Most of us have heard the story of the shoe maker's kids who ended up going barefoot. Well, it turns out that Bob and I are the shoe maker's kids when it comes to monitoring our nutrition.
Over the years we have researched the nutritional requirements for our horses, sheep and chickens, analysed their feed and supplemented to balance the vitamin and mineral deficiencies in our feed. Every year we ship hay samples out for analysis. Not only do we analyse the macronutrients such as protein, we also analyse the micronutrients such as selenium, copper and zinc.
Because of the region where we live, that is eastern Ontario, where the soil is deficient in some of these minerals, not surprisingly our hay is deficient in copper and zinc and totally lacking in selenium. So we carefully supplement for these deficiencies. And what about excess? Iron levels in our soil and in our hay are through the roof. We do not use commercial supplements for the horses because it is impossible to find one with no added iron. For a number of years, we have custom blended our own mineral supplements for the horses.
Over the years we also have expanded out vegetable gardens and rely more on them for producing our food. Our food production is not just a 100 mile diet, in most cases it is a 100 foot diet. This year we plan to build two small greenhouses to allow us to extend our growing season well into the fall and start it earlier in the spring. Our ultimate goal is to be as self sufficient as possible in our food production.
Now there are many of you out there that are cheering us on, what a great healthy, environmentally responsible diet. Yes it is but..... remember the hay analysis? If our soil mineral balance and deficiencies result in deficiencies in our hay, why would we not expect the same to happen with the fruits and vegetables that grown on the same land? And yes, after contacting Rob Wallbridge at SongBerry Farm, we can expect exactly the same deficiencies and inbalances in our veg and fruit. A quick web search showed that mineral levels in vegetables varied greatly depending on location, irrigation, etc. Mineral balance is necessary not only for plant health but also for our health.
So, what do we do? To begin with we are going to have our garden soil analysed and try to balance the minerals in the soil by additives such as kelp and fish meal. I would love to do that on a macro scale for the whole farm but the reality it is less expensive to supplement our livestock than to supplement the soil. The down side is the plants we are growing are probably not growing optimally. However that is the economic reality.
When I first had horses, I got caught in the popular trend to supplement them with a myriad of products to improve their health. Like with so many horse products, these supplements were expensive. Our feed costs were high and the horses did not seem to be benefiting in any obvious way. Then we started to analyse their diet through an on-line feed analysis Feed-XL (which by the way I can highly recommend). It turns out we were overfeeding the horses and under nourishing them. We were able to cut back our feed costs by hundreds of dollars a horse and still have them in great shape. So the lesson learned is we are not going to have the same knee jerk reaction to our own nutrition by automatically taking a range of supplements.
The next step is to talk to our doctors and get referred to a nutritionist. If it is possible to have our diet and us analysed and see if we do have inbalances then we will address them on an individual basis.
The net result should be healthier us... and the shoe maker's kids will wear shoes. That is the plan anyways. Stay tuned.
TTFN,
Laurie
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Spring, wherefore art thou?
When I look out my office window, all I see are fields of white. It is the tail end of March and we still have lots of snow left on the ground. Unlike last year when we were in T-shirts and some neighbours were getting their fields ready to plant, I am still sporting a winter coat in the evenings and wearing insulated boots.
Yes, the red-winged blackbirds and robins are back but I am sure that all of them are checking their travel itineraries and wondering what went terribly wrong. We just sheared the sheep and I think a couple of them have the OSPCA on speed dial.
The sap is running... sort of. We are having on and off again runs where one day it runs like crazy and the next two to three we get nothing at all. We only tap a few trees around the yard to produce enough for our use. We are hoping to get about 8 litres of syrup and we are well on our way to producing that. This year we are trying a turkey fryer to boil down sap and then we finish it off and bottle it in the house. This summer I hope to put up a little three sided shed that I can put a wood stove in to boil sap down outside the house.
This spring brought a new Maremma pup to the farm. His name is Zeus. He is about 4 months old now and is a pen with two 8 month old lambs. Unfortunately they do not have the temperament to correct his puppy nips so we will be putting him in with the rams today. They will teach him what behaviour is acceptable and what is not. He also is getting introduced to our other dogs: first Mayla and later Titan. Mayla, is on reduced duties due to her multiple dysplasias. Zeus was purchased to replace Mayla when we are no longer able to keep her comfortable. I still have a hard time believing a breeder could sign a health guarantee for Mayla and then totally dishonour their guarantee. This is definitely a case of buyer beware.
Shearing the sheep revealed developing udders. Lambing starts in about 5 weeks. There is lots to do before then. I just hope the fields start drying up and growing so we can put the ewes out soon after the lambs are born.
We just set up an incubator with 31 Partridge Chantecler eggs. We have lots of orders for chicks and mature birds so we will be filling the incubator at least twice this spring.
The day lilies have started to sprout. Hmmm, maybe spring is not too far behind,
TTFN,
Laurie
Yes, the red-winged blackbirds and robins are back but I am sure that all of them are checking their travel itineraries and wondering what went terribly wrong. We just sheared the sheep and I think a couple of them have the OSPCA on speed dial.
The sap is running... sort of. We are having on and off again runs where one day it runs like crazy and the next two to three we get nothing at all. We only tap a few trees around the yard to produce enough for our use. We are hoping to get about 8 litres of syrup and we are well on our way to producing that. This year we are trying a turkey fryer to boil down sap and then we finish it off and bottle it in the house. This summer I hope to put up a little three sided shed that I can put a wood stove in to boil sap down outside the house.
This spring brought a new Maremma pup to the farm. His name is Zeus. He is about 4 months old now and is a pen with two 8 month old lambs. Unfortunately they do not have the temperament to correct his puppy nips so we will be putting him in with the rams today. They will teach him what behaviour is acceptable and what is not. He also is getting introduced to our other dogs: first Mayla and later Titan. Mayla, is on reduced duties due to her multiple dysplasias. Zeus was purchased to replace Mayla when we are no longer able to keep her comfortable. I still have a hard time believing a breeder could sign a health guarantee for Mayla and then totally dishonour their guarantee. This is definitely a case of buyer beware. Shearing the sheep revealed developing udders. Lambing starts in about 5 weeks. There is lots to do before then. I just hope the fields start drying up and growing so we can put the ewes out soon after the lambs are born.
We just set up an incubator with 31 Partridge Chantecler eggs. We have lots of orders for chicks and mature birds so we will be filling the incubator at least twice this spring.
The day lilies have started to sprout. Hmmm, maybe spring is not too far behind,
TTFN,
Laurie
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Grocery store flyers and the fallacy of food costs
Every week we all collect our mail and there they are... grocery store flyers with their bright colours, bold print, enticing photos and even more enticing prices... especially those on the front page. Then we go to the farmer's markets and ...What is with the prices?! Actually those prices at the Farmer's Markets are probably still lower than they should be based on cost of production.
Grocery stores are trying to entice you into the store with their flyers and offering big discounts on a selected number of items to get you in there with the hope that once you are in the store you will buy a whole lot more where the price is marked up substantially. Many items are sold at or below cost to entice you into the store. These are called loss leaders. "A loss leader, or simply a leader,is a product sold at a low price, at or below its market cost to stimulate other sales of more profitable goods or services." - Wikepedia Typical loss leaders include perishable items such as milk and eggs.
The prices that you see in the flyers and even the prices for selected items that are never in the flyers do not reflect the true cost of these items. However, even grocery stores who sell in huge volumes are scrambling for the profit dollar.
No matter what you call it be it a "Cheap Food Policy" or something else, the reality is the proportion of household income spent on food has steadily declined since the end of the second world war to the point where the average household in Canada spends less than 10% of their disposable income on food compared to over twice that back at its peak in the 1930s. Only the United States spends less. (http://wsm.wsu.edu/researcher/WSMaug11_billions.pdf)
The price for food has not even kept pace with inflation. For example, the price of eggs in 1954, i.e. the year I was born, was 76 cents a dozen. What would that be in 2013 dollars just taking into account inflation? The answer is $6.51. So why are the stores often selling for less than $3 a dozen? By the way you can do the same with all basic food commodities with the same result.
I recently took a farm budgeting course and we did a back of the envelope calculation as to the true cost of producing a dozen eggs in a free range non-confinement system that actually included labour costs (and we are not talking big salaries but marginally above minimum wage). The cost of a dozen eggs was $6 a dozen.
And consumers wonder why can't farmers make a go of it unless they automate and raise thousands of birds. It is because you as consumers have been handed a bill of goods as to the true cost of food. Not only is food underpriced in this country but it is also undervalued.
Public policy advocates and animal rights activists petition the government to change policies and regulations, to outlaw large "factory" farms and return to the family farm. However they fail to recognize the most powerful tool of change, that is the consumer dollar. If you cease to buy these products, they will cease to exist. If you want to see an end to practices that you feel compromise the health and welfare of animals and the environment support farmers that follow the practices you want to see. However you MUST be prepared to pay to the true cost for food. You cannot expect farmers to subsize your food budget for the sake of your values.
If you want to take a position on food production (and I hope you do), do so but be willingly pay the true price for food.
Later,
Laurie
Grocery stores are trying to entice you into the store with their flyers and offering big discounts on a selected number of items to get you in there with the hope that once you are in the store you will buy a whole lot more where the price is marked up substantially. Many items are sold at or below cost to entice you into the store. These are called loss leaders. "A loss leader, or simply a leader,is a product sold at a low price, at or below its market cost to stimulate other sales of more profitable goods or services." - Wikepedia Typical loss leaders include perishable items such as milk and eggs.
The prices that you see in the flyers and even the prices for selected items that are never in the flyers do not reflect the true cost of these items. However, even grocery stores who sell in huge volumes are scrambling for the profit dollar.
No matter what you call it be it a "Cheap Food Policy" or something else, the reality is the proportion of household income spent on food has steadily declined since the end of the second world war to the point where the average household in Canada spends less than 10% of their disposable income on food compared to over twice that back at its peak in the 1930s. Only the United States spends less. (http://wsm.wsu.edu/researcher/WSMaug11_billions.pdf)
The price for food has not even kept pace with inflation. For example, the price of eggs in 1954, i.e. the year I was born, was 76 cents a dozen. What would that be in 2013 dollars just taking into account inflation? The answer is $6.51. So why are the stores often selling for less than $3 a dozen? By the way you can do the same with all basic food commodities with the same result.
I recently took a farm budgeting course and we did a back of the envelope calculation as to the true cost of producing a dozen eggs in a free range non-confinement system that actually included labour costs (and we are not talking big salaries but marginally above minimum wage). The cost of a dozen eggs was $6 a dozen.
And consumers wonder why can't farmers make a go of it unless they automate and raise thousands of birds. It is because you as consumers have been handed a bill of goods as to the true cost of food. Not only is food underpriced in this country but it is also undervalued.
Public policy advocates and animal rights activists petition the government to change policies and regulations, to outlaw large "factory" farms and return to the family farm. However they fail to recognize the most powerful tool of change, that is the consumer dollar. If you cease to buy these products, they will cease to exist. If you want to see an end to practices that you feel compromise the health and welfare of animals and the environment support farmers that follow the practices you want to see. However you MUST be prepared to pay to the true cost for food. You cannot expect farmers to subsize your food budget for the sake of your values.
If you want to take a position on food production (and I hope you do), do so but be willingly pay the true price for food.
Later,
Laurie
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Worm Wars
A number of years ago I was at a Crop Seminar on alternate methods for weed control. I went there thinking that I would find some alternate pest management strategies such as rotation, permaculture, green manures etc. Instead I listened to a lecture on tank mixes of various herbicides.
Our use and in some cases overuse and abuse of chemical herbicides has resulted in a vast number of weed species that are resistant to these chemicals. The response has been to bring out stronger and new chemicals and now tank mixes of a mixture of chemicals to combat weedy species.
We have a number of invasive weeds here on the farm that are resitant to any number of chemical herbicides and we don't even try to go after them with these methods. Now we are mowing before they go to seed, using competitive exclusion etc. Since we have seldom used herbicides on this farm it is unlikely that we created the resistance on site. The resistant species have invaded on the wind or tagging along with wildlife or tires.
So what does this have to do with worms, that is internal parasites of our sheep and horses? Like with weeds, over this summer we have found that the internal parasites in our sheep are resistant to two of the main products used to eliminate these parasites ie Valbazen and Ivomec. The choices for alternate products here in Canada are very limited. And are we alone? No, a recent U. of Guelph study showed that about 80% of the farms they tested had some level of resistance to these products.
Are we at fault for the resistance problem on our farm? Probably but no more so than any other shepherd trying to reduce the parasite burden within their flock. Some resistance we probably imported from farms where we sourced animals and some was probably developed on this farm with our deworming practices.
With all our technology we just can't beat good old fashioned natural selection. By using a drug that is lethal to the organism being controlled we have very strong selective pressure to organisms that are resistant to that drug. With random mutations occuring in an organism all the time, some of these mutations will by chance confir resistance to the drug. Put very strong selective pressure on that population of organisms and only the resistant organisms survive.
The purists say that there are natural dewormers. Maybe they work if the burden is low or work to prevent acquiring the organisms in the first place but as treatment for a serious burden in reality most do not work. Been there, tried that, tested that. Apple cider vinegar - doesn't work. Diatomaceous earth - doesn't work. Garlic- doesn't work. Pumpkin seeds - doesn't work. Willow leaves and black walnut leaves - might work to an extent. Bird's foot trefoil in pasture - might work. Elevated bypass protein- probably helps. Rapid pasture rotation and long pasture rests between grazing- probably works. So the solution is not so much drugs but fencing and seeding.
Our ewe flock that is rotated through pastures with high concentrations of bird's foot trefoil, crown vetch and some willow are almost completely clear of parasites.
We have also been monitoring ewe and ram families and are selecting for resistant lines. These unfortunately are not necessarily our most productive lines. However heavy parasite burden reduces production so it is a trade off.
Are we out of the dark regarding parasite control? No but we are working on strategies and testing those strategies. I do not think that it is a goal to be totally rid of parasites but to be able to co-exist with them without having an effect on production.
TTFN,
Laurie
Our use and in some cases overuse and abuse of chemical herbicides has resulted in a vast number of weed species that are resistant to these chemicals. The response has been to bring out stronger and new chemicals and now tank mixes of a mixture of chemicals to combat weedy species.
We have a number of invasive weeds here on the farm that are resitant to any number of chemical herbicides and we don't even try to go after them with these methods. Now we are mowing before they go to seed, using competitive exclusion etc. Since we have seldom used herbicides on this farm it is unlikely that we created the resistance on site. The resistant species have invaded on the wind or tagging along with wildlife or tires.
So what does this have to do with worms, that is internal parasites of our sheep and horses? Like with weeds, over this summer we have found that the internal parasites in our sheep are resistant to two of the main products used to eliminate these parasites ie Valbazen and Ivomec. The choices for alternate products here in Canada are very limited. And are we alone? No, a recent U. of Guelph study showed that about 80% of the farms they tested had some level of resistance to these products.
Are we at fault for the resistance problem on our farm? Probably but no more so than any other shepherd trying to reduce the parasite burden within their flock. Some resistance we probably imported from farms where we sourced animals and some was probably developed on this farm with our deworming practices.
With all our technology we just can't beat good old fashioned natural selection. By using a drug that is lethal to the organism being controlled we have very strong selective pressure to organisms that are resistant to that drug. With random mutations occuring in an organism all the time, some of these mutations will by chance confir resistance to the drug. Put very strong selective pressure on that population of organisms and only the resistant organisms survive.
The purists say that there are natural dewormers. Maybe they work if the burden is low or work to prevent acquiring the organisms in the first place but as treatment for a serious burden in reality most do not work. Been there, tried that, tested that. Apple cider vinegar - doesn't work. Diatomaceous earth - doesn't work. Garlic- doesn't work. Pumpkin seeds - doesn't work. Willow leaves and black walnut leaves - might work to an extent. Bird's foot trefoil in pasture - might work. Elevated bypass protein- probably helps. Rapid pasture rotation and long pasture rests between grazing- probably works. So the solution is not so much drugs but fencing and seeding.
Our ewe flock that is rotated through pastures with high concentrations of bird's foot trefoil, crown vetch and some willow are almost completely clear of parasites.
We have also been monitoring ewe and ram families and are selecting for resistant lines. These unfortunately are not necessarily our most productive lines. However heavy parasite burden reduces production so it is a trade off.
Are we out of the dark regarding parasite control? No but we are working on strategies and testing those strategies. I do not think that it is a goal to be totally rid of parasites but to be able to co-exist with them without having an effect on production.
TTFN,
Laurie
Monday, September 10, 2012
It Ain't Easy Being Green - or why register your animals
Many of our purebred lambs look like they have been in a paintball fight with green splotches all over their heads and a few hand marks on their bodies. We just went through the exercise of tattooing the youngsters that will be kept or sold as breeding stock and the cross-bred ewe lambs that we are keeping for our commercial flock.
Why do we tattoo? First, we need a permanent, non-removable identifier on all animals for traceability and record keeping, and second, tattoos are required for registration of purebred animals. Only animals that we consider of sufficient quality to be breeding animals are tattooed whether they be purebreds or not.
We have often been asked if we will sell a purebred animal for breeding without registration papers for less than a registered purebred and the answer is no. We feel that purebred registries are critical for tracking bloodlines and keeping data on purebred animals especially for the rare breeds. It is only through that information can we ensure that much needed genetic diversity within a breed is maintained.
If our purebred sheep are of sufficient quality to be used as breeding stock they will be registered. If they are not of sufficient quality to be used as breeding stock they will be sold as freezer lamb. Period.
When I see advertisements for registered animals at $400 and unregistered animals at $200, I really scratch my head for the reasoning for the price difference. Registration fees are negligible in the total cost of an animal. For example it costs me $10 to register a lamb under 18 months of age. The only reason for the price difference is either the quality of unregistered animal is greatly inferior to that of the registered animal or the unregistered animal is either not pure or is unregisterable. Any other reason such as the breeder can't be bothered is just straight bad economics or possibly deception.
An unregistered purebred animal is known as a grade animal in the livestock world. There is nothing wrong with grade animals and there are some exceptional specimens in grades. Same as there is nothing wrong with crossbreds. However it is a false sense of economy to buy a grade animal with the assumption that you will be able to register it sometime in the future. I have seen more than one beginning breeder get burned by that assumption. If you want a registered animal, buy a registered animal from a reputable breeder. Have a sale contract stating that the animal is registered and the registration papers will be transferred. If you buy an unregistered animal, make the assumption that you never will be able to register it.
If you are breeding animals become a member of the appropriate breed association. Administrative fees such as registration and transfers are less expensive for members. Know the breed standards, breed within the standards and register your animals.
Why should you buy registered animals? Registration papers are as close to a guarantee as possible that the animal that you have purchased is purebred and is recognized by the breed association. You also have an extended record of the animal's ancestry. I was able to trace the ancestry for one of my mares back over 100 years. While that exercise was interesting knowledge of the more recent ancestry is necessary to knowledgably breed your animal.
In an earlier post, I talked about heterosis and the healthy mutt. Heterosis works best if you cross two purebred lines. So in order to have that advantage you need to maintain purebred lines as well as crossbreds.
At Hawk Hill we register our best quality purebred animals, we follow the breed standards and we are members of the appropriate breed associations. If you buy a purebred animal from us, you will be buying a registered purebred. No unregistered, purebred bargains here.
TTFN,
Laurie
Why do we tattoo? First, we need a permanent, non-removable identifier on all animals for traceability and record keeping, and second, tattoos are required for registration of purebred animals. Only animals that we consider of sufficient quality to be breeding animals are tattooed whether they be purebreds or not.
We have often been asked if we will sell a purebred animal for breeding without registration papers for less than a registered purebred and the answer is no. We feel that purebred registries are critical for tracking bloodlines and keeping data on purebred animals especially for the rare breeds. It is only through that information can we ensure that much needed genetic diversity within a breed is maintained.
If our purebred sheep are of sufficient quality to be used as breeding stock they will be registered. If they are not of sufficient quality to be used as breeding stock they will be sold as freezer lamb. Period.
When I see advertisements for registered animals at $400 and unregistered animals at $200, I really scratch my head for the reasoning for the price difference. Registration fees are negligible in the total cost of an animal. For example it costs me $10 to register a lamb under 18 months of age. The only reason for the price difference is either the quality of unregistered animal is greatly inferior to that of the registered animal or the unregistered animal is either not pure or is unregisterable. Any other reason such as the breeder can't be bothered is just straight bad economics or possibly deception.
An unregistered purebred animal is known as a grade animal in the livestock world. There is nothing wrong with grade animals and there are some exceptional specimens in grades. Same as there is nothing wrong with crossbreds. However it is a false sense of economy to buy a grade animal with the assumption that you will be able to register it sometime in the future. I have seen more than one beginning breeder get burned by that assumption. If you want a registered animal, buy a registered animal from a reputable breeder. Have a sale contract stating that the animal is registered and the registration papers will be transferred. If you buy an unregistered animal, make the assumption that you never will be able to register it.
If you are breeding animals become a member of the appropriate breed association. Administrative fees such as registration and transfers are less expensive for members. Know the breed standards, breed within the standards and register your animals.
Why should you buy registered animals? Registration papers are as close to a guarantee as possible that the animal that you have purchased is purebred and is recognized by the breed association. You also have an extended record of the animal's ancestry. I was able to trace the ancestry for one of my mares back over 100 years. While that exercise was interesting knowledge of the more recent ancestry is necessary to knowledgably breed your animal.
In an earlier post, I talked about heterosis and the healthy mutt. Heterosis works best if you cross two purebred lines. So in order to have that advantage you need to maintain purebred lines as well as crossbreds.
At Hawk Hill we register our best quality purebred animals, we follow the breed standards and we are members of the appropriate breed associations. If you buy a purebred animal from us, you will be buying a registered purebred. No unregistered, purebred bargains here.
TTFN,
Laurie
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Livestock Guardian Dog Registry Needed
We live in coyote country and raise sheep. The best ways to protect your sheep from predators is good fences, bringing them in at dark and IMO livestock guardian dogs (LGD). However the quality of LGD is really vulnerable in Ontario and probably Canada.
Every summer we all see the same ads: Guardian Dog pups for sale, working lines, $300 no shots - protect your sheep.
We have bought three pups and been burned thrice. The first dog (and a number of his sibs) have severe skin conditions. He would develop horrendous hot spots within days that cost us a fortune in drugs to partially clear. It was only by putting him on very expensive food, omega 3 and zinc supplements were we able to clear up the problem.
Pup Number 2. Bought without shots because the two tiered pricing was way out of line for the cost of the shots. Vet check by our vet showed a major heart murmur that would probably not resolve with age. The vet's opinion is this would not make a suitable working animal. While the breeder took the pup back, he was planning to rebreed the same pair.
Shame on me for getting burned twice but I thought it would not happen again. Wrong. We went to a "reputable" breeder, paid a lot of money but got a health guarantee. So far so good. After 6 months the pup went lame: diagnosis, severe elbow dysplasia. Contacted the breeder, got a reply saying poor dog, send me the xrays (which had already been sent). Then silence. A few month later, the dog was seriously lame in the back end: diagnosis - bilateral hip dysplasia. Sent the xrays to the breeder. Dead silence. Despite several letters, and the occasional promise to replace the pup by the breeder more than a year has passed and it is obvious this "reputable" breeder has no intention of honouring her guarantee. So after hundreds of dollars of vet bills, I have an expensive dog that is lame, will have a very short life and we will be left with an unprotected flock.
The genetic pool of LGD is probably closer to a genetic puddle. I am guessing that there is severe inbreeding in LGD.
We need a LGD registry in Ontario and probably Canada. We need to know the ancestory of these dogs to prevent inbreeding and as shepherds looking for working animals we need a registry of reputable breeders that will stand behind their dogs. This does not need to be a purebred registry since some crosses will work as well as purebreds. It does need to be a registry of bloodlines, animals need to be tatooed, records need to be kept and health and working status needs to be recorded. Breeders need to be willing to follow a Code of Conduct regarding their breeding practices, offer health guarantees and be willing to remove inferior animals from the breeding population either by culling or neutering.
Our ability to protect our sheep will be impaired unless we have strong, healthy, well bred LGD. Will well bred dogs cost more? Probably but my vet bills are a whole lot more than the initial cost of a well bred dog.
TTFN,
Laurie
Every summer we all see the same ads: Guardian Dog pups for sale, working lines, $300 no shots - protect your sheep.
We have bought three pups and been burned thrice. The first dog (and a number of his sibs) have severe skin conditions. He would develop horrendous hot spots within days that cost us a fortune in drugs to partially clear. It was only by putting him on very expensive food, omega 3 and zinc supplements were we able to clear up the problem.
Pup Number 2. Bought without shots because the two tiered pricing was way out of line for the cost of the shots. Vet check by our vet showed a major heart murmur that would probably not resolve with age. The vet's opinion is this would not make a suitable working animal. While the breeder took the pup back, he was planning to rebreed the same pair.
Shame on me for getting burned twice but I thought it would not happen again. Wrong. We went to a "reputable" breeder, paid a lot of money but got a health guarantee. So far so good. After 6 months the pup went lame: diagnosis, severe elbow dysplasia. Contacted the breeder, got a reply saying poor dog, send me the xrays (which had already been sent). Then silence. A few month later, the dog was seriously lame in the back end: diagnosis - bilateral hip dysplasia. Sent the xrays to the breeder. Dead silence. Despite several letters, and the occasional promise to replace the pup by the breeder more than a year has passed and it is obvious this "reputable" breeder has no intention of honouring her guarantee. So after hundreds of dollars of vet bills, I have an expensive dog that is lame, will have a very short life and we will be left with an unprotected flock.
The genetic pool of LGD is probably closer to a genetic puddle. I am guessing that there is severe inbreeding in LGD.
We need a LGD registry in Ontario and probably Canada. We need to know the ancestory of these dogs to prevent inbreeding and as shepherds looking for working animals we need a registry of reputable breeders that will stand behind their dogs. This does not need to be a purebred registry since some crosses will work as well as purebreds. It does need to be a registry of bloodlines, animals need to be tatooed, records need to be kept and health and working status needs to be recorded. Breeders need to be willing to follow a Code of Conduct regarding their breeding practices, offer health guarantees and be willing to remove inferior animals from the breeding population either by culling or neutering.
Our ability to protect our sheep will be impaired unless we have strong, healthy, well bred LGD. Will well bred dogs cost more? Probably but my vet bills are a whole lot more than the initial cost of a well bred dog.
TTFN,
Laurie
Eastern Ontario Drought
After years of having greater than average rainfall, last year and this we have experienced a drought in this region. The stress on the fields and pastures is even worse this year because of a lack of snow over the previous winter. And the impact on Hawk Hill Farm has been huge.
1. While we got a decent first cut of hay, the hay stopped growing just after harvest and we have no second cut at all. We have put the lambs out on the front hay fields to allow them to harvest what hay is there.
2. Our pastures are not regrowing after the first pass of grazing. As a result we have had to supplement with hay as early as July. A bit of rain early in August has brought some pasture back but the sheep are going through it fast.
3. Leaf hoppers have invaded our hay fields and have killed off the alfalfa.
4. Because of poor pasture quality this year the growth rates of our lambs is way down. That means they will probably take another month or more to reach market weight.
5. We were not able to put our meat chickens on pasture as the pastures are burnt off. They have remained in the barn. While we probably would have had to feed as much grain (it is a misconception that chickens can get all their nutrition from pasture), it has cost us more than we had planned for bedding.
6. Feed prices have gone sky high and prices at the sale barn have gone down while farmers dump excess animals before winter.
7. My vegetable garden was pretty well a bust and what did survive was eaten by deer.
The only plus was my lawnmower has been out maybe 4 times this summer.
RAIN PLEASE and then tons of snow this winter.
TTFN,
Laurie
1. While we got a decent first cut of hay, the hay stopped growing just after harvest and we have no second cut at all. We have put the lambs out on the front hay fields to allow them to harvest what hay is there.
2. Our pastures are not regrowing after the first pass of grazing. As a result we have had to supplement with hay as early as July. A bit of rain early in August has brought some pasture back but the sheep are going through it fast.
3. Leaf hoppers have invaded our hay fields and have killed off the alfalfa.
4. Because of poor pasture quality this year the growth rates of our lambs is way down. That means they will probably take another month or more to reach market weight.
5. We were not able to put our meat chickens on pasture as the pastures are burnt off. They have remained in the barn. While we probably would have had to feed as much grain (it is a misconception that chickens can get all their nutrition from pasture), it has cost us more than we had planned for bedding.
6. Feed prices have gone sky high and prices at the sale barn have gone down while farmers dump excess animals before winter.
7. My vegetable garden was pretty well a bust and what did survive was eaten by deer.
The only plus was my lawnmower has been out maybe 4 times this summer.
RAIN PLEASE and then tons of snow this winter.
TTFN,
Laurie
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