Crocodile farms across northern Australia are busy at the moment — working with hay.
The wet season is approaching and saltwater crocodiles are getting ready to lay eggs.
At the crocodile farms across the north, the owners need to bring in hay to give the female crocs something to make their nests from.
Speaking to ABC Rural while spreading hay throughout pens, Carly from Crocodylus Park, near Darwin, said it was one of the farm's most important jobs.
"So this local hay we're throwing over the fence will become her nest and they have on average around 40 to 50 eggs in each clutch," she said.
"We'll put half a bale in each enclosure and that's ample material for her to build a nest.
"So we break the hay up into smaller pieces and spread it around, which means she can scratch around and put it wherever she wants to."
In the wild, saltwater crocodiles use a range of vegetation or mud to build nests.
At Crocodylus Park, the first croc eggs of the season are expected to be laid within the next few weeks.
Carly said the farm's next big job will be a lot more dangerous, as it involves getting into the pens to remove the eggs and get them into an incubator.
"The dad crocs are here as well and that's why it's so important to go in and collect the eggs [once they're in the nest]," she said.
"Because if these babies hatch-out inside the enclosure, there's a good chance that dad will gobble them up, eat them, so it's tough love for a saltwater croc."
The Northern Territory's crocodile industry has been valued at more than $100 million.
