In anticipation
all gathering at the feeders. Shetland boys at the back feeder. All others gathering at the front.
Pushing and shoving to get closer to the feed bucket coming through.
The Sundance Kid (gray/black) comes plowing through the group.
Politely waiting are
Bella Mia (black) and daughter Aurora (white) behind her.
Bonnie Lass
Bonnie's daughter Fairchild
Annie, Aurora, Bella with Fairchild in front.
We sheared all Angoras last month (April). It truly amazes me how quickly their fleece has grown in a matter of a month. I am also seeing change in the fleeces as each animal ages. Jacob's Chance has the tightest curls I have seen on a buck. In the photo below you can see Bella lost much of her curls this year, what use to be ringlets are now waves. She also has/is showing more white which was previously silver/gray.
The only non fiber producing animals in this group
Camel (Alpine/Boer) and her mother Annie (Boer).
Jacob's Chance our Angora herdsire in front.
Aberdeen (Shetland) and Fairchild eating on other side of feeder.
Jacob's Chance (white rear), The Sundance Kid (black side) at the hay feeder with Angus and Aberdeen (Shetlands) munching on a few alfalfa pellets.
Why no hay in the feeder?
Because they have 8 acres of fresh green pasture to browse.
And because I am hoping for beautiful fall fleeces with no VM (vegetable matter). By their browsing on pasture (eating downwards) nothing will hopefully stick in their fleece. During the winter they seemed to collect any and all debris that was in the hay. If the first fleece I skirted is an indication of what the others will be, the winter fleeces we have will not be worth much.
The Ewe Lambs waiting for their breakfast.
Scarlett
Pittypat.
Yeah, I agree really bad photos of the ewe lambs.
Just can't get a photo when they are velcro'd to you.
The Birds
At least most of them, the Guinea is in there, a couple of Peafowl, a few hens.
In Hog Heaven
It has been raining on and off everyday for the last 2 weeks it seems.
The feeder pigs are knee deep in their comfort zone...mud.
One barn cat takes a chance and cuts across the pig pen...you really can't see it but the pig is biting it's tail.
Tomorrow we'll visit the dairy girls - Barb, Isabella and Sarah Beth. Til then have a good day.
The only non fiber producing animals in this group
5 comments:
That is a real nice looking bunch of animals you have there. As they say, it looks like "hog heaven" for the pigs. But mud means we got the rain we need at this time of the year.
Everyone looks so great! I can't wait to meet your dairy girls too.
Nice photos. It's funny the routine the animals get in, and how they interact at feeding time. As for the fleeces--for some reason the lambs really trash their fleeces that first year. It's like they ROLL in it when we aren't looking! Which is a shame since the lamb's fleeces are usually the finest. You should get a nice clip this fall/late summer. The lamb's fleeces can be salvaged, but it takes quite a bit of picking.
Tammy
We've had so much rain that they are planning to film WaterWorld Part 2 up here.
Great photos! Sure hope the cat and her tail are okay after the nibbling. I suppose the feeder pig thinks this is only fair, considering. ;)
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