Cold weather snacks

Earlier this week we moved the boys to the bottom paddocks to give them fresh grass.  Great excitement as always as they ran into the paddocks and familiarised themselves with their new surroundings again.  Quite a miserable, rainy week but today the sun has come out.  Since last week we've been giving them a daily tit-bit of apples and carrots gifted to them by Heather (see last blog) but this has the effect of making them run to us each time we go in a paddock in the hope that we have more carrots and apples!  Fine in bleak mid-winter, but not necessary at this time of year so we try and change the time of day we give the tit-bits otherwise their in-built time clocks have them lining the fences looking for a snack!  Thats what this picture is all about with the snack-happy boys running up.

No prizes for guessing who will be first in line for food - Fergus - that well known belly-on-legs!  He was more than a little disappointed to discover that there was only a camera on offer, not a bowl of 'five a day' portions!

Line-out time as the guys realise there are no more snacks and they'd better get on and nibble the grass.  Nearest the camera is Fidget and last week we took a sample of his poo to the Vet Lab in Inverness because he has been a bit 'loose' in his motions of late - not runny, but not 'bean-like' either if you get my meaning!  Normally we send a 'pooled' sample from all the boys for analysis twice a year, but on this occasion we just delivered Fidget's so that it could be thoroughly checked.  We got the result earlier this week and were pleased that it was negative.

Gully looking for one of the dogs from the neighbouring farm.

Fergus was still not entirely convinced that the photographer did not have lots of apples and carrots stuffed up his jumper......................wrong,  Fergie boy!

Not sure if you'll be able to see the boys in their shelters with the hills beyond.  This was taken by Robbie on Thursday at 8.00am, on a very cold morning with a dusting of snow on the higher peaks beyond.  Hat and jacket weather again - already!

The boys were totally unconcerned by the cold weather as they snuggled up to their hay buckets which as always have been emptied then thrown and kicked around the place!  Faro is on guard outside with his tail up and Fergus prefers his own company in the steading.