Spring Cleaning & Weaning

 

 

After the horribly cold weather, we have been lucky to have sunny but cold wintry days and bitterly cold nights.  I have managed to get some chores done.  At this time of year there are loads !  The first job was to muck out the piggies ..... this was done with the help of Ruby (little red tractor)  I mucked these out direct into the muck-spreader and managed to spread this load the same day which was a good job.  The next day was the turn of the horses side of the barn, it was time to crank up the bigger tractor, I like this tractor and we are a team !!  Its great to have one that now starts well, after seven years we have eventually sorted out what the starting problem was with this tractor.... and what a difference it makes to the task....its been a real pain over the years but this is now a distant memory. 

 

The following day, the task was the other side of the barn where the alpacas live....it has also been spring cleaned, the muck pile was huge and growing by the day. 

 

The next task on the list was to get the babies weaned, I have been extra late this year weaning the babies, due to other issues.  The babies were approaching 8 months old, most of the mothers had self weaned them, there was only one still feeding.  Little Zodo .... the plan was to get the barn cleaned then re arrange the pens and to get the babies in with the other younger boys, these are all under the age of 2 this is where the babies will stay until they are much older.

 

 

On Sunday evening we were prepared to do the weaning deed.   I managed to separate them quite easily and the task was done with very little chaos.  There was a little bit of humming but I was very surprised just how happy the babies were.  They can see their mothers on the other side of the pens, so its really not that traumatic.

 

Some of the babies out in the field with the other boys.  It has only taken a couple of days for the babies to be happy and settle in their new field.

 

This is yesterdays task .... spreading the huge pile of muck out onto the fields which will be set aside to make hay ..... I have managed to do 7 loads yesterday and I think I've got the same again to do .... hopefully by the end of the day .... the job will be done ....I'm guessing I've got about 15 load to clear the pile, the muck spreader holds approx 5 ton so by my estimate, that's about 75 ton .... that's a big pile !

 

Then I'm having a .......... day off  !!