Halter Training, poor J. Arbuckle.

Oh, poor J. Arbuckle, today he started halter training and he was separated for a much longer time from his dam, Bess.  For halter training, I put Frederica, Priscilla, and J. Arbuckle in the catch pen.  We walked around to the right for a while, then we walked to the left for a while.  I looked at their fiber and just hung out with them.  After a while I gently placed a halter on each of the young alpacas.  Priscilla did very well, J Arbuckle and Frederica, who is already halter trained, fought the halters.  I left the halters on the three of them while we patiently walked around to the right and then to the left.  As J. Arbuckle calmed down I removed his halter, next  Priscilla's  was removed. J. Arbuckle was separated from his dam for the day.  Frederica and I took a walk around the farm, something I have not done in a very long time.  I think she enjoyed the walk down through the gardens and through the back yard. I certainly enjoyed it.

J. Arbuckle and Bess were not put together until 10 PM.  Bess was full of milk and went looking for her son as soon as the gate was open.  Ah, life on the farm. . .

Frederica on the right.

Cricket watching from the tree.

Observations

It was really chilly out this AM, but of course, in the dead of winter it would have seemed like a heat wave.  It is funny how things change our views.  The alpacas were more hungry than usual, I guess they felt the cold, as well.  Alexi is a fast little cria.  He knows how to hide among the other alpacas so I can't just grab him.  I hesitated to take off his coat, being so cold and all, but the low 40's really aren't that cold for an alpaca.  I know he will need that coat tonight when he will be out in his first freeze.  I put a little extra hay in the manger and began to mentally make a check list of things I need to do before winter.

• Put up wind shields around the corral areas.  It sure would have helped last year.
• Move as much of the poop pile to the garden area as we can.  This will help in two ways.  It will help the gardens and it will get the poop pile down so it can take the winter additions.  There is a lot of good soil under there.
• Now that it has rained, perhaps we can repair some fencing.  I think this is the least favorite job on most any farm.  It is heavy and and intense work.
• Arrange for some independent grain and hay in the boy's shed.
• Get out the heated water buckets.  I hate these buckets, they are so much harder to clean, but so nice for our animals.
• I need to try to insulate the cottage windows so I can use the cottage for more of the winter. 
• Make room in the garage for the car.
• caulk

I think that is enough list for now. I don't believe in too long of lists and this one is plenty long.

Back to observations, I really like to take the time to watch the herd and all the interactions they have.  Eddie is the only light colored animal on the girl's side besides the new cria.  One thing about the herd, they all basically get along , but they do segregate themselves by color when they are grazing and kushing.  Alexi often gravitates toward Eddie and Eddie tries to shed himself of the tiny Alexi. (They are both very light colors.)  I think Eddie is afraid Alexi will try to nurse off him.  Eddie is such a big gelding and Alexi is such a little wisp of a cria.

    Lady's girls try to stay on the same side of the fence with her.  Frederika even tries to nurse when she has been separated from her dam.  Frederika is almost 3!!!  Pippi hums to be on the same side of the fence with Lady.  Bess is anxious to be separated from her large cria, J. Arbuckle.  She has gotten so run down from the nursing demand he puts on her.  She is happy to be put in with him at night.

Our kitty, Cricket, is at the vet being spayed.  It is really silly, but I miss seeing her playing on the deck.  I will be happy when she returns and is chasing  anything that moves.

I better get back to work, thanks for stopping by the blog . . .

Cold and Damp but All is Well on the Farm . . .

It is a grey day.  It is damp and chilly and my muscles ache.  Ugh!   But the barnyard doesn't seem to mind the weather as much as I do.  I say that, knowing full well that the rain kept them close to the barn last night . . . because the barnyard was full of poop.   Good news is that it all looks great and who ever was having mushy poop is now back to normal.  I hardly know what to do with moist ground and chilly temps, but I know I will figure it out.  Here are some pictures to share.

Alexi in his night time coat.

Al 

Cloudy

Cloudy

Pippilotta Long Stockings

Alexi is always in motion.

NASTY Weather

It is NASTY outside!  I think we must have had at least 5 inches of snow, but it was just above freezing so it is drippie, wet, cold and tiring.  I thought the alpacas had stayed in the barn all day.  Although the beans let me know that they had spent a lot of time in the barn, their fleece was sopping wet, so I know they spent some time outside.  That is not a problem for the older animals, as their fleece is long and the wetness does not reach down to the skin.  It is little Frederica and Hippolytte that Imost worry about.  The cria fleec is not as dense and not as long as the the rest of them.  I took a towel and tried to dry their fleece.  I am not sure it helped much, but it made me feel good.

Frederica

I walked down the long drive to get the mail.  It had been in the box for several hours.  A  small hole in the seam of the box had let the moisture in  the box, ugh.  I was thankful the newspaper was in a plastic sleeve.  Now I am warm and cozy in front of a fire, the alpacas are in a clean shed or barn with fresh hay and buckets of heated water.  It continues to look like a blizzard outside and I am so happy I have already been to the barn.

Time to relax,

Alpaca Lady