New Baby reindeer to my herd

We hope everyone has had a lovely Easter weekend - hopefully having time to spend with your loved ones..
Happy Easter from us - the reindeer love the Spring blossoms to munch on and hopefully it will help their growing babies....

There's so much to eat with our early Spring that they are hardly eating their pellets.

Foreground, Mischa and Katya.

Hector has started to grow his front tine - it would be wonderful if it was a "spade" this year but probably not for a few years. He is looking rather scraggy as his moult is more advanced than the others but you will see in all that they have lost their coats around the eyes.

 

Great pictures Karen. I think that Hector looks just as handsome as always, but maybe I am just biased! I hope that you have had a lovely Easter weekend as well, and maybe taken some time to relax before the stressful baby time begins.

 

Everything is so pretty and green. Happy to hear they are enjoying their Easter / Spring treats.
Lilaclady is right, take care of you.

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter/Spring week end! Your herd looks amazing just enjoying those wonderful buds on I believe an apple tree?! We are all hoping your herd stays healthy and moms and babies are born healthy too! I can't wait for the first amazing baby to be born! I will tell you I am one of those up all night nutters so I will be here for you!

 

All the babies seem to be very well. Twiglet's appeared to be trampolining rather than kicking today. By the time I got my camera out I only got a couple of good bounces (about 14 seconds in) - poor Twiglet!

 

What an amazing photograph with the inclusion of those flower buds!! Sooo beautiful! It could be the cover for a Book!!
Hmmmmm - a Reindeer book! "Karen's Kids"/ or "Karen's (K)Cuties"! "Reindeer Roundup"? "Growing Up With Hector"?

"The Adventures of Hector and his Herd"?! LOL!!​

***Seriously, Karen...have you ever thought of doing a children's book?? With all your wonderful photograph's, and their great personalities - you could do a whole series!! Especially Now, with all the babies coming!! Wow! What a treat for kids and their parents - Educational, too!! School's everywhere could even buy them for their children's classes! Libraries, too. (And personally, I think it would be perfect for adaptation into a Disney-type movie. There could be so many ways to go with this.)

Think how popular your herd is...people come from all over to see them - even Alaska!!
Your herd is unique, and is already known within the field, worldwide. Children, and adults alike, just fall in love with them.
Children's book?! Shoot, I'd buy them myself!!

Of course these are just a few ideas - you may not be interested in doing something like this, especially as busy as you are.

 

Towards the end of the video Twiglet is obviously telling her baby to behave itself!

 

I think karen came up with the book title herself a few messages ago ... Reindeer - Not Just For Christmas.

Love Twiglet's belly hiccups.

 

Good video, I think I saw the trampoline baby! lol I think she was saying more along the lines of "hey knock it off in there!"

 

Farmlily, thank you so much for your ideas (and your marvellous support). Whether I would be brave enough to do it?... I would have to give it a lot of thought as to where to aim a book... I only just get by with the "Santa" bit and the children age group wouldn't really be interested in anything apart from Christmas and to be honest I prefer the management side... and would that sell... a book of mainly pictures?? Not sure.... I have a friend that has done some wonderful reindeer cartoon books, with superb cartoons and narrative but he hasn't even broken even yet..... and one is about BORIS.. "Boris the Bold" by Kris Lillyman. I will give it some thought, I have loads of pictures!!!

Now, I start to bore you all, this contortionist photographer has started serious udder watch. Mischa, who I believe will be my first. Her udder has started to develop (most of the year the girls udders can't be seen). Mischa's has started to develop so we are getting close but I think still 14 days to go.. ish.

 

That is a very interesting picture!! I can't believe it might be that soon before we have a baby on your farm! That is just wonderful!

 

An amazing picture, I hope that Mischa didn't mind you crawling about underneath her with a camera!

 

Oh wow, what to do... I have just been offered 2 reindeer cows (3 years old) not in calf, never been covered and I am assured they are in good health... I haven't even seen a picture yet £4K... If I could find a second bull BUT I can't find another boy.... Can Hector cope... a serious question as he ran so much weight off for just 5, this year he may already have 7, if I can't find another boy.... but 2 more??? He will have more time to add weight before the rut this year as he doesn't need to grow so much.... but a conundrum.

 

Wow, that is a problem for sure! I think with my heart when it comes to Hector so I know what I would do! But I am not trying to run a farm either! lol Maybe you need to see what his off spring are like, you know the gene pool and all that stuff! Well I am sure of one thing, that I have been little or no help!
But good luck with your choices that you are stuck making!

 

Karen how many cows does a bull cover in a wild harem. I think Hector's going to run himself ragged whether he covers 2 cows or 22 cows. But I think you have a further couple of questions that need answered first. How many reindeer can the farm as it stands with regard to land, workers etc support without inputting more resources? And what is the ultimate objectives for your herd? Answering those kind of questions will tell you whether you WANT the new cows or whether you NEED them, for example, to extend the gene pool.

Also, why have these two three-year olds never been bred? And how would adding in two additional three-year old cows change the dynamics of the herd?

Best of luck with whichever way you decide to go. Glad it's not my choice to make.

 

BLZ, you may be right - weight loss is about not really eating while his hormones are raging and rounding his girls up - the actual covering doesn't take that much energy and the length of his "rut" won't change.
In theory I have sufficient land for about 40-50 reindeer but the human resources are basically, ME, so there's no way I could get to 40!
I had been thinking of concentrating more on the breeding side as I find it very rewarding, imports have been banned from Europe due to a disease outbreak there and English bred reindeer are almost impossible to find... every year I get loads of enquiries from people wanting babies and/or adults, as many people don't want the problems associated with a rutting bull few people breed and just keep castrated males or females.
Lots and lots of thinking to do and discussions with hubby as to whether it is possible this year!

 

I would assume that in a wild herd or a sami herd (one where the bulls interact as nature intended) Hector would have been too young to have 'won' himself a harem last year and maybe even for a year or two yet, but your herd can only support a very limited number of bulls ie. 1 or 2, but the herd very quickly becomes interbred as you are finding now, and it will get worse without an introduction of unrelated genetic material.

I think the idea of you breeding your herd is fundementally sound. You are building quite a reputation as breeding reindeer that are well mannered and easy to handle. However this means you are emotionally invested in the individual members of your herd which may conflict with the basic premise of what reindeer are used for in the UK. How would you cope if you found that a member of your hand raised herd had been sold or used as a food source? Reindeer come with problems you would not have encountered with your previous breeding enterprises like having the whole herd culled under certain circumstances.

I know that I personally am too soft hearted to be a good farmer of livestock so again not a choice or position I would like to be in. I am sure you will find support on these forums whatever path you choose, as everyone loves your herd.

 

Karen, you know how we will all support you, whatever you choose!

I have only one or two thoughts to contribute...
Your herd will grow most probably by six this year...and more each year. Right now, you know and interact with them all - beautifully so, because it is still a manageable size.

Questions to consider that might help clarify your thoughts - Will it be too much/ too soon to increase the herd in addition to the six babies due at this time??
Might it be better to allow the herd to multiply slowly each year for a few more cycles in order to keep it running well, and doable for you? Wasn't the purpose of your Mother's Legacy to give you something to really enjoy - not to overwork you?

Your herd is the way it is because you can take the time to get to know them all...'up close and personal'. It will always increase naturally....is it a bit too much to increase the herd more than six at a time?? And isn't it just one Bull that you really want?

Whatever you choose, you know we will support you fully.

 

BLZ, you are right that Hector wouldn't have earned a harem in the wild as way too young but the meat market isn't a problem as reindeer are too expensive in UK the worry about but I agree I would have a serious problem... for some reason I (think) I could cope with sheep/cattle going into the food chain but reindeer to me are way too intelligent/interactive..

Farmlily, as to getting over stocked, I get enquiries year round, most I deny but Loki and Thor's new owners which look after their stock beyond are desperate for two more boys this year - they don't breed as they only keep a castrate herd. I am just hoping I have 3 bull calves so that I have someway to swap for new genetics...

I have done a sneaky search to find the people trying to sell/dispose of their reindeer... from growth of new coats I am guessing photo late August/September but I have the SCREAMING ABDABS - they are so thin for females at the end of Summer! Reindeer should be at their heaviest in late Summer... they loose weight throughout the Winter... I am in two minds.... they need serious help BUT they may have gone too far by now... I will go to see them ..... EEk there's some livestock owners on here, they are to me scary.. prepared to rescue but paying silly money, I want to try but paying silly money?? to rehabilitate... bare in mind that reindeer can't put weight on over Winter due to their unique metabolism.. To me scary!

 

Are they thin due to poor nutrition and neglect or do they have an illness? If they are ill, they could bring it with them and harm your stock. The ones in the photo have such low body weight, is it possible to have them at a healthy weight before the challenges of winter? Are there only the three or are there more? Very sad.....