Emus
We have two
emus here at the farm. Emus are flightless birds native to Australia.
The ostrich is the only bird larger than the emu.
Emus can run
up to 30 miles per hour, and believe it or not they like to swim!
If you've
seen the movie Jurassic Park, one of the first things you'll notice
about the emus is that they move like dinosaurs. Many scientists
say that the emu is the closest living animal to its prehistoric
ancestors.
Our emu Alice
has been laying eggs, and we collected quite a few this past winter.
Being from the southern hemisphere, emus lay eggs during our winter.
Each one is dark green and about four inches long with a very
thick shell. Alice will lay eggs from October all the way through
March. The eggs are good to eat, and one emu egg is equal to about
six chicken eggs.
Alice's eggs
will be on display in the Gallup
Gift Barn.
Llamas
We also have
two llamas. Llamas originally hail from South America and they
are still widely used as a pack animal today both there and in
parts of Central America. When used as a pack animal llamas can
carry 25% of their body weight for several miles. They are also
a source of fiber. The fiber produced by a llama is very soft
and is naturally lanolin free. Very social animals as well as
intelligent, llamas learn simple tasks after a few repetitions.
Chickens,
Geese and Doves
About twenty
chickens of various breeds occupy the farm. We usually have a
small supply of farm-fresh eggs for sale.
We also have several geese. They make quite a racket. We also
keep some doves.
Bailey
and Princess
Finally we
can't forget about Bailey and Princess our cat and dog. You'll
more than likely come across either one of them as you stroll
the gardens.
