We have been having a lot of fun the past week even though it has been one our busiest times since we set up our farm. We have had a few couples coming to see the alpacas and wanting to learn how we started out and finding it amusing that we actually know all of their names. One of the husbands asked me if I knew the names of all of the chickens. The new chicken business has been really busy and we have had a lot of really nice people turning up to buy from us. Today we had a telephone call from a lady who wanted to bring her daughter to buy a couple of chickens but she was worried that she would be a bit late by the time she collected her from school and drove here. We told her that she would still be made welcome so when they turned up Emily, the daughter, was delighted that she would be able to choose her own chickens. We told her that the ones with the reddest combs were the ones most likely to be laying soonest. She had visited the website and saw that we had blue chickens and wanted to know if the bluest ones would be ready to lay first. They are actually grey but do have a bluish sheen. What started out as a purchase of a couple of hens ended up with a sale of four because she couldn't make up her mind. Never surround an 8 year old girl with animals and expect her to choose quickly. She wanted to know everything she could learn from us about chickens so I think she will look after them really well although her mum did tell her she wasn't allowed to have them in her bedroom after seeing some of the young bantams we are keeping warm in the caravan.
The point of lay chickens just wander around all day but have a habit of trying to nag us into giving them their afternoon corn early. I was late the other day and they trooped up the drive to shame me into going out. A lady telephoned today about chickens and while we were chatting she could hear them all in the background and I then confessed that I was laying straw around the doors to their sheds so that they could dry their feet on the way in. It was only later that I thought that maybe we are spoiling them somewhat.
It is very rare that I can get a shot of any of the younger alpacas on their own so took full advantage of Delilah watching me paddock clean. I got the feeling that she was just waiting for me to clean that area so that she would use it as soon as my back was turned. Two of the wethers (Biffy and Timothy) that are up for sale are in the background.
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