Ducklings

A few months ago we decided to invest in a pair of Mallard Bantam ducks, a drake and a duck, and now we are expecting our first hatch of 3 eggs this Sunday.

Here is a picture from when they were candled at around day 11:

 

Unlike the chicken eggs which I have previously hatched, duck eggs can take up to 28 days, give or take two days, but since the eggs that I am incubating are Bantam or more commonly know as call ducks, they may take more around 26 days, with internal piping expected at around 24 days.

This all means that lockdown will start at the end of day 23, where humidity will go from 50% to 70% and the temperature will drop down from 37.5C to 37.2C.

LAMBS, LAMBS AND MORE LAMBS!

Last Saturday we started lambing and its been non- stop with 7 ewes giving birth to 16 lambs, however one was stillborn. We have had two sets of live triplets four sets of twins and one single so far, 10 boys and 5 girls. This year I've been allowed to inject antibiotics into the ewes we assisted and do all the iodine and spectam. Last night I even assisted a first timer give birth to a massive ewe lamb. Furthermore as one of the ewes with triplets only has one teat working we decided to move one of the triplets onto the first time mother with a single and so far it has been a success! Only 16 left to go!

A Lucky Day

Last Sunday our ewes were scanned for pregnancy,  we were very nervous before hand, due to fact that during late November 36 of the hunt's hounds had become out of control and charged through our flock of pregnant ewes. Now we usually have the rams late anyway as we don't want the lambs to die of the cold, but he had to stay even longer this time,  as we feared that some of them had miscarried.
However when they were scanned all but two were pregnant  albeit all of the lanbs were different sizes, which means that some had not miscarried and the ones, who had were covered again.
When looking through our records we found out that one who wasn't pregnant did not give birth last year and that the other (a Ryeland) had complications at birth last year and had suffered a ruptured uterus when pulling the lamb out and the uterus lining clearly hadn't been able to repair itself for the embryo to implant in it.
Never mind, BRING ON LAMBING

Solli's Transformation

It has been six months since Solli arrived and he has changed quite a lot. Due to a diet of rich grass, linseed and lots of riding!








SOLLI- May 2013



SOLLI- August 2013

Big Sheep Day

Last weekend was the first day we got the lambs and ewes in altogether since weaning, I learnt how to ear-tag (between the two lower veins on the ear, moderately near the lobe, make sure you trap no wool and spiky bit into the inside of the ear). I also wormed all of the sheep whilst they were waiting to go into the sheep turner, where there feet were cut

Why Arabs For Endurance?

Many people doing high level endurance, ride Arabs, but why when there are 100s of other breeds to choose from?

Well firstly Arabs are one of the oldest breeds of horse, this means that they are the close relatives to the pre-horses, that constantly had to run away from predators, meaning they have great stamina and can become fit quickly.

They don't mind the heat as much as other breeds, due to their origins, being from hot countries.

They usually have low natural heart rates, and can even skip beats, however this can be present in any breed, and Arabs do have their exceptions, but do seem to have a high percentage with naturally low heart rates.
They have long strides, meaning they can cover ground quickly with having to put in as much effort as a cob, for the same distance, meaning they can retain stamina better, therefore being able to go
extremely long distances.

Finally they are easier to get fit than other breeds, particularly cobs, so you could put a cob on a 6 month fitness program and an Arab on the same program, and the Arab will be fitter by the end of it. Though Arabs do still need getting fit, they can't just do endurance because "it's in their breeding".

Hopefully this has given you an insight into why Arabs are great for endurance.

Arabs

I was reading an article that said Arabs are one of the most loyal breeds of horse and that they rely on humans just like devoted dog breeds, such as border collies. They also devote themselves to keeping you safe. Apparently they can read your mood so if you are happy and relaxed they will be.

Having just got an Arab I was thinking of a case where this theory could be true and suddenly realised that every time I feel nervous when I ride Solli he goes into "Nanny mode", which is very slow and steady to make me feel secure. Another case is whenever I ride Solli out in front he is a lot more spooky, when he is behind another horse, this is because he is a lot more alert as he wants to keep the rider safe from any sudden dangers. It is this that makes me conclude that Arabs are one of the most loving and fantastic horse breeds, who unfortunately are mostly given a bad name for being protective and are often in it for love, not for food, which is not the case in some breeds.