well the kamikaze pheasant made another hobbly appearance today. I was able to get a better look at him this time and think that his limp might be slightly better than it was yesterday, so maybe he is on the mend and will soon be more able to evade the Mr Fox.
In fact he seems to be mending faster than the two windows he flew through on Friday as they are still boarded up, giving the road a somewhat bombed-out appearance.
Nobby our lovely farrier came round today to give the donks their pre-Palm Sunday pedicure. It was funny because he was saying he has got quite a few donkeys booked in this week, getting ready for the biggest day in the donkey calendar. I am really lucky to have found a farrier who likes donkeys, many of them seem to think that the lowly donkey is a bit beneath them, but Nobby has a bit of a soft spot for them and although most of his work is with polo ponies and hunters he will still always find time for them.
He was very complimentary about the state of their feet. Donkeys, being edge of desert dwellers aren't very well suited to living in wet climates. Part of the reason for this is that their hooves are more porous than horses' which makes them prone to various hoof conditions including one called 'seedy toe' or 'white line disease'
My two old donks had sufferd years of ill treatment before going to the Donkey Sanctuary, and although the Sanctuary worked wonders on them they both came to me with pretty ropey feet. They have both improved a lot since they got here, but there is still some white line disease that will probably never get completely better. Joey's are the worst because the layers of his hoof have become separated and porous over the years which means he is prone to hoof abscesses. Anyway today, considering what a wet 12 months it has been, they are probably the best they have ever been. Great news.
Art group this afternoon. Did an abstract(ish) pic of some blue glass bottles and apples with oil pastels and turps which I was reasonably pleased with. Now got two 12 mile round trips to the village where my kids get their buses to and from. They are getting in at different times this evening because Angus has got history revision after school. Then a visit from our nephew who works in Northampton this evening.
Glad "Cami" is getting better --I can see his tail feathers are a bit bedraggled ! but he has a beautifully coloured head & a lovely sheen to his body plumage . Well cornered , well,fed , & well captured
You have quite a sanctury! Love Mr Pheasant and his colourful plumage. Hope he gets better soon and goes off to find himself some wives. Love the chaffinch.
Glad he is recovering! your mention of Mr Fox has just reminded me to go and shut the hens up in good time because first thing this morning I could smell fox incredibly strongly all around the run!
Love your photo of Nobby & your description of the hoof conditions rang bells with me. Our eldest son used to do foot trimming , training in Holland he used a Woppa foot crush & used to go round farms trimming cows & occasionally horses feet. I am very familiar with those foot problems. Your pheasant is so beautiful & I so love to see pheasants around.
Both are pretty stunning birds and it's nice to see them together. Really shows the difference in size! Lovely capture and I'm glad your donks are doing alright and going to be involved with the Palm Sunday celebrations
It's so good to see this handsome guy. His companion is adorable, too.
I can't believe I'm just now catching up on the adventures of your kamikaze pheasant. (I'm finding it increasingly difficult to juggle real life AND 365)
I'm glad to hear that he was improving. I hope Mr Fox never found him, but I'll just have to keep working my way through your project to find out. DON'T respond and spoil it for me. I like the suspense. LOL
It was interesting to learn about donk hoof diseases, even if I am eating right now. ;-) Funny about all the donks getting manicures around this time. They must be feeling very special.
May 27th, 2013
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I can't believe I'm just now catching up on the adventures of your kamikaze pheasant. (I'm finding it increasingly difficult to juggle real life AND 365)
I'm glad to hear that he was improving. I hope Mr Fox never found him, but I'll just have to keep working my way through your project to find out. DON'T respond and spoil it for me. I like the suspense. LOL
It was interesting to learn about donk hoof diseases, even if I am eating right now. ;-) Funny about all the donks getting manicures around this time. They must be feeling very special.