Spring/Summer 2014
Since out last newsletter, Fleecehaven has welcomed two new arrivals, Bungo and Lamborghini. Bungo joined Fleecehaven on 12th June. We had first become aware of his plight just six days earlier when we received an email from Louise and Andrew, his guardian angels. They had found him on Bodmin moor next to his dead mother, who had sadly got stuck in a patch of very boggy ground and subsequently suffocated. Bungo was just a couple of days old, so Louise and Andrew decided to take him home rather than leave him at the mercy of the elements and predators, from which he would have perished within a short space of time. Once home, Louise and Andrew contacted a friend who was able to give them advice on how best to care for Bungo during this vulnerable time and, with their dedicated care and attention, he was soon bouncing around. After a week or so Louise and Andrew decided that it was time to start looking for a suitable ‘forever’
Fleecehaven News
Meet Bungo and Lamborghini
‘ P R O M O T I N G H U M A N B E H A V I O U R T O W A R D S A N I M A L S B Y P R O V I D I N G C A R E , P R O T E C T I O N , T R E A T M E N T A N D S E C U R I T Y ’
Volume 7 Issue 3
home for Bungo as, despite being very attached to him, they realised that they could not care for him long-term. They contacted Fleecehaven and after discussing Bungo’s needs we all decided that Fleecehaven would be the ideal place for him to live out his natural life.
Bungo snuggled up in bed
Before Bungo arrived we prepared our utility room for him, together with the animal ark that we keep in the garden adjacent to the house to accommodate any vulnerable new arrivals. Within moments of arriving at Fleecehaven, Bungo was keen to explore his new surroundings, although he made sure that he kept his adoptive parents closely within his sights. Once he’d settled and enjoyed a last bottle of milk from Louise, it was time for her and Andrew to sadly say goodbye to the little chap that they had rescued.
Bungo says goodbye to Louise and Andrew
Inside this Issue: Bungo & Lamborghini News Bleat Welcome Visitors Picture Gallery Sadly Missed Thank Ewes
2 3,6,7 7 4,5 8 8
Bungo enjoying his milk with Louise
Lamborghini shortly after he arrived at Fleecehaven
Just four days later on the 16th June, Lamborghini joined Fleecehaven from the Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre in Somerset. We had first become aware of his plight towards the end of April when Carl, a response driver for Secret World Wildlife Rescue, contacted us. His neighbour had found an abandoned lamb whilst out walking their dog. The lamb appeared to be just a couple of days old and was clearly close to death. Attempts to locate any other sheep, or a farmer who may have owned the lamb, failed so his neighbours took the lamb home and asked Carl if he could help. Carl took the very weak lamb to Secret World and thankfully, due to their care, he made the night. Carl then contacted Fleecehaven to see if we would be able to offer the lamb a permanent home, which we of course said we would. However, Secret World wanted to ensure that they had explored all possible avenues of finding the right-
Making Friends Page 2
ful owner of the lamb and it was a number of weeks before we heard from them again. Eventually though, plans were put in place for the lamb to make his journey to Fleecehaven. Prior to his arrival, we spoke to the team who had been looking after him and it sounded as though, despite his difficult start, he had grown into a healthy and happy lamb who enjoyed the company of rabbits and tortoises at the rescue centre but was now ready to start living the life of a sheep. We were also told that the team looking after him had named him Lamborghini! Lamborghini was brought to us by Jane and Tony, volunteer drivers for Secret World. Just like Bungo, within moments of arriving at Fleecehaven, he was keen to explore his new surroundings and make friends with Bungo. Although Lamborghini was several weeks older than Bungo they instantly hit it off and have both been enjoying each others ‘lamb’ company ever since. It is lovely to see them hopping and skipping together in the garden and behaving just as you would expect lambs to. That said, having both been hand reared, they are incredibly tame and love nothing more than a cuddle and tickle under the chin. During the day they both enjoy the freedom of the garden, nipping in and out of the animal ark and saying ‘hello’ to the other sheep as they walk past the garden on their way out to the fields. They have recently had their second vaccination and will shortly be able to start exploring the fields and integrating with the rest of the flock. At night they continue to come into the house and snuggle up together in a dog bed and we don’t hear a peep out of them until the morning – perfect babies!
Bungo and Lamborghini - now inseparable F L E E CE H A V E N N E W S
News Bleat The weather throughout the late Spring and early Summer has been unusually kind to us. It’s been lovely to see the sheep grazing in the fields, enjoying luscious grass and the warmth of the sun on their backs. It has certainly made life easier for Emma and Anne, as they have not been battling against the endless wind and rain that was so prevalent over the winter months. That said, life has been as busy as usual for both of them and, for some of the sheep, the sudden change in air temperature resulted in a number of chesty coughs. Lucy, Muffin, Minty, Tara and Romeo all required antibiotic treatment in mid-March. Most worrying though was poor old Hope. Late one evening Emma found her in the corner of the stable acting very strangely; she was shaking, struggling to catch her breath and had a high temperature. We called our vet who came out immediately. He was not entirely sure what was wrong with Hope, but thought it may have been a touch of pneumonia brought on by the weather suddenly turning mild and muggy, especially as the symptoms had developed so quickly. She was treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory and thankfully, after a very worrying night, she started to show signs of recovery and within a few days was back to her normal self.
Hope now fully recovered
March also saw the sheep being drenched. This is a routine part of our sheep husbandry which ensures that the flock remains free of parasites, which can be unpleasant for the sheep if not kept in check. Physically it is a hard job for Emma, which involves rounding up all of the sheep into a holding area outside the red barn and then filtering them into our race (narrow sheep pen) in small groups. Once in the race, Emma and Anne corner VOLUME 7, ISSUE 3
A group of sheep waiting to go into the race
each sheep before Emma uses a special drenching gun to administer the drench carefully into their mouths. The sheep don’t particularly like the drench and will often struggle a bit before realising that there is no escape. The trickiest group is always the last one into the race as the sheep within it have been the canny ones that have avoided being penned up until the very last minute! Despite the effort it’s always satisfying knowing that the job is done and that the sheep are once again protected against unwelcome visitors. Our last big delivery of food came at the end of March with a tonne of coarse mix and eight mineral lick buckets being delivered. Over the summer months a growing number of our more elderly sheep have continued to be fed on concentrated food in order to maintain their condition. With an ever-increasing aged flock this will increasingly be the case with approximately ten bags of food currently being consumed each week. This is considerably less than when we’re feeding the entire flock but it still mounts up to a sizeable sum of money each month with a bag of coarse mix currently costing around £11. Throughout the late Spring and Summer, the entire flock have also continued to have access to hay, although the consumption of this has dropped dramatically with the sheep by far preferring to graze out in the fields. That said, approximately ten bales still continue to be consumed on a weekly basis and we took delivery of 100 bales of hay at the beginning. Continued on Page 6 Page 3
Late Spring and Early Summer at Fleecehaven Woody chewing the cud
Florence in our top fields
Leo helping with the pruning
Henry in need of a hair cut!
Alfie as handsome as ever!
Stevie looking a little wind-swept
Blackie sheltering under the May Tree Basset out for a stroll
Bissy & Treasure lead the way home
Kylie taking it easy
Jessica sporting her new hair-do!
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F L E E CE H A V E N N E W S
Murphy enjoying some foliage
Sandy posing for a photograph
Eby starting to go a little grey!
Woolly enjoying the summer sun
Billy chilling under the cherry tree
Myra keeping watch
Phillip heading home after a day of grazing
Mitzy taking it easy VOLUME 7, ISSUE 3
Martha and Magic enjoying some spring grass
Emma and Henry feeding Bungo and Lamborghini
Percy enjoying a glorious day Page 5
News Bleat Continued
Despite the better weather the continuous round of ‘mucking out’ has been on-going with a trailer load of straw and muck being taken away at least once a month. We are now awaiting the annual ‘big clean’ when the large shed and all of the stables will be entirely mucked out, cleaned and replenished in preparation for the onset of Autumn. No mean feat and we all have our fingers and toes crossed that the weather will hold whilst this is done. In our last newsletter, we reported that Percy had been diagnosed with the early onset of arthritis. Although he responded to anti-inflammatory treatment he has, since then, periodically become lame again and required further treatment. Following shearing we noticed that his back was rather arched and our vet has since diagnosed arthritis within his spine. He has been treated with a short course of steroids and has improved considerably. He is now taking himself off into the top fields and is only on a low dose of anti-inflammatory to keep him comfortable. Clearly this is going to be an on-going problem for Percy but we will monitor him carefully and, as and when necessary, we can repeat the course of steroids. We also reported upon Alfie in our last newsletter. Page 6
The sore on his brisket bone has still not completely healed because he keeps scratching at the scab and since he was shorn it has been impossible to keep a dressing on the patch. However, we continue to bathe the area daily and cover it with sudocrem which provides an element of protection. It’s likely to be an on-going problem but for the time-being it is under control and doesn’t appear to be causing Alfie any real discomfort. At the beginning of June, we called our vet out to see Murphy. His eye had become very cloudy and we were concerned that he might have Forest Eye. Thankfully an antibiotic injection into the eye and a two week course of eye cream rectified the problem and he has since made a full recovery. At the same time, our vet saw Tara who needed treatment for an abscess on her cheek. He also examined Fern, Willow and Chloe who have all been diagnosed with age related arthritis and are now on anti-inflammatory treatment. Day One of Shearing - All set up and ready to go
Emma and Henry cleaning the hay barn ready for a delivery of new hay straight from the field
of April and a further 150 bales in mid May. These deliveries were also coupled with 105 and 50 bales of straw respectively to ensure that the stables and big barn have remained cosy and fresh for the sheep as and when they have decided to stay inside. As June drew to a close we took in our first delivery of this seasons hay - 450 bales straight from the field. It smells delicious but won’t be ready for the sheep to eat for a number of weeks as it needs to ‘cool’. However, it’s good to know though that the hay barn is fully stocked in preparation for the winter.
In the middle of June, shearing took place over two days. The majority of the flock were shorn on the 19th, with the remainder being completed on the 21st. Shearing is always an exhausting job and this year was no exception. When we received a call from John, our shearer, to say that he was coming, it was all systems go. Emma hurdled off and prepared a shearing area in the yard, using our fundraising gazebo to provide much needed shade from the sun. The sheep were then kept in the large barn from where small groups were run into a holding pen. From this pen a few sheep at a time were shepherded into the shearing area ready for John to give them a short back and sides. Because many of our sheep are so tame they can be quite stubborn and turning them over in preparation for shearing is back-breaking work. Despite this, John is always incredibly careful and gentle F L E E CE H A V E N N E W S
with our sheep, as you can see if you visit our Facebook page and watch the video of Martha being shorn. As each fleece is removed, Emma passes it to Anne who then lays the fleece out on a clean plastic sheet before turning in the britch end and then rolling the fleece neatly John shearing John! towards the neck. Once rolled the fleece is tucked into a wool bag with any black fleeces being kept separately. The wool bags then have to be stitched up and stored until our allocated slot at the Wool Board which,
this year, will not be until the latter part of August. It is always very rewarding to get our shearing completed and no more so than this year with the weather being so incredibly warm. The sheep were certainly pleased to be free of their woolly coats and they must have felt considerably cooler. As June drew to a close we had a further visit from our vet. He came to see Mindy who had suddenly become very lame and was unable to put any weight on her leg. After careful examination he was satisfied that she had not broken anything but thought that she had badly twisted or sprained her leg. She was given pain relief and antiinflammatory and we were told to keep her quiet and rested. It took a long time, but eventually her injury healed and she has now made a full recovery. Whilst out, our vet also saw Tigger whose foot seemed to be troubling him. There was no evidence of an abscess so he was also treated with anti-inflammatory.
Jessica feeding Percy, Hope & Heather
Welcome Visitors
As always, it is lovely to welcome visitors to Fleechaven. In April Jessica visited with her Mum and sister. They stayed in the holiday cottage adjacent to the Fleecehaven fields and were able to spend plenty of time with us and the sheep. In May, Nicola and her husband came to visit together with Alison, who had adopted Roma for Nicola last summer. Roger also came to stay for a week to spend some time with his boys, Bissy and Minty, and to help Roger helping Emma with out wherever he could. It was lovely for Emma foot trimming to have some hands-on, VOLUME 7, ISSUE 3
practical support whilst he was with us and his boys certainly enjoyed spending time with him. In June Henning and his family came to visit from Germany. They visited with Rebecca and Drew who had adopted Henry for Henning as a birthda y present having Henning meeting Henry met us at the Brighton VegFest. It was a beautiful day and hopefully great fun was had by all. Becky and Ralph also visited us twice; once prior to their holiday in the South West and then again on their way home. Becky and Ralph have become regular visitors to Fleecehaven and it was lovely to see them both again the sheep certainly enjoyed their Becky on the biscuit round treats! Page 7
Thank Ewes
‘Promoting humane behaviour towards animals by providing care, protection, treatment and security’ Fleecehaven Howley Park East Buckland North Devon EX32 0TD 01598 760454 admin@fleecehaven.org.uk www.fleecehaven.org.uk Registered Charity No 1111004
In March we decided to take the Fleecehaven stall to the Brighton VegFest. This was a new venture for us and we had a fantastic time talking to people who truly appreciate the work of Fleecehaven. We were incredibly lucky to have help from Brian, a long-standing Fleecehaven supporter, throughout the weekend as he was able to talk to people about his own experience of adopting a sheep and visiting Fleecehaven. Thank Ewe Brian - you were an absolute star! Towards the end of the weekend we were approached by Nicky, the Managing Director of Magpie, a homewares company based in London. Magpie is an ethical company; everything that they make is suitable for vegans and 100% cruelty free. Nicky was exhibiting at the VegFest and we were absolutely over-whelmed when she told us that she wanted to donate £500 of her takings from the show to Fleecehaven. As a small, family run charity we financially struggle from month-to-month to make ends meet. Nicky’s donation could not have come at a better time and we are incredibly grateful for her generosity. If you are looking to buy any homewares for yourself or as gifts, please do take a look at www.magpieline.com - you will find some beautiful products with a distinctive nostalgic and British edge.
Sadly Missed
We also had to say goodbye to dear Oliver who had suddenly become lame. Our vet examined him and asked that we take him to the veterinary hospital to be x-rayed, which unfortunately revealed a fracture. We have no idea how he damaged his leg, but it was strapped up and we took him home whilst we waited for a specialist orthopaedic vet to examine the x-rays. Sadly he felt that the fracture could not be repaired as it was pathological. Taking this into account, together with Oliver’s age and the fact that he had arthritis in his other legs, we had no alternative but to say goodbye. We all miss him terribly. Page 8
Misty, Aged 16
William, Aged 13
Following short age related illnesses, we have very sadly had to say goodbye to Misty and William. Both were wonderful sheep and we will miss them a great deal.
Oliver, Aged 13