Sunday 13 January 2013

Gate ready - go (Paul)

Rain, rain, rain.  Let's hope that was the story of 2012 and not 2013.

We have been told on more than one occasion that alpacas don't like being inside - really??!!  Since we moved to (and built) Liberty Hill Farm, we have built our nice big alpaca shed and for the last few weeks in this horrible weather we have been bringing everyone in at night.  Do we have to push and drag them down the hill? Ha ha!  This is the sight that usually greets us at night, the main herd of females and cria at foot waiting behind their gate to come in for buckets of warm speedibeet, hay and water!

Can we come in yet?

 The gate is open and off we go - Oonagh is usually at the front.  She doesn't share food trough space or hay nets with anyone so being first into the shed meeds un-contaminated food!

And who is last, same as ever, Chiquita (fawn), Minimus's mum! Just in front of her is Liberty (black) the first female alpaca born here at Liberty Hill Farm.  The girls are all dashing down the channel.  The layout we have here enable one person to move any number of alpacas anywhere on our farm!  It also allows us to have a number of self contained 'mini herds', the main herd, the livery girls, our new elite purchases, the stud boys, the Angora goats and the sheep!
Just to prove it's not the Barnacre core herd that like their indoor comforts, here are the livery girls also under starting orders. Barbilla now has a new owner as does Iolani (front right) and Lady (hiding at the back).  Allie (front left) and Snow (far right stetching her neck out) are for sale on behalf of a friend and client, with no VAT!  Both have fabulous fleeces and genetics...

1 comment:

Unknown said...

You certainly make them earn their B and B...that's a half marathon to the barn!

Ours have free access to the barn at night and you can bet if it's wet I will have a barn full of poo in the morning...ours definitely like keeping dry!