Body scoring Alpaca is essential in winter months. Alpaca quickly lose weight and take a long time to recover.

All Alpaca are fed small rations twice a day off ground here at Kensmyth and we have a few that need to enrol in a Gym this month too!

isn’t it great when your Fleece Samples come back with really low micron and you know that your Alpaca are really fat so the real “score” is even lower!!

Micron count in Alpaca varies at the time of year, age and weight of the Alpaca. It is also affected from country to country by ground and heat conditions. For example Australian Alpaca in dry hot conditions ranging over plains will have a lower Micron count than New Zealand Alpaca in lusher less hot conditions… bring them to the UK and even more lush grass and you have different again!

there is no “one size fits all” in Alpaca fleece and keeping our Alpaca in good body condition is priority !

there are age old sayings… beauty is in the eye of the beholder…

  and this certainly applies to cold and frosty mornings…

  and another saying?

you can take a horse to water but cannot make it drink…

even if you have Field shelters in every single field for them … they do not always use them!

  but they do love fresh crispy breathy frosty walks!

yes I know its only a muddy Monday in January but time flies by…

Caught out on camera…

Did you see any muddy puddles? nOOOO – I definitely did not see any muddy puddles today!

well the weather might not at the moment be replicated in these photos but they have grown up somewhat too!

Alpaca with fantastic cria fleeces and genetics from a genuinely closed herd – FOR SALE

males only for sale in 2016 and some superb genetics including Valley Alpacas The Diplomat lines as well as EP Cambridge Arias son Sire lines – check out these fleeces and get in touch fast!

  Contact Helen@kensmyth.com or 07799700587 for more information.

Export quarantine facilities available

I thought that was a fantastically immature title for an old timer like me… however it is entirely fitting. the mud underfoot is gloop and its difficult to pick up the poop! normal machines are getting stuck so best do by hand – marvellous. the wonders of paddock management take no heed of rain… and Alpaca continue to eat copious amounts of hay and twice daily feed which maintains their poop levels.

onwards and upwards to introduce our new little number (well this was taken weeks ago so not so little now)…

and to extol the virtues of the superb Sticky Toffee Pudding at the Greyhound Pub in Siddington which I totally recommend…

Well I started with a few New Year resolutions but Moet Chandon Champagne at my brothers new house to celebrate put paid to that idea – well it was rude not to ! So lets move on. Before we start with the rain and the gloop and Alpaca muddy footed husbandry, just a little thank you to a friend of mine Lisa who runs a successful business making memories of your cherished pets last forever. Her company has a joint website of hand painted china and silver jewellery: http://www.animalprintsinsilver.co.uk/

the reason that I am promoting Lisa here is that her efforts go beyond all belief when we tragically lost our beloved dog Spirit. We had no paw print to cherish… or so we thought. Some time after she was put to sleep we found a paw print in the concrete by our barns. Lisa came out and took a cast print and from that we now have beautiful memories of Spirit forever. Some may find this a little sentimental but a dog is a part of a family and farm… we all have something of her now… see what you think…

Great Birthday and all occasion gifts for anyone, anytime. Bless.