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 28 September 2014

Cud(ly) boys

First thing in the mornings there is usually a cud chewing session going on in the field shelters until the human arrives to do the 'poop patrol.'   This is the signal for the herd to follow him to see what he is getting up to.  Fergus is leading, followed by Fyta then Faro.
Fyta is a lovely natured alpaca but also a real scrounger and bowl licker at feed times!  He often stores food in one cheek and will stand for ages just chewing.
We have to keep an eye on Gaucho near over hanging bush branches.  He likes to nibble the grass at the paddock edges and if there are any overhanging branches and leaves he gets up on his rear legs and pulls them down.
This is the strange lying position which Gully often adopts with his rear legs sticking out.  He and Gaucho are the only ones who do this.  Rufus and Wee Eck are lying close to him, happily chewing the cud.
Keeping his own company as usual but enjoying his cud is Fidget. A long chewing period will result in him frothing at the mouth!
From this position you can see how the boys scatter themselves about the paddock. On the right is Fyta who has decided to add to the pile already in the barrow!    "Every little helps" as they say!
And finally................four very nice Chinese tourists dropped by during the week when they saw the boys in the paddock.  They all spoke excellent English, we had plenty of laughs but I still couldn't convince them to give up their jobs, buy Tigh Mhor and live in the Highlands!  The two ladies had great fun trying on the various hats I have knitted with the boys' fleece and all four have promised to return next time they are in Scotland.  Looks like these Man U fans get everywhere!

3 comments:

  1. Those boys are looking good...must all that lovely green grass I see up there but...is that down to lots of wet stuff?! We're getting a little parched over here, grass still growing but not as green as yours!! Well they do say that...."The grass is always greener....!" Looks like it's true!!

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  2. We find that the pregnant females sit like Gully as they get close to delivery during warm weather, either to keep pressure off their bellies,and also to keep cool.

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  3. Gully is looking rather indignant, maybe it's the suggestion he looks like a pregnant female. But agree mainly see the girls in this position!

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