Friday 6 April 2012

The wanderer returns

I'm back!!

After a busy few days down in Oxford where the World Alpaca Fleece Show was being judged (more on that next we), I'm now back in firmly in control.

It is very unusual for me to leave Paul in charge at the farm and boy did it show, I think he was run ragged by the pet sheep lambing all over the place in the blizzard conditions on Tuesday.  He did a sterling job of warming Ebony's lamb and feeding her colostrum.  She is now one rather large happy lamb who should be back out in the field tomorrow all being well.

To get into the shed Mocha tricked Paul into thinking she was lambing in the atrocious weather, but when I got back very early on Thursday morning there was no sign of any lambs.  I'd threatened to put her out on Thursday afternoon so she promptly went into labour.  Luckily she waited until we had made a rather special Easter delivery.

We had to deliver 5 pet boys to their new home.  I always find it so difficult to part with our alpacas, they are all so friendly and I spend hours with them I really miss them.  I know Jeannine and Craig will love spending time with their new boys.

The boys couldn't explore more than a few steps before stopping to eat the lovely new grass again!

Not long after we returned from taking the boys Mocha went into labour, the poor thing was really struggling to deliver the first lamb so eventually I decided to lend a hand.  The lamb is enormous so I can see why she was struggling, a lovely black ewe lamb.  The second twin soon popped out with much more ease, fantastic, another black ewe lamb!

That is all the pet sheep now lambed, next week the wild blackies start, I can it being a rather different story if any of those need help delivering.

Today it was back to fencing, we have family staying at the minute so we had apprentice's on post knocking duties; mum and Sarah.



I will take some photos of all the new Easter lambs tomorrow so you can enjoy those.

1 comment:

Zanzibah Alpacas said...

Great to hear you back from your travels !! Back to the grind by the sounds of things .....the helpers look like their doing a great job, the boys, look like they have a lovely new home, I bet Jeannine & Craig are spoiling them already !!.....Jayne