Wheel Barrow of Death

It looks innocent enough doesn't it?

Don't let looks deceive you. This is indeed the Wheel Barrow of Death!.

Anecdotally this was the mildest winter I've experienced in Tasmania and I think this lulled us into a false sense of comfort before the Spring carnage unfolded on the farm. In the last 4 weeks that wheel barrow has carted off:

• x1 pregnant female goat (Petal)
• x1 male goat (Manuka)
• x1 pregnant female alpaca (Hebe)
• x1 Hebe's yearling crea (Milky)
• x1 Grace Kelly's yearling crea

That's more deaths in one month than we've experienced in the 5 years prior, totalled. There was a mixture of causes, Petal got a virus and dropped fast, Manuka suffered severe organ damage three years ago and this was just one winter too many, Hebe was old, dropped condition dramatically whilst pregnant and stopped feeding her yearling too and Grace Kelly was a first year mother whom I'd thought was too young to get pregnant - I'm suspecting parental neglect there.

We caught them all and Kristina did an outstanding job nursing them but there was not much that can be done despite her best efforts.

I expect that will be the last time a mild winter catches us off guard.