New Baby reindeer to my herd

Yhanbank farm has given your babies a wonderful home! Bless them for that! But look at the great tree pruner they got! Thor looks just wonderful!

 

With all that beautiful grass and what does he want the tree! He does look great.

 

I could do with his help to prune my tree!

 

Thanks for sharing the cheerful photos - as always they brighten my day!

 

Elsa is the next (and last) to calf but she is still happily grazing. She has grown a big belly but then she has always been a "good doer". Calf is nowhere near as active as the "Monster" was but my guess is still a bull calf but then again Mischa has a huge belly and she isn't in calf... So who knows until baby arrives.... Come on Elsa, I can't wait any longer!

The baby boys are always posers, don't know why but they always gaze into camera so they always steal the limelight... Herman of the "centre parting"

 

Come on Elsa!!!! We are all waiting and hoping for another adorable baby!!!
Herman is a such a ham...but a real cutie!!! I could look at pics of him all day!

 

Brooke, it's the eyes, I am sure. A constant, unwavering gaze. Homebred boys are always the same. Nothing frightens them so they become poser (and a pain in the bum in later life! )

 

Herman is very photogenic, even with his "Center parting" lol Maybe that is how his mum wanted it! I guess Elsa is taking her time, she wants her little one to "make an entrance!"

 

Nothing to report. Babies and herd healthy, Elsa still keeping her legs crossed (I'm turning grey!). The rain has been pretty persistent, so not really conducive to taking good snaps.
Only thing to update you on really is their coats and antler growth. Frodo has definitely won the race to a sleek Summer coat (who would have believed he'd ever look this fit, so proud of the boy ) The rest are looking pretty scraggy as they had a lot more coat to loose and it takes forever to come out.

Gandalf

Boris

My boys

 

Frodo looks fantastic and so do his antlers. Boris looks as though he is saying " who are you looking at" and poor Gandalf has obviously got itchy antlers lol!

 

Frodo is nothing short of AMAZING! Gandalf is doing leg exercises to keep fit to pull Santa's sleigh, and Boris is just beautiful Boris! Thanks Karen for the pictures!

 

I completely agree!!! Frodo is 200% better than when you first got him!!! He is now a truly great/healthy stud!
Major kudos to you Karen!!!

 

I never thought I'd really have the conundrum of which girls to run with which boy come September, as to be honest I didn't think Frodo would make it BUT he has . So my first problem is extra fencing, to keep us all safe in the rut (2 entire boys Yikes!)I am still waiting for a quote on new fence let alone it being built.
But then I am wondering who to put with who. To be honest I am probably awaiting Elsa's calf to see if her calf is also brown.
Brown is lovely but a dominant gene and I do love my spotty noses and white blazes!

Gandalf carries the albino gene, he has a spotty nose too. Lotte, despite being brown, I know also carries albino gene as she had an early abort last year that was albino. Gandalf was the son and Grandson of healthy albinos BUT birth defects can be connected to albino genes... Do I try or just work on spotty noses and put Lotte to Frodo??? I am not sure yet my list keeps changing of which girls run with which boys.

 

I vote for Spotty Noses (no offense Sir Frodo!).

 

Interesting problem. Do you have any idea if albino gene runs in Frodo's line or perhaps lighter colors? I also love the pretty faces, but remember how hard it was for you to lose your little one last year. How common is it for the albino gene to surface in an unhealthy way?

 

Frodo's partentage is unknown as he is an import. So I can only go by what he has produced so far. I am hoping Elsa will produce a paler calf otherwise 3 browns would suggest that he maybe doesn't (but really not enough calves to really know).
Frodo will have some of the girls this Rut, it's just which ones.
As to the albino gene surfacing in unhealthy ways. So far, from asking the herders I know who have albino's from time to time, nobody has admitted to having the parrot jaw/domed head malformed babies but I have found an old scientific paper that mentions the possibility of just my issue. They have admitted that some are deaf but that is a possibility in many species, the white gene can be linked to deafness but in captivity that isn't life threatening whereas a short lower jaw prevents nursing, grazing etc.

 

Is it truly an albino gene or just white. I haven't seen any pink eyes. Do they have pink eyes?

 

That's an interesting one Lottidah. No pink eyes have ever been seen in reindeer.
It appears that albino reindeer have pale blue eyes not pink. They are still lacking in pigment but the extra (cones or whatever?) required for their ultra violet vision gives the appearance of pale blue eyes.

My reindeer always lend a hand with any jobs.
Tigga upturning the wheelbarrow.

and Belle muddying the babies freshly scrubbed water bucket.

 

Great helpers! Belle using the water bucket as a "reindeer pool"! Is it Summer yet?! lol

 

That is interesting as I thought they had to have pink eyes to be considered albino. Wow. Learn something new everyday. Maybe that's why they don't have as many birth defects as true albinos.