A new critter coming soon!

[secuono]

Hello all!

This is my first post, I believe. I'll be visiting a little filly tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully she checks out and I'll bring her home with me!

She is around a year old and pampered. I have a roughly 30x80ft area she will be in for now right by the house. It's all chainlink fencing, since it's actually the dogyard. She won't be able to find a way out, others can't find a way in and it's safe for her little legs. Once she's here and a bit used to me and the LGD has met her and accepted her, I have another area that is permanent. It starts off about 40ft wide, goes down 250-300ft and tapers off to about 20ft at the end. I'll be moving her shelter out there with her. I'm not sure how big she will become, so the shelter I have is easily changeable to really grow with her.

My sheep will be fine with the new animal. The mare, I expect her to easily make friends with her. She is a soon to be 20 year old Paint/TB, 15h or so and is very calm and friendly. She is a pushover and is friendly with all sorts of animals as long as they don't harass her. Then again, the pony is bossy and she has only once kicked him, he deserved it, she should of told him off much sooner, really.

The pony is a 13h Corolla NC wild caught pony, going to be 6yrs. He is needy and friendly, but just like a typical pony, he's a brat and likes to boss around other animals. He's highly respective of me, but not so much the pig, sheep or his mare friend, heh. He is who I'm most wary of, thus the filly will be in the dogyard at first. And the permanent area is also fairly pony-proof.

The ultimate goal would be to have her able to live with the pony and sheep. There will be an area where the pony won't be allowed to cross via hot wire too tall for him to pass. Barn is in 4 sections; pony, sheep, mare, hay storage. Would be nice for her to be able to use the barn as well and be more part of the mixed herd.

No idea what I'll name her yet, not sure if she is a pony, mini or dwarf. So many unknowns, just hope she is healthy and fits in well!

New pictures when she arrives!!

Pictures of her from the ad!

 

[misty'smom]

Hello and Welcome!!! I am from Va too, Culpeper. Where do you live? I am sure you are excited about the prospect of a new cute little mini. I have 2 that will be 2 yrs in the spring. Misty is normal size and her half sister Josie is a dwarf. Maybe if you could get some more pictures of her it would be easier to tell in indeed if she is a dwarf. If you get down on her level and take a side shot and front shot of her head. Dwarfs have a bigger head/forehead and their nostrils are more on the front of their nose than the sides, some call this a monkey nose they also have shorter legs.They are cute as can be and if in pretty good health can live a normal life!!! Josie has two hooves that turn a bit but my farrier cuts and files to compensate. She can run, buck and even rear up on those short little legs just the same as Misty!!

Please post if you decide to get her with some pictures! Good Luck, hope everything works out for you!!!!

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

How exciting ! Where in Virginia do you live? I have family and my mini in Montpelier, VA (outside of Richmond). Just remember that if you are feeding the mini and the sheep together that they are not getting each others food. Horse food and minerals meant for horses have copper in them and is toxic to sheep.

 

[secuono]

I'm in Culpeper as well. What a tiny world! Only mini I know of is the one who lives with the big horse up the road.

I use those big livestock mineral mix blocks. The sheep use them a bit, goats drool all over them [aka love them], horses occasionally use them. It's not loaded with copper, so the sheep are fine. They are all mainly fed pasture and then hay during winter. Sometimes they get some grain in winter as well, usually on gross days or when it's been snowing. Sheep surely don't need anymore food along with the pony.

Waiting on two people to show for those darned goats and for some rabbits. Then I'll be finishing the pen for the new girl and getting the car ready w/what I need for the trip. So exciting!

 

[atotton]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[AnnaC]

Welcome to LB! What a cute little filly - did you say that she's a yearling, because I'm a little concerned by seeing her with all that saddlery on her. Hopefully that doesn't mean that some kiddy has been riding her at that young age!

She does look as though she needs some proper care and attention - a feed that is higher in protein at a level suitable for a growing body and free access to vitamins and minerals will soon see a lot of improvement. Also someone to love her and care for her will help with her mental attitude and it sounds as though she will get plenty of this with you.

 

[secuono]

Yes, she's a year old and they just had the stuff on her, the daughter didn't ride her. They told me the mom was her size and the dad was about 31in tall.

Feels like she may have rainrot or something, it feels the same under all that fluff. Their teenage son was able to lift her easily into the car, dad said she was 50-60# or so.

She's very calm and she called out to me when I left her alone in the yard. I hope she'll be ok and all the animals leave her alone.

She was really good in the car, but she did poop twice and take a big pee, so my car needs cleaning again.

Leading her was a slight pain at her old place, but she followed me fairly well out the car and into the yard. She didn't want me to leave her behind and ran after me calling with her cute tiny voice. I showed her the hut, water, hay and then dropped some grain mix here and there for her to focus on rather than standing under the kitchen window and cry. It might not work, the goats did the same and slept under the window instead of going off to graze.

Pictures of her in the car, the two previous owners and I can be seen in the reflection. =p

She was very nice in the car, couple people stopped me to chat and to pet her.

LGD was a bit grumpy, but chilled, hopefully she stays quiet so the filly can sleep in peace. Bulldog is in the house, she's uninterested in her...yet.

Her halter was too small over the nose, so I removed it. She's being very easy to approach here at home, then again, I didn't chase her around back at her last place, so she seems to like me a bit already.

Q, what size halter do I get her??

I'll get new pictures in the morning and feel her out better.

Q, should I be feeding her a foal feed of some kind?? They were feeding her hay, oats, corn and cheerios.

 

[misty'smom]

She sure is a cutie!!! What is her name? Did you get her here in Culpeper? Mine came from a breeder in Madison. I did not know there were any other breeders of minis around, it took me months to find one close by!! It sure is a small world, you here in C-pep too!!!! Whereabouts are you? I am actually in town, we own an empty lot next to our home and we built a barn and fenced in a year and half ago for the minis!!

Since she is a baby still this is what I have been feeding mine since I got them as weanlings......I buy it at the Co-op by the car wash and the Walgreens, it's Pace Maker Sound Start. It is a really good feed and comes highly recommended by breeders and the Vet. The mix is developed by the Kentucky Equine Research Center and they just updated all their formulas in September. Now come spring when they are 2 yrs I will probably switch to one with less protein/fat content. They get free feed hay and I try to get the finer orchard grass hay especially since my little dwarf has the underbite. I also have a RedRock (think that is what it's called) mineral rock also from the Co-op in a big bin in the back. I order their halters from a mini website, I will try to find the name for you but there are quiet a few and I started with the small size, of course Misty has grown into a medium but Josie still wear a small!! At the top of this page there is the tack shops and there are lots of good ones there!!!

Now that you have her do you think she is a dwarf?? Any of the characteristic? Can't wait to see some more pictures of your new baby, Congratulations!

 

[secuono]

You mean Farm Home center between walmart and petsmart, but across from lowes? I usually avoid them, they were rude a few times in the past, so I only get hot wire supplies from them now. PLus, they are closed on Sundays.
I got her from a family in Maryland. Ones from breeders are way out of my price range, I just wanted a pet to dote on.
They called her Kalie, but my mare's name is Callie, so she needs a new name.
I'm on the other side of Culpeper, some miles out of town.
Do you know a trimmer that will do minis?? I found out that she's never been trimmed, at least that's what they said when I was there, though, over email, they said she had been trimmed before. I trim my big two myself, I probably wouldn't try it until I see a pro do her feet a few times. My old trimmer is from WVA and had come out only for my two, no idea if he knows how to do mini feet.

Not sure about the dwarf thing, is a short back bad? She seemed ok, she's very fluffy, but feels thin.

Slight round belly, cow hocked.

 

[secuono]

Ok, always listen to your LGD!

Pony broke the metal TPosts and shoved the fence down. Him and the mare were in with the mini. They were mainly ignoring her and eating up all the only green grass on the property. I'll be attempting to sink some wood posts tomorrow, hopefully the ground won't be too frozen. Pony is crazy hard to keep contained or out if he has a friend on the other side...Wood, metal poles, solid fencing and hot wire have all proven fairly worthless to fence him. But he is better with the hot fence.

I went and offset a 2 strand hot wire fence around the dogyard, about 10ft from the stomped fence. Put up and braced the tposts, hope everything will stay put until the morning. I would put them into a separate area across the property, but the pony will only tear that fence down or worse, fall and seriously injure himself.

I let the mare sniff, she was fine, let the pony sniff and he chewed at her fur, but ears were forward.

I stayed out and watched, they are calmly standing at the hotwire and watching. Will keep checking on them throughout the night. Near full moon, she nearly glows.

Looked over the filly while I watched the horses realize there was a new hot fence up. She is looking more dwarf-like, but not a terribly obvious or painful one.

 

[misty'smom]

Yes that's the place Farm Home Center, sorry it was the "Co-op" way back when we first came to C-pep some 27 yrs ago!! Lo I guess I need to get with it!! They have been really nice to me this past year and half I have been going there, but there has been a time or two when they seemed rushed and not so friendly. But I know the feed is good and Tractor Supply doesn't carry it but they do carry a Purina feed for minis but it is all pellets. I use Todd Wever as my farrier to trim them about every 9 weeks. I can PM you his # if you like?

Short back and round pot belly is a dwarf characteristic. Here are 2 pics of my Josie if that helps, not the greatest pics. She has some of the features but for the most part is pretty good, there are different levels of dwarfs and I think Josie is on the lower end as your baby maybe too.

 

[secuono]

Fence worked. Looks like she is trying to bond with anything that moves right now. Following the LGD from side to side, the horses, me, even the goats. Sheep haven't made their way over yet. I'll get pictures posted soon. No nakie pics until summer.

 

[secuono]

She's met the Doberpup, LGDpup this morning. Her top teeth go over the bottoms about 3mm.

She's got goopy eyes, what can I do for that?

Pictures. There's more of them, but it's taking forever for them to email to my pc from my phone.

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

I wouldn't jump to say that she is a dwarf just yet - babies go through awkward growth stages and with that long hair of hers it can hide a lot. I would wait until spring, clip her down and start going from there.

Also be sure to feel way under that fur and make sure you can't feel ribs, spine or hip bones. You want her to feel smooth all over - I haven't read all the posts but she does need at least a 14% grain - if she were mine I would have her on omolene 300.

She looks like a sweetheart!

 

[secuono]

What I feel is bumps, like the kind you feel when a horse has rainrot. But her coat isn't coming out and has no bald spots. I can see the shape of the hip and shoulder through her coat and feel the spine, my guess is that she is thin. I'll go to the feed stores and try to get a bag for her. She wasn't much interested in the mix grain I have, what the previous owner gave her, so not sure if she will eat the new food. Is there something I can mix it with that will make it much more appetizing? I have handmade grass hay I'll try giving her. She didn't much like the other hay I have.

 

[secuono]

Here's a short video from this morning showing how she walks.

 

[chandab]

She's pretty cute.

She's still just a baby (don't recall how old you said, but she looks like a baby), so it might take some encouragement to get her to eat any grain and maybe even hay. Some take a bit of time to get the hang of grain, but once they do, look out.

 

[AnnaC]

She does look a bit cow hocked as you said, but basically I think that she urgently needs food and building up - she looks quite weak generally, I would even suggest that she might still be a foal (from earlier in 2013) rather than a yearling by birth date?

Apart from grass she will need soft leafy hay virtually ad lib at her age - minis dont do well on most normal horse hay as it is too hard - then get her a good quality foal/weanling feed and introduce it slowly at first, until she gets used to it and the taste, before slowly increasing it to the required amount for her weight/age. We feed a pellet feed to our youngsters as some of ours found the 'hard' bits in the grain feeds too 'sharp' for their mouths (I am in the UK so things/grain feeds may be different for you in the US?)

You also need to think about a wormer for her - I would use a mild one to start with in case she is overburdened with worms, and follow it up a couple of weeks later with an Ivermectin wormer. Never use Quest/Equest wormer on minis and I would avoid Zimectin Gold as well for now if I was you.

Good luck, I'm sure you will soon have her looking and feeling tickerty-boo!!

 

[secuono]

Yearling.

Don't know the birth date.

She is exactly 77 pounds.

I have Ivomec injectable, regular not plus. I can use that, has the most safety buffer, but how much of it topically?

 

[AnnaC]

Sorry cant help you with the injection stuff - never use it but you could ask your vet. With the tubes of paste wormer the 'sections' are broken into 100kg markers which is helpful with dosing the little ones. Be careful if you use the injection stuff in her neck as there probably isn't much 'flesh' there to inject into.

People call horses yearlings once January 1st comes round as I'm sure you know, but if she was a yearling last year then she would be called a 2 year old now - not possible from the look and weight of her! What I'm saying is that if the folks selling her to you called her a yearling because 1st of January had passed, then it would be perfectly normal for her not to be an actual 'yearling' (growth and development wise) for quite a few months yet. Perhaps you could ask them to check her actual birth date?