5 Minutes A Day

I visited Mikey's blog today, trying to catch up as I was away for the weekend... and see that she posted about spending 5 minutes a day with each critter... well often times I don't get that much {to be fair some days some of them get much more though!} but like someone else commented to Mikey, at least 2x a day they all get fed and looked at! But I thought it ironic as last night I was actually able to spend a few minutes with each and every equine, one pen at a time. I started with Dillon and his harem, since I was filling a large water tub I just got (used but cheap) to make sure it doesn't leak before attaching an automatic waterer to it, they are the only pen left that does not have auto water yet... after a weekend with Madeline I just had to love on my Dillon and tell him all about his girl. Of course Betty Lou and Susie Q had to come push in and get their fair share, so I added a quick talk to BL's belly as it is definitely looking like a new baby in there, I'm guessing I'll see what is what in October... looking at the girls' hooves I see I'd best get busy trimming again, gave my hands a few days' break but can't let this chore get too far behind! Josey Marie, shy as always, hanging back but did let me approach and check her underneath, she looks like she could deliver any day but Randy saw her "flirting" just a few weeks ago and there is no bag at all, not even enlarged nipples, so darn it I guess she is just still FAT! She and Milly Jo were fat when I got them and although I have tried to work on that, it's hard when they are in with others... I'm thinking that this summer I may have to split the girls into "regular" and "diet" pens instead of letting them all run together!

Once the water tub was full I headed for the big girls to check on Jasmine's limp, yup still a bit "off" but still cannot see ANY reason why she should be... so frustrating! Luna and Katie came to see what was going on {and jones for treats} but since I didn't have any treats they just got scritches and hugs. Had to shoo them away more than once so I could spend time with my Skeye girl, she was gone long enough that she is a little leery of them now and when they push in she takes off. I sure missed those baby blues though and it's good to have her back home!

Off to Wiley and his harem I went... I'd bet money Peggy Sue will pop in October as well, and Becky Lynn is still a puzzle, one day I am sure she is pregnant too and the next day well gee, is she just fat? Wiley's nose and lips are healing up nicely but he will carry those scars for life I bet. I will have to make certain that he and Dillon have NO CHANCE to ever get near each other again, despite Wiley being quite a bit bigger Dillon definitely go the upper hand in their tussle. Can't get mad at him though because he was on the INSIDE of the pen and Wiley could have easily walked away and avoided the whole thing... after all he had most of 5 acres to roam on! Nikki Renee had her 4 days of Indian Mud on her sarcoids and now we are in the 10-day waiting period to see what happens, whether they disappear or she needs another course of meds... also frustrating because I don't know what it is supposed to look like, this being my first time with sarcoids, but I keep checking every day anyway. And although Taffy Leah was trimmed more recently than some of the others, her front right is growing out crooked so right then and there I decide that after I feed, she is the one who gets trimmed.

So it's off to get feed ready and while the pellets are soaking I pop into the last pen, the garden, where the mamas and babies are... and Milly Jo who also looks like she could drop YESTERDAY but STILL HAS NO UDDER! She was fat when she came here last year but she DOES look different to me, less round and more pear-shaped, so better safe than sorry, despite the lack of udder she is staying in the foaling area... and wonder of wonders, little Alvin the B-R-A-T is gone and we finally have another sweet-as-pie little donkey jonesing for scritches, YAHOO! I might be remembering wrong but I think it has taken him the longest of any of the foals to get through that initial baby shyness... he has been so hard to get close too until now!

Fed everybody and trimmed up Taffy Leah, then in the house to dinner and after dinner, it's time for a round of puppy shots and nail trims. Thankfully most of the canine kids are pretty good although Randy's lil darlin Vada was a pistol for her shot, so he said don't worry about nails, hers aren't bad... and Ty, OMG you would think we were cutting off his TOES one by one instead of just trimming nails! However doing shots and nail trims ourselves saves us a decent chunk of cash since we have so many, and I am quite thankful that I get to be the "grab-and-hold" person and Randy does the tough part ;) and although I worry about it sometimes, they don't seem to hold grudges and I still got good-night snuggles from everyone before I went to bed.