Although the mornings at the Black Sheep Animal Sanctuary are still chilly, it is officially spring, and we've welcomed some new beaks, noses, and hooves to the sanctuary.
Enormous thanks to everyone who has supported our winter feed fundraiser. Even though spring is arriving, the cool temperatures mean that it will be months before the grass growth improves, and we urgently need extra stores of hay and pellets to tide us over. Our Give-a-little fundraiser closes on 16 September, and we're over three quarters of the way to our goal.
We're so close to making it! If you're able to share the link or make a small donation, we'd be so grateful! A kind supporter has offered to match any donations in the final week, so any donation does twice as much work as usual. Check out our Give-a-little page at Winter hay for sweet Iris and her friends.
Our early morning chorus of rooster joy has turned up the volume, with seven new roosters moving in. In the photographs below you can see Bertie, a charming and gregarious newcomer. A loving family had rescued him as a tiny chick, but their circumstances changed and they were no longer able to care for him. After arriving at the sanctuary Bertie quickly made friends with another young rooster, Russell Crow, and the handsome pair have already developed a strong bond, spending the whole day foraging side by side.
Shortly after we adopted Bertie, six more friendly roosters arrived. They had been abandoned on a local property, and a caring family had been feeding them, but they could not stay as the existing pet rooster was very distressed by the new arrivals. These new birds are still settling into the orchard with the rest of our flock.
Bertie and his comrades are our first new rooster friends in quite some time. For several years we have not been able to take in chickens and roosters, due to concerns about Marek's disease. However, after receiving advice from our vets we are now rescuing unwanted birds again.
If you breed or purchase chicks, please bear in mind that on average fifty percent of them will be male. Local council regulations mean that you are unlikely to be allowed to keep roosters as pets if you live in a residential area. Consequently there are thousands of unwanted roosters in Aotearoa New Zealand, who are often slaughtered or abandoned. Please consider adopting needy roosters and hens rather than hatching your own.
If you breed or purchase chicks, please bear in mind that on average fifty percent of them will be male. Local council regulations mean that you are unlikely to be allowed to keep roosters as pets if you live in a residential area. Consequently there are thousands of unwanted roosters in Aotearoa New Zealand, who are often slaughtered or abandoned. Please consider adopting needy roosters and hens rather than hatching your own.
Shortly after the roosters arrived, we took in two mellow goats - Archie, who is black and white, and Spot, who has pure white hair. The pair came from a loving home, but unfortunately their caregiver could no longer look after them. During the five week period before the pair moved in, we regularly traveled to their previous home to vaccinate them and treat them for parasites, ensuring that the new arrivals and the rest of our herd will all remain safe and healthy. While we are usually at capacity for goats, we were able to adopt Archie and Spot as our little black goat Vincent was rehomed just up the road, and sadly another goat passed away recently.
For now we are housing Archie and Spot in a separate paddock, where they can see, hear and smell the other goats through a protective fence. This allows them to become gently acquainted with each other. All the goats are very curious and interested in the new arrivals, and we have just started bringing Archie and Spot into the large paddock with the rest of the flock for a couple of hours a day of play time.
The initial introductions have been very successful, and Archie and Spot are already starting to form new friendships, especially with our youngest goat Merge. The trio romp and play till they are completely exhausted - this is another reason to give Archie and Spot some quiet time away from the other goats as they gradually integrate into the herd!
The initial introductions have been very successful, and Archie and Spot are already starting to form new friendships, especially with our youngest goat Merge. The trio romp and play till they are completely exhausted - this is another reason to give Archie and Spot some quiet time away from the other goats as they gradually integrate into the herd!
Adopting a goat is a significant responsibility, as they have very specific health care needs. We currently look after fifteen goats, each of whom has their own unique personality and medical requirements. Some of older goats suffer from arthritis, which we treat with a combination of pain relief medicine, and herbal supplements of Devil's Claw and turmeric. Every six weeks, we clip our goats' hooves, and we are continually monitoring their feet for footrot and foot scald in these wet spring conditions. We are committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our animals for the rest of their natural lives, so while we do rehome animals whenever possible, we continue to check on their health and progress, and, if need be, any animal that has once been in our care can come back and live permanently with us.
We're glad to report that Gherkin's health seems to be stabilising with the help of medication. Although he has suffered two more small seizures, he is in good spirits, and enjoys playing with his friends Toa and Doris. He continues to put on weight as he approaches adulthood.
We're glad to report that Gherkin's health seems to be stabilising with the help of medication. Although he has suffered two more small seizures, he is in good spirits, and enjoys playing with his friends Toa and Doris. He continues to put on weight as he approaches adulthood.
With the longer daylight hours, we are making progress on our predator-proof fence. We are now adding the deer netting, digging it well into the ground so that the bunnies can't burrow underneath and escape.