Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

fergusnc
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Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby fergusnc » Sat Dec 29, 2018 3:26 pm

Hey All. Thanks again for wondering about us, and for the kind words about our stories. 2018 has been a bit rough, at least from the mid point on, which made extra time a complete non-entity. But all were First World Problems, and most are under control now...very thankful for all the people, supports and opportunities with which God has blessed me.

So, where to start...especially since I can't recall where I left off.

Did you know the plan was to add a rescue donkey as a third herd member? I was communicating with a wonderful rescue in preparation, turned out being for about a year while we worked on the barn, did research, visited the out of state group, etc. DH continues to be amazingly handy, hard working, tolerant and supportive.

I just couldn't get on board with the plan we came up with the expand The Little Red Barn...fear of upsetting the Apple cart with drainage issues we had solved...so I went into denial mode for several months. Then between the two of us, we came up with a totally different direction, literally, to expand and it made life easier, was more donkey friendly, etc etc etc. DH began to add a new "wing" off the back of the barn, right around the New Year of 2018. We had a goal of a Summer 2018 adoption. As is life with animals, the "perfect" donkey for us came into rescue right when we started construction, but I didn't want to stress out DH so I decided to wait for the next "perfect" guy. Construction continues. Several weeks in, the Rescue contacts me...donkey #1's adoption has fallen through as the adopter's new barn was crushed by a tree! If the Rescue gives us another month to work on Barn, would we want this guy? I had asked for a Donkeys 101 fellow due to my lack of donkey training knowledge. One that likes horses but doesn't need to run and wrestle nonstop due to the personalities of my horses. One without a history of mauling small animals due to all the wildlife that hangs out with my horses. One that is well handled. One that would be a good match for a newbie. This doesn't come along all that often in Rescue. This donkey checked all the boxes. Surprisingly, DH said a month was plenty of time to extend the barn, and I signed the adoption contract. Thankfully for us, delivery was delayed a couple of weeks due to weather and other rescue missions at the Rescue, and my buddy rolled in on my birthday in May!

Will add pix of Junior and a few pix of the barn expansion when I can make them smaller....site is yelling at me, lol. He is the perfect donkey, loved by all. I will not lie...there was an adjustment period. I thought The Little Red Pony might kill him the first day they were turned out together. They quickly became best friends and the donkey now bosses the pony around. They play, they talk to each other, they share hay. I was overwhelmed at first making it all work, learning that flies literally eat into the donkeys' legs and leave gaping wounds in the matter of a day, finding out that this perfect donkey has never seen a stall and is terrified of the Taj Ma Stall we built for him...talking DH off his ledge about that.

Will add more pix of barn progress later, apparently they are on DH's phone, not my iPad. Other news, I had a rough few months with The Red Pony while we dealt with odd digital pulses that scared me to death. Vet ruled out laminitis, but we still changed routines a great deal, plowed through a ton of hay due to stall time during a bad hay year, etc etc etc. We don't know what happened, all the info and symptoms/lack of symptoms sort of contradict all the possibilities. Right now all is well, and life is back to the old routine. We will see what the Spring brings, but the vet really does not think it was grass related. The up side is that pony and I got even closer during those months, and the trust has really grown on both our parts.

Also, the tropical storms were awful but compared to other areas of NC, it was a breeze. I had the stress of writing my phone number and braiding ID tags into my equines for the first time in my life, and I cried like a baby. The pastures are still mud pits from the wet Fall. The run in floods now. But my guys were troopers, made smart choices, and The Little Red Barn weathered all the storms. We have a ton of additional work to do that we can't do until things dry out... if it ever stops raining.

I've tamed two feral cats, spayed/neutered them, and found an awesome home for their one kitten after fostering the maniac for three weeks in the house. The parents are so much fun to have as barn cats, and my big horse Fergus is so happy...he adores cats, and spends time each day watching them play, sniffing them through/over the fence, and talking to them out his stall window.

Oh yeah, and that pesky job of mine is literally double as busy as it's supposed to be, so when you pile that on to the added farm challenges of 2018, it's been pretty busy around here! :lol:

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby fergusnc » Sat Dec 29, 2018 3:33 pm

Junior...
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fergusnc
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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby fergusnc » Sat Dec 29, 2018 3:35 pm

The donkey wing...backwards progression
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fergusnc
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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby fergusnc » Sat Dec 29, 2018 3:35 pm

Junior deciding he loves his man cave...
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fergusnc
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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby fergusnc » Sat Dec 29, 2018 3:36 pm

And the cat family...
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StraightForward
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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby StraightForward » Sat Dec 29, 2018 4:53 pm

Good to "see" you. Junior is adorable, and I love that barn extension. Great update!
Keep calm and canter on.

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby KathyK » Sat Dec 29, 2018 5:48 pm

Great to read your update!

Junior has melted my heart. I think there's a kitty climbing up your leg.

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby Kyra's Mom » Sat Dec 29, 2018 6:31 pm

:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Thanks for the update. We have missed you but I do know about that "busy" thing.

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fergusnc
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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby fergusnc » Sat Dec 29, 2018 7:53 pm

Another big barn progress piece was the front wall of Dallas' stall. Progression in background of pix. So much to do. Reframing, putting in headers for Windows and a second door. Residing. Painting. Eventually inner stall walls. The front wall is reframed, window and shutter in, sided and painted. DH is amazing. Stall rest this summer really slowed down barn projects.
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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby Rockabilly » Sat Dec 29, 2018 10:31 pm

Thanks for the update and the adorable pictures. I was worried about you.

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby blob » Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:00 pm

I hear you on the wet, but glad you and your crew are doing well.

I've always wanted a donkey, so I'll insist on jr updates whenever you have time!

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby heddylamar » Sun Dec 30, 2018 12:06 am

Junior needs his own instagram!

When/if we ever get this farm built, we'll need a third herd critter. My husband wants goats. I have childhood goat trauma so I'm working on convincing him a donkey or mini-donkey is the way to go :D

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby PaulaO » Sun Dec 30, 2018 2:04 am

What makes donkeys and burros so darned cute???

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby fergusnc » Sun Dec 30, 2018 2:15 am

Junior is a riot. I actually went to a big event that the Rescue did...a 5k run with your donkey followed by bands and food and meet/greet and vendors at a brewery, and got to meet a lot of volunteers, adopters and donkeys. This was after visiting the Rescue the day before. It helped a lot, as donkeys don't behave like horses and apparently can be an adjustment for horse folks (if they do much with the donkeys). Basically the Rescue lady told me to forget all of my inherent reactions to horse behaviors when interacting with donkeys. :shock: For example, you know how we expect our horses to maintain a designated personal space/bubble when we are handling them on the ground? And we move them out of our bubble as needed and consistently should they infringe? Well, if you do that with a donkey you hurt their feelings and can really set your relationship back...and they do not forget. Not that you let them run you over, but they are more like giant dogs than horses. And they will not be made to do anything...they must think it through and decide it seems like a great plan. They are big intellectuals. I have to make a big effort to not be too busy at meal times, or chore times, and find time for ear rubs and head hugs or Junior will sulk and get a bit shy in as little as a day. He loves company, but not too many people at one time. He loves red grapes...bitten in half, as well as those pretzels that look like window panes, also broken in half. He takes them super gently with his lips if you hold them pinched between your thumb and index finger. He is super stealthy, and you will never hear him coming but when you turn around from a chore, you basically bump your face into his ears as his forehead is about a half an inch from your shoulder blades.

Apparently, Minis are more like perpetual puppies, standards (like Junior) are more like big dogs who love the couch while the humans are resting but who will also like to play when the humans want to play. I had to re-org how I store things...my horses don't mess with halters of blankets or anything left around...as Junior has a radar for a halter on a hook or a bottle of fly spray and they become chew toys and things to drag around in the mud.

And not to gloss over it...yes, it's a thing in the donkey world, running or walking beside your donkey in competitions...some are hard core and far. In general, some folks just like to hike. The Rescue has organized hikes where volunteers take out a donkey on a group hike through some lovely parks and trails in Virginia. Who knew?!
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Moutaineer
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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby Moutaineer » Sun Dec 30, 2018 5:34 am

I want one...

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby Rockabilly » Sun Dec 30, 2018 3:53 pm

Moutaineer wrote:I want one...



I believe I am one. Must have been in another life.

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby fergusnc » Sun Dec 30, 2018 4:58 pm

Moutaineer wrote:I want one...

Get one!! :D :D :D
There are so many donkeys making so many more donkeys in back fields, and getting dumped at auction or sold straight to meat men, it's horrible. Different kind of the same awful as horses. I'm always shocked at how no one seems to geld their jacks, and how many are "free to good home" on area horse FB pages after a short period of time, or because they are acting like donkeys.

One thing I learned....they live longer than horses. Like can live to 50 years. So plan accordingly. 8-)

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby piedmontfields » Sun Dec 30, 2018 5:26 pm

Lovely update! I appreciate the donkey descriptions, too. My mare used to live with one and loved him....so I do imagine getting her a donkey friend down the road. I think I need a 35 year old!

How old is Junior?

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby fergusnc » Sun Dec 30, 2018 7:26 pm

piedmontfields wrote:Lovely update! I appreciate the donkey descriptions, too. My mare used to live with one and loved him....so I do imagine getting her a donkey friend down the road. I think I need a 35 year old!

How old is Junior?


So.....Junior is 5.5 years old. :lol: :lol: :lol: The only non-perfect thing about him. :shock: I knew the age potential, I know I told DH, but one day I saw this lightbulb over DH's head and he asked, "how old did you say Junior is?" and then the look of panic as he didn't math. I'm 47 and DH is 51. I had some panic moments, but then decided life if too short, nothing is guaranteed, and I will plan the best I can but also have some back ups. In actuality, the Resdue retains ownership forever, just like the horse group does with my pony, so I have one automatic back up...as long as they are still around in 30 years when I'm 77.

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby piedmontfields » Sun Dec 30, 2018 10:55 pm

Wow, young, but he's so otherwise perfect, Fergusnc! I guess this means you'll be a helpful volunteer/donor/board member for the donkey rescue ;) (I'm thinking that is my future if I adopt!). I agree that there are way too many donkey bred without thought or attention.

Lately I have been thinking about whether I ever want to have Em or other horses at home (here or at another property). We have about 5 acres open on our 20 acre spread including a started barn with electricity and water. I am a big fan of the "paddock paradise" approach and our property would work well for that (and it would preserve our nice warm season grasses hay field). I think I need to wait until I'm retired, though, as I truly appreciate the labor help and support of boarding.

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby Kelo » Mon Dec 31, 2018 7:18 pm

So fun to see an update from you, fergusnc!

Sounds like you guys are busy, but your herd is adorable.

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby Amado » Tue Jan 01, 2019 4:09 pm

I so enjoyed your description on junior, and how donkeys are different than horses in personality -it made me laugh out loud, and now I want one!

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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby fergusnc » Wed Jan 02, 2019 1:42 pm

Normally very VERY quiet, yesterday Junior talked ALL DAY. DH was battling the standing water and mud by hand digging a 60' trench and running piping outside a pasture/between barns and he texted me to fill me in. We both checked it out, looking for a loose animal or problem in the area that was holding his attention. Nothing. At one point, while I was helping to fill in the trench/cover the pipe, Junior let fly again, really loudly. I peek around the corner and see that Junior has walked up behind Dallas and is braying at his butt, from about 2" away. I couldn't stop laughing...the look on Dallas' face, just pure ignoring, like a parent with a perpetually loud kid. DH said at the beginning of the day, the two horses came to see what Junior was looking at, but as the day went on, they didn't even blink at the braying.

Unrelated, but 2018 ended up the 8th wettest year on record since record keeping started in the 1800s. We moved from 10th place to 8th place in the last two weeks of the year! About 16" above average for year. Compared to the first full year we lived here on the farm, which was the 6th driest year since record keeping started, we had a 25" difference! And it will rain again all night tonight, a little tomorrow and a gully washer on Friday. Cannot tell you how thankful I am for how sensible and tolerant the equines have been so far.

More Junior pix for his new fans, from before everything became a mud pit. Included one of the Dynamic Duo. :D
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Re: Long Overdue Update on The Fixer Upper Farm, The Little Red Barn, and its Residents.

Postby VBOpie » Thu Jan 03, 2019 7:22 pm

Thanks so much for the update - and love the pictures! Junior is adorable!


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