some happy people visiting the Alpaca and walking LLama in these strange times! Always makes you smile though!

Making good use of left overs is our Farmers forte here at Kensmyth Alpaca. Take your last few potatoes that are not enough for the whole family meal, your last few carrots (not donated to rare breed horses) and the last of a packet of frozen peas (defrosted) with the last of the family roast (beef/chicken/pork)..

dice it and add spices to taste and some gravy in a homemade pastry and bingo – Anything Pie At Kensmyth – cheap and cheerful with crusty bread to mop up the excess gravy

keeping you warm and saving money at Kensmyth!

it is the “birthday” of Guy Fawkes and we should all remember our livestock in the fields and take care when setting off Fireworks at all times. Meantime, it is also the 50th birthday of someone I know well today so no fireworks, only roses to celebrate – Happy Birthday to you.

This post contains graphic photos of castration below of a horse being gelded/castrated. WARNING

Now the frosts have started it is time to consider who to castrate. Those not being used for breeding should be castrated as they can go on to other jobs. Alpaca are castrated either under sedation standing (we do not recommend this method for Alpaca) like horses or fully under anaesthetic which is what we would recommend. 

The cuts are left open to drain and wet muddy conditions are therefore not ideal but cold prevents fly strike. whatever weather – remember it is an open wound so care and attention is required. It should also be noted that male hormones do not subside for at least 3 – 6 months in Alpaca (less in horses) and that succesful mating can still occur in up to 8 weeks following castration. Graphic photos follow of horse castration done standing. 

horse cleansed thoroughly and area anaesthetised by injection 

incision made to release one testicle which is then cut off by emasticulators which are then used to clamp to prevent further blood flow (done on both so procedure repeated)

method repeated until two testicles cleanly removed

open wounds left to drain and heal naturally – hence need for no Fly Strike weather blood should be washed off legs if possible but not wound areas

All livestock castrated should be kept under close observation for possible infection and/or fly strike regardless of weather conditions. Movement is encouraged and necessary to prevent swelling.

wherever possible take temperatures which when raised will indicate possible infection.

All castrated livestock will be given antibiotics at time of castration and pain relief. 

Alpaca come from colder climes and the frosts starting in November give the Alpaca a mental boost as they generally hate the wet and love the cold. Do not forget they need their ADE vitamins now though.

Welcome November 2020 – it is Alpaca time!

I thought with this year being so different due to Covid and with so few folk venturing outside for Halloween (yes I do know it is tomorrow) – I thought I would just share a beautiful picture from my recent London trip which I felt captured Autumn, Halloween and the beauty of how life really is..

Always doing new things here at Kensmyth and our new rugs available now for Christmas are no exception.. just beautiful natural Alpaca..

take your pick, they weigh 2kg for posting and packing folks !

sometimes Goodbye is the saddest thing to do but you cannot keep them all in business.. good luck in your new home boy!

In a Pandemic crisis in and out of Lockdown with no idea what the future holds for anyone at all, I read a blog of a friend of mines daughter about how her 2020 was “made” by the birth of her baby boy. It humbled me and brought me to tears because I too feel like that.. whatever happens in the rest of the year, the best thing for my son and his wife and all of us is the birth of my first granddaughter..

I felt the need to visit my beautiful granddaughter and this time it was not so rushed. Possibly for the last time I looked upon the great “London town” as it is now rather than as it was, quite lonely I felt, Tourism down and streets empty, with Police on horseback nevertheless..