28. February 2021

Poland | Swietokrzyskie | Monthly Report February: Farm Animal Service

Bronkowice. The owner releases a calf which he tethered by the horns after our team reprimands him for this dangerous practice.

A farm in Bieliny welcomes a pony stallion into their herd. Our team is making sure that his hooves are kept in a good condition.

Linow. The owner is ready to join our ATET programme.

Linow. The owner had to put some bedding on the muddy yard so that the pony does not slip during the trimming.

Finally, this month our Farm Animal Service (FAS) team can return to work after being forced into a break by the worsening COVID-19 pandemic last winter.  

Our first visit is on a farm in Marcinkow. There we trim the hooves of five horses. All of them need special care because they have a history with founder (laminitis). Next, our FAS team drives to a farm in Bronkowice. Since our last visit, the owner bought a new calf and a foal. We notice that he tied the calf by the horns. This is illegal. Therefore, we demand him to use a neck collar for the calf instead. Afterwards, we trim the hooves of his foal and administer a deworming treatment.

Our next visit is on a farm in Bieliny. Also, here two new pony residents have arrived since our last visits – a foal and a stallion. The farmer still needs to build new boxes for his animals. Moreover, we ask him to clean the dog's kennel as soon as possible. He promises to fulfil the tasks and as a reward we trim the hooves of his three ponies. Then our team leaves for a visit in Mychow Stary. There we trim the hooves of a horse. They are in a very bad condition. The owner tells us that he is facing financial problems and has therefore decided to sell the horse.

Our last visit is on a farm in Linow. The owners are interested in joining our ATET programme. The farmer is keeping different species of animals: ponies, goats, sheep, rabbits, and a lot of poultry. The family is quite poor. They do not have permanent jobs outside the farm. The place looks neglected. After our team explained the rules of our programme, they decide to sing the contract. A lot of rubbish is scattered around the farm. Since this poses a risk for animal welfare, we ask them to clean everything up. This will be their first task as a new ATET- member.  

In February, we visited nine farms in total and trimmed the hooves of 15 horses. Unfortunately, only after a couple of days of working in the field again, the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation brings our FAS-programme to a halt again. As soon as the restrictions allow it again, our team will pick up their FAS work again.