HC Minis - new pics pg 172

[chandab]

If she ever foals, I'll let you know.

 

[Wings]

Sounds like she's one of our "hussy" mares!! LOL

Yup! Rivain let's herself get mounted... and does her own mounting when pregnant! She's a very hormonal mare... and a complete tart

 

[chandab]

Despite being a touch-me-not, its hard to get a good pic of Baybe, as she wants/needs to know what's going on. But, here she is today:



No real udder development, but quite a bit of edema.

And miss your guess is as good as mine, Caddy:

Still not sure if she's pregnant or just fat; she has a belly and a bit chubby all over, but sort of sunken in along her flanks.

And a cute shot of baby butts:

 

[chandab]

Diane, I was talking with another friend, and she feels Caddy is just fat, but she doesn't feel certain about it. If she's pregnant, that'll be some job that Topper got done with his tiny window of opportunity before she started kicking him, but we'll give it a bit more time, then put her on a diet. [As soon as I have some new hay, she'll come off pasture; everyone has been getting some grazing time to help stretch my limited hay supply.]

 

[AnnaC]

Baybe certainly looks preggers in that first picture - as for Caddy, well, as you say, it is anyone's guess - when should she be due?

Love those cute little butts.

 

[chandab]

Since I didn't think Topper actually caught Caddy, I didn't write down the couple days I actually tried to breed her, but know it was between July 14 and Aug 14 of last summer (I had posted to this thread that I was going to breed her, then at some point after it wasn't successful), so that puts her close to 300 days or over.

 

[chandab]

I think we are leaning towards just fat, but now that the girls are pastured behind the barn, Topper can talk to them and we'll see who comes in and when. Like, Tana today, so Topper got some today and was a very happy boy; will continue til she goes out. I'll just keep an eye on who's coming in and the next couple mares that come in will be bred to Topper, except Dolly and Misty. [i think Dolly is too small for Topper, and I don't know if I want to breed Misty again.]

 

[chandab]

Quite happy, but he also gets frustrated (at least I think that's why) and will kick at the mares. He gets so excited, mounts before he's ready, gets down and kicks out at the mare.

Then he'll get ready, do it right and be calm when he's done.

Last year and the year before, I only hand bred him; right now, I'm trying paddock breeding, if a mare is in, I put them together for awhile and then put them back in their respective pens; since he's not quite getting the foreplay side of things and gets anxious/frustrated (whatever) and kicks out, I'm not leaving them together for any length of time. I just observe til the deed is done and send them back to their paddocks. so far, so good. Thought Showy might be in, but not quite in standing heat, she tried to kick him (she stood stock still a couple years ago for Che` to try, so I know when she's in she'll stand).

 

[AnnaC]

LOL!! I know what you mean by 'impatient, but not ready' boys!! You may find he is less frustrated if left with the mare all the time - less like a bull in a china shop!!

We are hand breeding this year and are having quite a few 'I'm ready - no you are not' conversations, plus several 'chat first please'. LOL!! Spotbum seems to think that a friendly chat AFTERWARDS is the order of the day!!

Years ago I had a sweet brilliant pony stallion who would give it all the stallion behaviour on his way to the mare only to stop dead some 10 feet away, fully ready. The mare often looked round as if to say 'well, are you coming?', but he would look at me and genuinely wait for MY permission to go ahead - not something that I had taught him, just his sweet, kind personality, bless him, so easy!

 

[chandab]

With the kicking (on both sides) I don't dare leave them together, I don't want anyone hurt. The mares when they kick mean business, but I don't think he does; but injury can still happen, so would rather err on the side of caution.

 

[chandab]

Someone is in today (could hear them all over the property), but I didn't breed any one today or yesterday. Yesterday I was gone to town and today I worked on my barn and got two walls sheeted (although the one wall needs more screws holding the plywood, the cordless drill ran out of juice).

 

[chandab]

Did a little work on the barn today, my MIL helped a bit and we got almost two walls completed. There is no power over there, so we were using cordless tools and forgot to charge the extra power packs, so we ran out of juice and had to quit. It looks like two walls are complete, but the one wall is just tacked up and needs more screws to keep the plywood up.

Here's where we are now:

 

[AnnaC]

Well done you (and MIL) - it's really taking shape now!

 

[chandab]

Thank you. I'm anxious to get it finished, so I can start using it. I still need to buy the tin for the roof, hopefully they'll have the right size in stock and I won't have to order and wait for it to arrive.

 

[chandab]

Bittersweet day... I'm going to miss them a lot, but my kitties all went to a new home today, and
they are all going together. I got a call Monday from someone wanting them all,
her daughter loves kitties. They have mostly outdoor/barn kitties like us, so
have lost some and then had no kittens this year, and her daughter was really
missing them, so they called and said they'd take all four. The gal brought
her mother along for the ride, and she fell in love with the orange-eared one,
so it might go home with her. I'm so happy they have a home altogether, but
I'm going to miss the little boogers.

 

[chandab]

Yes, they are all terribly cute and if I could I might be a crazy cat lady too. I have several favorites out in the barn, and they are the only ones with names, so... Miss Kitty, Miss Grey, Spot, Turtle, CallieCat, Cinnamon, Larry, Tigger, (Siamese momma, she's wild so no proper name), Loretta (actually more Shayne's) and TD; and there are probably a dozen unnamed rather wild ones in the calving barn.

Diane, I'll respond to our e-mail later, I'm too hot right now.

 

[chandab]

Got the other two sides done this morning, but forgot that I needed to go back to the last wall and add more screws to the plywood to hold it up. Will try to get to that this afternoon, it won't take too long to do.

 

[chandab]

You're hotter than we are I'm sure, but its plenty darn hot this afternoon. Got the walls all finished, just the roof left, so best get to calling around and find the best price on tin.

My FIL brought me a load of so-so hay yesterday, its free, so I won't complain too loudly about the quality, as long as its not moldy the horses can have some. And, then brought a nicer load today. Even thought I don't have a roof yet, I'm going to stack it in the new barn and cover it with a tarp. The plan is to make a stack 4' wide by 16' long along the back wall, then there will still be room for two 8x8' stalls in the front of the barn for the horses. I have two, maybe three mesh panels that I can use to keep the horses out of the hay.

 

[AnnaC]

Chanda, if the nice hay is newly made I would avoid covering it with a tarp - it will make it sweat! If you can stack the hay lower than the sides of your barn and then put the tarp over the roof struts, leaving about a foot of space between the hay and the tarp, this space will allow the hay to breathe and avoid it going mouldy, hot or even catch fire!

You probably know this already, but your post didn't say if the hay was 'new' and it sounded as though you intended to put the tarp directly on to the hay.

Talking about temperatures - we're sweltering in a heatwave here in the UK just now, most unusual and a real struggle to keep from frying while doing any sort of work!!

 

[chandab]

The hay is brand new, fresh out of the field. I haven't covered it yet, don't know how big of a hurry I'll be to get it done, but might just drape the tarp over the rafters since the roof isn't finished yet, just need to figure out how to hold the tarp in place so the wind doesn't carry it off.