While mud is ugly to look at and irritating to slip and slide through, this is the real reason we are putting done so much fresh gravel.
There is probably a proper term for this, but I call them mud clods. The sheep walk through mud, it sticks in between their two "toes", dries into a rock hard and usually sharp clod and then is very painful to walk with.
I picked these from Beanie Baby's hooves last night.
If this happens to the front foot of a friendly sheep who will let me just walk up to them and pick out the clod, it's not a big deal. If it happens to a sheep who's not willing to be field caught, I have to bring them into a confined area in the barn to catch them. That's too is not a big deal and I can't stress enough how important it is to have a catch pen area so you aren't having to chase your sheep down to catch them.
Picking clods from front feet is an easy job. Picking clods from the back feet is a challenge even with a friendly "pet". Liddy had mud clods in both back feet the other day. I had to set her down on her fat butt (like for shearing) to reach them and pick them out. This is has become a daily job lately and I had to catch, set down and pick clods from eight sheep's feet last night.
Since it doesn't seem like it's ever going to dry out... Wait, I didn't say that. I'd always rather deal with mud than a drought :-o.
12 comments:
yeah for no more clods in between your toes!
Good catch in that last paragraph. Count your blessings instead of smoke plumes from wildfires. Interesting that I've rarely had to remove clods, even though we ALWAYS have mud in the winter. Maybe it's just a matter of percentages; you have a LOT more sheep than I do! Or maybe Kentucky mud is 'special.' ;-)
Coooool!
Picking mud clods would be a job! Glad you've got the gravel. Honestly, our dirt road out front could use about ten of those truck loads. It is very wet and muddy here too. I'm hoping the weather in 2019 will be a little more normal than it has been this year. But like you, I'm afraid to complain...a drought is never good.
YA FOR GRAVEL!!!
I have learned another aspect of sheep care with today's post. Like you need another job to keep everyone healthy and comfortable. I'm so glad that your product sales can make life easier for all.
That's gotta hurt. Glad for gravel & moisture!
I think the mud has been so bad this year because it's been sooo wet for so long. Not normal :-/.
That is some serious mud rocks. I can well imagine the discomfort.
Thank you for all the fun and informational posts throughout the year. I enjoy them so much....from a long way west in California.
I'm glad everyone gets to have more-comfy tootsies. That's a real gift. :-)
I LOVE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR. HAVEN'T READ YOUR ARCHIVES, BUT WONDER HOW YOU COME UP WITH THE FUNNY NAMES FOR THE SHEEP? SOMEDAY MAYBE I CAN SIT DOWN AND FEAST ON THE BACK STORY OF YOUR LIFE. THANKS FOR SHARING!!!!
Saint Tim is the namer around here. He always comes up with good ones and frequently funny ones :-D.
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