New Baby reindeer to my herd

Yikes!!! Karen, that is the biggest rack of antlers I've ever seen!! He looks like he's wearing a tree!!

You're probably tired of hearing this - but I just have to say it - pleeeeeeeeease, pleeeease, please be supercareful!
Rivak is right - you are a very brave (and cautious) person!!...and still whole, too.


What a sad puzzle, and how unusual , all these poor babies injuries/deaths have been! If nothing anatomically can be found to explain such odd, but precise, injuries.......perhaps then it is not internally "anatomically" caused.....

It is said that: when everything probable has been examined, look at the improbable.

So, I'm wondering if it is external - an animal, reptile, Bat, or??? seeking blood as nourishment?? (Uggg! I know how awful that sounds - but "look to the improbable"...?) If there is such a thing, best to find out before next year's babies.

Sorry this is such a downer igm, but none of us want your wonderful herd to be suffering - and especially not you and your hubby!

 

Every single day I TG that he hasn't as yet stripped. His rutting paddock was cut for hay about 14 days ago and it has been tedded twice but the rain keeps falling so we can't bale it.. I want/need to secure him but his paddock isn't ready as we need a few days without rain to bail the cut grass. If he beats the sunshine I will need/ for safety purposes to forgo the hay and put him in secure paddock but that will also mean that the cut grass with smother the growing grass.. Oh the stress of weather and the time clock of our animals.

 

Whoops I'll probably have my knuckles wrapped for double posting BUT Illy only just seen your post. Vets and labs could not find the cause of deaths in the calves but we are going to take bloods from the girls in the Spring to ensure their colostrum is optimum (tbh I can't see that would have been problem as i have always supplemented beyond) but hey ho, that's first box to tick. The next suggestion is to treat with Halocur, (daily from 7 - 14 days old) just in case the issue was cryptosperidium (that was my guess but corpses tested negative). Now Halocur is very harsh and can kill if overdosed or not given on a full stomach.. Hmmn I can catch calves when asleep (but their stomachs won't be full) if they have just fed they are awake and can run at 35mph+ and we are talking about up to nine calves born within possibly 10 days... Logistics - please put me in touch with Olympic Gold medalists..... I'll start worrying about that in April My other option is trying to hand rear all at home so that no bacteria/parasites etc. but that too will create losses.

 

Gandalf looks magnificent, his antlers are ginormous! Let's hope we get a few days sunshine before he needs to be put in his secure paddock. Good luck and stay safe.

 

Sorry for the lack of posts.
It has been a difficult time for me & my herd, in many ways, over the last 18 months and I dislike posting only negative posts. So I have been rather quiet.. BUT I am hoping we have turned the corner and I am now planning ahead. SO...
Posting a "teaser" picture for you!
My clue is...............
"Sorry Gandalf"
Any clues?

 

Has Gandalf had his antlers sawn down. If so I bet he is thinking bad thoughts about you

 

That was my thought!

 

Lol I thought that too! I bet his head is a lot lighter too!

 

It also looks like he's not in the rut. No Angry Eyes, and he's eating calmly. Does that mean no girlfriend for him this year?

 

Lol Karen I know the answer now. I still bet he is thinking evil thoughts though

 

No that is the new baby calf that I have booked to replace Gandalf next year as my second Stud bull. Gandalf will be castrated in the Spring. Here is Gandalf today, he has stripped his velvet and gone into extreme rut - very different to the baby boy in last picture.
Baby boy will remain cuddly until this time next year (or maybe the year after) but Gandalf is now in serious killer mode as of today!! Note only one feeder remaining upright, he killed the other 5!

 

Wow, he looks as though he is already giving you the evil eye. Be careful and stay safe.

 

:} Heehee.
He's in his secure rutting paddock now as hay was bailed last night. Wow it was cutting it close, but British weather wasn't helpful for bailing hay in his rutting paddock this year and to be honest those bails may be too damp and rot off BUT at least the cut grass has been removed so that I could put him and his girls in a secure paddock.
It was kind of funny as I had to get them through another paddock with tedded rows of hay. Once a bull goes into rut I only move via a vehicle with someone else driving so that I can leap in if necessary. When he and his girls were let into the intermediate paddock, they started to run through tedded hay, so had to get vehicle to take me rapidly into rutting paddock - stand in the gateway and shout "come on" they came running at 50mph, straight at me.. Had to judge when to run for vehicle but not too early or they'd go beck to have fun in the hay! But it was magnificent seeing Gandalf's muscles rippling at full run, he wasn't charging, just running to call but I still jumped into vehicle as he approached.
This isn't his run, just a pic before I moved him, saying that I'm now thinking closely about how close I want to be to him until he comes out of rut.

 

Outstanding news, well maybe not for Gandalf. I do not remember your Beautiful baby boys name.

What is tedded hay? If you happened to get any pictures or video of them having fun with the tedded hay, we would love to see the frivolity!! Thank you Karen for sharing your good news.

 

Well, at least it'll be safe for you to be around him after the operation.

How does castration affect reindeer physically? I know about male dogs, but that's it.

 

Tedding hay is turning it over to dry the underside and form in rows for bailing. In most years it only needs doing once but this year my hay has been tedded 5 times as it kept raining although weather forecast said it may be fair.. Awful year for hay for me and it may have been bailed damp, so it will rot - we'll see. New boy is named Furlough atm but I think I'll change that as I don't want to be reminded of these dreadful Covid times.

Rivak, they become "pussycats" year round, just like a gelded horse. Calmer and happier and stress free but they may need a little help with their antler sheds as that is governed by hormone levels.

 

I kept looking at this trying to figure out why everyone thought you'd sawn off Gandalf's antlers. Had to read all the way through to get the idea that you were replacing him and that he would lose the family jewels.

 

I'm thinking Gandalf will be magnificent when you can take your reindeer out and about again to events. Those antlers would really be a show stopper!

Hope your new boy will be somewhat easier to handle. A new name for a new home sounds good, something more optimistic to lift your spirits.

 

Picking new boy up on Saturday (11 hour round trip).. in UK that's a long way. Not fixed on a new name for him yet until he arrives but have a couple of thoughts brewing.

 

Congrats on the new boy calf! I love his coloring! Good luck on your trip to pick him up I think he is just what you need to lift your
spirits after such an awful year all around!