More routine jobs on the list to get done before lambing for this weeks video and blog!
In last week's post, we gave a Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL) vaccine that we're doing as a trial with Luke, our brother and vet. They were ready for the booster of the CL vaccine for this weeks video. The ewes are also about 6 weeks away from the beginning of lambing and needed their annual CD&T vaccination. CD&T helps prevent clostridial diseases and tetanus.
We had planned to hoof trim all the ewes at the same time we were giving their vaccinations to be more efficient and not put them all through the handling system another time. We checked the first 15 ewes hooves and none of them needed trimming. There could be two possible reasons for this or maybe a combination of the two. First, when we bought them and brought them home in May of 2019, we put everyone through the handling system to be wormed and have their hooves trimmed. When we did this, EVERY. SINGLE. EWE. had horrible feet. There was a lot of trimming and shaping to be done; I'm not sure the people before us had ever touched them... So it hasn't been a full year since they were trimmed last and it is typically a yearly job. Secondly, they've been on pasture almost the entire time we've had them - from May 2019 until December 2019 - and the more they are moving around, walking and grazing the more they naturally wear them down. So, our day moved much faster than we had originally thought it would without having to hoof trim.
This was also the first time we tried to do a management job with Charlie around. Usually we have a babysitter for him, I remember why now. We set up a make shift sand box in the barn because he loves to play in the sand and I thought that would keep him occupied. Well, it lasted for as long as we were setting up and getting organized. When we actually started moving sheep through the handling system he was done and ready for undivided attention again. That's just life with a toddler I guess.
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Watch the video about vaccinating our ewes here. Don't forget to subscribe too!