Sunday, June 07, 2009

Chris' Summer Haircut



I asked Matt to hold a black doe who escaped when Jim was last here to shear. She's a beautiful doe and I wanted to get that matted mohair off her. It's very dangerous to be out in the brush dragging long mohair around. She could get caught on a sticker bush and I might never find her. We decided to catch Chris and get him wormed. I don't want that meningeal worm to return and cause him more paralysis. Poor guy, he has a bum leg that will likely never heal and he has balancing problems. We closed him in a makeshift pen and Matt got him around the neck while I popped him with the shot of Ivomec. I had the scissors in my pocket and decided to get some of that heavy coat off him. He hasn't been shorn since we moved here and it's hot outside. It took a bit of llama WWF but he calmed down and I got most of the coat off. The neck, where Matt was holding him, is still on along with the bottom legs. Llamas are very sensitive about their legs. I'll get them next time we worm him. I fetched a bucket of rabbit pellets mixed with cracked corn to reward him for being a good boy. When released he ran down to the tractor shed by the road to munch on some funny little plants I don't recognize. He hung out with Monkey and her baby for a while before settling down next to Knut under the big pine tree.

No comments: