Tree planting update, with bonus alpaca cria

[zebra363]

My sister and brother-in-law came out here today to help with some chainsawing and clearing branches from the firebreaks. Two alpaca cria were/are due this month, so I've been keeping a pretty close watch on the alpaca paddock, but I was busy this morning reading Hornblower fanfic, cleaning the house and organising food for the day. Nothing unusual

Comments

[baby_elvis]

it's all growing so very beautifully.

why is a brown spot a bad thing?

[zebra363]

It's because they're bred for their fleece and what is desirable for processing is single-coloured fleece with as much consistency as possible in the micron (width) and other characteristics of the hairs. It isn't so very hard to take out the brown section at shearing time, but the goal for the industry is to get rid of all dark hairs in white animals. The fact that she has a visible spot means she almost certainly has a lot more dark hairs that aren't visible to a casual inspection, but which will show up upon processing and won't dye evenly.

On the positive side, it'll make her easy to recognise!

(I'm not showing photos of the many trees that have been eaten by kangaroos!)

[juffles]

(I'm not showing photos of the many trees that have been eaten by kangaroos!)

I was driving through Chittering valley yesterday, went past a ploughed paddock with the crop just starting to show...and about 15 emus and kangaroos busily eating their way through it. I thought of you. :)

Shame about the brown spot...did Minnie produce the other brown-spotted cria as well?

[zebra363]

Not many of the trees on the other side of the road have survived. There are just way too many kangaroos over there. This year I'm going to plant fewer trees but make heavy-duty, tall, covered chicken-wire tree guards.

Sherry's mother was Misty, and the cria have different sires, but Misty's mother is Minnie's grandmother, so they share some genetics. According to the pedigrees, that animal and its parents were all solid white (no markings), but maybe it carries spot genes! Or maybe the universe, knowing how much I like patterned Appaloosa horses, is just sending me all the spotted alpacas it can.

[juffles]

16' razor wire fence would do the trick. :D

Do I sense another planting/construction day on the horizon?

[zebra363]

I don't think I'll have a formal tree planting day this year, but I've got 300 trees coming next month, so weekend visitors are welcome!

[juffles]

I don't think I'll have a formal tree planting day this year

*gasp* But...but...it's an institution!