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Product endorsement.

Posted by Eight Pond Farm (EightPondFarm) in Health & Wellness

Eight Pond Farm
posted on:
Aug '09
1

12:21am

without the hayrack
Bunk Feeder by:Billy Goat Gruff



When we bought Susan Briggs' sheep equipment, we were lucky enough to pick up a couple of these. They're extremely well made, durable and do double-duty as animal search and rescue equipment!

It's gonna be a long story.....

This afternoon i felt a compelling need to see the adult rams and wethers. I was waylaid by our fencing guy who had some questions etc...and was pretty antsy to get away. As soon as got away and crossed into the big pasture i was met by Twizzle (bad-boy twin to my best friend, Tank). I gave him a treat, scratched his chin....and with Spider (sheep dog extraordinaire) i headed up thru the woods where they often hang-out looking for the rest of the flock. Twiz following baaaahing the whole way. In the Man-Cave woods we scared-up JP and Hickory, (Hick is the bad twin of Birch) both of whom seemed interested in keeping away from Spider. We came up into the hilltop meadow and there was Marshall, (bad-boy twin of Sam). Spider and i visited with Marshall, fed him a couple of treats, enough to entice the other three up out of the woods to join us. I checked a couple of eyelids, asked them where the good boys were....and received no answer. In retrospect it was pretty curious that all four of these boys were the notorious BadBoys, and they were faaar away from the rest of the flock......

Anyhoooo....back in the Mule, (ATV) Spider and i drove all over the upper meadow looking for the 'good' rams and wethers, but there were nowhere to be seen. Deciding to stop along the way and saw a couple of saplings and branches to take down to our three patients in the barn, i pulled into a shady spot and got my handsaw...and there comes Tieggs...a big senior ram. I visited with him a moment and spied the Good Boys resting in the woods. I checked eyelids, gave a couple of treats, scritches under the chin.....and my mental role call had everybody accounted for except Birch. So i asked the Good Boys: Where's Birch you guys? and no kidding, Tieggs looked over his left shoulder...i followed his gaze and a ways down the hill, thru the underbrush was what looked like a sheep leg, toe up. Then i saw the white round shape, and was afraid Birch was gone...and then the leg moved! I hustled down to find him on his side, (rumen side down) wedged in a ditch with a tree trunk pinning him down. I hauled him out PRONTO! Birch is one big wether, at least 200 lbs....but you know adrenaline sure makes you strong.

I did a quick check and propped him up against a tree and went down to get Marge. She gathered up supplies: Probios, Vitamin B, Vitamin E, BoSE, and Gatorade. After treatments, Marge took the mule to finish up some things she'd been working on down in the barn and i stayed there with Birch, propping him up because he was tending to roll....we were on a slope in the woods. We thought that perhaps he'd rally and i could walk him to the barn. Nope. Marge came back with the mule and we tried to hoist him up into the bed, but no luck, he's just too big. So i went down to find a ramp, or a tarp to wrap him and drag...something...anything. And there were the feed bunks! the legs were rounded, like sled runners....PERFECT!, they are only about 12 inches high...SO PERFECT!

So we put poor Birch in the bunker and i rode with him and Marge dragged us back to the barn...we had to go down a steep hill (whoopeeee!!) and across a rocky creek (bump bump bump bump!) And i am now a gigantic fan of this product: Billy Goat Gruff Feed Bunker - without hay rack thingy, just the tub on the runners. What a great piece of equipment.

Back in the barn, in a pen with a big fan blowing boy Birch got electrolytes and Banamine, hay, alfalfa and a shallow big bowl of water. He can't stand yet, but i feel very hopeful. He's eating, and i just have a good feeling about him.

Poor Birch, i don't know how long he was there, but hopefully it was not too long.

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