# Since it's 43 degrees today...



## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

During the past week when it has been wet and snowing no one bothered escaping for four days straight. But since it's 43 degrees today, it's warm enough to get out and check those cat dishes. The pic is an Ohio Turkey Raptor which belongs on the inside of the netting, not on the outside. (thinks it's a raptor anyway, rare Ohio Turkey Raptor hunts and stalks cat food on the back porch.)


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Also, they may have been laying low because it was the Thanksgiving Holiday last week.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You know, your turkeys are not much different than my Guineas. Always testing the limits of their human.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Yes they do. Except your Guineas need you, my birds see me as a minor annoyance.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Do they? They are perfectly capable of living in the wild, especially down here.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Do they? They are perfectly capable of living in the wild, especially down here.


Interesting point, everything except my regular chickens could probably survive okay in the wild. I don't know where the Turkeys would steal cat food from, in the wild though.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Any house they came across? They might end up with dog food instead though. Or cattle feed.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

It's all about the cat food.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Then I guess you're stuck with them raiding the cat dishes.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

If you put out some cat food, I'll let them know!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Nope, not happening here. It draws in other unwanted wildlife. *****, wild pigs, feral cats.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I don't know, I saw the turkeys studying a map, they might be headed your way!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Then they'll have to get over the lack of cat food. Unless they go to the neighbor's. I think they have cat food out.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I have had no cat food on the back porch for several days now. Nonetheless, the two Turkeys still make the rounds every day around 4 p.m. to check the back porch.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

They figure they'll guilt you into putting more out.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Hope springs eternal. The cats are eating in the back hallway now.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

What do you think would happen if you put a dish out there with their feed in it? Would it still be as special as the cat food?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

No. It's just that one particular turkey, is the most nosey one I've ever had, and leads a few other birds in the bad habits department.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Like my female Guineas are the ones that keep leading the rest of the flock over to the neighbors'.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Yup, the ringleaders.


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## Siobhan (Nov 22, 2020)

Poultry Judge said:


> Also, they may have been laying low because it was the Thanksgiving Holiday last week.





Poultry Judge said:


> Interesting point, everything except my regular chickens could probably survive okay in the wild. I don't know where the Turkeys would steal cat food from, in the wild though.


New fact learned today that turkeys like cat food, sounds like its a delicacy for them , I know my dogs love chicken food!


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I had a Thoroughbred horse suffer colic one time because she got into a bag of chicken scratch feed.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Ouch. I was lucky never to have a colicky horse.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Ouch. I was lucky never to have a colicky horse.


Almost lost her, she was a bit of a thin skinned, (fragile), Thoroughbred.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That's true of every living organism. The bigger they are the more impact it has for the humans.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Bad luck today, we have an 18 year old male Thoroughbred with a urinary tract infection. Over the years it seems we've had a lot of tragedy and sickness around the holidays.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I have never been around one with a UTI. I've never even gave any thought to it being a possibility. How difficult do you think it will be to clear?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I'm working on it. We had one of the farm vets check the horse out this evening.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Hopefully, about a three day initial treatment and then go from there.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Out of curiosity what were the signs something was wrong?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Swollen sheath and a little lethargic.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Huh. So what is the prognosis? Is he going to be prone to a repeat? Do they say why this might have happened?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Huh. So what is the prognosis? Is he going to be prone to a repeat? Do they say why this might have happened?


Yes, prone to repeat, mostly due to age.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Wow. I know everyone is going to have a eye tuned to him and his well being going forward. 

One of mine was off one day. Everyone thought I was imagining things but I called the vet anyway. I should have had them do bloodwork. A few days later I get a call at work, your horse has strangles. She had all of her vaccines and the barn was able to trace where it came from.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Wow. I know everyone is going to have a eye tuned to him and his well being going forward.
> 
> One of mine was off one day. Everyone thought I was imagining things but I called the vet anyway. I should have had them do bloodwork. A few days later I get a call at work, your horse has strangles. She had all of her vaccines and the barn was able to trace where it came from.


Strangles is terrible. Sometimes you have to trust your gut.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

So how is the big boy doing today?


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

X2 to what Robin asked. What other kinds of animals do you all have?

Fairly warm and sunny here. I've been working the garden up. A difference from WI is that the weeds here grow year around.

I wish some veggies were as hardy.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Blue is about the same today, we think we are getting past the UTI but he still has a swollen sheath. It's high 40s and rain here today. As far as animals here at the farm, we are an Ohio multi-species no-kill Sanctuary and Therapeutic Riding Center. We are also an Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitator including Vector species. So, we've had just about everything over the years. We don't usually do dogs, just because we have elderly cats. We network extensively with all of the rescues in the area.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Melissa sort of maintains a Fossil Ledges Animal Education Center Facebook page for the nonprofit, I don't think it gets updated a whole lot. We are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit charitable sanctuary. We talk about 2020 being such a weird year, it has been super weird for the animal sanctuary nonprofits. Not having any volunteers this year has just about killed me trying to keep this running.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Having never been around one with a UTI I'm trying to decide if you should be seeing more improvement by now. I sure hope this clears. 

You know having a link to the FB page would be kind of cool.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

Poultry Judge said:


> Melissa sort of maintains a Fossil Ledges Animal Education Center Facebook page for the nonprofit, I don't think it gets updated a whole lot. We are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit charitable sanctuary. We talk about 2020 being such a weird year, it has been super weird for the animal sanctuary nonprofits. Not having any volunteers this year has just about killed me trying to keep this running.


What a wonderful thing you do. No one volunteers? If I were close, I sure would.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The virus has kept volunteers away. Normally there are some. Melissa is the only one willing to put up with PJ.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Having never been around one with a UTI I'm trying to decide if you should be seeing more improvement by now. I sure hope this clears.
> 
> You know having a link to the FB page would be kind of cool.


So, as of ten this evening, Blue has about sixty percent improvement. He's not liking the stall rest. I'm hoping for more improvement by morning. I don't do FB but the Fossil Ledges page is easy to find.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Poor old guy. 

None of them that know what a pasture is likes being up. My strangles mare had about all she could take being up.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

He is still improving this a.m. Thanks for your concern!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I have more trouble with an animal suffering than I do an adult human.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> I have more trouble with an animal suffering than I do an adult human.


Yes, exactly, me too!


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> The virus has kept volunteers away. Normally there are some. Melissa is the only one willing to put up with PJ.


It's been a tough year all around for animal nonprofits and lack of volunteers. For as much as Melissa and I disagree sometimes, she is tough as nails and was a founding member of Fossil Ledges. She has a good intuitive sense when treating ill and injured animals and has done some pretty amazing stuff around here. She has saved animals that I didn't think were going to make it.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I like her. No matter what awful things you say about her.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> I like her. No matter what awful things you say about her.


Wait? I was saying good things about her! She used to wrestle and treat one female Emu I had, that I was sure wasn't going to make it, and it made a full recovery. I don't know how many times she has slept in the barn taking care of a sick animal. I swear sometimes she wills them to live!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Are we a little sensitive today? Easily fired up?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Are we a little sensitive today? Easily fired up?


Nah, just tired, I have a combine tore apart and the weather got colder. Here is a (not very good), picture of Mr. Bleu at about 4 today, it's already getting dark. He's been out some today and got muddy.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Hi Bleu, it's so nice to meet you and to learn that you are feeling so much better. Did you give your keeper a rough time about going back up?

Keep that PJ on his toes so he doesn't get bored now.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I'm just happy he's on the mend. He's been here for fifteen years. You should have seen him when he was younger during his training to become a therapy horse, what a goofball!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Considering all of my experience with TB's was being around broken down race horses, I can't even imagine what they would be like as a three year old. 

Although I keep looking at him and I don't think TB.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Bleu is "Stormin Bleu", we have all his original paperwork and race records. He is fourth generation from Secretariat, (along with around three thousand other horses). There are still some Youtube videos of him racing. The mare we lost, Red, was "Native of Zignew" from "Native Dancer". She was in terrible shape when we got her, a lot of lung bleeding and she had been pinfired. But she had a good retirement.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Have I been away from them too long or is it the pic? 

Everyone that lands at Fossil Ledges ends up living a good life. 

Have I ever told you I hate horse racing with a passion? Bob would want to watch a derby but I wouldn't have any of it. Talk about animal abuse out in the open. That's horse racing.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I have always hated horse racing, mostly because of the breeding programs, the ways they are put down while racing, and how they are disposable when they can no longer race.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I had to become an adult before I realized what it was all about. Those poor animals are broken down by the time they're three. It's wrong on so many levels and it wouldn't break my heart to see it banned.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Most of the big breeding programs are banned here in the States, that's why they do it in Ireland.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I did not know that. 

BTW, is Bleu back out in the great outdoors?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> I did not know that.
> 
> BTW, is Bleu back out in the great outdoors?


He is, he still has some sheath swelling but we are getting past the UTI.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It's a testament to his care that he's recovered so smoothly.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

It's just that as they get older their recovery time takes longer.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

LOL It's not just them. Us humans go down for the count as we get older too.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> LOL It's not just them. Us humans go down for the count as we get older too.


I was just thinking that!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Last March I got a URI thing. I was miserable, no energy, two boxes of tissues, two weeks of the couch. During that time I'm thinking that it never hit me like that when I was younger, what the heck?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Last March I got a URI thing. I was miserable, no energy, two boxes of tissues, two weeks of the couch. During that time I'm thinking that it never hit me like that when I was younger, what the heck?


I think that all the time!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Is that like finding muscles you didn't know existed?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Is that like finding muscles you didn't know existed?


I don't know. I do know I am tired all the time!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I'd ask have you looked at where you can cut back but I know you've already done that. And about the time you found that place to cut back something else will pop up to take its place.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Thank you Robin, I appreciate your concern. I'm trying to do better with prioritizing what gets done around here. I don't mean to complain as much as I do. However, I have been called stubborn once or three times. I come from a long line of stubborn and poor dirt farmers. I went and did the government job for thirty years, but now due to bad genetics and my own active choices, I will go down on this same dirt, (mud), farm. It's where one chooses to put one's priorities. It's important that I find meaning doing this. Farm labor provides a lot of redemption for the soul. I worked for three State administrations and that requires a lot redemption. So, it's important, that and maintaining a (sophisticated) sense of humor.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You can't talk to people on the forum about the things that brings us the most joy or the most frustration and have that relationship remain superficial. I have no doubt most of those on this forum would be willing to lend a helping hand to any of us that might need one.

And I know all about stubborn. It's why I've got shoulder muscles that have suffered permanent damage. Don't tell me I can't, that it's too big or too heavy. Dang it! Love my Shiatsu when those muscles knot up.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> You can't talk to people on the forum about the things that brings us the most joy or the most frustration and have that relationship remain superficial. I have no doubt most of those on this forum would be willing to lend a helping hand to any of us that might need one.
> 
> And I know all about stubborn. It's why I've got shoulder muscles that have suffered permanent damage. Don't tell me I can't, that it's too big or too heavy. Dang it! Love my Shiatsu when those muscles knot up.


Yes, there are good souls here!


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Agree.


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