However, I fear that I am already loosing the challenge and it's only November! The problem is we have been having some horrid weather here and the girls and the cria love being in the barn. I also love them coming in to the barn, when the noise of the gales wakes me up in the middle of the night I feel reassured. Unfortunately this is the cause of a number of walking haystacks.
I am vigilant with my barn floor sweeping; every morning, and evening as well if they have been in. I have tried serving the hay from containers on the floor, from covered bags with one opening, from nets and racks, but no matter what, we have cria fleeces full of hay.
Yesterday I stood watching for a while...I think I may have spotted the problem...although not the solution: Take Galaxy, for example, she loves her hay..she pulls out large chunks..far too much to eat at once..she stands over Roma..she lets the excess drop on to Roma's back...Galaxy leisurely chomps away...no need to hurry there is a safe supply...on Roma's back...Roma the feeding station! Unless I do not feed hay indoors I fear it is a lost cause. I will blame it on the Cumbrian weather.
Explorer appears to have managed to bring quite a supply of hay outside with him...luckily he isn't too bad... well not in Roma's league...yet!
It is difficult to see without enlarging but Poppet has a good collection of hay seeds down her neck...Yes you look gorgeous Bahati!
As everyone already knows, I am bias, I love little Finian (I know he is not really mine Bev!). Yesterday he was in a particular mischievous mood:
Looking for mischief!...
...thinking that Willow might be a good target!..
... Maybe not!
It looks like being another cold wet day here. I had hoped to catch up with some poo picking today...I have very important alpaca guests calling in tomorrow...I wanted to have pristine paddocks...never mind ... I will point out the sign hanging on my kitchen wall..."This place was clean yesterday. Sorry that you missed it!"
Lets hope your visitors are understanding...:-) we have a sign that reads, "you can touch the dust, but please don't write in it".
ReplyDeleteI also have a couple of cria looking particularly hay stackish! Willow always seems to produce very fine but scruffy cria, Layla is her second one on the trot.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the photo's tomorrow Barbara - hope the weather is good for you!
Having looked at all the scruffy cria photos, I think that our little Blossom beats them all! She has not only as much rubbish on her back as Explorer, she also has a very dirty tummy! I have it on good authority though that it's the finest fleeces that collect the most debris so we mustn't complain! How bizzare we all are.. usually the competition is for the smartest fleeces, yet we're vying for the title of scruffiest!! (Hope Jayne and Steve aren't reading this as they won't be impressed that I've entered Blossom into this competition as I should be keeping her looking gorgeous!!)
ReplyDeleteJudi
Judi