Do Not Feed Avocado to your Chickens and others

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Innocent looking foods can be deadly to chickens and other animals.

Avocado & Wholemeal Bread

This avocado (top right of photo) may look like a nice leftover treat to give to your chickens but please DON’T!

Avocado is mildly toxic to your chickens and feeding the skin and/or pit will possibly cause your chicken to suffer symptoms ranging from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to vomiting, respiratory distress and in severe cases death. 

Caged birds are more susceptible to illness but I don't take any chances with my free range chickens. I figure it's better to be safe than sorry and do not give my chickens avocado.

 

And, think your cat might like it too? - NO, even if they do, wrong again, don't give it to your cat.

I read somewhere that Cats get very sick on avocados too especially if they are lactating. Avocado can cause necrosis and hemorrhage of mammary gland epithelium. It's the toxic fatty acid persin that apparently does the damage.

Even cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, budgerigars, canaries, turkeys, fish are susceptible and the list goes on. Remember my blog post on horses not being able to vomit up bad foods, well what foods might seem yummy and healthy for us humans may not be good for our chickens, dogs and cats. 

If you are not 100% sure then don't give it to your animals - better safe than sorry.

New Rooster on the Block, and then One...

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There's been so much happening on the farm.



 
We have two new roosters, a few new calves and some new season chickens. There's a long story to go with these new chickens. More to come but for now enjoy the photos.

This is Red & MG2

MG2, Red & Little Big Horn

Red (or Ginger)

 

 

 

 

What's this got to do with anything?

AND...

Murphy Has Brand New Shoes...

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Murphy has taken to wearing shoes!

Now this is not uncommon for horses and like all, ladies, she has decided she wants to get up there in the fashion stakes much to my dismay.

Here I am, a farmer that hardly ever wears jewellery or fancy dress or any of that girly stuff really, and now my dear husband’s horse wants the latest fashion items. 

So, the Farrier came up yesterday and hot shoed Murphy. 

Yeah, she’s not just getting any old set of horse shoes, no Murphy’s getting the very old fashioned and expensive hot shoeing. I can’t really show you what her new shoes look like because they are on the bottom of her feet but I can tell you she’s a much more comfortable horse now than she was yesterday and over the past few weeks. These shoes are very specifically fit for purpose so yes, they are not just a fashion statement after all.

You see horses get sore feet like humans if we don't maintain them.

Murphy split one of her hooves and this caused her considerable pain and the beginnings of what could become a really nasty infection. Imagine sticking a sharp object up your finger nail, ouch! Yep, it feels like that. And, as the old saying goes, 

"No foot, no horse". 

So, really, it’s not only a fashion thing for Murphy. She really needs these shoes to keep her running around, happy and pain free. The only problem is that hot-shoeing isn’t cheap and it should be done every six to eight weeks at around $100 a pop! That adds up pretty quick. And, sadly the fine art of hot shoeing is a dying trade.

Anyway, as I said I don’t like to wear fancy fashion so I guess I can give up this year’s Christmas present (chances are I'd only loose it in the paddock anyway) and Murphy can run around in her new shoes instead. 

As they say about farmers and their animals; the animals have better quarters than the farmer. There’s some old saying about farmers being, asset rich and cash poor. Well, now our horse has better fashion sense than the farmer too.

Gotta love her though…

Zak the Farmer 

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Calving time is done...

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PHOTO says it all, doesn't it?

    Proud mother is the brown one.

All the calves have been born for this year and now the fun and games begin.


The calves love to run around at night, skip and play there funny little games; tails in the air, jostling and working out who's gunna be boss. 

It's so much fun!