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| March 2008 Entries Mon 31st Mar 08Ken is home today so is working on the horse shelter and yards. When it rains it gets really muddy and slippery so we have something to put down to hopefully stop it getting too bad. It is really windy here today, the chickens don't want to go scratching for food as they are getting blown around so I have put grain dishes in the sheltered areas so they can still eat. Sun 30th Mar 08I had a lovely day today with a great family coming out for a farm visit. The animals were all well behaved, except Drummond the lamb who kept trying to jump up on people. It is windy here today - we will start rugging all the horses at night just so they don't get too chilly. The llamas are fine as they have their shelter and the sheep have already grown big thick fleeces so they are also OK. Sat 29th Mar 08Khan seems to be feeling a bit better and isn't shaking his head as much. He is being a very good boy and not scratching his ear so at the moment he doesn't need to wear a bucket over his head. It is a sunny day with some wind - perfect for drying the washing. I will let Chilli take a break form spit offs/matings today - I might try him with Juanita again tomorrow. Fri 28th Mar 08It has been a hectic 24 hours. Yesterday afternoon we had to take Khan to the vet as he developed a huge selling on his ear. He had to stay overnight as he needed to have an anesthetic so the ear could be drained and then stitched together. We were told we could pick him up anytime after 9AM this morning, we were there at about 8:55 - I really missed my boy and am so pleased he is now home safe and sound, albeit somewhat sore. Chilli has been a busy boy, he mated April Showers yesterday and Rhapsody today. I still have no idea what is happening with Juanita. I put her with Chilli today and they both just stood around - he wasn't interested in her and she wasn't interested in him. If only Chilli would make a move I could see is she sits or rejects him. We had some base for the horse shelter and yard delivered today and Ken forgot to shut one of the gates after the delivery truck left. Chilli and Merlin decided to take themselves on a little adventure and wandered off down the road to the neighbors shearing sheds. Thankfully they were easily herded home none the worse for wear. Thu 27th Mar 08It is a lovely day today, sunny with a breeze. Jessie is enjoying being able to spend some time without her rug on. She is really eating well at the moment, I feed her about 4 meals a day and she finally seems to be holding her condition. Ken bought some rice bran for her the other day as that is good for putting on weight. Wed 26th Mar 08 - Chilli had his first mating!!Today was a big day as Chilli had his first mating. I put him in the yard with Nicky and once he had finished the hay I used to get them both in he sniffed her bottom. He was immediately very interested, started orgling and chasing her. She went down in less than a minute and they had a 30 minute mating. Chili's orgle is softer than Elijah's but he seems to get louder the longer the mating lasts. He had a great position and made all the right moves so fingers crossed this mating is successful. I also did some spit offs - Clover and Lady Bridget both spat and kicked so I am reasonably confident they are pregnant to Elijah. Rhapsody sat, April Showers just stood (but I think she is empty) and Juanita was not impressed with male attention so she could be pregnant- although I'd like a more obvious rejection to be sure. Tue 25th Mar 08I wanted to get the diary update finished early today as we have a severe storm warning so we may lose power and if a storm does come past I will have to turn the computer off and unplug the phone line (I have blown up far too many modems because of storms). I had planned on doing Chilli's first mating today but it seems bad weather may stop play. If it clears up later I may put him with Nicky this afternoon. I would also like to get a better idea of what is happening with my two year old girls. They didn't spit or sit for Elijah a week or so ago so not sure if they are pregnant or not. Mon 24th Mar 08Mascara is getting quite round, she should have about 4-5 weeks until she has her cria. I start to get really nervous around now - I check and double check my birthing kit to make sure I have the essentials on hand. Mascara doesn't seem too concerned at all, she rest a little more than the others but no significant changes in behavior. Sun 23rd Mar 08Yesterday Ken and I spent more time weeding, thankfully now most of it has been removed. My legs and arms are a bit stiff and sore as it was really hard working pulling this stuff out but as Ken said it is better to manually remove it than use chemicals to kill it (most of it is in the girls pasture). It seems it might be a nicer day today, at least it isn't as foggy, although it is still cold outside - back to beanie weather! The chooks all seems well, a few have moved into the new extension area of the chook shed. Mummy hen with Domino and Uno likes it in there as do our three chicks (who are getting quite big now). Fri 21st Mar 08 - Good FridayIt is cold and wet here today, all the animals have had extra rations and Jessie is wearing her coat as she feels the cold more than the others. The three chicks and mummy hen and chicks have spent the day in the extension area of the chook shed. I have made sure there is plenty of feed and water and they are dry and warm so all seem well. We got 7 eggs today so more of the hens are laying now The last few days I have spent a couple of hours each day weeding the llama paddocks. There is this awful ground cover/creeper type plant that invades the pasture choking out the grass. Ken was off today so he gave me a hand which meant we got a larger area cleared. Thu 20th Mar 08Some sad news - we lost Roblin our black hen yesterday, she died in my arms. I am not sure why she died which is a concern, although the rest of the flock seem to be in good health. Ken buried her under our favorite tree and she will live on through her many offspring in our flock. RIP dear Roblin. Wed 19th Mar 08We have had a cool change come through, it is actually very foggy - all the animals seem to be enjoying the cooler weather and have been grazing most of the day. Chiquita seems to be back to normal which is a relief. Mascara is getting quite a tummy on her, I will check her mating dates but I am predicating a mid to late April birth. Tue 18th Mar 08I gave Chiquita some selenium yesterday as that often seems to help with her limping, she seems a bit better today, certainly no worse. Mummy hen got off the nest with two very cute chicks, one has black dots on their head, I have called that one Domino. I tried to hatch the eggs she left behind under a heat lamp but I think they got too cold before I picked them up so nothing happened. The three Rhode Island Red chicks are getting a bit braver, I check on them every hour or so and offer some scratch mix so I know they are not going hungry. Mon 17th Mar 08The chicks are starting to get a little more adventurous, although they don't wander too far from the safety of the chicken coop and their crate. I also have good news as our broody hen has hatched some chicks. We can hear them cheeping form underneath her but she is still sitting on the nest as I think she may be trying to hatch the last few eggs. Chiquita seems to be limping again, she is fine in herself, grazing, chewing her cud but she does seen a bit stiff - I will give her some ADE and selenium and see if that helps. Sun 16th Mar 08It is much cooler today with a lovely breeze. Ken has been working hard and finished off the extension to the chook pen and put the last lot of road base down in the llama shelter. He still has to tackle the thistles and start collecting wood for winter but that can wait for another weekend. The chicks have been let out of their crate but they are reluctant to leave the safety of its confines. Chicky Babe our previously raised chick is hanging around her old home, I hope she takes the new chicks under her wing and settles them into the flock. Sat 15th Mar 08I think today is going to be really hot, I have already topped up water buckets and will check every few hours to make sure the water stays cool and drinkable. Everyone has been out grazing this morning, I think they know that by about 11Am they will need to find somewhere cool to sit and relax during the rest of the day. I will keep a very careful eye on the three wee chicks, if it does get to 40 degrees then we will bring them inside into the air-conditioning. Not much else is happening, it is too hot to tackle outside jobs so I will work on getting some Llama Lines articles ready for the Llama Association website. I am also helping another llama breeding form a NSW branch of the llama Association. It would be great to get organized and have a few social and educational llama functions during the year. Fri 14th Mar 08The hot dry spell continues although we are not as hot as some other parts of Australia. All the animals are coping well, in fact the llamas seem to be enjoying the conditions and can often be seen lying flat out in the paddock in the full sun although they have plenty of beautiful shade trees to rest under. Thu 13th Mar 08Another hot dry day, the pastures have very little green pick now but the animals seem to be happy to munch on the dryer grasses. I am getting worried about Jessie, she can' t seem to put any weight on no matter how much or often we feed her. Her poo samples come back negative for worms so I am not sure what else we can do. I think I just have to accept she is a really old mare with no teeth that has had a hard life and is finding it hard to keep condition on now the pastures are dry. Wed 12th Mar 08The three chicks are growing so quickly, I think they will be great looking hens when they get older. We now have about 15 hens but still only get four eggs a day - I think the other hens must be laying somewhere else, wherever it is they hide it well as neither Ken or myself can find the egg stash. The llamas have been drinking a lot more water over the last few days, Merlin and Chilli in particular seem to need their water topped up on a regular basis, all their play fighting must make them thirsty. Mascara is getting quite a tummy on her, I think she is about 10 months pregnant so fingers crossed we will have a healthy cria arrive in a month or so. Tue 11th Mar 08It is another warm day but there is a slight breeze which is keeping things reasonably pleasant. The pastures have really started to dry out, I will start giving the girls some extra supplementation twice a week just to keep their protein levels up. Mon 10th Mar 08I ordered some llama books from the US - one is Alpaca and llamas neonatal care and the other one is a book on packing with llamas. Both seem really good and will no doubt get plenty of use. It is hot here today, I have been checking the wee chicks on a regular basis to replace their water and make sure they have plenty of shade and aren't getting too hot. ouch wood so far they seem to be coping OK. Chili and Merlin still have fight and chase me game every morning and at dusk - at least they are both getting plenty of exercise. Sun 9th Mar 08Ken and I have just come back from spending some time in Victoria with a very dear friend of ours. It was her birthday celebration weekend and also the first time we had seen their lovely property. My wonderful parents farm sat for us so everyone was well fed and watered while we were away. I am surprised by how much the chicks have grown in just three days. They will soon be able to spend some time each day free ranging. Thu 6th Mar 08It has actually been quite warm today. We went into town so I could get my haircut and do some shopping. When we got back the little chicks had escaped from their cage and were trying to get back in. Thankfully they weren't dehydrated from not being able to get their water. We fixed up their escape route and they have been happy inside ever since. Ken has finished the water stand so now I have water on tap in the llama shelter area. He has almost finished the extension to the chook shed so he has made great use of his holidays. Wed 5th Mar 08Well we did the spits offs - I am reasonably confident Mascara & Clover are pregnant, Nicky is empty, April showers is empty and I still really don't know about Lady Bridget, Rhapsody and Jacinta. The yards worked a treat, it was so easy to move everyone around. Tue 4th Mar 08I didn't get the spit offs done yesterday so hopefully we will get them done this afternoon. It is really quite warm here at the moment so I do want to wait until it cools down a little. Ken has gone into town to buy some materials to extend the chook shed - we have about 14 hens now and three roosters so we need extra space. Poor Drummond is not very happy as we have finally wenaed him, mind you as long as I offer some yummy hay he isn't complaining too much. We have a LAA online committee meeting tonight, I am secretary so have to type up the minutes - I have never done anything like that before so I hope I don't mess things up. Mon 3rd Mar 08It is another beautiful day here today, perfect for relaxing on the verandah. The chicks are having a great time on the grass scratching away. They are still in their crate but we have shade cloth over them so they don't get too hot. I am going to try some spit offs with the girls today, it will be interesting to see who sits and who spits. I am not sure if Chilli is old enough to get the job done, but I will give him a go and see what happens. Sun 2nd Mar 08We dropped Cchissy and Zorro off to their new home today, it is a beautiful place and they settled in straight away. We led them to their new paddock and they walked really well, enjoying the new sights and sounds. I am sure they are going to love all the extra attention and their new family. Elijah is really happy they have gone, now he just has the two young boys to keep and eye on. The three chicks are so cute and seem to be getting used to us being around, it has come over cloudy and a bit cool so they are back inside. In addition to the two minute noodles they are also getting a bit of the older chickens grain mix which they like to scratch through. Sat 1st Mar 08I can't believe we are now officially into autumn, it seems we really missed out on summer this year, not that I am complaining as I hate the heat. Today was a beautiful day, sunny, with little to no wind and about 24 degrees. It was a perfect day to entertain visitors. We all sat on the verandah enjoying some great food, wine and company. There were also hardly any flies which was great. Drummond was a bit naughty and was trying to head butt or jump up on people as we were walking through the paddock. The rest of the animals were very well behaved. The three chicks are still doing well, today they enjoyed some time on the grass (still in the crate), the had a ball scratching in the dirt and trying to catch bugs. They also enjoyed the two minute noodles we gave them for breakfast. All the chickens here get two minute noodles each morning, they are a real hit especially on a cold winters morning. |
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