[fivemoremiles]

We have not seen temperatures this warm since October. the snow is melting and the ground is beginning to thaw out. the problem is the frost is down 10 inches and only the top two inches is melted. there is no place for the water to go it just sits there in big puddles. The mud is just yucky. this time of year is hard on my sheep and goats. the mud comes up above the sheep and goats hooves. the mud scratches the skin above the hoof and it becomes infected. a lame sheep or goat head will bob up and down as it limps along.
tonight i counted 5 goats and three sheep head bobbing. now the hard choice do i treat the infection knowing that the mud is still going o injure the skin or do I wait a few days for the frost to break and it drys up.
What to do what to do.
After mulling it over all day i trimmed and treated three of the goats that were carrying there leg.
the sheep were still putting weight on the sore foot so i will treat later in better weather.
since i didn't know if the feet were infected or had a fungus I treated with Blue cote it is an antibacterial and an a long lasting fungicide.
I post this because many of you have experienced this problem , or are having this problem, or about to have this problem.
I just wanted you to know you are not alone.
I am kind of looking forward to tomorrow to see if i helped them.

 

[goathiker]

Your herds are too big for sacrifice pens unfortunately. Have you ever thought about putting in evergreens to mitigate the soil and hold heat underneath? I would also put out a bunch of jack hammer daikons to facilitate drainage.

 

[fivemoremiles]

three weeks ago it was -27 below 0 F those ideas are interesting but i do not think they will work here. I have dreamed of a barn with slatted floors six feet in the air so i can clean under the floor with my skid steer. But i am allergic to my banker and I'm a lazy farmer and that sounds like work to me. The spring breakup last for 4 to 6 days. this is a temporary inconvenience. But i do hate to see my girls hurting.

 

[goathiker]

They will, just not to the extent that they work here. You can create a bit of a micro climate even in the north.
I spent a few years in mainland Alaska so I know what you're talking about.
We planted spruce, and peat moss in the path. Learned never to use straw or hay for mud, always chips or wood pellets.
The goats tend to okay with a spray or two of fight bac, the sheep tend to a packed scent gland although some are good with the fight bac.

 

[fivemoremiles]

here is an update. the ground has started to harden up. the i have no head bobbers in the sheep herd just one in the goat herd. the goat is faster than i am. i have not caught her.

 

[toth boer goats]

Oh wow, cleaver girl isn’t she.