Apple Vale Florina

Saturday morning began with checking the two whites most likely to birth first, and after a few chores I went in for a cup of coffee, came out half an hour later, and there was a little brown head sitting up above the grass - Bramley, our dark fawn, and re-mated to Van Diemen Qjori of Patou had repeated last years birth with a brown female, weighing 6.0 kg exactly the same as Elstar a year previously (and at almost exactly the same time!). She was up within no time and suckling well - she has gained weight over night, although Elstar has tried sneaking a drop of milk, so we seperated her last night with some companions.

Apple Vale Florina

We had a set-back last week, when Freedom, who was only just on 10.5 months pregnant, had a still-birth early in the morning, a  male weighing just 3.8kg, fully formed externall, and a light fawn. The placenta appeared normal. She has had a quite extensive attack of mange mites on her legs in the last couple of months, which we had been treating and had got on top of, with Cydectin, but clearly she has struggled to develop the cria to a point of viability. It was heart-wrenching to see her looking to where she had delivered it, after I had taken it away, and humming for it. On top of that, yesterday we discovered an abscess on her thigh and have this evening treated it with Hibiscrub and Manuka honey, and fly-spray, which we understand has worked like magic for another breeder. Fingers crossed.

Bramley with Florina