Building Unity Farm Sanctuary - Fifth Week of March 2017

We continue to refine the sanctuary buildings, prepare the new animal care areas, and keep our creatures healthy.

Sweetie, our 18 year old Welsh Pony developed a sore on her right lip.    Using my human medicine training I inspected it for abscess formation and drained it, while also applying local antibiotics.   It did not heal this week, so we asked the horse vet to take a look.   It turns out that when horses have tooth abscesses in the lower jaw, they develop drainage tracts in their lips.    Tooth abscesses in the upper jaw drain into the sinuses and out the nose.    She’s now on systemic antibiotics and we may pull a tooth next week

My work on the sanctuary's 50 windows and screens, restoring all missing parts, took its toll on my hands.   These are supposed to be surgeon’s hands, not filled with cracks and calluses!   I guess I’m destined to have farmer’s hands.   We had snow, rain, and strong wind this week without a single window/screen issue.

As we go through our checklist of finishing touches on the sanctuary building, we’re fast approaching completion.  The last of the replacement carpet, the last of the furniture (library chairs) and the fire alarm system went in this week.

We added bird feeders to support the local fauna, both nut and seed eating types.

We’ve finished the tree work in preparation for the new paddocks as well as trimmed the branches that could injure animals in a windstorm.

As the weather warms, the trail work begins and we’ll walk the property next weekend with leaders from the Sherborn Rural Land Trust, figuring out how to connect existing public property with the sanctuary to create a network of local trails.

We’re hard at work on new paddock designs, ensuring they support a diversity of animals, offer a logical workflow, and abide by all local regulations.  In theory, paddock fencing installation should begin in mid-April.     Here’s a view of the new areas which maximize animal use of sanctuary land.

This weekend we’ll be training volunteers, rewiring the dining room (that story will be told next week), and  hosting a yoga retreat.   With good weather planned, we’ll have plenty of animal time, grooming, exercising, and feeding our charges.