Lambing

Seems like just yesterday I blogged, I love having stuff to write about. As I sit here at 1am on a school/work night waiting for bottles to warm up I am catching my second wind....which I will definately pay for tomorrow morning at 5am. lambing every March for the last several years is something that I love. I love the trek out to the barn every 2-3 hours for a couple of weeks. I love the sleep deprivation. It is like Christmas morning every time I find a Ewe contently licking her newborn lamb. I know my sheep so well that I can usually tell when they are going to "pop" and they usually do quite well without me lurking around watching and waiting but it makes me feel good so Im there if they need me. As much as I love lambing, triplets are hell. Ive found that sheep can usually count to two quite well....anything past that usually gets complicated. Lambing is complicated even with my veteran registered Scottish Blackface Sheep. Lambing can also be very sad and emotionally draining . I hate to lose any of our babies. From my last blog, Tuesday a goat that I am boarding popped. She had great twin doe kids. She was attentive and a great mother. We always seperate the mothers and their offspring in their own pen as soon as they give birth for a few days so the new family can have time to bond without the pressures of the flock. This nubian goat was doing everything right. I watch them closely for the first couple of hours, Ive actually had sheep kill their babies in the past. We checked the goat every 2 hours around the clock. I came home from school on tuesday every free period...things were going too good. At 5 am Colin checked in on them, they were doing fine....By 6 am when I got out to the barn, she had laid down with them to snuggle and smothered both of them. There really wasnt anything that I could have done different to protect them other than take them away from the doe, milk out the colostrum and bottle feed them. I didnt think that it was a necessary option...I feel bad. 24 hours after their birth, they were accidentally killed by their mother. The ewe that had the triplets on tuesday night also had some problems... They were nursing, she was taking care of all 3....I noticed that the lambs were getting lethargic (not good). The ewe didnt have much milk, we milked the goat and started supplementing the lambs while leaving them with the ewe while her milk came in. One was weak enough last night that I made the decision to pull her, bring her in the house and really work on her. She died in my arms after finishing part of a bottle. The other two were doing great and I just blamed it on triplets and lack of milk. The real shocker came this am when Colin came in to tell me that one of the other lambs had died during the night. Guess we wont know why....It had a full belly when I did the late night feeding. The surviving triplet is doing well with her bottles and mom but I dont want to jinx it. When I came home at lunch time to give her a bottle, I noticed another ewe getting ready to deliever/"pop". By the time I milked the goat, got the bottle and got back she had delievered a great little ram lamb and was happily licking and "talking to him". I had to get back to work. An hour later, I ran back home during a prep period. She had another ewe lamb that was cleaned and walking but unfortunately I was about 5 minutes too late for the third lamb (a little ram) that she was working on but the afterbirth was still on his head and even after I got it off and almost revived him...it wasnt meant to be. We dont eat our animals at Red Maple Farm. My Scottish Blackface Sheep are part of my Celtic Critters show that I do at Scottish Festivals to generate money for the rescue work we do. They are a rare breed of sheep in the USA...only about 4000 registered SBF here. There are over a million of them in Scotland. When you drive by a sheep farm in the spring and you see all of the lambs frolicking around in the pasture....most people really don't understand what the shepherd has done to get those lambs out in that green pasture. Lambing is one of the toughest things that Ive ever done. I love to complain about it but I love every second of it. It would be nice to go through a lambing season without a single loss but I think that is impossible and unheard of unless your flock consists of two ewes and a ram. I will keep you updated. I had a pygmy goat come in today. I have 3 geese and 2 llamas and a goat being adopted this weekend. I also have a pheasant coming in this weekend that has been rehabilitated and is ready for a soft release here on the mountain....I like spring, I like lambing....I am the luckiest guy in the world to be going to the barn right now. Till tomorrow, Wes

New Animals

Lot has been going on here at the farm since the last time I blogged on March 4th. I have had 3 new HS Students volunteer to work at the farm. As soon as I get some time, I will get them started. I really don't know what I would do without their help. My current HS crew is great. They know what they need to do and don't require any babysitting. Colin is at the farm now, living in the apartment and finding his niche around here. Was really busy last week between gymnastics, karate, play practice, appt.'s with the kids....etc. My oldest daughter (age 11) and our rescued Golden Retriever Lucky are both in the school musical "Annie". Hannah is an orphan and Lucky is "Sandy"....Lucky is getting her own bio in the program as the only "real" orphan in the play. Hannah is a natural, I loved plays/musicals in school and she is just like her Dad. Lucky just sits on stage and is thrilled to be surrounded by singing and dancing kids. Colins Great Dane Ally got spayed over a week ago. She gets her staples out tomorrow. She has spent the last couple of nights with him which is great. They need to get to know one another and it is tough sleeping with 2 Great Danes sprawled across your bed.
The 17 ducks that came in last week are doing great. I found a great home for 2 of them already. The same woman wants to adopt 3 of our geese also. Friday the 7th was a hectic day. It was the last day that I had Mr. Martin my student teacher in my classroom at school. He did a great job and I know that he will get a job teaching and be an asset to any school lucky enough to get him. On friday, The Rochester Humane Society (Lollipop Farm)brought out 2 donkeys that had special needs and were looking for a permanent home which Ive agreed to provide. I love donkeys, they are easier keepers and they have a home for life. I am looking for a sponsor that will want to cover their costs and hopefully even want to spend some time here at the farm socializing them (they are very shy). Saturday, we got 3 loads of hay and got a bunch of projects done around the farm.
This past sunday we had a great fundraiser and PR/Easter Photos with the kids at Sweet Temptations candy and coffee shop on Main Street Middleburgh. Colin, Gayle and Linda were there. Gayle took some great photos that we will try to get up on the blogs and the website. Linda got our business cards, banner and brochures. I set up a great display. Over a dozen local businesses donated raffle prizes. I had 2 of my students helping out there. Rich and Heather Vilegi, the shop owners were great. Shelly Wood organized the fundraiser and is donating 25% of the proceeds to our cause from the photos she took with the kids with the bunnies and lamb that I brought. Kelly Martin brought down a Great Horned Owl and a Marsh Hawk (Threatened Species) which she showed to the crowd and talked about all day. I really appreciate everyone that came out to support our animals and our mission in the freezing cold....It was an awesome day and one that I wont forget soon. I will blog more about it on the NY Wildlife Rescue Center Blog. Cheryl got sick and we panicked without a lamb for photos (my sheep hadnt arrived yet). Elaine Jaycox was nice enough to provide us one of hers for a few hours which I also deeply appreciate. The photos wouldnt have been the same without the lamb.
Speaking of babies. Ive been putting in some long hours lately. Colin offered to let the horses out and do am chores. He came in this am to let me know that the Nubian goat we are boarding for a COBY College student had given birth to twin females. I was already up and on my way out so I went out and showed him how to dry off kids and get them in a pen where they could bond with their mother alone for a few days. I came home at lunch time and they were nursing and doing great....I love the baby animals. I checked on the goats again after school before I ran Hannah and Lucky back to school for play practice. When I got back to the farm at 945 tonight, I did rounds of the farm. The goats still are nursing and doing well. I went down to the far end of the barn to check my small flock of registered Scottish Blackface Sheep. I use the sheep at Scottish Festivals for my Border Collie demos. We were blessed with triplets....She had just had them. 1 ram lamb and 2 ewe lambs.... Triplets are not usually fun but they were all up and nursing and Ewe #20 was taking good care of them. When I checked my records....It is interesting that she had triplets on March 11th in 2005 also. (Last year we didnt have any lambs because the ram I borrowed from a friend was too old to get the job done). I figured I would kill some time getting you all caught up with a blog before I go back out at midnight, 3am and 6am. "Lambing" is fun but the sleep deprevation gets to you after a week or two. It is really good practice for May when the Whitetail Fawns start coming in and I am feeding bottles every 2 hours around the clock. This weekend I have a wounded Pheasant coming in that has been rehabilitated and needs a soft (gradual) release site. Spring isnt until next thursday but I know it is coming because things are picking up....Spring is always the busiest time of year at the farm and I can't wait to share all of my experiences with you....Gotta go check on some sheep, Wes

(update: for pictures, see our New York Wildlife Rescue blog)

Back on Track

Seems like I always start a blog with an apology for not blogging in so long....this one is no different. We are starting to get busy again. Spring is definately in the air and we have a lot to do before the baby wildlife and trailers full of rescues start pouring in. Since last blog, we have gotten Colin's Great Dane spayed. Ally is doing well and will be living with Colin in the manager's apartment by the end of the week. The vet also gelded a friends horse here last week. He also gelded a new rescued llama to get him ready to go to his new home with the Novak family here in Middleburgh. Dr. Baldwin checked the little donkey Boom Boom to geld but lets just say he isnt quite ready to be neutered yet.
I had 17 Muscovy ducks come in this past sunday. I like the Muscovies. They dont quack but they can fly. They are white and black, great for keeping slugs and bugs eaten off around the farm. I also have 2 "special needs' donkeys coming in to be sanctuaried this friday. My friends at Lollipop farm/Rochester Humane Society are bringing them out. We have helped them out however we can in the past and I am glad that I can help them out with these two donkeys as well.
We had a productive BOD meeting this past weekend and I hope to get our new logo up on the blog ASAP. It is with regrets that Jules has decided to leave us as project manager...I hope to continue the blog and I really want to thank her for everything that she has contributed to our mission. I really appreciate it. This sunday we are having our first fundraiser for NY Wildlife Rescue Center. It is on Main Street Middleburgh from 10-1 pm. There will be Easter photos with the animals and kids....a raffle and lots of press....I am really hoping that the weather cooperates. Join us at Sweet Temptations this Sunday, March 9th.
I want to end this blog by thanking my wife Darcy. Today is exactly 20 years since we met for the first time. She is a great woman and has always supported my desire to rescue and help animals....even if quite often it resulted that she and our kids went without. I have almost bankrupted ourselves several times doing what I do. I have no regrets but I want her to know that every day for the last 20 years I have been in love with her. She is my best friend and I couldnt think of anyone that I would rather spend my life with than her....I love you. Wes

Busy Weekends

I love busy weekends. I am still trying to find a reasonably priced rabies vaccine, if anyone has any ideas....I am open to suggestions. Lots going on at the farm. From my last blog, you know that I sold the Clydesdale Trailer and bought a smaller bumper pulled trailer that would be easier for doing animal rescue work. The old trailer was great for hauling a lot of animals at once but it was so big that it made it very difficult to get in and out of tight spots and driveways.

On friday, I was home from school with 2 (of 3) sick kids. While Colin and Buddy started taping and getting the apartment ready to paint I took a quick ride to the trailer place to get the "new" trailer. Wow, expensive to haul animals around. I sold my trailer for a lot less than I should have but I did what was practical for rescues. The only color that they had left in stock was fire engine red, I hated the color as I trudged home with it following the truck but it is starting to grow on me. I think that if we have New York Wildlife Rescue Center painted on the side of it that it will look very "offical" and less like a home for a family of gypsies.

I spent most of the weekend painting the apartment. I am a very driven person, when I make up my mind that something is going to be done....It is going to be done. It took 36 hours of my time but there were 4 of us painting at a couple of different times over the weekend, I hate to think of how long it would have taken me alone . Good job done. In an effort to finish the money pit, I have decided today that I am going to sell my youngest (and one of my favorite) Clydes to a great friend in Mass.. The ending of an era continues. I will be left with my 3 old guys and in a year or two, most of those guys will probably be gone. It upsets me to think about all of the carriages, horses, etc.. and how much I love all of it but if I am going to focus on animal rescue, I need to make sacrifices.

Yesterday was a very busy day for rescues and I never even left the farm. Due to a foreclosure, I had some really great folks bring me 2 potbelly pigs, 2 rabbits, 6 chickens and 4 geese. I chuckled as I watched their mini van pull in the driveway. Knowing that there van would be a lot worse with geese and pigs in it that my wifes was last weekend with two llamas in it. I think that there will be a lot more animals (and people) affected by foreclosures before we get out of the recession that we are stuck in.

I wasnt answering the phone as I was working around the farm but for some reason I did once. A woman that lives in Blenhiem, NY had a female Downy Woodpecker hit her garage door window. She really did everything right. She observed it for a couple of hours at a distance while making sure a cat didnt get it. She brought it in the house when she realized it was messed up pretty good. Quite often if left alone for a couple of hours, they will "get it back together" and fly off. This little thing has a head issue but it has an appetite for suet and has made it for 2 days and 2 nights. A good sign since most usually die of head trauma and stress within the first 12-24 hours.

I asked if she could run it down to me, which they did and I appreciate. I consulted a friend who specializes in birds. I think that it is going to be a time factor case. As long as we keep her eating suet, peanutbutter, and all sorts of treats she stands a 50/50 chance at the moment. Woodpeckers also require a rope, rough log or a vertical perch. I thought that the Barred Owl had a great chance (he died that night of head trama) while he was being held in observation at another rehabbers house that specializes in Birds of Prey. I wish that I could report back a happy ending on that case. I would like to see the woodpecker make it. I know that a good percentage of rescued wildlife dont make it but this one appears tough. I will definately keep everyone updated on its progress.

I have a feeling that it is going to be a long cold week. On a positive, I'll have a week off of school for mid-winter recess once we get through this week. Wes

Have mini van, will travel

Hi Folks, not much new here in the last couple of weeks. I know that it has been awhile since Ive blogged so I thought that I would catch everyone up on what Ive been doing the last couple of weeks. I had a great llama come in from a nice couple that Ive known for a long time. He needs to be gelded but he is halter broke and very adoptable (eventually). He has the coolest eyes that Ive ever seen on a llama. He has blue highlights on his brown eyes. Very cool llama and I thank his owners for bringing him up and for their continued support for what we do up here.

I got a call the beginning of the week from another woman that has adopted llamas from us in the past. She is getting a divorce and needed me to pick up a couple of llamas. This is where things get interesting. On sat. AM I sold the huge alumin. gooseneck trailer that Ive had for the last 5 years. As I cont. to downsize with my draft horses. I really dont need a 22 foot long trailer to do rescue work. My trailer is really too big to get into peoples driveways. I am going to get a smaller trailer that will be better for rescue work. By 9 am my trailer was going down the driveway and I was trying to figure out how we were going to get two llama back here. As I stood in the driveway looking at my wife's mini van I got the idea.....well you know where this is going....Before she realized what I was doing, I had the back seats removed and off I went to pick up the two llamas that needed to come back to the farm.

Hauling llamas in a car, minivan, truck with a cap, etc. is not a new idea. Ive done it for years but this mini van hadnt been "soiled" yet...I arrived at Julie's house and we caught the llamas, I was feeling confident that I was going to give a good show on Llama Transportation 101....As usual, nothing is ever easy and the llamas had other ideas and didnt hop in the back of the van like I thought that they would. Actually they parked their feet, put their ears back and looked at the mini van as if it were the entrance to hell. I rolled my eyes and said ok, lets do it the hard way.....upon which they started spitting all over the inside of my wifes mini van much to my displeasure. I eventually got them in, the spitting continued as we made our departure and I rolled down the windows to keep from gagging on the smell. Both llamas eventually laid down in a kush and (from all the spitting) drooled all over the van for the next half an hour until we got back to the farm.

Just when you think that you understand llamas, they do something that is completely unexplainable. The same mini van that was now redecorated with green blobs of spit wasnt so bad. When we got back to the farm they refused to get out for almost 20 minutes....Llamas, go figure....The funniest part of the whole trip was watching peoples expressions in cars following us....I really need to get a new trailer...and soon.

Today I went to a meeting of Dog Control Officers, Animal Control Officers, and Animal Rescue folks at the Bethlehem Town hall. It was a great meeting and I thought that they had some great ideas to network and organize ourselves so that it doesnt feel like we are working alone most of the time. We really are surrounded by wildlife and we dont know it most of the time. Friday night, I had a bobcat cross the road in our driveway....that was a first. I am not worried about it, I know that we can peacefully coexist. Till next time, Wes

LLama Trauma

Llama Trauma... That is catchy. I should know, it has been my motto lately. I received an interesting phone call from a guy with a poor llama with a broken leg. My experiences with llamas with broken legs has never been good or happy (for the llamas or myself).... We had a long talk, Im still surprised that his vet just vet wrapped it and left (I am not a vet nor do I second guess them). I suggested Cornell but they had to decide what was best for the llama since they were there with the animal.

The phone calls and emails have started to pick up lately. Lots of interested peoplein adoptions, lots of llamas looking for homes and lots of people with questions or problems with their animals. I love the education aspect of what I do. I would much rather "fix" a problem for someone than have them call me up and ask if I want their animals.

I am still very happy to have passed my USDA inspection. I am working on trying to come up with the funding to get my rabies shots to finish off my DEC requirements. I also would love to take the Chemical Capture course in Lake Placid but dont have the $700- to go.

I picked up a Barred Owl yesterday.... pretty exciting. See the Wildlife Blog for the story on New York Wildlife Rescue Center Blog. Ive lost my voice (my students probably love that). We have gotten a lot done around the farm over the weekend. Colin has been a great help along with my barn kids. We set up a new Bunny area, A new huge quarantine pen and set up a proper place for hay storage. I want to design a raptor/hawk pen next for rescues that come in as I do my apprenticeship.
I guess all I lack is time and money....Wes

St.Andrews

A lot has went on this week at the farm. The weather is great and the mid- winter blues are not a problem. It is hard to believe that a week ago my fuel lines froze solid and I woke up chilly and saw that outdoors it was - 6 degrees. I finally got the furnace going...what a nightmare. I cancelled Ski Club last week because it was too cold, I cancelled this week due to lack of snow. The winds were so bad here at the farm yesterday that it blew my kids trampoline halfway accross the farm and landed the thing on a white board fence...doomed...gone.

My week started out with the federal USDA vet inspection. We passed!!!!! We are now a Class C Exhibitor. We can show our animals in public (legally) and I am very proud. The vet (that inspects) is a great guy and said that we have a beautiful facility and likes what we do here up on the hill.

Tonight I did a program for the St. Andrews Society of Albany. They have a beautiful brownstone on Wash. Ave a block away from the Capital. I talked about my Scottish Livestock, the tours I take MCS students on throughout the world and what I do up here....It was a lot of fun and they presented me with a set of books on the History of St. Andrews Societies. As a Scottish organization, I enjoyed sharing what we do and I hope that I can count on them in the future for support.

One of the advantages of all of the public speaking events, kids groups and animal rescue groups that I deal with is that I get to meet a lot of people. The St. Andrews Society of Albany is a great group. It was really a pleasure to do a program for them. I was pleased that the MCS District Newsletter did an article on Darcy and I. I think that it is really important that the people in Schoharie County (esp. Middleburgh) know what I do. It was a great week, Wes