Today we have started reorganising the fields as we go into the birthing/showing/breeding season. We need to create a nursery field and to rest a couple of fields. We set off in the Mule first thing to inspect grass, fences, levels of poo etc. We have a very nice field behind the house that grows a lot of grass and is easy to keep an eye on. So the mums and cria will go in there after a week or so in the birthing field. We are also parking a group of girls who are at the ten month stage of pregnsncy to Alpaca Stud Jaquinto. We want to keep a special watch on these ones, we don’t want any errors when they give birth!
The hen has got at least two little chicks that have hatched but there are more eggs. Are they duds? I don’t know so we have put water and chick crumbs nearby if the chicks venture out rather than transferring them to a chicken hutch. I think the cats realise that if they take a chick they are dead meat…they better had. One of the cats brought in a baby rabbit and prioceeded to kill and eat it in the barn. A second cat sat nearby in a pleading manner but was totally ignored until there were only two back legs left – and she was given those. Nature red in tooth and claw and all that jazz.