Llamas--Before and After

We live fairly near alpaca farmers, and they are kind enough to let us bring our llamas to their alpaca shearing day. We need to borrow a trailer (despite the amount of animals on the farm, we still don't own our own livestock trailer), and load them up. Here's a shot of what they look like before their haircut, pedicure, and tooth check. Note: this is a full-service shearing day! Not just a trim for these ladies...

Here they are after their visit to the alpaca farm:

They are ready for summer now!

We have llamas because they help protect the sheep while they are out on pasture. They are naturally very curious, and can be a bit aggressive towards dogs and other canine types that would tend to want to hurt the sheep.

In other news, we've been too busy working to blog. It's funny how when your hands are busy with fences or animals or tractor steering wheels, you forget to take photos. And when you come in at dusk, all you want is a large glass of water and a shower and bed. And, in the case of The Farmer, some Wheat Thins. :)

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Bloggy Giveaway--Now Closed

**This bloggy giveaway is now closed** Thanks to all who participated and gave such great comments. Janette is the winner of the $15 gift certificate to our etsy store . I'm participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival . Click the link to go to the carnival where you can enter to win literally hundreds of things. The good news is that even if you have no time to play on the computer trying to win hundreds of things, you can still enter to win one thing right here. This week, I will be giving away a $15 gift certificate to be used toward the purchase of an item in my etsy shop . This contest is open to residents of the United States or Canada only. The winner will receive free shipping on whatever item they choose. Items in my etsy shop include handwoven rugs, wool yarns and roving from our farm, and the ever-popular cotton dishcloth! To be entered in this wonderful drawing, you must go to the etsy shop and look around a bit. Then come back here and type a comment that ...

This Giveaway Is Now Closed!

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Lambing Jugs

We usually let ewes begin lambing in the large pen, with the other expectant ewes. After the first lamb is born, The Farmer will let her care for it for a few minutes. Then he will go in and pick up the lamb (or lambs, if he's arrived after multiple births) and move slowly out of the large pen. In this case, the lamb is the bait that makes the ewe move, too. She is very concerned about her lamb, and will follow closely, calling out the whole time. The ewe and her lamb(s) are placed in a small lambing pen, called a jug. I have no idea why they are called jugs. If anyone knows the origin of that term, I'd love to know. They are kept there for 1-3 days to ensure that they bond, and that the ewe is caring for her lambs well. No distractions. We set up a whole row of temporary jugs during lambing time. This is one of our hay storage areas, so we need to be sure that we've used most of this hay up before lambing begins. After their time in the lambing jugs, the ewe...

Farming in the shade

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