News about Bonnie

About a month ago I noticed Bonnie limping. She was favoring her right foreleg. Then I’d see her walking just fine. Since I hadn’t trimmed her hooves since spring, I figured she had a rock under a flap of the hoof wall that had been hurting her. If it had shaken itself out, the pain was gone. I checked her hooves and they needed trimming so I scheduled a day with my son to do that.

One thing led to another and the hoof work got put off. I also saw Bonnie limping now and again. I checked her hoof and leg: No swelling and no tenderness. Titian and I rescheduled a day and we trimmed her hooves. I checked her right hoof and leg thoroughly and I didn’t find anything that looked like it was causing her pain. She was still limping, though.

Thinking I must not have looked well enough, Titian and I tackled her again. This time I used a Dremel tool to cut the hoof wall down as low as I dared, looking for some sign of infection. Nothing. The hoof seemed healthy. Time to consult a professional.

I’ve been looking for a good mobile vet who’d come and check B&C but had no luck. Turns out, I was looking in the wrong place. One of the vets I spoke to on the phone said, “Try calling Farm Vet out of Petaluma.” Petaluma? Coming to Oakland? That’s an hour-long drive on a good day. Would a mobile livestock veterinarian who probably has plenty of customers up there drive to Oakland? I figured I had nothing to lose. I googled “Farm Vet” and found their website. Using their contact form I asked if they served Oakland and told them about Bonnie. The next day I had an email asking if Saturday at 8 AM would work. Damn straights, it would work!

The next Saturday morning, Dr. Scott Cantor of North Bay Farm Veterinarians, Inc. pulls into my driveway. He checks Bonnie and diagnosed her as having arthritis in her lower leg joint. I had checked her leg from the shoulder down but didn’t know what to look for. Scott showed me how there was a slight clicking when her joint flexed. “That’s arthritis, which is common in goats over 7 or 8 years old.”

Bottom line: I now have a vet I can call when I need him for my babies, and Bonnie gets an anti inflammatory (15mg) in peanut butter on a graham cracker with her daily rations. I was also politely told to cut both goats back to only two cups of grain product a day because they are both over weight. Other than that, B&C are very healthy goats for their age.

Ed

Clyde and The Girls

Clyde normally ignores the hens, but he does use them to lure me into giving him loves and rubs. I think he’s a little jealous of the attention I pay to the girls. I’ll go back to the coop and he’ll come and stand next to me as if to say, “Scratch me and I’ll let you go inside.” 

He’s been showing some signs of aggression, too. When he really wants to be scratched he will try to nip my clothing to get my attention (a bad habit I thought was cute until he bit my arm!) or hook my leg with his horn. This not only hurts like hell but it can cause me to fall. If that happens and Clyde’s pissed off he could do some serious damage to me before I can get back to my feet. Because if this, I keep Clyde in sight at all times or I shut him and Bonnie in their enclosure while I’m working on something back there. 

Ed

Mealworms are Yummy

According to the packaging on my chicken feed it is 18% protein. According to the backyard chicken herders on YouTube hens need at least 17% of their staple feed to be protein, of which their bodies absorb around 14-15%. The rest is passed out in their poop. Too much protein is just wasted since they end up passing it out. 

 I know chickens like to eat bugs, which is a great source of protein for them. Once my girls are allowed out of the coop during the day they will be eating a lot of bugs in the muck pits. (I am expecting them to fling  debris six ways to Sunday once they learn what’s in those piles.) Until then, I’ve been giving them mealworms on Sundays to up their protein intake a little. Mealworms are also high in calcium. 

This past week, I started feeding them small handfuls of mealworms by hand. I thought it would fun. Big mistake! I never knew hens were so forceful when pecking at food. They pinch hard with their beaks, and they don’t care how deep into your hand they go before closing their little mouths. Let me tell you, those beaks can hurt. 

To avoid being part of their snack, I washed out a couple of those small takeout cups that come with salads, hot wings, etc. These allow me to hand feed the girls without risking them drawing blood.

Now, whenever I walk over to the metal can where I keep the chicken scratch and treats I have at least Cinder and Henna — often some of the others — under foot watching my every move. They know where the mealworms are kept and they know I may be getting ready to give them a cup or two. 


Ed