SCANNING & CATS

Busy day yesterday, what with Marmade cat to the Vet for castration, then getting all the girls in for scanning with Alan. All pacas lovely and dry as we still hadn't any rain at that point, always a bonus when holding them for scans, but by the time he arrived it had started.... Anyway, great news all the ones he scanned pregnant in the Autumn still are, and of the two he thought were reabsorbing back then, one is definately pregnant afterall - Orchid, who is Sir G's mum, who we haven't had a cria from for 3 years, so really happy with that, and Medina possibly, but not definately ... she is spitting off so hopefully its a yes, and not a retained CL, and she too has lovely cria and both were put to Incan King.... fingers crossed then for 19 crias - starting with Orchid and Toffee Apple, who is pregnant to CME Tulaco Centurion both due end of May. Rain then got a bit serious, which was great as it watered all the fertiliser in - the fields have changed colour already.. whilst moving whole load of 8' feed troughs on a wheelbarrow, 3 at a time, the wind caught the gate I was going through and they all fell off on to my foot, much swearing! Peter took Jerry cat for his little op this morning - apparently he was a little reluctant - literally climbing the walls - should be fun when they come to find a vein!!

Spring!!

What amazing weather we're having - I've certainly made the most of it - been outside enjoying the sunshine and even took time to sit out with a magazine and a coffee and just absorb the rays... all that lovely Vit D! We have just finished all our Spring-time husbandry on the herd. The last ADE shot, wormer and heptovac... lots of injections, but thats it now for 6 months apart from the crias when they arrive. We don't have any due til the very end of May and the rest are all June and July, if all goes according to plan. We've had half of our fields fertilized and now we need a drop of rain to wash it in before we can swap everybody around and do the other half - hopefully we'll get rain on Wednesday - I just hope it knows when to stop, but we are desperately dry here, only having had 1 days rain in the whole of March so far. We have Camelid Vet Karin Mueller from Cambridge University coming here on Sunday to give a course on Crias, Birthing etc for Members of the Southern Alpaca Group - should be an excellent day. Our course with Jay Holland went really well and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it - the pacas behaved impeccably and were led around the obstacle course by the end of the day.

Futurity

Back home and still tired despite going to bed at 9pm the last 2 nights! Hangover lasted all Sunday morning but thankfully I didn't need the bucket that was beside me as I drove home - never again - but good fun at the time!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the show, despite my disappointment over "Bonami's" lack of success, well he came joint 7th anyway! Our Beige Junior Female "Bonaventure" did well coming 2nd in her class, shes a real cutie and grand daughter of our Supreme Champion female Bonita, a great line for us to be breeding to the Snowmass boys - can't wait to see her Dam and big sisters cria this summer....

Rebecca won with her picture in the art competition, so she was very happy. I'm still trying to decide wether to buy a faecal egg counting kit at huge cost?

Its been 15 degrees and sunny here today, but much to my frustration I have been indoors for a lot of it on the phone to Apple trying to resolve computer problems ... 3 hours later and still not fixed. Peter had a much better day outside and started the spring harrowing on the empty fields, ready for fertilising next week. It's all beginning to grow now, just needs a bit of encouragement.

We have toad and frog spawn in the pond, though I haven't heard the frogs at night yet, probably because I was sleeping so deeply!

Next event our training day with Jay on Saturday .... pictures to follow...

Husbandry Course

The sun shone beautifully today for our Introductory Course, quite a relief after yesterdays miserable rain and tomorrows too I think.... luck was on our side again. What a really lovely group of people, lots of questions, most I think I managed to answer, the whole day was a pleasure. The pacas behaved beautifully, of course, and the weanlings benefitted from lots of handling. I'm always a bit nervous about cooking for so many people I don't know, but the food seemed to go down ok ... but it was a bit of a squash round the table... must get on and build our lecture room.

I fancy a change of scene tomorrow, so going to take Pixie Lott, our rather old and very green campervan out for a spin, weather permitting - the roof leaks - got all inspired by One Man and His Campervan on telly this week, may even make a cup of tea in her and a bacon roll... lobster next week.. won't be doing any camping overnight in her though, not til the summer, no heating, will need my alpaca duvet even then... shame she won't pull a trailor, would be fun at the shows ....

Halter training versus website?!

1st February already and I can think of loads of excuses why I haven't been blogging - from new computer, and all the hassel that it brings, to projects on the farm, to just feeling lazy actually...



Why is it that I forget so easily what I have to do to upload images on my website? I must have spent about an hour and a half trying to do just that this morning and then suddenly I did something right and it worked ... I must write it down somewhere! We've set the date for our Open Day - 7th August, so put it in your diarys.



I've been halter training the crias as we've weaned them, most have got the hang of it. Also selected those to go to the Futurity next month, of course they're the ones that have been the most reluctant to stand still and lead quietly... always the way. I was going to do a bit with them this morning, but as its cold, grey and damp outside I decided that I would catch up in the office instead with a nice cup of coffee, biscuits missing as I'm trying to reduce the flab I collected at Christmas.



I'm also waiting for our builders to turn up to finish the shelter extension ... looks really good now. Another project that's nearly finished is the clearing of the drive... all started with a bit of pruning and I decided to be more drastic and got Dave with his digger in! Peter and I planted 3 sack fulls of daff bulbs, a fantastic bargain from SCATS, (I love that shop). The idea is to plant it all with grass and keep it mowed ... we'll see, got to be better than it was... anyway, now it provides a more noval walk for the weanlings in and out of the trees.

Happy Christmas

So, the pacas are all tucked up in bed for the night, extra, extra rations of hay so we don't have to do it tomorrow on Christmas Day... water tubs all topped up for the same reason. I told them to put their stockings out and they may be lucky to find a carrot or two in them tomorrow....

It's been bitterly cold the last few days, but today we had some lovely sunshine. We have ice everywhere, especially on our drive which caught me out the other evening when my usually fantastic 4 x 4 slid down the drive at an alarming pace, bounced us off one bank and ended way up the bank on the other side, only stopped by the bushes, left me sat almost on my door rather than my seat and rather shaken I have to admit- but thankfully no damage done!!

This week we've had the big shelter updated to offer even more shelter - quite a job wrestling with large sheets of clear polycarbonate in a stiff northerly wind with a chill factor of -5! But now they have windows so they can see see out but the wind and the rain shouldn't blow in... nothing but the best for my girls... if these hard winters become the trend I may have to have a barn...

The weanlings have got the hang of their new routine and now wait at the gate to come in for the night - only another 5 to wean in the New Year and then we can re-group the females til the Spring.

So signing off now to get stuck into all that food and drink we have in the fridge ... we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!!

MORE SNOW!

I'm so pleased I work from home ... I was even more ready for it this time ... remembered to put all the feed troughs upside down one end up on the fence, that alone saved me about half an hour this morning! Plus I took masses of hay out yesterday, so only feeding and ice breaking this morning. The weanings are cosy in their stables and everyone else making good use of the shelters. I can never resist taking masses of snow pictures, when I come to look at them on the laptop they're remarkably similar to the ones I took last time! I do love the trees - its as if they're ready to go to the ball!
Centaur, Bettina, Akela and Andromeda