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February 2008 Entries Fri 29th Feb 08Today it is the real birthday of a dear friend of mine - she only gets to celebrate her actual birth date every four years so leap years are very special. The three chicks are doing well and spent some time in their crate outside in the sun today, I still don't have names for them - I am trying to think of three girls names that go together. My parents will be coming out for lunch tomorrow which I am looking forward to, I hope the weather is the same as it was today, not hot or cold and perfect for sitting out on the verandah. Thu 28th Feb 08Well the experiment with putting the chicks under the hen was a dismal failure. I thought the hen would stay asleep so we could pick her up, take the eggs, put in the chicks and in the morning she would happily leave the nest with ther new family. Unfortunately for a variety or reasons (all mistakes by Ken and I) that didn't happen and we ended up with a hen that kept pecking at the three poor little chicks - so the end result is I am now raising them inside!! they have a lovely big crate in the lounge room and seem very content. They have a heating pad, plenty of food and water and are happily chirping away. The dogs have all checked them out but now they are old news so don't warrant any extra attention. I guess these girls will all need names as like Chicky Babe I have a strong emotional bond with them. Wed 27th Feb 08It is stormy here today which Austin our Border Collie hates, at the moment he is hiding in the bottom of one of the built in cupboards. It doesn't seem to bother Khan or Toby nearly as much. As soon as it started to rain all the llamas ran for the shed, the sheep and horses were already taking cover in theirs. I have also rugged dear old Jessie as she is the one most likely to be pushed out of the shelter and she is the one that needs to stay warm and dry. We are having issues with our broody hens as they won't accept being locked in the nesting box but then they keep getting off when the other hens go in to lay their egg. One hen isn't too bad and will always go back to her nest but the other one keeps sitting in different boxes so her eggs keep getting really cold with very little chance of hatching. We have decided to buy some wee chicks to put under her tonight so in the morning I am hoping she will think she has hatched her babies - if not then I will be raising them inside. Tue 26th Feb 08It is another lovely day, Jessie is enjoying some time without a rug on, the llamas are all stretched out with their bellies facing the sun. My friend came over the other day and gave Khan a massage treatment and for the first time in months he is doing zoomies around the paddock - it is so lovely seeing him move with no discomfort. Mon 25th Feb 08It is a much nicer day today, the wind has eased and it is nice and sunny. The animals are all enjoying a sun bake which is great as they can soak up some Vit D. Chilli seems to have really settled in well, he is currently sleeping flat out so obviously feels relaxed. Sun 24th Feb 08It is really windy and cold here today. I have pulled out all my winter clothes as I seem to need them more than my summer ones at the moment. The animals are all using their shelters, and my old girl Jessie also has a rug on. At least it is a great day for washing to dry. Chili and Merlin are still having the odd altercation but stay fairly close to each at grazing and rest time so I think they are getting on well. I am pleased as with Cchissy and Zorro going next weekend they really only have each other for company. I am going to do spit offs late next week as Ken will be off so he can give me a hand, it will be interesting to see the girls reactions to Chili. Sat 23rd Feb 08Cchissy and Zorro have a wonderful new home, it will be sad to see them leave but their new home offers them more than what I can so I feel good about them going. Ken will drop them off next weekend. I will be staying in regular contact and the boys will be back later in the year as their new owners are going away so I will look after them for a few weeks. When they leave it will be nice to know it is more see you later, than goodbye. Fri 22nd Feb 08I got the results from the poo samples I sent off for worm egg counts and I was relieved that everyone had a zero to very low count. I will now wait about 3 months to send off another sample. Chili and Merlin are still doing a lot of wrestling but it does seem to be more in fun than aggression. Merlin hasn't had a rough and tumble buddy for such a long time he seems to be really enjoying himself. Thu 21st Feb 08Chili has settled in really well, he and Merlin have had a couple of altercations, they start out as playing but can get a little serious, although no full on fighting, just lots of neck wrestling etc Merlin is always the instigator but he has to learn to not push Chili buttons or Chili will physically put him in his place. I think I have a second broody hen - this is a bit of a pain as it means we are not getting nearly as many eggs as we should. Still hopefully we will end up with some cute little chicks in a few weeks. Wed 20th Feb 08 - He is here!!! Chili arrived about 9:00AM this morning. Ken met Steve the transporter in Goulburn and bought him the rest of the way in the float. I had swapped the boys and Elijah over so Elijah is in the paddock furthest away form the house paddock. I then put the boys into our big shed and lane way paddock. When Chili had arrived we put him in the front house paddock and after over the fence introductions we let Merlin in with him so he had company. He has had a good look around and a bit of a nibble of some grass and hay. He seems very interested in his surroundings and the girls which are two fences away. (I thought I'd let him settle in for a few days before meeting the girls over the fence.) Zorro and Cchissy have both clucked at him and Elijah is watching him closely from the bottom paddock, but he hasn't been running the fence line or alarm calling which is good. The girls are also very interested in the new comer and have been peering across the paddocks to get a better look. Photos coming soon. Tue 19th Feb 08 - Chili is on his way!!!!I am having a few website issues at the moment so I am not sure when these updates will be uploaded. The exciting news is that Chili has started his journey, he should be here sometime Wednesday. Initially I will try him in with Merlin to see how they get on. I will put Chili into a paddock and then bring in Merlin so chili isn't stepping on anyone's territory - fingers crossed all goes well. Mon 18th Feb 08Ken has just headed into town to get some gates and road base to finish of the llama shelter. Having the gates will make moving between the different pasture areas so much easier. I am trying to figure out the best place to put everybody when Chili arrives later in the week. I want to move Merlin and the wethers into his paddock and not the other way around, plus I want Elijah to be at least two fences away as he will not be nice to another intact male.Sun 17th Feb 08The update is late today as I have spent all day collecting poo samples for worm egg counts from the girls and Elijah, tomorrow I will try and get some from the boys plus separate tests for the sheep and horses. Hopefully they will all come back in the low range. Nicky gave Elijah what for across the fence this morning which is unusual for her I am quietly optimistic she may be pregnant. I took the cameral into the paddock today hoping to get some nice shots, unfortunately none were useable - I guess visually impaired people shouldn't take photos because even if you have it on auto focus you still need to get the animal in the shot!!! Sat 16th Feb 08The sun has gone and we are back to overcast days. Ken has bought the mix he needs to do the concreting so hopefully within a day or so no water will be coming into the llama shed when it rains. At the moment one side of the shed doesn't have a concrete barrier and as the water from the gutter isn't being collected all the water from the back half off the roof just floods one bay of the shelter. It hasn't been an issue as it is so big that everyone has plenty of room but it will be better to have the place completely water tight by winter. Nicky has been a bit odd over the last few days, she has these moments of being spaced out, much like a late term pregnant girl gets a week or so before she has her cria. I am not sure if it a hormonal change due to pregnancy or perhaps she was pregnant and is absorbing. It will be interesting to gauge her reaction to Chili when he arrives.. Fri 15th Feb 08It is a lovely sunny day here with a nice breeze. It is a perfect washing day so the washing line is full. Ken and I tried to take some updated photos of the llama herd but we didn't end up getting many good shots. We will try again today. Not a lot else happening, Ken has a few days off work so is going to put an concrete edge down the side of the llama shed plus move our water carter so it can catch the rain from the gutters. He has also dug out lots of thistles and other weeds which is great as it has been a bad season for weeds. Thu 14th Feb 08My hen is still broody this morning so it seems she is keen to hatch some chicks. Our chicken numbers are growing at an alarming rate. Ken has some leave soon and will be building a second coop to house everybody. It is Valentines Day and I am sure Elijah would like some romantic time with the ladies but they all seem quite happy to not share the paddock with him anymore - I can't wait to do spit offs when Chili arrives, it will be interesting to see if Elijah got anyone pregnant. I have to do some paperwork so I can register some of the llamas, it is one of those jobs that seems to keep getting put off. It is another dreary day, although the sun is trying to get out. I spent some time this morning weeding around the poo piles. There are some invasive ground runner type weeds that tend to smoother the piles and then start creeping into the pasture. I prefer to hand pull rather than spray but the really thick sections may need to be treated with Round Up. Wed 13th Feb 08Exciting news, my beautiful new llama stud male will be arriving some time next week. I can't wait!! He will be here in time to do spit offs with the girls that were running with Elijah - He will have a date in March with whoever is empty. I think one of my favorite hens has gone broody, she is sitting on about 7 eggs so who knows how many she will hatch, if she sits for the whole time. I have finished all the work I needed to do for the Flock ewe Competition, now I just have some press releases to write. Tue 12th Feb 08Today I have to work on getting the booklet together for the Flock Ewe competition. Yesterday I managed to get the judging schedule organised and have sent it out to everyone I think might be interested. Once the booklet is finished most of my work for the show will be over - what a relief Our neighbor checked over all our sheep and said none have a fly problem but it will be best to treat them with a preventative just to be on the safe side. It is something that is simply put along their backs so he can do that while they are eating. Mon 11th Feb 08Our neighbour is coming over today so we can treat our sheep with a fly strike preventative. As it has been so wet this summer flies have been a real problem. Thankfully the llamas don't seem as prone to fly strike, having a naturally bare crutch helps. Today I am working on the Flock Ewe booklet as judging happens next Tuesday. They are also having a demonstration of BioClip, I have often wondered if it would work on llamas, although getting them to stand still while you put a net over them would be no easy task. Khan has to go back to the vet for his fourth cartrophen injection today, Ken is on the early shift so he should be able to take him over this afternoon. Sun 10th Feb 08The update is a little late today as I have been uploading the Taralga Show schedule to the website. There were a few technical hitches but I think everything is Ok now. It is a much nicer day today, sunny and actually quite warm (well around 20 degrees), the llamas and horses have all been lying down soaking up the rays. I have taken Jessie's rug off so she can enjoy some sunshine on the back but I will have to put it on her again this evening. Sat 9th Feb 08As the weather is still a bit cool and drizzly I have decided to rug Jessie, my old mare. She has lost condition lately which the vet thinks is most likely due to old age - her worm test showed zero worms. She is fed a special wet mix which has kept condition on her for over a year but for some reason isn't helping her hold her weight now. So I have to keep her warm and dry and minimize her expending as much energy as possible. The llamas were fed in their shed today as it was so miserable outside. They seemed to enjoy the treat of breakfast in bed. I feel sorry for our little chick as it has been awful weather since the wee thing hatched - still mummy hen is keeping it nice and warm underneath her so I hope it will be fine. There is a working bee at the local show grounds this morning, Ken will go down and help out, I will stay at home and work on getting the horse schedule uploaded on the Taralga Show website. As there have been no horse events for such a long time there is a lot of interest in competing at this years show so I need to get the information out to competitors ASAP. Fri 8th Feb 08It is another overcast and drizzly day - so unusual for summer. I don't think we have had one day over 40 degrees and plenty of days at 20 degrees or less. Not that the animals seem to mind, they like grazing in the cool weather and if it starts to rain they just run for their shed. I am really pleased that it is staying nice and dry. Thu 7th Feb 2008Elijah's time with the ladies is officially over, he is now in his own paddock that shares a fence line with them. He seems quite content - I think the girls have been giving him a hard time lately. It will be interesting to see what happens when I do spit offs when my new boy arrives - hopefully sometime this month. Little chick is doing well although mummy hen does have a tendency to wander off and leave them behind. She is a first time mum and is not quite as attentive as my more experienced hens. Ken has been on a course over the last few days but is back home today - I have missed him especially at feed time as an extra pair of hands is really handy. Wed 6th Feb 2008The little chick is doing well although mummy hen is reluctant to take her outside. It is a much nicer sunny day today so hopefully they will venture out a little later. Chiquita is still limping but it isn't getting any worse and she is still happily grazing with the others. Tue 5th Feb 2008Mummy hen hatched just one little chick, it is very cute and she is being very protective. At the moment they are staying in the coop as it is a bit wet and miserable today. Chiquita seems a little better today, I do have antibiotics and pain relief on hand in case she needs it but at the moment I will just monitor her to see how she goes. Mon 4th Feb 2008It is cool and drizzly here today which is a shame as I have some visitors coming over to meet the llamas and other animals. Fingers crossed it clears up a bit later. Khan has to go back to the vet this afternoon for his third injections, we should soon start to really see an improvement. I am watching Chiquita carefully as she has developed a bit of a limp - I will talk to the vet about it when I take Khan there later. Sun 3rd Feb 2008Well the garage is nice and clean, and since we took a ute load of rubbish to the tip there is also more room. I also did a bit of a tidy up of the llama shed and did a stocktake of supplies/feed etc. We are right for most things but I do need more seaweed meal and protexin. I did some changing around yesterday and let the girls into a paddock that has been spelled for several months. they had a great time running, jumping, bucking and exploring before getting down to the serious job of eating. Sat 2nd Feb 2008I had a lovely farm visit yesterday, I think that is one of my favorite things about sharing my life with llamas - getting to meet lots of great people. Ken is off today so we are going to get stuck into cleaning out the garage - it is really an awful mess as the last clutch of chicks have taken to sleeping in there every night. Ken has some holidays coming up so is going to build a second chicken coop. I don't think it will end up being much of a holiday as he also needs to do some work on the llama shed, split the horse holding paddock in two and install some water pipes and taps. Fri 1st Feb 2008It is a really cool and foggy day here today. I was expecting some llama visitors later this morning so I hope the weather clears up a little. At least we got about 20 mm of rain overnight. The tanks and dam are all nice and full again. The Annual Taralga Show is fast approaching again, that means working on the Flock Ewe Competition as well as writing press releases and keeping on top of the website. It is going to be a busy few weeks. |
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