Spring has sprung

We have been really enjoying a lovely sunny day in Devon today. The view is gorgeous, the alpacas look all fluffy and happy. The cria are either running around or sunbathing. The dogs take it in turns to lie on the garden table to take in the rays, and we have been inspired to get on with jobs outside, enjoying working without heavy coats and boots.

We decided to tidy up the alpacas by trimming their topknots and made a start on trimming toe nails. All the males have been done and are looking very smart. They are in the paddock nearest to the road and so are seen first by visitors.

Mike has bought a new saw bench intending to make a start on the huge pile of logs left from all the hedge laying he has done as well as the trees which were cut down last year. We cannot decide whether to bag them and sell them or keep them until we build our new house and have a log burner. Think bagging up might be the best option since we might not know until 2011 if we will be allowed to build.

Today's picture is just the view, but it was so lovely in the sunshine I thought it would be worth putting up.

Second birth of the year

My friend Jean had arranged to come over this morning at 9.30 a.m. to impart some of her expert knowledge of fleece. She is a hand spinner, has her own alpacas, has completed the judging course for national alpaca shows, so she knows what it is all about.

I noticed that Claribel, one of my favourite alpacas, was lying down alone when the others were grazing, she then started to look uncomfortable and I guessed that she might give birth. At that stage Jean arrived and instead of going into the barn to sort fleeces, she joined me in the field for the alpaca watch.

Just ten minutes later the cria started to appear and and 9.55 a.m. she was born. She is a lovely solid brown and seemed very strong.

I rubbed her dry and as it was cold put a little coat on her to keep her warm. We then started the routine watch as it is most important (as with most livestock) that the baby feeds from its mother to take on board the colostrum which ensures its ability to fight off the various bugs which it would otherwise be fatal.

See pictures for today!!

We are still on alpaca watch as the first 24 hours are crucial. See our website for alpaca information.http://www.alpacas-for-sale.co.uk/about.html

Just another day

Saphire and her new cria, Laurel's Lady Olivia, enjoying some April sunshine. We are still bringing them into the barn at night in case of unexpected harsh weather conditions, but trying to get the little one into the fresh air and sunlight as much as possible.

Today we have been catching up with the shopping and having a good clear up in the yard and barn. The tempation in the winter is to just dump things down and gradually the place gets very untidy and nothing is where it should be.

We are planning a vegetable patch and have ordered 6 chickens to enhance "the good life" at Laurel Farm. To this end we have planted lots of seeds in a rather flimsy frame which is covered in polythene. Unfortunately last night the wind decided to change directions and wrecked our new enterprise completely!! The frame ended up on the ground with all the trays of seedlings mixed up together. We have sorted it out as far as possible and hope that with a little luck, some sunshine and remembering to water them, all with turn out alright in the end. I expect we have mixed up carrots with onions and all sorts of things, but it will make the garden an enjoyable surprise every day!!

The holiday visitors have started to arrive and today I showed two couples round the farm. Did not sell them anything, but both have vowed to return later in the year with their cheque books to buy a jumper or at least a hat!! They loved feeding the alpacas and I swear they (the alpacas) are learning to play to an audience.

We still have 5 girls in the paddock nearest the house and they go into the barn at night or if the weather is bad. They are imminently due to give birth so we rarely leave the farm together and if we do it is for a minimum amount of time.

I am off to Carn Brae in Cornwall tomorrow with my two collies in the hope of winning an agility competition. The weather forecast is not good, so fingers crossed it will be worth while.

I have been charging the batteries on the clippers today and plan to trim top knots (the fleece on top of the alpacas heads) on Monday. If the top knot grows too long they cannot see properly and this is not good for their eye sight and also makes them nervous when being handled as they cannot see what it going on. Mike and I will do this together. One of us holds the animal whilst the other does the trimming. The holding is most important as a buck in mid cut can cause some strange hair cuts.

Just another day

A busy day on the farm

We were expecting visitors this morning at 10.30 a.m. and at 10.20 a.m.Sapphire our maiden brown female gave birth to a beautiful black female cria. It was a textbook birth and the cria was on her feet in half an hour.

Our visitors were enchanted and Mike watched the mother and cria whilst I showed them around. After they left at about 12.00 noon it was obvious that the cria was not having much success trying to feed so although it was a lovely day we moved mother and baby in to the barn and penned them close together. I checked Saph and found that her teats were blocked with the wax stoppers so I sponged them and got a little milk flowing. By 1.30 the cria had still not fed, so I tube fed her with colostrum and carried on trying to encourage milk from Saph. In the mean time Mike went to the vet to collect some Oxytocin which is a drug which helps to bring down the milk.

I managed to encourage a little milk and put the cria to the teat. She suckled for a short time, but as a precaution I gave her a second feed of colostrum. I asked the vet to come out to check the cria and he found her to be in good condition and we discussed the way forward. I explained that she only suckled if held her head under the udder and he felt that we should continue this every half an hour until she is self sufficient.

It is now 7 p.m. and she seems to be sucking stongly now, although still has to be put to the udder instead of finding it herself. We will keep going until about 10 p.m. and hope she can manage by herself after that, otherwise we will start again early in the morning.

The pictures today are of the new cria - will try and get a better one tomorrow - and the boys who have been moved into the garden for lawn mowing duties.

Find out more about alpacas on our website http://www.alpacas-for-sale.co.uk/about.html