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.

Sunday, 11 August 2013

Dog day doings!

Nothing very exciting happening for the boys this week but they have been penned a couple of times so that Fergus's eye can be attended to.  The arrival of humans in the paddock carrying white sticks results in humming from Rufus and Fergus because they all know that it will be a penning exercise - again!  They all know where to go but occasionally Faro will decide that he does not want to be penned and will charge off in the opposite direction creating indecision in the herd resulting in the scattering of alpacas.  This time they were all good boys.
Fergus has just had the ointment put in his eye so it is still slightly closed but overall it is a lot better this week.  He is taking his medication very well, standing still whilst it is being applied.
Dog watch!  When one of our neighbours walks along the road with her two dogs, the boys start paying attention in case of a threat.  In the background from the left Gully, Rufus, Gaucho and Fyta watch the dogs whilst Fidget in the foreground pays more attention to the humans in the paddock.  You'll note that Fidget's diet doesn't seem to be working!
In the field shelter Wee Eck is blissfully unaware of dogs, or anything else, as he lies amid the chaos of hay buckets and chews the cud.  Being deaf he is reliant on the other boys to be alert but they often wander off and leave him.  This brings on a panic attack when Eck suddenly realises he is on his own and he jumps up and charges off to find them.  When he does, he does little jumps of happiness..........aaah!
Not chewing the cud but still watching the dogs is Fyta.  He's a lovely, friendly boy who comes and stands next to us but who does not usually like being touched or stroked.  However if he is eating tit bits from the hand he gets tickled on the underside of his chin and he likes that!
Enough dog watching for one day and Rufus decides on a nap.
And finally............Gully displaying this odd way of lying down with his rear  'elbows' sticking in the air.  Maybe he lies like this so that he can move quickly if required - or maybe he doesn't want his 'bits' on the cold ground, who knows?  Have a good week.

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4 comments:

  1. Zanzibah Alpacas11 August 2013 at 15:00

    The boys are looking swell !! who mentioned the 'D' word....I've got a few who like to sit with their elbows off the ground too, maybe its a camel thing .....we are having torrential downpours as I type ....its nice to get a break from all that heat ! ....Jayne

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  2. Judi B11 August 2013 at 18:57

    So glad that Fergus's eye is on the mend. Wee Eck looks such a sweetie,,,he'll never know what everyone else is up to whilst he sits that way round in the shelter!!!

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  3. Apple Vale Alpacas11 August 2013 at 21:59

    I notice the pregnant females close to birthing use the knees to keep the 'undercarriage' clear of the ground, but also on hot days, non-pregnant females do it, so I think it is a cooling method. Nice summary of personalities!

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  4. A Country Chicken18 August 2013 at 07:41

    Oh, so glad to hear that Fergus's eye is much better :)Lisa

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