Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Rabies vaccine reaction
Magic, one of our minis, had a pretty scary reaction to his rabies vaccine a couple of weeks ago. I've never had a reaction from anyone here, so you can imagine this was pretty darn scary for me. Here's a video.... I'll admit I'm going to be quite nervous at vaccination time from now on....with everyone! No fever, just swelling near the injection site and this walking issue which lasted a couple days. Thankfully he was in good spirits through it all. More than I can say for myself! Nine in all were vaccinated (7 horses and 2 donkeys) and he was the only one to get this type of reaction.
Three months to go!

Sunday, May 25, 2008
Whew!
There's all the introductions! For your viewing enjoyment.....Jag and Blue playing in the pasture the other day......
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Chickens
My husband was all for the idea, in fact, he wanted even more, and began constructing an 8 by
Kitties
We have four cats, Snickers (barn cat) and three indoor cats, Ick, Little Guy and Taz.
Taz is the cat all of our company loves. He is a beautiful black and white longhair, and came off a friend's farm as a kitten. My husband got him for me 6 months after my beloved kitty, Max died. Taz keeps things interesting, he's playful, extremely full of life. He's very much a talker, just a very social cat. We got him as a kitten, he's about 4 years old now. Full of personality, he hides away to take naps, then very loudly announces to everyone that he's awake when he returns. He's a whiner. Of course, it's probably my fault, I raised him that way.
Little Guy is about 8 years old, and he's far from little anymore, he's the "heaviest" kitty we have. He's also "MY" cat. He is our hider, unless he knows people well, no one sees him. You can even tell by the photo...of course I have lots of non-hiding photos too! Little Guy shares my pillow at night, follows me around the house after our son goes to bed (he doesn't even like HIM!) and owns a piece of my heart. Well, all of my animals do, but Little Guy likes to think he owns more. He was a stray, very tiny kitten out wandering around by himself, it took me three days to catch him. But once I did, I think he became the happiest cat on the face of the earth. That's my boy!
Last but not least is Snickers, the keeper of the barn. She's the sweetest cat anyone would ever care to meet, and just as cute too! She keeps the mice in check in the barn, and keeps me company while doing chores, or hanging out on the swing outside. She's just a great cat! I love everything about her! She came from a friend's farm, when my friend moved from the farm, Snickers came to live here. I am very happy to have her, and I think she's more than thrilled to have the entire barn to herself! She seems to like not having to share her space. Update: Snickers passed away on Monday, March 16th, 2009. As you can probably tell by my previous description of her here, I am going to miss her very much.

Ick is 10 years old this year, and we got him as a kitten, just weaned from his mom. Ick is short
for Ichabod Crane, the headless horseman, as he was always getting his head stuck in things as a kitten, nearly losing it on several occasions! Ick has moved three different times with us, and has survived the first 6 years of my son's life! He's the "old man" of the house. He started losing weight about a year and a half ago, and after many, MANY tests, they think he may have lymphoma. He's on medication, and is doing well. His symptoms have subsided somewhat, and he is so far able to live a quality life yet. I hope it continues for a long time yet. He has always been one to get into trouble, and he still continues to do so.



Last but not least is Snickers, the keeper of the barn. She's the sweetest cat anyone would ever care to meet, and just as cute too! She keeps the mice in check in the barn, and keeps me company while doing chores, or hanging out on the swing outside. She's just a great cat! I love everything about her! She came from a friend's farm, when my friend moved from the farm, Snickers came to live here. I am very happy to have her, and I think she's more than thrilled to have the entire barn to herself! She seems to like not having to share her space. Update: Snickers passed away on Monday, March 16th, 2009. As you can probably tell by my previous description of her here, I am going to miss her very much.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Mini Donkeys
Kochia and Gracey both came from different sides of the state just days apart. Kochia is 16, Gracey is 7. They are both ADMS registered. I have always wanted a mini donkey, and in learning more about them, learned it's best to get more than one. That was a good enough excuse for me! Both of these girls were in need of a good home, and I was wanting to give them one, so I picked Kochia up on a Monday, and Gracey the following Thursday.
Kochia is pregnant, and due to have her foal in August of this year. In this photo, she's got 5 months to go. I'm really excited! She is 36" tall, and a gray-dun, the jack she is bred to is a brown jack, 32" tall. Kochia spent most of her life on a breeding farm, having babies, so she's no stranger to motherhood. She has had many. Our other donkey drives, and Kochia gets upset when I take her out, so I thought it might be nice if we had three donkeys, so one could stay with her when I take the other out. Then I got the idea why not breed for that third donkey! So chances are I'll be keeping the foal. Donkeys are pregnant for a month longer than a horse typically, it already seems like we've waited forever for this foal! It doesn't help Kochia is SO HUGE already. The photo included here is nothing compared to how she looks now.....but, her breeding dates are accurate, and she was ultrasounded, there is only one! I have her amazing (well, to me!) ultrasound picture on my website if you wish to take a peek!
Gracey has been a pet all her life. Except when she was a foal, she had never been around donkeys at all until she came here. She likes Kochia just fine, but she's not as attached as Kochia is to her. I can take Gracey away and she doesn't have a care in the world, I like that about her. Kochia really stresses herself out about things. My girls are very different! Gracey is about 34" tall, and she is a brown/chocolate jennet, same color as the jack Kochia is bred to. I'm hoping the foal is brown like Gracey is! In my opinion, Gracey is as cute as donkeys come, although this girl can REALLLLLLY be stubborn (donkeys? NAHHHH!) She does drive, and really seems to enjoy doing so very much. And she looks so cute doing it! Get this girl going in front of a cart and she's quite happy!


Merlin the Mini
Magic the mini
Jag

Blue


But I want to wait for the right time, so I can be sure I can have all the time in the world to raise the foal the way I want it raised. So Blue is currently our second longest resident here, she's been with us for just about 9 years. And she's just as special today as she was the day she came.
Kissy
Welcome!
I thought it might be fun to start keeping a blog to keep track of happenings here with our critters and life related to them. Fun things are happening this year, or will be eventually! Will be slow going at first, but we'll see what gets accomplished!
I will start with introductions with each of our critters....and us.
My name's Angie, and I live here with my husband, Jeff, and my son, Alex, and our menagerie of animals. I am a stay-at-home mom, Alex is 6 years old, and just about done with kindergarten, and Jeff works in construction. We have 5 horses (1 Arabian, 2 Quarter Horses and 2 minis), 2 mini donkeys (with a baby on the way), and 5 cats (3 house cats, and two in the barn). We also have 9 chickens, all young white leghorn-type hens. We live near Madison, Wisconsin on a small hobby farm.
My hobbies include my animals, of course, and my family, biking, photography, reading when I have the chance, and designing websites. I enjoy horseback riding and just being in nature. I also have NO building skills, so another hobby of mine is trying to keep my hubby busy when he's got time at home (which isn't very often!)
Anyway....that's enough about us......I'll get started on the introductions! You can always see more about our critters on my website at http://www.glacierridge.com! One of our mini donkeys is due to have a foal in August, and we're quite eager for that arrival!
I will start with introductions with each of our critters....and us.
My name's Angie, and I live here with my husband, Jeff, and my son, Alex, and our menagerie of animals. I am a stay-at-home mom, Alex is 6 years old, and just about done with kindergarten, and Jeff works in construction. We have 5 horses (1 Arabian, 2 Quarter Horses and 2 minis), 2 mini donkeys (with a baby on the way), and 5 cats (3 house cats, and two in the barn). We also have 9 chickens, all young white leghorn-type hens. We live near Madison, Wisconsin on a small hobby farm.
My hobbies include my animals, of course, and my family, biking, photography, reading when I have the chance, and designing websites. I enjoy horseback riding and just being in nature. I also have NO building skills, so another hobby of mine is trying to keep my hubby busy when he's got time at home (which isn't very often!)
Anyway....that's enough about us......I'll get started on the introductions! You can always see more about our critters on my website at http://www.glacierridge.com! One of our mini donkeys is due to have a foal in August, and we're quite eager for that arrival!
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