Alpacas are generally very quiet creatures to have around; mostly they say very little; sometimes they hum; mums cluck affectionately to their cria; but on the whole they are very good neighbours...they even mow the lawn quietly. Therefore, when you hear an alpaca alarm call you know that they mean business. It is the most shrill sound...Holly is the expert within our herd...and means everyone must be on the alert for danger. They quickly group together...interestingly I have found that it is the young adults who are sent to the front...any cria are protected in the middle of the group.
Well just as I was about to start the poo picking this morning...off went the alarm...was there a fox?...a stray cat pretending to be a vicious tiger?
Grouping together...
Pepsi is sent to the front...
The white guards group left...
There it is ... an alien lamp shade
Ah...lamp shade off and light bulb goes on...Holly (left) does look a bit embarrased.
Yes, the big panic was over Velvet, who has been speyed and is having to wear a collar to stop wound licking. I really thought that they were going for her. I ended up having to put her in the house for as soon as I put the collar back on they went into panic mode again...aren't alpacas meant to be bright...switched on even?!
I have been cleaning out the water troughs over the weekend as they seem to get covered in algae pretty quickly. The ones in the majority of the paddocks are about 18 inches deep, which not only take time to empty for washing, but are also deep enough for head dunking. So, Paul has decided to try some shallow water troughs in the new corrals. The thing will be how quicky they refill when they are in constant use in the summer. Knowing Paul he will have tested them out...we will see!
New water troughs in the corrals