Dijon
Dijon Goat is our star animal at Novy Mlyn. She is highly intelligent, friendly with children and excellent at disposing of low level shrubs and trees. She produces milk for us during the summer months and can now be trusted to be left unsupervised in the main garden without eating the plants we want to keep. Her favourite food is blackberry leaves.
The Chickens
Our chickens are a working flock originating from Araucana and La Fleche stock. They have a voracious appetite for insects and kitchen scraps and have the free run of the entire property, with the exception of some barricaded chicken proof areas where we can grow kale in peace. Their tales are many and varied, some tragic, some magical, but always curious.
The Ducks
Brandy, Kyle and their three children are Indian Runner Ducks and the undisputed masters of Novy Mlyn’s waterways. Whilst not the sharpest tools on the proverbial shelf the ducks are nontheless full of fun and brighten our days with their incessant laughter.
Foulden and Wivers
Foulden is a Merino with an exceptionally soft fleece. She is our largest, friendliest and most belligerent sheep, which gives her excellent leadership qualities, if not abilities. She is very interested in wheat grain and scratches behind the ears. Our other merino is called Wivers, who is distinctly uncomfortable with any human contact, apart from a handful of grain. Though on the surface she may not look so interesting, she is actually quite a dark horse – for a sheep. She did once surprise us by producing London Lamb with the help of a stray Cameronian sheep, so she is perhaps also our most feckless creature.
Almaty
Almaty is our accidental Llama Alpaca crossbreed. Unusually, his mother, Adela, who lives at the local Camel sanctuary, is a Llama and his father a beautiful little Alpaca. He has inherited the good looks of his mother and the gorgeous fleece of his father. We are not sure from whom he got the naughty gene, but he certainly enjoys a game of bottom biting with his herd-mates. Though somewhat aloof, he is very happy to be fed ground elder. He does not enjoy cuddles, but will come and stare hard at you if he thinks you unusual or interesting.
Little Rock
Little Rock is our single goose (or rather gander). He has come through many trials. He lost his mother – a chicken – last year in a tragic incident with a hawk. Family is his most important priority. When the feckless Indian Runner Ducks abandoned much of the day to day care of their ducklings last year, he stepped in as surrogate mother.
London Lamb
London Lamb, as she is known, is not, actually a lamb. The name has stuck more in irony now as she is our most violent cohabitee. She is a picker of fights and butter of heads. To be honest, you may want to give her a wide birth, or make sure you’re armed with a water pistol in case of an emergency.
Bunbury
Our loyal hound, Bunbury’s passions include: being stubborn; sitting on chairs; and eating things she really shouldn’t. Luckily for us, this includes wasps, moths and remains stuck to the bottom of pans. Reeds and sweetcorn are a favourite, which she is happy to harvest herself given any opportunity. She will wait patiently for a selective apple core, but will give a glare if the original eater takes too much time about it. She loves all food and goes by a fairly open description of the word, apart from one thing. She cannot abide carp.
George and Pavouk
Our frienemy cats just tolerate each other and love everyone else. They are both aggressive in seeking affection from our visitors. George is very much the hunter. He is prepared to take on prey on a large scale. In our own take on road kill, we have before barbecued birds that he has despatched. Pavouk has very little interest in anything other than where her next stroke is coming from.