Meonstoke School Visit
One of my favourite group visits this morning ... 22 children and their teachers from the Reception class of Meonstoke Primary School came for their annual trip to our farm. We know the school really well as Rebecca went there and they come every year and really love the experience. They were extremely well behaved, as always, and asked loads of really good questions ranging from how long are the babies in their mummies tummies, to how much do they eat, what are ear tags for etc. Of course there are a few tricky questions to negotiate such as how do the babies get out... (under their mummies tail) and how are they made ... (you need a mummy and a daddy) and the inevitable giggling when the pacas had a visit to the poo pile - how much do they 'go' they ask - alot I replied! One little boy asked me how old they were when they got married - cute! After a good run round one of the empty fields, then a drink and a biscuit they had their painting session, amazing pictures given it was so windy. They went back to school with lots of alpaca postcards and fleece to make fluffy pipe cleaner alpacas of their own ... here's some of their pictures...
SNOWMASS CRIA
Hurray, yippee.... we have a Snowmass cria - a white Quetzalcoatl female, out of Calico and I am thrilled with her! She is so soft and dense and you can already see that she's going to have a fabulous fleece.... born just one day short of 11 months she's a 10 kg, strong and lively person with slightly wobbly legs... but they'll soon strengthen up and then she'll be racing about the field with her playmate. We have called her Calister. She has a coat on because the forecast was heavy rain .... (some hope) ..
On the down side Toffee Apple isn't being a particularly good mum for some reason, not allowing her cria to have full feeds.. and although little Treasure is still lively, she isn't gaining weight, in fact she had lost some today, so we have taken them in for the night hoping this will concentrate her mind on being a more caring mum (usually works). It does go to show how important weighing regularly is especially in the first week. However, although she doesn't want to feed her properly she is devilishly protective and in the process of getting them in, weighing the cria and then settling them in for the night she screamed the place down and spat for England! Once covered I just had to carry on until the job was done ... then all the clothes went straight in the washing machine and I went straight in the shower.... yuck! No pictures of that!! Can't say I'm looking forward to handling them tomorrow - will have to plan ahead and make a spit mask for her tonight out of one of Peter's old socks!
"Calister" attempting her first steps - her Mum looks like she's smiling!
On the down side Toffee Apple isn't being a particularly good mum for some reason, not allowing her cria to have full feeds.. and although little Treasure is still lively, she isn't gaining weight, in fact she had lost some today, so we have taken them in for the night hoping this will concentrate her mind on being a more caring mum (usually works). It does go to show how important weighing regularly is especially in the first week. However, although she doesn't want to feed her properly she is devilishly protective and in the process of getting them in, weighing the cria and then settling them in for the night she screamed the place down and spat for England! Once covered I just had to carry on until the job was done ... then all the clothes went straight in the washing machine and I went straight in the shower.... yuck! No pictures of that!! Can't say I'm looking forward to handling them tomorrow - will have to plan ahead and make a spit mask for her tonight out of one of Peter's old socks!
Royal Bath & West Show
We had fun at the Bath & West Show, though I have to say that we won't be camping again in a hurry, well not there anyway, so noisy all night with all the quarry lorries thundering up and down the road, and it was very chilly...
Anyway enough moaning, Bonami came 3rd in his class of Junior Fawn Males and Judge Val Fullerlove was very complimentary about his fleece and commended the density and length of it as well as the fineness and structure - so all in all he has had a good show season. Bonaventure wasn't placed this time, but she behaved beautifully for Rebecca who took her into the ring for her class and for the Junior Handler. Rebecca was a star, she won the older section of Junior Handlers and then after many questions from the Judge about all sorts of Husbandry things such as birthing and cria care she took the Champion Junior Handler too. I have to say Isla May, who she was up against did really well too - well done to both of them - alpaca breeders of the future!
Helen did her usual display of ring procedure as an alpaca, led by Rebecca, and even dressed up for it - what a laugh! Not sure I will ever think of chocolate raisins the same again!
Back home now and it's a lovely warm day - little 'Treasure' is doing really well, but needs a playmate, though not today it seems.......
Anyway enough moaning, Bonami came 3rd in his class of Junior Fawn Males and Judge Val Fullerlove was very complimentary about his fleece and commended the density and length of it as well as the fineness and structure - so all in all he has had a good show season. Bonaventure wasn't placed this time, but she behaved beautifully for Rebecca who took her into the ring for her class and for the Junior Handler. Rebecca was a star, she won the older section of Junior Handlers and then after many questions from the Judge about all sorts of Husbandry things such as birthing and cria care she took the Champion Junior Handler too. I have to say Isla May, who she was up against did really well too - well done to both of them - alpaca breeders of the future!
Helen did her usual display of ring procedure as an alpaca, led by Rebecca, and even dressed up for it - what a laugh! Not sure I will ever think of chocolate raisins the same again!
The Judge Val Fullerlove seems a bit hesitant with checking conformation!
Rebecca with Bonaventure receiving her Champion Junior Handler sash
The girls being quizzed on alpaca care and management
NEW CRIA
I looked out of the bedroom window this morning just before 7am to see Toffee Apple (345 days) obviously in 1st stage labour by the way she was lying .... here we go then. Got on with my chores and fed everyone and just kept an eye on her. By 9.30 she was beginning to push so wandered a bit nearer with my camera and birthing box to watch from a discreet distance. All was well and feet and legs emerged quick quickly, I managed to take a bit of video and a couple of pictures, handy for the courses. She got to her feet and said hello to the cria and then lay back down and pushed the rest out so quickly that I had to abandon the camera and go to the aid of the cria who was being turned into a walnut whip under her tail, if you know what I mean - kind of all crunched up and in danger of suffocating!
Anyway, all was well and I carried the cria into the sunshine and away from the fence ... very happy to see we had a female, from Tulaco Centurion - a little cracker .. weighed in at 8.5 kg.
Up and feeding within a couple of hours, by this time with a cria coat on as although by now she was dry there was a very keen wind and it was threatening to rain and she was shivering a bit.. She's so cute and I always forget how tiny and scrawny they look when wet... We have called her Treasure.
Must get busy now to make ready for the Royal Bath & West Show, we're camping (must be bonkers) and going down later this afternoon. Taking Bonami and Bonaventure who were both wet and covered in mud this morning after the showers yesterday.
Peter could be busy there's another 6 due any time now.....
Anyway, all was well and I carried the cria into the sunshine and away from the fence ... very happy to see we had a female, from Tulaco Centurion - a little cracker .. weighed in at 8.5 kg.
Up and feeding within a couple of hours, by this time with a cria coat on as although by now she was dry there was a very keen wind and it was threatening to rain and she was shivering a bit.. She's so cute and I always forget how tiny and scrawny they look when wet... We have called her Treasure.
Must get busy now to make ready for the Royal Bath & West Show, we're camping (must be bonkers) and going down later this afternoon. Taking Bonami and Bonaventure who were both wet and covered in mud this morning after the showers yesterday.
Peter could be busy there's another 6 due any time now.....
Toffee Apple & Treasure
Everyone saying Hello to "Treasure"
AUSTRALIAN ALPACA FIBRE TESTING 15 June 2011
We took fleece samples from everyone today ready for testing on 15 June... it's always easier to do this before shearing as you can take your time, be accurate, bag and label it properly. We always keep half the sample for reference .
Evereyone is invited to bring their samples here for testing at a cost of £3.50 per test including printed data sheet. There's also going to be a workshop which will run from 10am to 12.30pm and will cover an explanation of test data and how to use the it and a presentation/demonstration of the OFDA2000.
Let me know if you would like further details and if you would like to come so that I can book you in for the workshop and get an idea of how much testing we're going to do on the day. Do please feel free to bring a picnic lunch with you so that you can have a good gossip after the workshop - teas and coffees will be available. You may be able to watch your samples being tested.. however if we're really busy then they might be tested a few days later and the test data sent to you.
Still no crias ... ...
HUGE TUMMIES
And still we carry on with the clearing out - massive bonfire and another trip to the dump ... but we are beginning to see the benefit now, another day I reckon and it'll be done.... anyway thats all getting boring now so here are some pics I took this evening of some of our expectant girls... some have huge tummies - they lost their figures years ago, and some are just cute..
Ena - due 02.06.11 to Snowmass Incan King XXX
Beulah - due 03.06.11 to Snowmass Incan King XXX
Sabrina - due 13.06.11 to Meon Valley Ardingly
Toffee Apple due 19.05.11 to CME Tulaco Centurion
Calico II due 06.6.11 to Snowmass Quetzalcoatl
MORE OF THE SAME
The clearing out still continues - another trailor full of junk, found some ghastly turquoise and orange paint from when we had a colourful downstairs loo ... strange how one's taste changes?! Spent hours digging out a deep litter shavings bed from when we kept the horses in all those years ago ... yes, I know we should have done it before but just never got-a-round-to-it.... at least it's burning in this wind ... the poor neighbours must have thought it was volcanic ash!!
Got a group of mature students from Southdowns College coming this evening to learn about breeding alpacas - shame we don't have a cria to show them but the girls have gone right off the boil now.
Got a group of mature students from Southdowns College coming this evening to learn about breeding alpacas - shame we don't have a cria to show them but the girls have gone right off the boil now.
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