Alpaca Shearing

"Don't we look nice with our new haircuts?"

Today was one of the big shearing days at Highland Alpaca. We were fortunate to be able to take part in the event, as the one thing we've been wanting was more interaction with the animals. We got it! Thirty two alpacas shorn in eight hours! We may be exhausted and sore, but happy to have gained this experience. Other than the owners of Highland, there were five of us plus the two shearers. We were hopping!

On deck to be shorn; wondering if he really wants any part of this.

Working well as a team helped things to move very smoothly. Below is an action shot. The goal in the operation is to make the shearing as quick and stress-free for the alpaca as possible. Perhaps "stress-less" would be a better term to use as the process is definitely not stress-free for them. While it is being shorn, the alpaca is stretched between ropes that are connected to their legs on two opposite ends. This isn't being cruel folks, but actually helps to calm the animal down while stretching the skin to make shearing quicker and safer. Because of all the helping hands present today, we were able to get one alpaca ready whilst another was being shorn. The less time on the mat, the less stress endured.

Most of the fleece will be sent to a mill be be processed into yarn or roving. But some of the blankets (around the chest and back of the alpaca) are shorn in one big piece, spread out, then wrapped up to be judged at a show.

Laying out the fleece, cut side up.

The first time we visited Highland Alpaca it was raining, and I don't think that we fully got the scope of the number of animals residing there. At least I know I didn't. Today I gained a much greater appreciation of all the hard work that Fay and Jenny, the owners of Highland, have put into building their farm. I can't wait to start my own. I don't think it will be long now. These animals have stolen my heart!

If you have never met an alpaca (or even if you have and want to see them again), Highland will be having an Open Barn Day on Saturday June 19th from 11am to 4pm. Come on out! I'll be there spinning. It's great fun for both adults and kids! Click here to get directions! Hope to see you there!

Alpacas vs. Llamas

So let me catch you up on our alpaca adventures: We have visited four alpaca farms to date and have met some really amazing people along the way. Every one has been so kind and generous with their time and experience. Each visit has been unique, allowing us to build on previous knowledge we've gained. You are already familiar with Bully Hollow Alpacas, this was our first farm visit. The following weekend we visited Highland Alpacas in Grove City, PA, which is an alpaca farm on a much larger scale (100+ alpacas!). Where our previous weekend's visit to Bully Hollow gave us a great introduction to the alpaca world, our visit with Highland allowed us to get an idea of the business aspects of raising a herd of alpacas. And let me tell you, these two ladies know their stuff! I spent a couple days afterward with my head still processing all their wonderful information. Not to mention that their farm is AMAZING! That's really been one of the most beneficial things about all of our different farm visits is seeing where/how people started, how far they've come, and all the various set-ups for the farms. The general information is the same, but everyone tweaks it to make it work for them. There's no "set-in-stone" way to do things. I like that.

This past Saturday we visited two farms, and we found that the second farm put a whole new twist on what we thought we knew and were looking for. Let me explain why. The first farm was Lippencott Alpacas in Waynesburg, PA, home to 20+ alpacas. After taking some time to talk to and get to know the owners of the farm, we headed out to get our feet wet (literally...it was pouring) and get some hands on experience with the alpacas. Perfect! Another visit that was completely new from the rest. We helped give vaccines, dewormer, and even clip some toenails. Up until now we hadn't really worked with any of the animals. It was a new experience and well worth the visit. A bit after noon we traveled to Temple Ridge Llamas. Yes you read that right; I said llamas. Llamas and alpacas are both related. Alpacas are smaller than llamas and for the most part have a fiber that is more sought after. So here's were the 'twist' came in. We couldn't get over how friendly and inquisitive the llamas were. Sure, we've met some inquisitive alpacas, but they always seem to want to keep you at arms length. Not so with the llamas. They came right up to us, stuck their noses right up to ours, gave us a couple sniffs, and decided we were okay. I couldn't keep my hands off of them! "Why" you might ask, were we visiting a llama farm? The answer is simple, llamas make good guard animals for your alpacas (sheep and other animals too). We met the owner of the farm last weekend at the fiber festival and he invited us to meet his herd. So we came, and I'm so glad we did. What does this mean for us now? I think we want both, and at the very least we want a guard llama. We were absolutely smitten by their personalities. You can also shear them for fiber as well. But guarding and fiber are not the only uses for the llama. They are great pack animals and companions, can be trained to drive (pull) a cart, and are very smart.

I dreamt about llamas that night....

The Worms Have Arrived!

(more to come later)

Today was our first Geocaching day of the season. We only found 5 caches all together, but had a blast bush-whacking through the woods. Well, maybe "blast" is too strong of a word. But we had a good time. We climbed high and searched low, traversed many a muddy land, and I even solidified the knowledge that I'm really not allergic to Poison Ivy. If I was, I would be a itchy mess as we speak! I couldn't believe all the Poison Ivy we paraded through today; and me with my capris and Crocs on!

If you're not familiar with Geocaching, click on the link and check it out! It's loads of fun, and there's something for everyone! From the little tots to those who may feel limited by their mobility. It's like a giant treasure hunt. You seek, you find, and you log your visit to share and keep track of all the caches you've come across. It's free to join as a basic member and even the iPhone has an App for it! To be honest with you, I use my iPhone more than I use my GPS anymore. The only downfall to this is that if you don't have reception, you won't be able to track the cache.

So give it a go! You might be surprised what goodies are hidden right close to your own neighborhood!

Sheep and Fiber Fest

This past weekend we attended the Sheep and Fiber Fest in Waynesburg, PA. It wasn't a big festival, but you could tell that all the vendors and exhibitors were passionate about what they were doing. We saw various breeds of sheep, llamas, alpacas, and bunnies. And these were only the fiber species. They also had Border Collie herding demonstrations with both sheep and ducks (the ducks were so funny!).

The first exhibitor we visited was a shepherding couple (pictured below) giving a sheep shearing demonstration. It's amazing to watch how they are sheared so that their fleece comes off in one big blanket. We got to take a look at those shears; they are wicked! One wrong move and you could cut off an utter or leave a gouge the size of the San Andreas Fault. Still, I think I would like to learn how to shear. This fella has quite a few years on me (and no, I'm not talking about age); he's been shearing since he was 15. No wonder he's so quick and efficient!

After the demonstration we meandered our way down through the other exhibits, checking out all the different breeds of sheep that were brought for show or sale. My next goal is alpaca, but I would like to raise some sheep as well. They are good not only for fiber, but also for meat. My favorite sheep's wool to spin thus far is BFL, short for Blue-Faced Leicester (pronounced "lester"). It has a great staple length and crimp, making it a good fiber to learn on. Though there are better sheep for fiber, BFL (I'm told) is also a good meat producer, which in my opinion makes it a good breed.

Further down the line we finally ran into some alpaca. Ah, the wonderful sound of their nervous little humming. I must have been mesmerized by their cuteness, because I didn't take any pictures. We did however meet the owners and hope to schedule a time to go and visit their farm. I will remember to take pictures. To date, we have visited three alpaca farms. And each time solidifies how passionate I am about these animals.

In other news, the garden is slowly going in. I would have loved to have gotten it in much sooner, but life happens. All that means at this point is that I will have to buy my plants instead of sprouting them from seeds. We have in corn and sunflowers, which we sowed right in the ground. There are two other 4 X 4 plots ready, and hopefully we'll get 4 more of those plots ready soon. I also want to try my hand in container gardening as well. So many projects! I'm sure there will be a lot of trial and error this summer.

Let's Talk About Chicks

Well the farm has doubled itself in the past month; doubled in chickens that is. I suppose God heard me cry for my three dead hens and gave me 16 chicks. We now have 2 roosters, 7 mature laying hens (three of those with chicks, which means they're not actually laying at the moment), 6 immature hens, and 10 peeps (growing like weeds). Grand total: 25! How would have thunk it? The chicks above are from the first clutch that hatched almost four weeks ago from my black silkie hen, Delilah. They grow fast and are much larger that this picture now. She actually hatched 8, but we lost two. Sad, but such is the circle of life.

And speaking of losses, Mrs. Buns had her litter and didn't know what to do with them. We lost them all; all five beautiful little babies. It was a very sad day and felt like such a loss. I realize that these things happen, but it's still hard. I'm pretty sure that this was her first litter. Though it doesn't make the loss any easier to know that. We'll try again here in a few weeks. I think she'll get it next time. The poor girl spent days sitting in her nest box after the birth; like she knew she was supposed to be there but just plain figured it out too late. She will be a little smarter next time, and I will too. I know now to check her frequently around her due date. We'll get another litter.

For now, we are content to watch the little chicks frolic in the barnyard. They are more entertaining than any TV show could ever be! I'm of the firm belief that everyone should own chickens. It should be like any of those other 'decessities' that we own: refrigerator, stove, computer, dishwasher (wait, we don't own a dishwasher!) They are quite the conversation piece as well. I called my sister back yesterday and all we could talk about was (you guessed it) our chickens. She and her family are also new chicken owner. They didn't even have their chicks a month before they upgraded their coop! That's what I'm talking about! It's addicting, folks. After awhile you're not just raising chickens for eggs or meat, you're a "collector". Those few chicks you raised just aren't enough, and you find yourself devising ways to add to your flock. It's an addiction! But don't worry, there are much worse addictions you could have.

Another problem caused by deforestation.

I certainly can't take credit for this photo, but if you are a dog lover and worried about losing our forests...you'll appreciate this. I had to share. And to the person who took this photo...PRICELESS! Thanks!

Not The Mamma!

So I've got four different sets of chicks at different ages. One pair of (supposedly) chocolate-colored egg layers (age 10 weeks), four six weekers, seven almost two weekers, and two 2-day olders. It's peepville out in the coop, I tell ya! This is one of the almost two weekers I brought in to clean off a poopy butt. Yes folks, that's right, sometimes we clean poopy chicken bums. This is also one of the ones I found left out last week almost dead. I thought she was dead anyway; but I warmed her back to life and stuck her back out with mom. I was so thankful. The week before my angora doe had a litter of 5 kits, and I lost them all. I was so discouraged, even though I know that is always a possibility. My guess is that this was her first litter. She tried to do the things that mamma bunnies do but just seemed to figure it out too late. It was sad, oh yes, but we will try again. So I was glad to save this peep.

Anyway, as you can see from little miss peep above, she was darn sure I wasn't her mamma, and she sure let me know. She's one of my favorites of that bunch of seven with her little tufted feet (I think she'll be of the silkie variety). And I of course say "she" hoping that I get a good number of hens from this bunch. I've already got two roosters who need some more hens. The reality of the situation, however, is that probability sides on fifty-fifty. So some of those are bound to be roosters.

I do have to say, I'm pretty proud of my mother hens, especially my silkie, Delilah. They both seem to be taking good care of their little ones. Unfortunately this broodiness appears to be quite contagious as Charlotte, my buff orphington (?) is now sitting on a clutch. Oh me, oh my? This of course means that each of the three favorite nest boxes are otherwise occupied, and three of my seven laying hens are 'mothering' (which means less eggs). And my black bantie, Minerva, well she's hiding her eggs somewhere other than the coop. Already hens are trying to cram into the all time favorite of box (see below).

Fanny's on top of Charlotte's head, and Bertie, as you can see, has crammed herself in there too. It's quite a scene. I must tell you that there are six other nest boxes in that coop. That must be some box!