ANOTHER DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

Whilst you're all adding those course dates to your 2012 diaries - here is another one not to be missed for alpaca breeders before the breeding season gets under way.  By International Judge Nick Harrington Smith here at Meon Valley Alpacas, being central to the BAS Southern Alpaca Group, and is open to everyone.   contact me for details and to reserve your place soon 01489 878663 info@mvalpacas.co.uk

Wednesday 28 March 2012 One day Seminar designed to help better understand how to select and breed successfully for the bloodstock market and the fibre industry. Gain an insight into the importance and relationship of those traits most important to all markets.



DATES FOR NEXT YEAR

A couple of dates for your diaries -

We have the wonderful Liz Barlow coming here to give a BAS Alpaca Evaluation for Breeders Course on Saturday 4th February - limited to just 12 places, this is a fabulous days education, not to be missed, all classroom based, so we will be cosy in the training room whatever the weather's doing outside - lunch and refreshments included. Please get in touch to find out more and book your place soon.

Our own very popular Alpacas for Beginners day course on Saturday 3rd March - ideal for anyone thinking of keeping alpacas or newbies... again contact for details.

As soon as I have dates fixed for further courses I'll post them...  some very interesting ones I promise!

Been cold today but everybody was dry first thing, so Peter and I set about microchipping the cria - would have got it all done very quickly if the battery hadn't died in the chip reader - took longer to get the battery out and replace it than it did to chip them all. Anyway Job Done and now I must get on and register them.

WINTER

The trees are mostly bare and so it all looks a bit wintery out there - not as bad as last year when we'd already had a foot of snow by now - but we have had slightly more seasonal weather this week. I hope we get some snow for Christmas - but not too much!

The pacas managed to dry out today and are looking reasonably clean but a bit dishevelled - not surprising given the amount of rain we've had. Yesterday morning they were almost crispy, they'd had a soaking the night before and then the temperature must have plummeted overnight - the gates were frozen shut in the morning and all the raindrops everywhere were solid, as were the outside of the pacas fleeces - shows how well insulated they are.

We had a very large group of students from South Downs college come to learn about alpacas as part of their animal care course - thankfully we were all in our heated lecture room for most of their visit, and then  a shivery 10 minutes meeting the alpacas in the field before going back in their mini-buses.

Tomorrow we give the second dose of the season of AD&E and will handle the weanlings a bit, they've settled really well and are enjoying the hard feed with extra goodies - carrots and micronised peas with Readigrass - yum.