Well I found the hedgerows are growing…

and the Spring Lamb is in the oven…

so it must be a Happy Easter to everyone from all at Kensmyth 

I am not that good at Selfies and today I could not make sense of anything that anyone wrote…

so best ask a LLamas opinion – why not?

toenails, ADE and Weights. Don’t forget to tare the scales before the heffalumps get on.

We are proud to say that all our Alpaca are fit and healthy and carrying good weights for this time of year without being too fat to hit the Spring grass. did I hear someone mention the word Spring?

Some of them just love being weighed… yes the scales are under there!

I do love a curry, especially Thai and quite hot – usually 3 chilli hot actually. We do not eat out a lot and I do not like Take outs other than the Thai Jasmine in Cirencester up until now…

wow – as I was, um, detained, rather this week, I had to go to Tescos late as Hubby kept Farm Watch and look what I found to try… absolutely marvellous but not for the faint hearted!

What I really liked is the packaging is totally recyclable too!

Some Alpaca just love getting their heads wet regardless… nearly shearing time but time for a trim methinks!

Well it is now nearly midnight and I thought I would remind those who like to lie in that you lose an hours sleep tonight – Its clock forward tomorrow so 8 am will be 9 am.

Spring is truly on its way

BOOM!

As a farmer, despite the cold, the extra work lugging water, mucking out and inevitable soggy ground to follow when it melts… it IS beautiful…

some of my readers were confused that the “hairless cria” was ours – no I think it was in the USA actually. They ended up calling her LuLu but she was not given a plasma transfusion in time (if I read the story correctly) and so her immune system could not cope and sadly she died last night I believe.

However, whilst this is so sad, my thoughts are with the RED ARROWS family tonight.

We have been busy filming here again so apologies for not catching up with every phone call and email – the weather is sooo helpful!

Moving on, just a quick thank you to a friend who has helped me see a sick Alpaca through this evening. As I type it is heading towards midnight and there is a long night ahead yet for me even with the CCTV.

However, Alpaca friends share information and experiences and I would like to thank my friend again publicly tonight – she knows who she is, who gave up her Saturday night to talk me through a procedure whilst I was in the barn in the freezing cold when she could have been drinking wine and having fun.

Note to my friend – Alpaca now eating, drinking, chewing the cud and pooing happily!

Best friends who care about their livestock as much as you do are irreplaceable!

Alpaca have long since proven that although difficult to get pregnant and stay pregnant; once they are they can “hold” a pregnancy for more than a month after their due dates and can birth early by many weeks.

Thus making the “birthing window” for each Alpaca on farm a long one – with a gestation of 11.5 months that is adding at least 4 weeks either side!

This article from KIT BLOOMAN on Facebook – records what I believe might be the first Hairless cria born “about 5-6 weeks’ early, fully formed, teeth erupted, 5.5kg/12lbs ” surviving and doing well.

The fleece “hair” will follow shortly. I believe they have named her “Baldilocks”