in the same enclosure.

Another concern is that ducks need water in order to eat their food.  They will often take a mouthful of food and dunk it in the water to soak it.  They do this because they do not have saliva.  This can make the water very messy for chickens to drink from.

Of course the other concern is that while ducks love to swim chickens cannot swim at all and will drown.  Even in a shallow pool chicken feathers can become waterlogged and will pull the chicken down if it cannot get out.  Ducks do not really "need" water for swimming, and in the winter when it is freezing cold they should not have water for swimming anyhow.

Aggressive roosters can be a concern too, sometimes aggressive drakes can be mean.  Always watch animals when putting them together.  Make sure you provide enough space so animals can get away from each other if they are being picked on.

Personally I would not recommend keeping ducks and chickens together in the same pen, as they are better off separate.

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Other Reading

Feeding Ducks and Chickens

Supplies Needed for Keeping Backyard Chickens

Pumpkins for the Sheep

A few years ago I carved a pumpkin and left it outside over night, when I woke up the next morning it was gone, only the burnt top remained.  I thought somebody stole it, but deer droppings made me realize that the deer had come by and eaten it up.

Sheep like pumpkins too, in fact most animals do.  After Halloween this year I had 3 pumpkins and no plans to make pie so I thought it would be nice to throw them over the fence for the sheep to eat.  I think the action of throwing these massive orange gourds over the fence scared the sheep for a few minutes, but it was not long before the more curious ewes approached.

Diamond sheep (pictured to the right) seemed  enjoy eating these large squash the most, with her sister, Favorite, and niece, Blackie sheep, also enjoying some pumpkin too, while most of the others stayed back.  Blackie (below) was quite comical as she even tried to roll the pumpkins around, pushing them with her forehead.

Pumpkins are loaded with nutritional benefits for pets and people.  They have beta carotene for eye health and are loaded with fiber to keep everyone regular.  The pumpkin seeds are said to help reduce the worm load in some animals, but are also noted for being particularly good to combat depression.

Giving pumpkins to the sheep to eat was also a way to break up the monotony of their day, even zoos often give some of their animals pumpkins at this time of the year, to play with and eat.

Many of our house pets can eat pumpkin too; birds, cats, and dogs, as well as rodents and reptiles.

If your pet has not had pumpkin before be sure to introduce this treat slowly.  As carnivores, cats won't eat too much pumpkin, but it is noted for helping control hairballs.  Rabbits will also enjoy pumpkin too.

If you used your pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns be sure to remove any candle wax and burnt areas from the inside of your pumpkin before you give them to your pets.

Crystal, our llama, usually charges ahead to investigate anything new but even she was concerned about these strange round objects.

Your pets will certainly enjoy this post-Halloween treat.  If you do not have pets, be sure to leave your pumpkins out for deer or birds, who may enjoy the different treat.