A diary of the projects, hurdles, rewards and family life at we recorded at Wise Acres, our former homestead in Horsefly, BC. (Careers and teenagers have forced us back into the city, at least for a little while.)

Monday, April 6, 2009

Sheep Maintenance - Part 1 - Hoof Trimming

A few weeks ago, I asked our neighbour Florian (from Big Bear Ranch) if his girlfriend, Steffi, who is visiting from Austria and is a veterinarian, had any experience trimming sheep hooves. He called back a day or so later and said she did and they would be willing to come over and give us a hand. Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate our amazing neighbours?

So after practising their technique on a few of their own sheep, Florian and Steffi popped over ready to jump in and get going. Florian had perfected the technique for subduing the sheep in a sitting position...

...notice Brownie gnawing on his overalls...we figured it couldn't have been too traumatic an experience since this picture was taken after she had hers done!

Steffi was great at demonstrating the correct procedure and giving me feedback when it was my turn...

Stay tuned for Sheep Maintenance - Part 2 - Rooing and hopefully, Part 3 - Sheep Shearing.

Aside from being a top-notch sheep wrangler, Florian is an incredible photographer...he just updated his blog with new shots from Europe and they are fantastic. Check them out here.

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