Llama Rodeo Day

First off, Happy Father's Day to all you blog readers who are dads... we had hot but good weather here for Father's Day celebrations.  My own dear Pa has been gone since 1969, how I wish he could have seen our little place here, our animals and our gardens.  He would have liked them a lot, and would have liked to have a good jaw with Keith on the porch in the evening.

Today friend Joani and her nephew Ethan came to help us shear the llamas.  Let's face it... THEY sheared.  Keith had built a catch, and this first use showed us how we need to modify it for next year.

Here is Tony in the catch:

That's Keith, Ethan and grandson Chris calming him. Notice there is a cinch over his neck to keep him from jumping. 

This was his third time being sheared, and he actually walked in calmly, but did not like being haltered so much.

If llamas could talk....

Here, Joani and Ethan have begun the shearing.

One of the modifications we are making is to lower the top bar, and remove the removable bottom bars totally.  We think that will work better.  That's padding on them so no one would be hurt. Tony actually stood very well... except for when he kushed and we had to get him up so his belly could be finished.

Here he is, belly and haunches shorn very, very well for the first time!  Last year he had just a barrel cut.

Then it was Aztec's turn.

It was Aztec's first time being haltered, and first time being shorn.

The catch really helped, because we could put a sling underneath to keep Aztec upright.

Once the catch was made, and Aztec haltered, Joani walked around to take a look before starting to shear. She came back around laughing... and told us that AZTEC IS A GIRL!!!!

Azzie did very well for her first time.

Yes, she jumped around a little, and came up out of the catch at one point, but Chris and I were able to lift her back in.  Her wool is very, very light and fine.  Under the brown overcoat, she was gray.

Joani trimmed her toes, even though they were not too overgrown.

You can see her grey coat, and the wool on the ground. By this time, all the humans had llama wool everywhere on them.  It was a HOT day, too. She absolutely HATED getting her wormer.  They also got tetanus and CDT inoculations. 

Then it was time for this one.

Last year was Inca's first shearing.  It did not go well, she bucked and kicked so much in the borrowed apparatus that we used that she hurt the man shearing.   We were only able to get a strip around her belly cut, so her wool was very matted.  She does lay in the swimming pool regularly, though, because she's one smart mama.

She hummed to Aztec while she was in the catch, but really stood remarkably calmly. 

Keith held her on the back of the neck firmly, and she did not struggle... much.  The shears kept getting very hot, and very full of wool, so we had to stop while Ethan took the blades off and brushed the wool out, and oiled them.  It makes the whole process take MUCH longer than it would if we did not have to stop.  Joani did much of Inca's left side with the hand shears.

While all this was going on, Tony kept wandering in, smelling the shearing kit, looking at the spare baby halter on the fence post, and checking Keith and Joani out very nonchalantly.

This was the last step, the wormer.  Inca didn't appreciate it much, I'm afraid.

It occurs to me now that I did not take a picture of the three shorn babies after we finished... we were all so tired and hot and covered with wool.... but I will get one tomorrow and post it tomorrow night.  Inca is also gray under her outer coat of brown. 

We are also down six roosters... Joani took two back to a friend in northwest Missouri.... and lo and behold, I ran an ad at the feed store, and father and two little boys came tonight, took four roosters and two hens home to their farm.  I asked.... they said they were for pets.... I went on that trust because I just had to downsize some roosters.  Two of the Battling Brahma Brothers are gone, thanks heavens, and two hens that will be good for the little boys, if they are indeed raising chickens for fun. 

Keith has been asleep for an hour, and I am going to tell the grands to hit the hay, and hit it myself.  It's been a long Sunday since church early this morning!

Video Flash - It's a Boy

Definitely a boy, from the way it is going to the bathroom besides his daddy!

But oh-so-sweet, nevertheless!

Our New Baby

Catch Up and a Late Thanks

Tonight, we play catch-up.  After the reunion dinner last night, I came home to do chores and check on all the babies.  Baby chick survivors are almost ready to join their older companion Butch in the feed room of the henhouse.  We don't trust them outside, and they still need heat at night.

Inca's sweet baby, three days old... is still a mystery, we can't tell if it is a boy or a girl.  One thing we DID confirm... Tony is the daddy!  Inca actually came here last October (time flies) and was bred the first day by Tony. We did not think it "took" and forgot about it.  Hence, the November 2nd Surprise!  I am thinking of having a "Name that Cria" contest to find a good unisex name for baby... who we are calling Baby at present.  Here is a shot this evening through the fence of the henyard, and Mama Inca and Tony are guarding the precious baby from everyone. 

Llamas have fixed tongues and are unable to lick, but they hum to and nuzzle their babies.

I wanted to also give thanks for those stalwart workers on Tuesday who manned the polls from sunup to sundown here, so that those of us who voted could make our marks.  I meant to honor them on Tuesday night for their long hours of service, but the events of the cria's coming pushed it out of my mind. Here in our own township, it is the retired folks who come out and make it possible for the rest of us to do our civic duty, so hip, hip hurrah for them!

And lastly, I wanted to show a shot of two eggs.  I have been asked several egg questions by a friend at work, who has a friend starting out in chickens.  Though I am no sage, I have kept chickens here for five years and eight years at the original Calamity Acres.  Tonight I wanted to show a "commercial" egg first, and the egg from Rosemary, one of my pullets that has just come into lay.

Commercial egg, nothing wrong with it.

Egg from Rosemary of Calamity Acres.

Which yolk would you rather eat?

Pictures taken in white bowls, and yes, I know I need to learn more about lighting.

Surprise! Surprise!

Another reason to be thankful, but one we did not anticipate.  This morning it was very dark when I did chores.  I sped through them, because I wanted to vote on my way into the office.  When I put the llama feed in their bowls, I did not see Inca, only Tony.  He was nosing something in the horseyard (now llama yard) but I searched for Inca for a minute, called her, and then went back in to get my good clothes on and leave. 

At 8:30 or so, the phone rang at work.  It was Keith.  As he had just been getting up when I left, I wondered what he was calling for.  He told me to prepare myself.

"We have a new baby!"  I said "Whattttt?????"

"We have a new little cria!" Keith replied.   I could hardly talk... I was so stunned.  Inca, who was only 15 months old when we got her last spring, was a mother!  As llama gestation is 350 days, we knew it could not have been Tony, who did breed her when we brought her home.  The baby is black, blacker than she.  It appears to be healthy, and is nursing and moving around fine despite a quarter-sized wound on it's left rear haunch.  We can't tell if Mama's hoof caught it or what happened, but we will watch it closely and call Dr. Jeannie if we need to. 

We did not plan on breeding llamas, and that is why Tony and the late beautiful Yankee were sent to be gelded, but this is a blessing that God has sent us to enjoy.  It is supposed to dip down in temps the next few nights, so the little shed is deeply bedded with clean straw, plenty of hay and good water is out, and we will feed lots of good grain for the new mother.  We will keep everyone updated on the progress of our new little member of the Calamity Acres family. 

I'll try to get better closeups in the next few days.  We can't tell if boy or girl yet, it may be days before we are able to.  Inca will let us near them... but she prefers to keep him/her where she can protect it better. She's going to be a good mama!

Tony and Mama

Here you can see how small he is next to her, but he is a year old. Time to think about Tony becoming a .... gelding!