JA Farms

#Shoftek!

I think you’re right that it’s individual, the same way it is with people. Some grieve loudly, some quietly, and some don’t seem to at all.
Your stillborn theory makes a lot of sense. Jacks are known for being fierce about coyotes, so it’s hard to picture them letting one near a live foal. And if the jenny isn’t distressed at all, that fits too. If her body never fully switched into ‘mama mode’ because the baby came early, she may not have bonded with it. As sad as it is, I hope you’re right. It’s easier to think the baby never suffered.
You know this far better than I do, but since the foal came early, it might be worth making sure the jenny passed everything afterward and isn’t running a fever. A retained placenta can cause real trouble. I’m sure you’ve already got an eye on her, but the doctor in me had to say it 😄
And Saban sounds like a legend. A true hoss of a dog, guarding his goats and leaving dead coyotes as proof he was on duty?
But the image of him lying next to that billy goat all day, waiting with him until you got home... that’s heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. That’s loyalty. Guardian dogs don’t just protect their herd. They love it.
Animals like that leave a mark. I’m sorry you lost him, and I’m glad you had him.
There is a lot that we can learn from animals. They prey on other animals to eat, to survive, to continue to exit. They do not prey on their own kind. I think this is more civilized than humans who kill each other for a few dollars.

Stay safe tonight with that coyote hollering 50 yards away. I’d be spooked too.