Easter Monday Open Day
Welsh Valley Alpacas – Open House Event
If you are interested in seeing alpaca fleece, talking about its use and chatting to others with an interest in alpaca fibre then pop in for coffee and cakes during our open house event on Saturday 22nd November, 11am-3pm.
We will also have alpaca socks for sale – great idea for Christmas presents – and examples of wet felting. And of course the alpacas will be on hand…or at least in the field!
Steve & Sue Heatherington
Alys
Alys is quite a character.
She was the one who was on BBC1’s Vet 24/7 with the prolapse.
OK now but retired from the breeding list because of the likelihood of recurrence when pregnant. Shame because she is a good mum and desperate to have her own cria – when we take them over to the field Bankside, she snorts and gallops up hill as fast as she can to prance around where the boys can see her.
It obviously got too much at one point with the new cria arriving in the summer and one night she was chasing and biting one of them and not just a friendly nibble. Thought I might have to separate her off from all of the cria but thankfully she soon settled again. Something to watch for though.
She does do the friendly nibble of me – usually when she feels I am being slow getting food into a bucket she can access.
Yesterday was a first – when filling the water trough in the field, I was pouring the water in from a 20 litre container but steadily so it did not splash everywhere. She likes fresh water anyway but was fascinated by the water stream and kept sticking her nose in it and trying to drink from it as it was pouring in. She kept coming back time after time so it was clearly not accidental.
Alpaca Open Day – Easter Monday
Our first open day of 2011 is set for Easter Monday.
We have ordered fine weather but being welsh Wales we will have to take what we are given. There will still be plenty to see even if it does rain and hot drinks and home made cakes will be available in the house. Either way, wellies or good outdoor footwear that can get muddy will be essential. By popular demand, there will be an opportunity to make a voluntary contribution towards the refreshments costs.
We now have 21 alpacas in residence with more cria (young alpacas) due to be born later in the summer. Last year’s cria are growing on nicely and still look cute even if a bit more ‘grown up’.
They will all be interested to meet you at Easter, or one of our other open days, if you can make it.
Arrival of new cria
Healthy white boy arrived safely at about 9.45 am this morning. No problems, which is nice since we had major difficulties with this mum’s cria last year requiring a vet, a calf rope and three hours.
Feeding well and seems strong with good fleece (though you can’t really tell at this stage).
Still waiting
We are currently in a hanging-around stage waiting for the two very expectant mums to deliver their cria. I keep giving them detailed weather forecast updates but so far they are holding out for some golden sunshine rather than the damp mizzle, interspersed with heavier downpours, that we are having today.
We planned to visit the Royal Welsh show at Builth Wells but had to cancel so I can be around – just in case. I hope they appreciate it but mostly they seem to just eye me suspiciously every time I check on them.