Turkeyfether

Dear Friends, We hate to have our integrity called into question.But, consider this~ I have a very large barn that my neighbor , a hay farmer, stores his hay in.Beautiful hay.He barters hay, for rent ,for my horses, and now sheep.He gives me his first June cutting. The best! I have lived in this area for 3 years. In that time 4 or 5 barns have burnt down, in a half hour radius, with livestock entrapped.Hay was stored in the upper level of these barns.For one dairyman, it was his 2nd barn fire & a fairly new barn with NO electric sockets(therefore, no electric to blame & no cigarettes either).Most times it was wet hay. 1 year ago it was a very wet early summer & spring up here.I'm sure damp hay was the culprit. Wet hay paranoia is a genuine concern.This year it was a dry year. NO barn fires. I don't think this lady knew what she was talking about, but also, my farrier(for my horses) told me of someone who had lost all of his horses to mold in hay. I check every bale & smell it before feeding my horses.Every year I usually find only one bale that has black mold out of 600.I am very blessed with my hay provider.I have known people that have broke open bales only to find the entire shipment moldy & then THEY had to return the hay themselves to get a refund!!

Thank you for the very helpful information, especially the written material which I intend to get.

1)I have recently acquired 2 sheep( a ram 1 1/2 yr old & a 6 mos ewe lamb):they are used to Austrlian Cattle Dogs. 2)6 days ago I received an untrained 18 mo/old male fixed border collie.Has STRONG herding instincts.His FIRST love.Herds everything living & hurts nothing. But chases the ducks in the pond & I'm afraid he'll drown with exhaustion from swimming non stop back & forth across the pond. He won't quit until the duck exits the pond.(I'm selling off all the ducks) Any suggestions on training books? I don't know the "language" of border collies & would appreciate any help you can give me. A very wonderful family had him for the past 10 mos & are moving & thought to give him to a farm.It was unexpected & I quickly grabbed at the offer.