Keeping Busy

While Gunpowder is performing his annual duties, the other animals are keeping busy as well.

 Snowball has been trying new things...

Obviously, Snowball likes the rain much more than Barack.

 ...and trying new looks.

"How do I look with my ears back?"

Acorn is a multi-tasker--having a snack and practicing climbing at the same time.

Acorn: Always up to something

 Cashew spends some quality time with her humans.

"Yes, I am fabulous."

Sally is making friends with the chickens.

Don't fall in with the wrong crowd, Sally!

Barack O'Llama's Belated Birthday

Barack O'Llama's fifth birthday was last Friday.  (He, unfortunately, did not wear a birthday hat.)  I thought I didn't get any pictures, but I just found some on my camera!

Enjoying his b-day banana.

"Seriously, I'm five?"

 And now for the pictures I knew were on my camera....On a (cold) morning this week:



"Oooh, some hay for me!  Thanks!"

 "What?!?! You're taking it to that other llama?"

 "I'll just sit here and look sad now."

Don't feel too bad for him--there's plenty of hay in his barn stall!

It's Been A Long Time (Again)

Breeding season is still in full swing. Most days, Gunpowder is following one ewe around. Frequently, the rest of the ewes are busy fighting with each other.  Sally keeps busy eating, and Snowball watches it all (usually looking a bit disapproving).
 

Snowball can't believe they are all behaving.

Calico seems a little bored.  Perhaps she can't find anyone with whom to butt heads....

Calico: sweet little sheep.

  ...Oh, wait!  Elvira has volunteered.  (I shouldn't pick on Calico too much.  She's not even one of the most frequent offenders.)

"Hey you, wanna fight?"

 Gunpowder spent a couple of days following Czadas around. 

He naps with his ladies...

Tricot felt a little left out.

...and he eats with them, too.

Gunpowder's crayon has changed from red to green.  (If he's remarking a lot of ewes, there's a problem.  In other words, multi-colored bottoms are not something we want to see.)

Poor guy, it's not the most flattering pose.

Some evidence that Gunpowder is at least trying to his job: look at those red bottoms!

Feeding frenzy.

Some evidence that Sally spends all of her time eating: look at that belly!  (My youngest son says it feels like a bouncy ball.)

When she gets tired, she lays under the hay feeder.

Barack O'Llama is still involved with the care of the ewes.  He inspects any items taken to the the back field.  (It's minerals, so it can go.) 

"Hmm, I can't eat a whole scoop of minerals in one sitting."

 

Llamas and Cows, Oh My

Barack O'Llama spent his weekend trying to outdo the ewes for drama.

He desperately needed a dust bath when Scott was cleaning out the chicken coop.  (Luckily, not in the chicken poo.  He's in the hole that I fell in, which is much bigger these days as it is a popular dust bath location.)

"Stop working and play with me!"

 He objected to a hay bale going through his stall again.  And he nibbled on it while he was protesting.

Barack making sure it's good enough to enter the barn.

 He didn't want to wear a sweatshirt.  It's not his fault, I don't blame him, and it's one reason we don't dress him up for holidays.  (He doesn't like hats, either.)

"Get this thing off me!"

Sally's relatives came to visit...well, see why the tractor was toting a hay bale around.

Daddy Bovine, aka John Black

Sally's half-siblings (the solid black ones are twins)

Scott made a trough this weekend (with no llama interference).  Gunpowder finds it a useful tool for showing off his ramliness.

"Why didn't he build this sooner?"

No new hay feeder?  No problem.  Theresa will just nibble from Gunpowder's fleece.

It sure beats me picking the hay out later...

A Very Busy Weekend

Or, some alternate titles: "Badly Behaved Animals" or "I Just Thought We Had Drama."

Henrietta was baaing her wee little head off on Friday.  She started back up on Saturday morning.  What she lacks in size, she makes up in baa power--she's one loud little sheep.  Not wanting to her anymore of it (and feeling a little bit bad for her, too), we opened the gates and allowed her to join Gunpowder in the back field.

On Friday: "I want to be over there!"

 Gunpowder was happily munching on some hay when she arrived, so he didn't notice that there was a ewe in estrus in his midst.  But the ewes did.  Calico and Henrietta started their fight where they left off a few weeks ago, and everyone sniffed her...and one mounted her. 

I lured Gunpowder to her with a peanut.  Once he realized she was there, he needed no additional persuasion. 

Also on Friday: Resting up for a busy weekend.

The drama was just beginning.

Elvira and Hazel started fighting.  Calico joined in.  They fought and fought...and knocked Hazel onto her back.  We ran to the pasture, put her back on her feet, and they started fighting again.  They were calm before we put Henrietta in the back field, so we decided to move her back to the front field (and Gunpowder had adequately completed his job by then).

The drama was still not over.  The lambs--primarily Cashew and Peanut--went berserk: chased her, sniffed her, tried to mount her (just like their mothers...).  If one sheep starts running, they all start running, so it was quite a scene.  We gave Henrietta and Macadamia a little privacy so Henrietta could rest for a little while, and all the lambs have calmed down.  They've been napping a lot today.

Henrietta seeking llama protection.

A well-deserved break.

The offenders in the back field stopped when we removed Henrietta, but started up again this morning and went on and on and on.  They apparently stopped when they got hungry.  Hopefully, they will forget to start back up again. 

 Gunpowder is too busy to notice all the ruckus.

Tiffany is getting all of Gunpowder's attention.

What were the llamas and other assorted animals up to this weekend?  Check back tomorrow to find out.