Monday was shearing day and Colin arrived soon after 9 a.m. He was supposed to start at 8.30 but the ongoing roadworks between here and Axminster delayed him. My job is to collect the fleece as it is shorn and I sort it into Grade 1 Grade 2 and other and also by colour. Colin shears continuously and the only break is when he lets one alpaca go and another one is laid out on the shearing mat. After 48 alpacas I was really tired when Colin left at about 6 p.m. and was still going on to shear some pet sheep in a nearby village.
Mike helped bring alpacas in from various paddocks, tied up the sacks of fleece that I had sorted, and kept us supplied with tea and made us all a lovely lunch with warm bread rolls, pizza, cheeses and tomatoes. We stopped for about half an hour before returning to the grind stone.
I was really pleased with the results. There were no second cuts (that is when the shearer does not get it right first time and has to go over the same area twice. which can mean that the staple length of the fleece is then compromised and is too short to spin and for people that show their fleeces the fleece is ruined). I was also pleased that our breeding programme seems to be working. There were very few fleeces that I was not proud of and which did not show improvement on the previous generation.
We have moved on quite a few of our older girls this year and so next year's cria should show even more improvement in quality.
Because of the unseasonable cold weather we have made sure that all the shorn animals have shelter and the main herd are being brought into the barn at night until it either gets much warmer or their fleece grows back a bit.
I went to a Tunbridge Wells dog show at the weekend and only managed one clear round with Romie but she got a fourth place in her grade and was less than a second behind the winning time despite having two very wide time wasting turns in the course. I think there is little doubt that she is very capable of winning if we both get it right on the same day!!
Charlie is a new dog since I have been giving him extra training and since he has been neutered. He is much more focused and looks like he will make a good agility dog after all. At one time I thought he would never concentrate enough to get the hang of it all. He is much more responsive in all areas and the issues he and Jake had seem to be pretty much sorted. Seems like we made the right decision and pack harmony is restored.
Dolly is still adorable and has yet to blot her copy book!! She is very brave and even Sandy (the grumpy terrier) does not phase her. She loves to play with me although food is a stronger reward than play at the moment. Just like her Mum there!!
I never thought I would say this but we really need some rain. The grass is getting greener but it is not nearly as good or as plentiful this year as it normally is. Rain at night and sunshine during the day would be good.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Day Off
We went to a farm sale yesterday lunchtime as it was only a few miles away in Kilmington and Mike saw that there was a trailer for sale. We were also hoping that there might be a few miscellaneous items for us. It was right out in the sticks but was very well attended. To me it looked like a load of rusty tractors and strange machinery. In fact there was a pile of scrap which sold for £400.
The trailer was very clean and tidy and Mike thought it would be ideal for what he wanted. Most of the other equipment was either for cattle which made it far too big for alpacas, or was for arable use. We did come across three hay racks which I thought would be useful in the winter if we have the animals in the barn. At the moment we use horses hay nets which are quite small and need filling frequently.
After a traditional auction bacon and egg bap and cuppa tea we followed the auctioneer round the piles of mysterious objects. To start with the acutioneer was a woman suitably dressed in farmer type tweeds and boots. She was very fast and seemed to be very efficient so when we got to the hay racks we walked ahead to make sure we were near the front. We agreed that they were only worth about £18 each to us but, you guessed it, after losing out on the first two we bought one for £22 plus VAT!! In the meantime Mike decided that the trailer was maybe a bit smaller than ideal so we agreed that it was better to wait for the right one to come along or even look at new.
He went and paid for the rack and we drove over as he was confident that it would fit in the van if we moved Dolly out of her cage into the big boys cages. It was six inches too big. The moral of this story is measure before you bid!! He has just gone off to try and find the farm again and collect it!! Still they are over £100 new so it will be worth it, even if it is a bit more trouble than we expected.
Whilst we were out we left the boys (alpacas) grazing along the drive and behind the barn. I was worried about a big hole which Mike dug a few weeks (or is it months now) ago but he thought it would be OK. I need not have worried about the hole but we had forgotten the remains of a bonfire of hedge trimmings and of course they had all rolled in it. My lovely white males are now a mucky shade of grey. They are being shorn next week so I hope they will have cleaned up by then. Not sure if rain is a good thing or a bad thing!!
To top off the day we had left the van sliding door open in the morning and we caught Romie with her head in a new bag of Vitalin which is a muesli type of dry dog food. She is really greedy and we have no idea how much she had eaten. When we got home after the auction we noticed that she was drinking a lot. I did a bit of agility training with her in the early evening and she was even more out of breath than me. I felt her tummy and it was a bit tight and I was concerned that she might have a problem so I took her to the vet. He gave her a a check over but did not think there was a problem so that was a relief. She was not allowed any dinner last night or breakfast this morning and there are signs on the lawn that she has rid herself of most of the food with no ill effects I hope.
When I got back from the Vet's Mike told me that Romie had obviously rolled in something as she stank. I do not have a sense of smell so it was rather embarrassing to think that I had sat in the Vet surgery and also subjected the poor young vet to her aroma.
To pay for her sins she had a bath today and whilst I was about it I bathed all seven dogs including the puppy. We now have a very sweet smelling pack I hope. I am sure one of them will quickly change that.
The trailer was very clean and tidy and Mike thought it would be ideal for what he wanted. Most of the other equipment was either for cattle which made it far too big for alpacas, or was for arable use. We did come across three hay racks which I thought would be useful in the winter if we have the animals in the barn. At the moment we use horses hay nets which are quite small and need filling frequently.
After a traditional auction bacon and egg bap and cuppa tea we followed the auctioneer round the piles of mysterious objects. To start with the acutioneer was a woman suitably dressed in farmer type tweeds and boots. She was very fast and seemed to be very efficient so when we got to the hay racks we walked ahead to make sure we were near the front. We agreed that they were only worth about £18 each to us but, you guessed it, after losing out on the first two we bought one for £22 plus VAT!! In the meantime Mike decided that the trailer was maybe a bit smaller than ideal so we agreed that it was better to wait for the right one to come along or even look at new.
He went and paid for the rack and we drove over as he was confident that it would fit in the van if we moved Dolly out of her cage into the big boys cages. It was six inches too big. The moral of this story is measure before you bid!! He has just gone off to try and find the farm again and collect it!! Still they are over £100 new so it will be worth it, even if it is a bit more trouble than we expected.
Whilst we were out we left the boys (alpacas) grazing along the drive and behind the barn. I was worried about a big hole which Mike dug a few weeks (or is it months now) ago but he thought it would be OK. I need not have worried about the hole but we had forgotten the remains of a bonfire of hedge trimmings and of course they had all rolled in it. My lovely white males are now a mucky shade of grey. They are being shorn next week so I hope they will have cleaned up by then. Not sure if rain is a good thing or a bad thing!!
To top off the day we had left the van sliding door open in the morning and we caught Romie with her head in a new bag of Vitalin which is a muesli type of dry dog food. She is really greedy and we have no idea how much she had eaten. When we got home after the auction we noticed that she was drinking a lot. I did a bit of agility training with her in the early evening and she was even more out of breath than me. I felt her tummy and it was a bit tight and I was concerned that she might have a problem so I took her to the vet. He gave her a a check over but did not think there was a problem so that was a relief. She was not allowed any dinner last night or breakfast this morning and there are signs on the lawn that she has rid herself of most of the food with no ill effects I hope.
When I got back from the Vet's Mike told me that Romie had obviously rolled in something as she stank. I do not have a sense of smell so it was rather embarrassing to think that I had sat in the Vet surgery and also subjected the poor young vet to her aroma.
To pay for her sins she had a bath today and whilst I was about it I bathed all seven dogs including the puppy. We now have a very sweet smelling pack I hope. I am sure one of them will quickly change that.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Bank Holiday Weekend
Mike is still suffering with his bad leg and the antibiotics don't seem to be helping so he was not up to competing with Jake at the weekend. I took 4 dogs (Millie, Romie, Charlie and Dolly) to Dordale Show held near Bromsgrove in the Midlands. The puppy was really good despite having to spend much of the day in the van with just quick walks to stretch her legs.
Unfortunately we were not very successful but both Romie and Millie performed very well with only minor glitches. On Bank Holiday Monday we went to the North Somerset Show and Millie got 3rd in Grade 5 Agility. Romie could easily have won her class if I had not lost the plot half way through. The good news is that she did not knock a jump down all day. Again, Mike was not up to competing so stayed at home.
I visited the alpaca show which was being held and chatted with fellow alpaca breeders and even bought a young male from Lynsey Skinner. We are trying to sell Alario at the moment as he has so many daughters on the farm now that we really need to move him on and get some new blood in the herd.
In the meantime back at the ranch Mike mowed the lawn, planted all our strawberry plants and partially made a set of new agility jumps. So much for taking it easy.
On the way home from the show I stopped at Sedgemoor services and when I got back into the van it would not start. Apparently the battery was flat although it had started easily when I left Wraxall. The nice RAC man came in much less that the original three hours, and amended hour I was told to expect. He found that the alternator belt had been thrown and was able to fit a temporary one to get me home. It made it a very long day but apart from the breakdown it was all very enjoyable.
This morning Mike and Nick dragged out an old pig ark which was left on the farm by a previous owner. They sawed it in half and renovated some of the rotten wood to make a second shelter for the goats. The buck needs to have separate quarters whilst the females are kidding to avoid the mums or kids being injured (accidentally I presume). He will also have a part of the paddock sectioned off. I expect he will have his nose put out of joint as he is used to living with his harem.
When I fed them this morning the puppy thought she would have a go at chasing them. Nick says she is a natural herder but I felt she was a bit small for the job and threw a bucket to distract her. It worked and she stopped luckily.
We had noticed that he was walking awkwardly and I thought he probably needed his toe nails trimming so I got Nick to have a look. I caught him by his big horns and he was really good whilst Nick cut his nails and looked much more comfortable afterwards.
Bono is looking sorry for himself again and still has not put on any weight. I got the vet to give me some more Antepsin which lines the stomach and helps prevent/cure ulcers. He is going to have 4 doses a day.
I feel that when the grass grows really well (it has improved but is still well behind normal spring growth) he might fatten up a bit. He seems to be eating all the time but at the moment it is not having the desired results.
Nick and I dosed him up this afternoon and gave him some Total Solutions tonic. We also gave some TS to the other boys and checked them to make sure they are in good condition.
Tomorrow we are going to a farm sale so apart from a few basic jobs we will have an easy day.
Unfortunately we were not very successful but both Romie and Millie performed very well with only minor glitches. On Bank Holiday Monday we went to the North Somerset Show and Millie got 3rd in Grade 5 Agility. Romie could easily have won her class if I had not lost the plot half way through. The good news is that she did not knock a jump down all day. Again, Mike was not up to competing so stayed at home.
I visited the alpaca show which was being held and chatted with fellow alpaca breeders and even bought a young male from Lynsey Skinner. We are trying to sell Alario at the moment as he has so many daughters on the farm now that we really need to move him on and get some new blood in the herd.
In the meantime back at the ranch Mike mowed the lawn, planted all our strawberry plants and partially made a set of new agility jumps. So much for taking it easy.
On the way home from the show I stopped at Sedgemoor services and when I got back into the van it would not start. Apparently the battery was flat although it had started easily when I left Wraxall. The nice RAC man came in much less that the original three hours, and amended hour I was told to expect. He found that the alternator belt had been thrown and was able to fit a temporary one to get me home. It made it a very long day but apart from the breakdown it was all very enjoyable.
This morning Mike and Nick dragged out an old pig ark which was left on the farm by a previous owner. They sawed it in half and renovated some of the rotten wood to make a second shelter for the goats. The buck needs to have separate quarters whilst the females are kidding to avoid the mums or kids being injured (accidentally I presume). He will also have a part of the paddock sectioned off. I expect he will have his nose put out of joint as he is used to living with his harem.
When I fed them this morning the puppy thought she would have a go at chasing them. Nick says she is a natural herder but I felt she was a bit small for the job and threw a bucket to distract her. It worked and she stopped luckily.
We had noticed that he was walking awkwardly and I thought he probably needed his toe nails trimming so I got Nick to have a look. I caught him by his big horns and he was really good whilst Nick cut his nails and looked much more comfortable afterwards.
Bono is looking sorry for himself again and still has not put on any weight. I got the vet to give me some more Antepsin which lines the stomach and helps prevent/cure ulcers. He is going to have 4 doses a day.
I feel that when the grass grows really well (it has improved but is still well behind normal spring growth) he might fatten up a bit. He seems to be eating all the time but at the moment it is not having the desired results.
Nick and I dosed him up this afternoon and gave him some Total Solutions tonic. We also gave some TS to the other boys and checked them to make sure they are in good condition.
Tomorrow we are going to a farm sale so apart from a few basic jobs we will have an easy day.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Young Farmers
Yesterday evening we had a visit from a local Young Farmers Club. About 20 turned up and stayed for nearly and hour and a half. They seemed very interested in finding out about alpacas although they did not ask any of the technical questions which Nick warned me of. They did ask for the nearest pub when they were leaving and I directed them to the Tytherleigh Arms over the road. It might have been a bit of a shock for them, but no doubt I will hear about it from Martin, the landlord, next time we go over there for a meal.
I divided the alpacas into groups starting with the remains of our original females, then the younger females we have bred on farm and finally the 20-09 weanlings, who were, of course the most popular especially with the girls. We talked about fleece and the quality and also what makes a good alpaca. They were all very pleasant young people and I hope that they enjoyed their evening.
I divided the alpacas into groups starting with the remains of our original females, then the younger females we have bred on farm and finally the 20-09 weanlings, who were, of course the most popular especially with the girls. We talked about fleece and the quality and also what makes a good alpaca. They were all very pleasant young people and I hope that they enjoyed their evening.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
What Recall?
I called Dolly this evening as I needed to go into the winter paddocks to check on the Chardstock 6. At first she remained lying down in the chickens' field so I called again. I then walked towards her wondering why she was not taking any notice of me. At this she ran off with something in her mouth. I went indoors and found some treats and came out to find she had disappeared. I eventually found her under one of the customer pic nic tables with a dead mouse. Luckily I only had to look as though I had a tit bit and she dropped the mouse, which I quickly threw into the rubbish bin, and took the treat. Looks like it is back to the drawing board when a dead mouse is more interesting than me!!
To be fair she is absolutely brilliant most of the time, but we definitely need to do some work in the dead mouse department. It was just lucky that we were in the farmyard and nowhere dangerous.
Charlie had his operation today and is nodding sadly around with his buster collar on. He ate a hearty supper so I have high hopes that he will soon get over himself.
Dolly is busy wrecking th office at the moment - I think she would call it investigating.
Mike finished installing the automatic pop holes on the chicken sheds today. They have drop down doors which are activated by a sensor. They open at daybreak and shut automatically when it gets dark. They look rather like guillotines so I am hoping we don't get up in the morning to find a pile of headless chickens.
The idea behind it is that when we are away or at a dog show the chickens will be safely shut in at night without having to make arrangements for the neighbours or friends and family to come in to do it. Watch this space for a report on the success or failure of the gadget.
Nick and I vaccinated the goats today as it is getting towards their birthing time. I scanned the one who did not appear pregnant at the last scan and she is now also pregnant so we could (fingers crossed) have a full complement giving birth in May.
Two or three of the alpacas have had mite problems which we thought we had nearly cured but today we were disappointed to find that they seem to have come back. We were aware that some of the improvement was due to the cold weather of winter but we were convinced that this time we had pretty much conquered the problem. They have been dosed up again and we are hoping we have caught it early enough so that it does not develop further as the spring and summer progess.
I took dung samples from every paddock this morning and we are awaiting the vet's report on parasite levels. Unless we have a specific reason to administer wormer, we only do so if the worm egg count is shown to be a cause for concern. I also took samples of the goats'.
We also trimmed the boys' toe nails. They were not done when we did the girls and boy did it show. They were very long indeed. Ben, the wether who really plays up when having his toes nails trimmed was a model citizen today. No he has not learnt to be calm - we put him on a halter and covered his eyes with a towel. This worked really well and he really seemed quite relaxed whilst I did his nails and administered the Blue Tongue vaccine. When we released him he just stood still for a moment or two and then strolled away. Such a difference from the usual stressful scene we have whenever Ben has to undergo husbandry of any kind.
No births yet. I am beginning to think that Cleo who should have birthed about ten days ago must be due much later. Perhaps I put the wrong month on the computer system we use or maybe she was remated and I did not enter a record of it. The good news is that we scanned her and there is definitely something there. We just dont know when it is going to emerge!!
Mike has hurt his leg and has been limping around the farm since yesterday. We are supposed to be going training tomorrow and off to a dog show at the weekend but it does not look very hopeful for him.
We have a group of Young Farmers coming tomorrow night. Should be interesting as farmers in general are a little bewildered by the concept of alpaca farming. I hope they dont ask too many technical questions.
To be fair she is absolutely brilliant most of the time, but we definitely need to do some work in the dead mouse department. It was just lucky that we were in the farmyard and nowhere dangerous.
Charlie had his operation today and is nodding sadly around with his buster collar on. He ate a hearty supper so I have high hopes that he will soon get over himself.
Dolly is busy wrecking th office at the moment - I think she would call it investigating.
Mike finished installing the automatic pop holes on the chicken sheds today. They have drop down doors which are activated by a sensor. They open at daybreak and shut automatically when it gets dark. They look rather like guillotines so I am hoping we don't get up in the morning to find a pile of headless chickens.
The idea behind it is that when we are away or at a dog show the chickens will be safely shut in at night without having to make arrangements for the neighbours or friends and family to come in to do it. Watch this space for a report on the success or failure of the gadget.
Nick and I vaccinated the goats today as it is getting towards their birthing time. I scanned the one who did not appear pregnant at the last scan and she is now also pregnant so we could (fingers crossed) have a full complement giving birth in May.
Two or three of the alpacas have had mite problems which we thought we had nearly cured but today we were disappointed to find that they seem to have come back. We were aware that some of the improvement was due to the cold weather of winter but we were convinced that this time we had pretty much conquered the problem. They have been dosed up again and we are hoping we have caught it early enough so that it does not develop further as the spring and summer progess.
I took dung samples from every paddock this morning and we are awaiting the vet's report on parasite levels. Unless we have a specific reason to administer wormer, we only do so if the worm egg count is shown to be a cause for concern. I also took samples of the goats'.
We also trimmed the boys' toe nails. They were not done when we did the girls and boy did it show. They were very long indeed. Ben, the wether who really plays up when having his toes nails trimmed was a model citizen today. No he has not learnt to be calm - we put him on a halter and covered his eyes with a towel. This worked really well and he really seemed quite relaxed whilst I did his nails and administered the Blue Tongue vaccine. When we released him he just stood still for a moment or two and then strolled away. Such a difference from the usual stressful scene we have whenever Ben has to undergo husbandry of any kind.
No births yet. I am beginning to think that Cleo who should have birthed about ten days ago must be due much later. Perhaps I put the wrong month on the computer system we use or maybe she was remated and I did not enter a record of it. The good news is that we scanned her and there is definitely something there. We just dont know when it is going to emerge!!
Mike has hurt his leg and has been limping around the farm since yesterday. We are supposed to be going training tomorrow and off to a dog show at the weekend but it does not look very hopeful for him.
We have a group of Young Farmers coming tomorrow night. Should be interesting as farmers in general are a little bewildered by the concept of alpaca farming. I hope they dont ask too many technical questions.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Back to Reality
I have just spent the last four days on a John Rogerson course organised by my friend Pauline at Andover. John is a renowned dog trainer's trainer. The weather was lovely and I took Dolly, the puppy, and Charlie. Charlie and Jake have been having issues so it was useful to pick up John's behavioural advice as well as using him as my subject for the Ultimate Recall which was the name of the course. It was also really good to have Dolly to myself without the influence of her Mum, Romie. She was very confident and very good.
Since getting home Charlie has been much better behaved but he is still being castrated tomorrow in the hope that with less testosterone his relationship with Jake will improve. Maybe he knows, because today he has been perfect and has not put a foot wrong.
The farm looks very well populated again because all the alpacas are in the home paddocks. They are colour coordinated with the hens - shades ranging from black through brown to white.
Life is a lot easier now that they are not eating as much hay. We just have to let the chickens out and feed the goats in the morning instead of having to visit every paddock and top up hay.
We took a total of £285 at the coffee morning in aid of Devon Air Ambulance.
The shop is very quiet at the moment. The lull between Easter and Summer hols I expect.
Since getting home Charlie has been much better behaved but he is still being castrated tomorrow in the hope that with less testosterone his relationship with Jake will improve. Maybe he knows, because today he has been perfect and has not put a foot wrong.
The farm looks very well populated again because all the alpacas are in the home paddocks. They are colour coordinated with the hens - shades ranging from black through brown to white.
Life is a lot easier now that they are not eating as much hay. We just have to let the chickens out and feed the goats in the morning instead of having to visit every paddock and top up hay.
We took a total of £285 at the coffee morning in aid of Devon Air Ambulance.
The shop is very quiet at the moment. The lull between Easter and Summer hols I expect.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Long time no see
Well I cannot believe it was the 20th March when I last blogged on.
All the puppies have gone to their new homes and they seem to be making a good impression. Dolly is already a fully fledged farm dog and comes round to feed the goats (and steal food from their trough) as well as the chickens. She is not afraid of either but has been more reticent about the alpacas. This morning, however, she was brave enough to stay with us whilst we cleaned the paddocks. She tried to jump into the galvanised drinking trough but could not quite make it. She has learned the delights of eating alpaca poo as a dietry supplement.
The hens have all settled in very well. We now have the original 6 Black Rock, 7 Silver Link, 1 Rhode Island Red and 9 rescued hens and of course the cockrell. We are picking up between 15 and 20 eggs a day and Mike is going to make a roadside sign so that we can get more people buying them.
We have sold quite a few alpacas lately and I am going to have to revamp our sales list to make some more money whilst retaining enough stock to keep the herd viable. I took some weanlings and Pedro to the SWAG Spring show at the weekend and Pedro won his class with his daughter Lucetta coming second in hers. Little Javier, a very attractive little fawn boy was thrown out because the judge could only find one testicle (on the alpaca) even though I had asked another experienced breeder to check for me before we went into the ring. He confirmed that the testicles were present although they had not dropped. Still you cannot argue with the judge, and to be fair he did have a second rummage when I mentioned that someone else had managed to locate the little devils.
We have scanned the goats and four of the five does are pregnant with some looking as though they might have twins. We will be vaccinating them tomorrow to ensure that they have some immunity to pass on to their kids. Mike and Nick will have to partition the goat house and the paddock to keep the buck away from the females and kids as apparently they can harm them. Not sure if it is deliberate or just because the kids are small and the buck is big.
At last spring has arrived and the grass is starting to grow. We have been struggling to get enough hay to go round for the last few weeks. We are planning to buy in a much larger quantity this year and store it outside
under tarpaulin. My friend's husband works in Chard Dairy and they have a lot of surplus pallets which we can have to make a base to stack in on.
We are going to move the herd around tomorrow to pull out some of the females who will be giving birth in the next week or two. They will stay in a paddock near the barn so we can keep an eye on them.
Charlie, our latest dog has started to fight with Jake. I think he is just getting too big for his boots as he has matured. He will be paying the price with his manhood next Tuesday and in the meantime we are trying to spend some time keeping everything calm in the pack. The last thing I want is for a dog to be hurt or for Dolly to learn bad behaviour.
Mike is suffering from a really bad back at the moment. I have given him a couple of massages but I think he needs to go to the chiropractor and maybe get a professional massage too.
All the hedges round the farm have now been layed and this year Mike and Nick will be concentrating on other jobs such as drainage and limiting the weed population in the winter paddocks as well as adding fertiliser.
Following a talk by Jo Scamell, a specialist in forage and soil nutrition and management arranged by our Vet practice we are going to have our soil tested and try to rectify any imbalances. We will probably use green waste and natural minerals. This might seem strange when we have loads of alpaca manure daily but before being used on the paddocks it would have to be composted for two years to ensure that it is free of parasites etc: This is not so important when it is just being used in small quantities to fertilise a garden but vital if being used to fertilise the whole farm.
On the 10th April we held a coffee morning in support of Devon Air Ambulance. Our friend and neighbour Pam suggested it as she had done several before. She thought it might work to have it on the farm.
We are still waiting for the final tally on money because they have not collected the tins yet, but we made over £200 on the gate, the raffle and the cake stall. We also had a dog agility demonstration by Honiton Club and Friends and Members of Axe Vale club as well as Pam's nephew, Lawrence. Pam made nearly all the cakes and the raffle prizes were donated by us and many well wishers.
Complete Meats our local butcher donated a lovely hamper and Moores Biscuits donated the biccies for the coffee. We also had a jam and chutney tasting of locally made varieties which we sell in the shop.
It was a beautiful hot day and most people seemed to stay for the duration. Although it was not our intention particularly, we felt that it was a very good PR exercise. We sold out of eggs and have been offered some extra grazing in the village which could be very useful.
I am away for four days from Wednesday as I am going to stay with Pauline in Andover and attend a John Rogerson course called the Ultimate Recall. It will be interesting to find out if he has any brilliant new ideas to teach.
I will report when I get back. I am leaving Mike with four females who could give birth any time over the next couple of weeks. His favourite - NOT!
All the puppies have gone to their new homes and they seem to be making a good impression. Dolly is already a fully fledged farm dog and comes round to feed the goats (and steal food from their trough) as well as the chickens. She is not afraid of either but has been more reticent about the alpacas. This morning, however, she was brave enough to stay with us whilst we cleaned the paddocks. She tried to jump into the galvanised drinking trough but could not quite make it. She has learned the delights of eating alpaca poo as a dietry supplement.
The hens have all settled in very well. We now have the original 6 Black Rock, 7 Silver Link, 1 Rhode Island Red and 9 rescued hens and of course the cockrell. We are picking up between 15 and 20 eggs a day and Mike is going to make a roadside sign so that we can get more people buying them.
We have sold quite a few alpacas lately and I am going to have to revamp our sales list to make some more money whilst retaining enough stock to keep the herd viable. I took some weanlings and Pedro to the SWAG Spring show at the weekend and Pedro won his class with his daughter Lucetta coming second in hers. Little Javier, a very attractive little fawn boy was thrown out because the judge could only find one testicle (on the alpaca) even though I had asked another experienced breeder to check for me before we went into the ring. He confirmed that the testicles were present although they had not dropped. Still you cannot argue with the judge, and to be fair he did have a second rummage when I mentioned that someone else had managed to locate the little devils.
We have scanned the goats and four of the five does are pregnant with some looking as though they might have twins. We will be vaccinating them tomorrow to ensure that they have some immunity to pass on to their kids. Mike and Nick will have to partition the goat house and the paddock to keep the buck away from the females and kids as apparently they can harm them. Not sure if it is deliberate or just because the kids are small and the buck is big.
At last spring has arrived and the grass is starting to grow. We have been struggling to get enough hay to go round for the last few weeks. We are planning to buy in a much larger quantity this year and store it outside
under tarpaulin. My friend's husband works in Chard Dairy and they have a lot of surplus pallets which we can have to make a base to stack in on.
We are going to move the herd around tomorrow to pull out some of the females who will be giving birth in the next week or two. They will stay in a paddock near the barn so we can keep an eye on them.
Charlie, our latest dog has started to fight with Jake. I think he is just getting too big for his boots as he has matured. He will be paying the price with his manhood next Tuesday and in the meantime we are trying to spend some time keeping everything calm in the pack. The last thing I want is for a dog to be hurt or for Dolly to learn bad behaviour.
Mike is suffering from a really bad back at the moment. I have given him a couple of massages but I think he needs to go to the chiropractor and maybe get a professional massage too.
All the hedges round the farm have now been layed and this year Mike and Nick will be concentrating on other jobs such as drainage and limiting the weed population in the winter paddocks as well as adding fertiliser.
Following a talk by Jo Scamell, a specialist in forage and soil nutrition and management arranged by our Vet practice we are going to have our soil tested and try to rectify any imbalances. We will probably use green waste and natural minerals. This might seem strange when we have loads of alpaca manure daily but before being used on the paddocks it would have to be composted for two years to ensure that it is free of parasites etc: This is not so important when it is just being used in small quantities to fertilise a garden but vital if being used to fertilise the whole farm.
On the 10th April we held a coffee morning in support of Devon Air Ambulance. Our friend and neighbour Pam suggested it as she had done several before. She thought it might work to have it on the farm.
We are still waiting for the final tally on money because they have not collected the tins yet, but we made over £200 on the gate, the raffle and the cake stall. We also had a dog agility demonstration by Honiton Club and Friends and Members of Axe Vale club as well as Pam's nephew, Lawrence. Pam made nearly all the cakes and the raffle prizes were donated by us and many well wishers.
Complete Meats our local butcher donated a lovely hamper and Moores Biscuits donated the biccies for the coffee. We also had a jam and chutney tasting of locally made varieties which we sell in the shop.
It was a beautiful hot day and most people seemed to stay for the duration. Although it was not our intention particularly, we felt that it was a very good PR exercise. We sold out of eggs and have been offered some extra grazing in the village which could be very useful.
I am away for four days from Wednesday as I am going to stay with Pauline in Andover and attend a John Rogerson course called the Ultimate Recall. It will be interesting to find out if he has any brilliant new ideas to teach.
I will report when I get back. I am leaving Mike with four females who could give birth any time over the next couple of weeks. His favourite - NOT!
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