Zoo update

No rain today! I have been sick and tired of not being able to get the jobs done in the wettest August in 100 years, so today I hit the chores running and finished all field strimming, cleared most of the front garden,washed windows and swept the paths and road. Obviously I still have tons to do, but at least I have felt that I have started .

I received another request this morning for an update on all the animals, so apologies for the score of enclosed photos , I have tried to include every group.

Maddie, looking ever-so-slightly lonely on the beach this morning.

The typical stand off between Meg and William. I got an e mail from Susan (their breeder) the other day. She had entered a photo of the two dogs with George to a dog photo competition an we have won a month's dog food! result!

George, this morning on Prestatyn beach. On the way home I called in to the local animal rescue centre to put in a request for a dog friendly cat to replace Joan. They don't come up very often, which I can appreciate, so I am perfectly happy to wait for the right cat to come along. All the dogs are happy having a cat around, but George out of all the dogs tends to be the one that will "charge" a cat out of playfulness and devilment. Any cat we buy will have to have the skills to deal with him

Broody Nolan has been removed from her chicks today and placed back into the main run. I doubt she will stay long, but it is a start at separating them all, as she is getting ever-so-slightly irritate by the chicks excited natures

This is one of Broody Nolan's 5 chicks. I have not named any of them until I have properly sexed them all. I suspect this little one is a hen, but you can never be sure.

I have put up an advertisement in the farm and pet warehouse, in order to sell many of the 22 runner ducks. Mrs Baxter (the lady who first introduced me to duck keeping) already has a more professional advert up, selling her descendants of Nell and Maude's siblings.So I am wondering just how many callers I am going to recieve. I still have not sexed all the runners as yet.

The 4 youngest chicks are doing well in the shed. The black and white excelsior leghorn hybrids seem to have the same skittish and neurotic personalities as Melanie and Scarlett.

Boris and Grace, are not the brightest turkeys in the field, but seem to be accepting the more placid and friendly Buffs. Above, the little cockerel Clover stalks past a slightly vague Grace. I will let the turkeys out of their run in a month or so. Apparently they are notorious roosters and love to escape, perhaps a long time in the small enclosure will "imprint" them to their surroundings.

Out of all of the animals (apart from the dogs of course), it is the buffs that remain my firm favourites.Because they were hand reared all five of them are incredibly tame, often climbing into my lap when I sit in their enclosure.

At the moment we have 73 animals