Fleecehaven News
‘ 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 ’
Winter 2012/2013
A New Year and a New Arrival On the 7th January, Fleecehaven welcomed a new arrival, Jessie. Jessie is a Gotland ewe who was born in March 2002. She was one of twins and because she was so small her initial owner decided to hand rear her. When Jessie was just a few weeks old she was taken on by Maggie and Tony, who live on a small-holding near Crediton in Devon. Jessie enjoyed a wonderful life with Maggie and Tony and adored her flock mates, Poddy and Nellie. On 20th December, Jessie, Poddy and Nellie were attacked by a dog and, very sadly, Poddy and Nellie did not survive.
Jessie shortly after she joined us at Fleecehaven
Jessie was totally traumatised by the attack and the subsequent loss of her lifelong companions. She lost her appetite and was constantly calling out and looking for her friends. Maggie and Tony were extremely concerned about her and felt that she would be better off with other sheep around her. With this in mind, they contacted Fleecehaven and arranged to come and visit us with a view to Jessie join-
ing our flock. Although Fleecehaven is essentially full, Jessie’s heart wrenching plight made us determined to do all that we could to accommodate her and, with a little jiggling around, we managed to free up a stable for her. Jessie finally enjoying a bowl of coarse mix
Volume 6 Issue 3
When Jessie joined us she was very subdued. She really didn’t want to eat and was clearly still very traumatised from her dreadful ordeal. As with all new arrivals, our vet visited her and gave her antibiotics and vitamins, he also took her blood to run a general health screen which returned a clean bill of health. However, she still seemed very depressed, so on the 10th January we decided to introduce Tiptoes and Tinkerbell into Jessie’s stable. After some initial wariness, they quickly hit it off and, little by little, Jessie began to regain her spirit and it wasn’t long before she was once again tucking into her food. Continued on Page 2
Inside this Issue: A New Year continued The Way to a Flock’s Heart Winter Gallery Sad Goodbyes Thankewes Newsbleat Winter Visitors
2 2,3 4,5 6 6 7,8 8
Jessie making friends with Tiptoes and Vashti
A New Year and a New Arrival Continued Just a short while after that we were all amazed to see her, Tiptoes and Tinkerbell in our top fields the first time that any of them had ventured that far! Since then, Jessie hasn’t looked back. She now has absolutely no fear and freely wanders the fields, just so long as she has Tiptoes and Tinkerbell at her side. Maggie and Tony have kept in close contact with us since Jessie came to Fleecehaven and they have visited her on several occasions. On their last visit they found her grazing contentedly with her new companions, completely settled and relaxed into her new life.
Jessie, Tiptoes and Tinkerbell exploring the yard in the snow
With Tiptoes and Tinkerbell by her side, Jessie slowly started to explore her new home. Initially we restricted them to the yard so that we could keep a close eye on Jessie and she seemed quite contented exploring her new surroundings, especially when it snowed.
After a couple of weeks or so we allowed Jessie access to the fields. Tinkerbell and Tiptoes were clearly happy to venture out into the fields again and Jessie tentatively followed them. However, as soon as they went beyond the first field she panicked and returned to the gate leading from the yard to the fields, where she patiently waited for Tiptoes and Tinkerbell to return. Over the course of a few days, Jessie slowly became more confident and was eventually brave enough to walk beyond the red barn and potter in our lower fields.
Jessie looking relaxed in her new surroundings
Jessie grazing with Tiptoes and Tinkerbell
The Way to a Flock’s Heart The winter has been extremely long and hard for everyone at Fleecehaven. The weather has been bitterly cold and, as things stand at the moment, it doesn’t look as though Spring is going to appear any time soon. Keeping the sheep fed and warm has been a labour of love with constant deliveries of hay, straw, coarse mix, haylage bales, sugar beet shreds, ewe nuts, lamb nuts, grass nuts and buckets of
mineral licks. In addition to this, endless packets of biscuits and weetabix have been consumed! Throughout the winter, the majority of the main flock have enjoyed a breakfast of coarse mix and warmed sugar beet shreds. Whilst breakfast is prepared outside in a series of troughs, the sheep remain in their barn where they become increasingly excited, often bleating loudly and kicking at the door. Continued on Page 3
Two of the many Hay and Feed Deliveries Page 2
Emma unloading the deliveries F L E E CE H A V E N N E W S
The Way to a Flock’s Heart Continued Once ready, they are let out and, after a little jostling for position, the sheep happily tuck in. They are then free to wander the fields as they wish or, and as is more often their choice, return to bed!
Preparing breakfast before a contented flock tuck in
Once the main flock is fed, it is then time to start feeding individual sheep who have special dietary needs. Some are elderly and need to have their food soaked because they have very few teeth; some require a blander diet; some have added treats such as weetabix or digestive biscuits to help them maintain their weight; some simply don’t like the hustle and bustle of being fed with the main flock so are held back and fed as part of a smaller group. Whatever the reason, it is a time consuming, yet a vital part of the daily routine at Fleecehaven.
Emma mucking out the old boys stable
kept in the field alongside the red barn. Over the course of a week each stable was completely emptied of compacted wood shavings and straw, pressure washed and disinfected before being restocked with a thick bed of wood shavings and straw.
One trailer nearly full and ready to go! Off out to explore with nice full tummies
Once the morning round of feeding is complete, it is time to turn our attention to the sheep’s bedding. On a daily basis fresh straw is put down to ensure that the sheep remain cosy at all times. A regular programme of mucking out the stables is also in place and at the end of January and beginning of February it was once again time to carry out this task. Our local agricultural contractor delivered a large trailer to the yard as the ground was too wet for us to realistically use our own trailer which is VOLUME 6, ISSUE 3
As mucking out for the day comes to an end, it is time to refill the hay racks before the sheep start to settle down for the night. For some, there is also another feed to be prepared and enjoyed, especially by our more elderly and special needs sheep, as they tend to require more food as they are less likely to graze. It seems that Emma’s life revolves around preparing feed and bedding for the Fleecehaven Flock no wonder they all adore her so much, she’s certainly found the way to their hearts! Page 3
Winter Gallery 2012/13 Precious wondering ‘Do I really want to go out in this?’
Bunty in pursuit of biscuits
Eby enjoying some winter grazing
Willaby Oak looking handsome
Skittles playing King of the Castle
Snowflake strutting his stuff
Henry having a bad hair day Ned opening his Christmas card
Bramble snuggled up in the barn
Blackie sharing her Christmas treats
Snowdrop enjoying the winter sun
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F L E E CE H A V E N N E W S
Stevie ‘Singing in the Snow’
A new year, a new dawn
Jasper & Storm exploring the snow
Alfie waiting for treats in the garden
Heading home after a day in the snow
Buster looking quizzical
Murphy looking doleful in the snow Freckles, Poppy and co tucked up in the barn
Holly, Morgan and Skittles enjoying some rare grazing VOLUME 6, ISSUE 3
Hugo leading the way
Cynthia keeping watch over her friends Page 5
Sad Goodbyes Once again, the winter has sadly seen us have to say goodbye to some of our dear friends. It’s never an easy time and every loss feels like losing a member of the family. Dear Honey was our first loss. She was diagnosed with a heart condition in the summer, since when she had been closely monitored by our vet. Unfortunately she stopped responding to treatment and we had no alternative but to say goodbye. She was such a sweet girl and is missed greatly. Just a short while later, Fidget, one of our great
Honey, Aged 11
characters, sadly died following a short, age related illness. She really was a remarkable girl and the yard still feels terribly empty without her endless inquisitive antics. She may well have been tiny, but the void left is huge. Sadly the winter ended with us having to suddenly say goodbye to our dear Wallace. He was diagnosed with a peritonitis. He was such a gentle and friendly boy and his passing leaves us all greatly saddened.
Fidget, Aged 13
Wallace, Aged 7
Thank Ewes Fleecehaven would once again like to say thank you to Ange from Gemini Print who has kindly agreed to print, free of charge, four editions of the Fleecehaven Newsletter (this is the second). We are extremely grateful to Gemini Print for their wonderful generosity and, should you require any printing to be carried out, would urge you to contact them. Further details can be found on their website at www.geminiprint.net We’d also like to say a big thank you to Maggie (Jessie’s owner) who has not only donated a large number of beautiful soft toys for our fundraising tombola, but has also made some amazing craft items for us to sell during our summer fundraising events. Items include tea cosy's, spec cases, reusable book covers and cafeteria cosy’s, which are all made from recycled materials. They are all beautifully made and extremely unique and I am sure they will help us to raise some much needed funds. Page 6
Our sincere thanks also to Andrea Brown, who has very kindly donated some gorgeous ‘sheepy’ merchandise for us to sell, including cuddly lambs and beautifully crafted wooden egg cups with a sheep motif. I am sure that they will be very popular with our stall visitors. Finally, we’d like to say yet another thank you to Debbs Elliman who has very generously made yet more beautiful jewellery for us to sell. Debbs has, amongst other things, made some incredible earrings, broaches, bracelets and key-rings, all of which are hand-made and absolutely beautiful. Debb’s items are always popular and sell well at our fund raising events and I am sure that this year will be no exception. F L E E CE H A V E N N E W S
News Bleat
Dennis
Towards the end of November Badger became his hip as we’d previously thought. He is now poorly. He was showing signs of abdominal dis- having regular steroid injections and appears to be comfort. An abdominal scan and blood tests were coping well. carried out but no abnormalities were found. It was thought he may have a urine infection, for which antibiotics were prescribed and he now appears to be fit and well again.
Lupin (our house guest)
Bunty was also poorly just before Christmas. Her bleat became a little strange and she went off her food. Our vet visited and diagnosed her with laryngitis! A course of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and plenty of TLC saw her bleat and appetite slowly return to normal. Just after Christmas, we were concerned about Henry’s eye. It looked a little cloudy and we wondered if he had an infection in it. Our vet confirmed this and gave him a steroid injection. He also prescribed a two week course of antiinflammatory eye cream. He really didn’t like having the cream put in his eye and at times it was quite difficult to administer, but thankfully it has done the trick and his eye has now completely healed. Frosty has been poorly on and off throughout the winter. In December he developed and abscess on his chin, which was successfully treated with antibiotics. In early January he appeared to be suffering from a urine infection, which again was treated with a course of antibiotics. Towards the end of January we noticed that Frosty was having difficulty in eating his coarse mix, and on close inspection of his mouth it was discovered that his front teeth had all become extremely loose. Our vet examined him and it was decided that the removal of the loose teeth would be beneficial to Frosty, and this was carried out under a light sedation. He is now much improved and eating well.
Just before Christmas we became worried about Lupin. She appeared disorientated and was stumbling a little. Her blood was tested for a variety of ailments, including thyroid function. All of the tests came back negative and our vet thought that she probably had some form of age related neurological problem which is now being treated by periodic steroid injections. Because we were concerned about her stumbling over in the stable and possibly being trodden on by the other sheep we decided to move her into the utility room, which is where she has been ever since. If the weather is fine she goes out into the garden, otherwise she is quite contented being a house sheep! The dreadful weather conditions over the winter have continued to cause us problems with feet and Emma has been constantly treating individual sheep for strip (an infection caused by microorganisms created by persistent moisture on the skin between the toes). Phillip and Thomas have both suffered from abscesses that have required antibiotic treatment but both seem to have now healed well. Dennis was worrying us a little just before Christmas. He is quite arthritic and appeared to be struggling a little more than usual. On Christmas Eve we took him to the Veterinary Hospital where x- Continued on Page 8 rays showed that he had arthritis in his knee, not Frosty VOLUME 6, ISSUE 3
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Newsbleat Continued
‘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
Having made a full recovery following the removal of his toe last Autumn, Paddington was concerning us again towards the end of February. He appeared to be lame and, on inspection, we discovered a growth between the toes on his front, right foot. Our vet suggested removing it, which was duly done the following day. Since then we have been dressing his foot on a regular basis and, little by little, it would appear to be healing. Our vet continues to monitor him closely, but is pleased with the Paddington progress that he is making and Paddington would certainly appear to be none the worse for wear and is once again busying himself around the yard. The continuous rain over the winter has taken its toll on the ground as well as Emma and the sheep. Over the Christmas period we experienced a landslide along the stream that runs through Fleecehaven. A large number of overflowing natural springs, together with continuous water running off the fields and a period of extremely torrential rain, resulted in the bank of the stream collapsing leaving a steep ravine. For the time being we have hurdled the area off to ensure that it is safe and that the sheep can not get stuck in the boggy mud or the fast running water. Once the ground has dried out a little we will probably have to re-route the fence that currently cordons off the stream as rebuilding the bank is likely to prove rather difficult and not terribly successful. Let’s hope that as we move towards Spring we will all start to enjoy some considerably better weather.
Winter Visitors
Our mini landslide
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Frankie and Tom
Andrea with Jessie
Lucy feeding Blackie
It has been lovely to see so many adopters visiting Fleecehaven over the winter months. Andrea has become a regular visitor and is now working with some of our sheep using a variety of complimentary treatments. She is writing a feature for our next newsletter outlining the work that she has been doing. Lucy, her sister and friend came to visit in early December and Frankie and Tom visited late in February. Despite the bitterly cold weather everyone appeared to enjoy feeding numerous biscuits to the sheep (and the sheep certainly enjoyed it!!).
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