HC Minis - new pics pg 172

[AnnaC]

When we first moved here the only barn big enough to use for foaling stables had been used for cows before. Still had some squidgy cow manure left in it. Over the first winter I piled all the mucking out from the stallion stables in there, thinking that we would be mucking the whole barn out the following Spring by machine. Also water 'drained' through this old barn from goodness knows where, not possible to ditch as it stood right up against another stone building. By early Spring I realised that it was perfectly possible walk on top of all my winter mucking out and not sink in, so we hastily divided it into 7 large spaces and went to work filling in the floor and raising the level up with more mucking out, then old bales of hay, well shaken up and tramped down, in fact anything dry that we could put in there stamping everything down hard as we went. Eventually we were a good foot higher than the original muck. We then piled in layer after layer of clean straw and hey presto we were good to go. (I have to say here that we always 'deep litter' our mares, preferring them to have deep 'solid' beds to sink into when they go to lay down - all droppings are picked up as soon as they are done, day AND night, so the beds stay spotless and very clean with fresh straw put down daily.) This old barn saw us through 4 foaling seasons with no sign of any water - unless you looked at the field along the 'down' side, which showed that the water was still draining through underneath!

So I always go 'up' inside a barn when dealing with flooding. Here in Wales, UK, the water rushes off our fields when it rains - which it does a lot!! Ditches round barns would have to be very deep to move that amount of water away, they would soon fill up in the struggle, plus the fact that our barns back our fields and unless I put up a load of extra fencing, any ditches would be a hazzard to the minis in my opinion.

Just my way of dealing with our 'wet' problems with what I have to work with here, but I do feel a lot of small shelters in dry lots would work better if folks built up instead of digging out and then ditching??

Hows Baybe looking today??

 

[chandab]

Shayne dug me a ditch out of the flooded part of the barn (not a deep ditch, just enough to get water moving out). And, I put down some pelleted bedding and shavings in the worst areas. [Didn't go too deep, as I don't have much of either, but enough to dry up the area.]

the part of the barn actually set up as a stall is dry, its the run-in part that is partially flooded. Until last year when we threw straw down and put calves in the barn, it would flood along one side and drain right out the front of the barn, but after the straw and manure were added the whole open area started flooding, I think once I get the rest of the old straw and manure out, it'll go back to flowing right through the barn along the one side. [i have to clean it all out, its harboring mold and other allergy producing problems. Last spring one of my mares in addition to being fat, was having lots of problems breathing, vet diagnosed her with allergies or possibly the start of COPD (other mare seems fine that she was housed iwth); I moved that mare out of this barn and put her on allergy meds for awhile, and she cleared up. So, I will be cleaning out this barn.]

I haven't been out yet this morning to see how she's doing. [i'm in Montana, so Mountain time zone, its just 7:50AM now. I am running a little late starting chores.] Speaking of chores, Melvin is doing better, he's getting better and nursing the bottle and starting to fill out more. I swear, he's ********; but he comes on the run for his bottle, so at least he knows where dinner comes from. [i'm thinking with as big as he is, he might have been squeezed a little bit coming through the birth canal, perhaps depriving him of a bit of oxygen at birth.]

 

[AnnaC]

Sounds as though you are doing the best thing for your barn and for your mares too. So glad Melvin is doing ok, I was wondering how he was!

 

[chandab]

And, another girl, this is Showy (Fikes Lucky Hawk Showgirl); she would likely be my earliest due of the mares bred to my stallions last year. She was covered one day 7-10-11, then turned out with the stallion from 7-30 to 10-15; if she took on the July 10 breeding, then she would be 302 days today. [she was in while the equine dentist was here, so I had help to hand breed this 36" mare to my 31" stallion, one time (then she was out), we'll see if it took, soon enough.]

Anyway, this is Showy:

First picture was March 14, 2012



And, an older, shed out picture.

 

[chandab]

Our grass, what they get of it, sure is good at fattening up minis (well, any horses), most of my pictures show them looking like blimps in the summer when they get out on pasture. I don't even let them out all the time, usually just a few hours in the morning, and they still look like blimps in the summer. I had a time picking pictures to share in which they didn't look like blimps.

 

[chandab]

Not today, as I just saw the chiropractor yesterday, but I think I need to get my pastures set up, perhaps that will get Baybe in gear (I think she is probably used to foaling out on grass, so perhaps that will help her along).

I don't have any permanent pastures for my minis, I set up portable panels and move them around in the summer. Some years, I get the electric fence set up, but really hate messing with the battery to run it.

 

[AnnaC]

"blimps" - love it!! Must remember that when I go walking amongst my lot - "hello you load of blimps" LOL!!

 

[Eagle]

Mine look more like Blomps

 

[chandab]

Showy is a beautiful girl!! Sounds like we'll have some time to get to know her!!!

I'm always jealous of anyone that has grass in their pastures. I have permanent pastures -- but they are total dry lots! Well, there ARE a few weeds out there!

Thank you. We have grass around here most summers, but even if I had permanent pastures, I couldn't turn them out for more than a few hours a day; our grass is awesome for fattening cows, not so great for keeping horses looking like horses.

 

[chandab]

Nothing new on Baybe. Still trying to get my pastures set up so I can get the girls out on grass during the day, but keep getting sidetracked; like today we are sorting and branding calves.

On the quilty front... I haven't had time to work on the peach quilt in probably a week, but just got a shipment of fabric in that will be my next several projects. Lovely batch of horse panels to make quilts with; so I'll be making up some horsey quilts in the coming months (or next winter, if I'm too busy with summer and foals). I just love this fabric, and can't wait to make something with it.

 

[chandab]

Diane,

Here's a website that has the fabric, although, my actual fabric doesn't look as dark: http://www.fortworthfabricstudio.com/cgi-bin/Store/store.cgi?cart_id=5565677.11683.s0&product=south_sea_winter_enchantment&productid=q1411_30052_412&sales=0&lastmenu=

I got tons of these panels from a friend that sells short-cut pieces. I need to go through my whole box and take a closer look (also got a little bit of coordinating fabric and then a nice floral selection).

Also have a few "summery" looking horse panels, they are just gorgeous.

 

[a mini dream come true]

Oh WOW! Thanks for the link Chanda. How did I miss that one and right here in Texas. I'll have to be looking their site over better.

. I need to get back to quilting. Like Diane said. Life has sorta taken me in a different direction lately.

 

[chandab]

Oh WOW! Thanks for the link Chanda. How did I miss that one and right here in Texas. I'll have to be looking their site over better.

. I need to get back to quilting. Like Diane said. Life has sorta taken me in a different direction lately.

Hazel, sending you a PM, look for it.

I think I bought some fabric for my nephew's pillowcases there; bright frogs on brown and a geometric to coordinate.

 

[chandab]

Well, you'll probably have to wait awhile, as I probably won't get anything started til next winter; especially since I have a peach quilt to finish first.

 

[Wings]

I don't mind waiting at all. By winter, we'll be looking for all the Australia babies to arrive!!! We'll still be here!

Don't remind me, it feels so far away!!!

:rofl

I'm trying to work out how soon is too soon to start a foaling thread... do you think 3 months out from earliest possible foal is a bit early?

 

[chandab]

I'm trying to work out how soon is too soon to start a foaling thread... do you think 3 months out from earliest possible foal is a bit early?

Not really. While, I thought Baybe would go sooner, we could very well be Mare Staring her for another month or more. And, most of my other girls won't go til at least mid-June, probably into July.

And, as you can see, the conversations aren't strictly mare stare, while we wait.

 

[a mini dream come true]

Yes Diane, I quilt also. Mine are pieced on machine and depending on the quilt as to whether or not I hacd quilt or machine quilt. I also machine quilt for the public.

Sorry Chanda for jackin your thread. I still haven't gotten the machine in the house yet. It's still out in the shop. Maybe this week. How is baybe doing? Not to worry about the length of time on MS. Delilah has already been here four months and seems likely to be a bit longer.

 

[Wings]

Heck no!!! We'll be happy to chatter away the time!!!!

Really? But we were so quiet and well behaved last season ....

...

Ok no one who has been in here for a DAY would believe that!

Tell you what, when I get Belle's blood test back and find out if she is or isn't pregnant I'll start my foaling thread

Isn't it nice of us all to stagger our foaling seasons over the year so we always have something to chat about? (and pretty quilts to drool over

)

 

[chandab]

Almost forgot to mention, Melvin has a new playmate or will in a few days. We moved some cows/calves out to pasture yesterday and there was a skinny little calf bringing up the rear, from the looks of him mom eitther doesn't have any milk, not enough or just flat out isn't taking care of him/her (I haven't looked); the cow is an older cow and sometimes they just quit their calves. So, we brought him home and put him in a stall in the barn; and giving him a bottle last night proved he hadn't eaten much in awhile, cause once he was caught, he went to town on the bottle and was looking for more. Will have to go slow for a few days, but hopefully it won't be long and he'll be upto speed. For now, he is separate from Melvin, but as soon as he looks to me for his food, they'll be able to go together.

Almost forgot something else... Does getting crabbier mean Baybe might be getting closer? She's been getting along just fine wiht Honey, and today I notice she went out of her way to be crabby at Honey.

 

[a mini dream come true]

Sorry , I can't help you there. I don't have enough experience to say. Glad you found the little calf when you did. Love feeding the bottle babies. They get so attached to you and follow you everywhere

.Wanting that milk.