Getting up at 6 am to check on the pregnant females who are now due, is starting to get a little tedious...for the pregnant females that is...they are without fail tucked up in the barn. At first some of them used to stand up when they heard me...then they soon realised it was not going to be feed time...but they did still acknowledge me. Now...most of them don't even bother to wake up. It is very cute. The other morning I found Nina fast asleep, with Pebbles asleep with her head on Nina's back, and Fendi (Caramella's cria) tucked up behind them...with Caramella in a different bay all together!
Our alpacas do like routine. They obviously go out sometimes during the night; I have looked out occassionally at 4 am, if I have woken, and have seen them in the paddock. However, they are without fail in the barn early every morning (the girls and weanlings this is) and don't go again out until after they are fed. This is why we try to do routine injections etc when they are in to be fed, otherwise they know we are up to something. Bozedown Blanche (an early import who is now 9 years old) is too old and wise to be fooled too often.
St. Patrick, Nimrod and Julius have settled well in their new group. St Pat is loving being next to the weanlings. Explorer rushes up to him with his tail flipped over and Nutmeg is in love!
The dreadful weather continues, although the wind is not quite as gale force as yesterday. Fortunately we are in a valley so a little protected, even so the alpacas were getting a little unsettled at times during the worst of it. Poor little Fendi nearly got blown off her feet a couple of times. I was a bit concerned that her cria coat was going to act as wings and we were going to have take off. Not the weather for birthing. The only good thing I can say about it is; with all the rain and strong winds; Explorer looks like he has had a wash and blow dry:
Beck Brow Explorer...is this the cleanest that he has ever been?
He is off to Northumberland Show on Monday...his fleece is now well past it's best and he will be one day into the intermediate class...but it one of only 2 local shows for us. The other is Westmorland Show in September.
Truly gorgeous Gorgeous. Good luck next week.
ReplyDeletePlease send that wind over here to clean our animals up for the hairdresser tomorrow! It's so hot that they spend the day rolling...wherever they can find nice things to stick to their fleeces! Oh...a little rain would be great as well please!
ReplyDeleteLoving the 'Pouffant' hair-do Gorgeous! (From Amanda)
ReplyDeleteAs a different take on it, we avoid treatments at morning feed, so that they don't feel negative about feeding, and suspicious - I think it all depends on your particular set-up, size of barn, position of gates or doors etc., and it's perhaps as Gina Bromage says, "it's what works for you". It does mean you can develop your husbandry to suit your own set-up, without getting too anxious about rights and wrongs. Good luck at the show.
ReplyDeleteSo true Dave. Ours don't mind at all if we do routine injections/drenching whilst thet are already in. In fact they don't even bother going out afterwards. Whereas Blanche sometimes gets a little anxious if she is called in out of the usual routine. It is the anticipation of what it might be that worries her. But she has had a number of homes bless her. I have told her that she can retire here;)
ReplyDeleteOf course we do have greedy alpacas who like the comfort of the barn and there is usually a little massage included in the treatments!
Barbara (posted anon as having comment problems!)