Mail Call: March/April 2010

By Grit Staff
Published on January 29, 2010
1 / 5

Molly gives her little brown hen friend a lift around the barnyard.
Molly gives her little brown hen friend a lift around the barnyard.
2 / 5

Molly and her pal are close enough that the little brown hen hitches a ride around the farm.
Molly and her pal are close enough that the little brown hen hitches a ride around the farm.
3 / 5

Raising your own birds improves the flavor of Sunday's roasted chicken dinner.
Raising your own birds improves the flavor of Sunday's roasted chicken dinner.
4 / 5

Chokecherries hang heavy just before harvest.
Chokecherries hang heavy just before harvest.
5 / 5

Bushels of apples await transport to the local farmers' market.
Bushels of apples await transport to the local farmers' market.

The Molly Llama

We have a small family farm here in northeastern Colorado – 40 acres of heaven as far as we are concerned. All of our livestock and our poultry seem to get along well. We have a few head of cattle, some sheep and some goats and a bunch of different chickens, turkeys, guineas, ducks, geese … and one special llama. And then there are my wife, Kathy, and my two sons, Stuart and Aaron.

We have been on this place for almost five years. We wouldn’t think of living anywhere else.

Several months ago, we were given the opportunity to buy an older llama. So we did. I figured she would be a good guardian for our small flock of sheep and our goats. Little did I know just what we had gotten.

Since Molly arrived, she has become one of the central characters of our little farm. She took to us right away and has become a much-loved pet. She is gentle, loving and protective of our mixed herd/flocks of animals; and she has even begun taking care of some of the hens in our flock. One has become a special friend of Molly’s. She is a little brown hen that is getting on in age and has had trouble getting around, so Molly has taken her under her wing, so to speak. 

Molly carries the hen around part of each day, mostly in the late afternoon and at night. The little hen now roosts on Molly at night, and Molly watches over her and will carry her in the morning so the hen can get down and feed. She shares Molly’s morning grain along with several other hens, and Molly takes it in stride and makes room for them.

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-803-7096