Back to Normal

www.alpacas-for-sale.co.uk
www.alpaca-stuff.co.uk

I have been involved in having the websites revamped.   Take a look at our our new image websites!

Mike and Nick have nearly finished removing the rotten fencing and the farm looks much more open now. We have a much reduced herd and so do not need the smaller paddocks any more.

The Christmas period was very busy in the shop so we are busy getting stocks up to normal levels again.  Socks are still selling well.

Muddy nuisance

www.alpacas-for-sale.co.uk
www.alpaca-stuff.co.uk

Life is mainly a battle against the growing depth of mud in key areas such as the tracks and the entrance to Mike's Yard and the chicken housing.  It is harmless, of course, but just makes everything  a bit slower.  The control nozzles have broken on all the hose pipes and so instead of showering the dogs I make a big game of it and wave the hose pipe around (which Charlie and Dolly love, Romie is not too sure).  Mike deals with Jake and Millie, our old girl, gets special treatment with warm water and a bucket.

We are obviously not alone because when Mike tried to get new nozzles they had sold out.   We hope to get them this week.

We are running out of grass in the home paddocks and so after checking the boundaries to make sure the ram cannot escape again, we have sent the male alpacas and all the sheep down to the winter paddocks.   There is plenty of clean grass down there, although probably not a lot of nourishment in it this time of year.

Mike took the old stock box down so that I can store their hay and feed in it.   We made a small pen to feed the sheep in - otherwise they hog their own food and then bully our nice polite alpacas off theirs!!

After a very quiet week or two after Christmas (to be expected) we are getting a few more customers online and in the shop.  We are still deciding what to do about our reduced herd of alpacas.  We want to keep them for their fleece, but on the other hand we could do with selling some to cover the feed bills.

Don't Count your Chickens

www.alpacas-for-sale.co.uk
www.alpaca-stuff.co.uk

On Wednesday  evening when I was shutting the shop up all the alpacas became restless and started staring across the paddock towards the race behind the chicken run.   Mike let Jake out and he ran around barking but we could not see any sign of an intruder, so assumed it was a fox which had run off.

When Mike let the chickens out yesterday he found a dead hen.  It had been attacked and most of its breast had been removed.  Must have been something small enough to get in through some very small gaps , maybe a stoat or a pole cat.  Naturally she  was one of the newest batch and not one of the old timers.

It took Mike quite a long time but he put bricks, netting  and other blocking measures over every conceivable small gap.   This morning there were no dead bodies, so we are crossing our fingers and toes  that the predator, whatever it was, cannot carry out a repeat performance.

On Tuesday which is Nick's day, Mike wanted to do some welding in the barn so Pedro (the recently castrated fighting male) had to be penned in the field with the other males.   Apart from a bit of pacing and some spitting over the fence, all was fairly quiet so we decided to "accidentally"  leave him an opening to get out at dusk, as it is about a month since the op.

He did not notice until it was nearly dark and so only had a few minutes to mix with the other boys.   Apart from a couple of half-hearted spats with his sworn enemy, Spirit, all has been acceptably calm.   If there is any sign of trouble Jake "That's my Job" takes care of it with a dash over to the fence and loud barking which, amazingly, is sufficient to stop them.

www.alpacas-for-sale.co.uk
www.alpaca-stuff.co.uk

A cold and frosty (but beautiful) morning at Laurel Farm.  Happy New Year!!

www.alpacas-for-sale.co.uk
www.alpaca-stuff.co.uk

We had a lovely Christmas with David, Jane,Zach and Tara.  The dogs are probably feeling a bit deprived now that they are back to normal dog food without the unexpected extras they have been enjoying.

I was not  going to open the shop for a while, thinking that there would be no customers,but yesterday morning I had a phone call from a  family who were parked in the gateway.   They were asking  when we would be open, so of course I let them in.  They had bought a shawl from us and wanted another for a friend who was ill and had admired it.

Before they left another car  drew up so I  decided to open for the rest of the day,which turned out to be quite busy.

It has been very cold at times over the last couple of days but other than that everything seems to be back to normal.   The ram is restless but seems more content to stay with his ewes and the alpacas  now.  Mike is taking down the electric fence which was protecting our young willow trees from grazing alpacas and wildlife in the bottom paddocks and is going to put it across a possible weak point in the ram's field, just in case he tries to get out.

Everything is back to normal now and as usual there are plenty of jobs waiting to be done.

www.alpacas-for-sale.co.uk
www.alpaca-stuff.co.uk

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at Laurel Farm!!

Rampage

www.alpacas-for-sale.co.uk
www.alpaca-stuff.co.uk

Yesterday I went down to the bottom paddock where our four ewes and Henning III the ram we share with another breeder/friend.  To my dismay Henning was missing.  I phoned Mike to let him know and proceeded to search both bottom fields.

I found footprints near the stream which divides us from the next door farm and woods and it was obvious that there was an easy escape route for him.  There was a big gap under the fence where it straddled the stream.  Previously it had been covered in vegetation and so neither us nor the sheep were aware of the doorway to freedom.

I walked all round the area calling in on a couple of smallholdings and I also called in on my friend, Pam, and asked her to keep an eye open if she was out walking her dog, or heard anyone mention a stray.

Eventually I went back home and after checking in with Mike so that he could look after the shop , I went off to try following Henning's trail from another direction.   I climbed over the style at the bottom of our property onto the public footpath and began to walk up towards the road again, when I saw Pam approaching.  Bless her, she had got herself all togged up for walking and was searching as well.   We teamed up and followed the public footpath until we saw a flock of sheep in the distance.

Pam asked if he would go looking for sex with the sheep and I assured her that it was very likely indeed.
When we got close to the sheep I could see a darker figure amongst them  which I felt sure was Henning.

We knocked on the farmhouse door and the lady of the farm told us that her brother was out but she phoned him and Pam and I went home.  The farmer phoned me quite soon afterwards to say that he had moved the sheep so that we could catch the ram, so I drove round and together after some chasing around we managed to separate Henning and get him in the farmer's trailer and bring him home.

Mike was waiting at home and we quickly secured him in a catch pen and later re-united him with his own ladies. I am guessing they must be pregnant otherwise I don't think he would have deserted them.

I am going to keep a low profile at lambing time in case the farmer has a few grey (Gotland) coloured arrivals!!