OUR SMALL HERD

Our original four boys came from Ardo Alpacas in Aberdeenshire. We are not alpaca breeders and have our boys purely as pets. Our experience is that you don't need to be a breeder and that a 'batchelor herd' can give much pleasure to the owner. We have 5 acres including our big garden and grazing for the boys, 15 miles north of Inverness, Scotland. I spin, knit, felt and crochet with the fleece from the boys.

Clicking!!

Just a reminder that clicking on (most) of the photos will show them greatly enlarged.

Saturday 21 August 2010

Hose pipe ban?

A couple of times a week we have to run out the hose across the paddock to fill the water trough in another field for the cattle.  Usually Fyta strolls up to the hose and lifts it as he is demonstrating above.  Of course Fyta lifts watering cans, hay buckets or anything which he can move so a hose presents no problems for him.  Interestingly some of the boys will not walk over the hose as if it is a barrier and a few days ago Wee Eck got himself into a panic because he was on one side of the hose and the other boys were on the other side.  He couldn't bring himself to step over it and instead ran up and down in an obvious fluster on his side of the hose!  Eventually he stepped over it and wasn't bothered with it any more.
Here is Wee Eck having chin and neck rubs from Robbie.  He still remains the least settled of the boys at halter fitting time, but is getting better.  Fidget had his nails trimmed today and (surprisingly) was very well behaved.
We've noticed that Eck has taken to following Faro around.  Faro is the herd guard, always first to check everything out and usually the last to settle down.  Now when Faro appears, Wee Eck is usually a couple of steps behind him as in the photo above - a bit like 'tweedle dee and tweedle dum!'  They have the same father (Aymara Gotit) and Faro is four years old, a year older than Eck.  Interesting to note that Eck has a little white patch at the rear of his left foot.  Rufus can be seen in the background.
This is some of Gaucho's fleece which I've been spinning and it is a real camel colour although when spun, because the underside of the fleece is light fawn, it creates a pretty, marled effect.
  
And finally.......... more goodies from the garden, thanks to 'paca poo!

2 comments:

  1. How funny the boys are!! My horses would do the same thing!! Your Cauliflower is so white and pretty! That PacaPoo really does a great job!! ...debbie

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  2. The boys are funny with strange things..aren't they ! The veg is fantastic !!.....organic !..you can't beat it ! and the taste !!...out of this world !....homegrown veg and handspun....yarn...fantastic !!.....Jayne

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