Thursday, August 9, 2007

Getting Used to the Maggots

Another sweltering near-100 degree day here on the farm. The sheep lie around in the shade all day, and the horses take shelter down in the woods.

I shipped off one of my EBay sales this afternoon--a one-of-a-kind porcelain gypsy doll who is going to Puerto Rico.

We got a small load of hay today, courtesy of my EBay sales. We still don't have the money to pay Bob for his alfalfa, but the animals have to eat.

After feeding the animals, we cleaned Peri's leg again. There were maggots, but not quite as many as last time. After my close encounter with them yesterday, they've lost a lot of their shock value. I realized at one point I had started picking them out of the wound with my fingers--Look at me, voluntarily touching a maggot! EWW!--and I brushed one off my face without getting too grossed out.

It's just another one of the many up close and personal experiences you get with the stinky, slimy, and squirmy things of the world when you run a farm. Manure, urine, vomit, placentas, meconium, blood, pus, snot, maggots... if an animal can excrete it onto you, at some point it probably will.

Don't you all want to go out and become farmers now? :-)

On the bright side, I ordered some screw worm spray and SWAT paste to kill the maggots and keep the flies off Peri's wound (also courtesy of my EBay money). I can't wait until they get here.

I may be getting used to the maggots. That doesn't mean I enjoy them!

2 comments:

Dancingfarmer said...

And BOY! do those maggots move fast to get back where they were :-)
My son said after he helped us with our maggot problem "you know mom---I don't really like helping you feed and care for the sheep but THAT was pretty cool. I like helping you with stuff like that"
I will say a shower is always in order after that---I hate the smell of them.
Good thoughts your way Nancy :-)
Monica

Nancy Chase said...

Hi Monica!

Funny you should say that about your son. Just last night, dealing with Peri's leg, I was thinking, "What I need is a BOY on this farm. A BOY would think this was cool!"

My husband did NOT think it was cool. I'm there trying to clean the wound while Ken's holding the sheep, and he's saying, "There's a maggot on my leg! Brush it off me before it climbs up my pant leg!"

I'm thinking, "Do you see what Peri's leg looks like right now? And you're worried about ONE maggot on your leg?"

Still, I don't blame him. Those things are disgusting!

And yes, we both always need showers immediately after cleaning the wound. My skin keeps crawling even after the maggots are gone.

The things we farmers go through!