A Hard Day's Work

Charlie is the most excitable and active of the dogs, but even he has to relax sometimes. Even in his resting position he is off the wall.

The new hens are settling in really well now.   They are getting quite brave and can be seen wandering around the paddocks.   They are quite wimpy and rush for shelter under a trailer or back in their house when it is raining.  They recognize their feed bucket and waddle after me at high speed when they see me carrying it towards their feeder.  Charlie gave them a fright this afternoon.  I was taking him down to our agility practice area and he ran through the little flock at full speed.    They scattered in all directions, but quickly recovered from their fright and allowed him to walk back through without really worrying at all.  No wonder they are easy prey for foxes.  They are far too trusting!!

The cat has been little seen for quite a few weeks but suddenly she has decided to be a home cat again and comes around demanding her dinner and/or milk when it is on offer.  Maybe she is missing the alpacas.   She had made her bed in the straw in the barn where we were housing the herd in the very cold and wet weather.  Now they are out all the time, so probably the barn is not such a warm and friendly haven for the cat.   The old speckled hen is still surviving and she just lives in the barn really.   She comes to the back door every morning to see if there are any titbits and if we are not careful comes into the porch.

Adriana, a solid black female alpaca is overdue for giving birth.   She has been pregnant for 360 days according to my records, so I am beginning to wonder if she is just fat and not pregnant at all.  We did have one female who gave birth at twelve months, so I am not giving up yet.   She spends quite a lot of time lying down on her own, but I don't know if it is because she is feeling uncomfortable with the cria or just being unsociable.  I keep checking up on her, especially as it is still so wet and windy all the time.

We are going to wean the kids soon and will have 6 young bucks for sale.   They are pedigree Angoras who are renowned for their fleece but can also be fattened up for meat or kept as pets.