Rain brings us joy--much needed moisture for our pasture and mountainside--and unusual behavior in our animals. The rams, under shelter of oaks and pines, look so precisely posed: And dust baths turn to mud baths: Didn't this cria used to be white?
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I loathe dusting; it is a never-ending chore, and with high winds and wildfire or woodstove smoke it's impossible to keep up with. But...I love watching llamas take dust baths. This is a common sight during the summer months. However, I was stunned to see this action from one-week-old Freya, yesterday: Note the not-so-white neck now. And that's Zuri, born in April, in the background for size comparison with Freya. I've also been watching the interactions between Nella and Freya. Considerable nuzzling going on... Nella is very protective of her cria, yet she allows her to explore. Freya has been checking out the fences and racing across the paddock, back to the comfort of mom. You can see how light Freya's one blue eye is from this angle. By the way, we named her "Freya" after the Norse goddess of love and beauty and the source of the day name "Friday" (she was born on Friday the 13th, and 13 is a lucky goddess number). Another fun thing to watch is how llamas get themselves down. It's called "kushing" in llamas and is similar to how the sheep get down. Tilting the head back and looking rather smug. Freya mastered this on day one. Kushed! Comfy spot. All legs! Family portrait :-) Things seemed settled on the farm; it was perfectly safe for me to drive to Graeagle for a knitting day at Woolly Notions, even though it was Friday the 13th. I had a relaxing time, starting a new knitting project and visiting with the regulars at the shop. The drive both ways was beautiful and inspiring. My first clue anything was amiss was glancing up the hill as I drove past, noticing that the sheep were in a different paddock than we had let them into in the morning. I thought perhaps they had found an opening in the fence. I expected to find Gene napping or reading the newspaper when I got home about 3:00, but he was in the driveway when I pulled up and said, "You need to come here and see this." I walked toward the pasture, thinking perhaps some wild critter was in there. Then, a flash of white beside Nella... This little cria (baby llama) is only a few hours old. She (I think it is female, haven't checked) has one blue eye and one brown. I am just now learning about BEW (blue-eyed white) llamas on the internet. We had no idea Nella was pregnant, and I also just learned that llama gestation is 11 and a half months! I just thought she was a big llama! Gene had quite the day, witnessing the birth and calling the vet to come make sure this little cria was okay. And the sheep were startled as well. The cria is nursing here, and Nella is none too pleased with these curious sheep. Notice her ears in the back position. I didn't get a picture, but she did a mild spit/hiss at them. Welcome to Four Winds Farm, little cria! |
sheep thrills
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