Apple Vale Fortune

Tuesday saw the arrival of a male from 'Apples' (Helenia Diana) whose sire is Dovecote Jaquinto. He was a whopping 9.5kg, bright crimpy solid white, and sired by CCNF Talon of Classical Milend.

He and our other new arrival, Florina, have been gaining weight steadily, although 'Flo'' has not made the gains we would usually see - we think that is because her yearling sister Elstar has been getting in the way, and Flo' seems to stay closer to her than her dam, Bramley - as a result, we have seperated the new mums and their cria, as when we did some trial seperations, she gained more weight - we then brought the herd back together when the thunderstorms threatened, as we could provide better shelter. We've just had the hay cut today, so fingers crossed for the mid-week weather.

Apple Vale Fortune

Apple Vale Florina

Apple Vale Florina

Saturday morning began with checking the two whites most likely to birth first, and after a few chores I went in for a cup of coffee, came out half an hour later, and there was a little brown head sitting up above the grass - Bramley, our dark fawn, and re-mated to Van Diemen Qjori of Patou had repeated last years birth with a brown female, weighing 6.0 kg exactly the same as Elstar a year previously (and at almost exactly the same time!). She was up within no time and suckling well - she has gained weight over night, although Elstar has tried sneaking a drop of milk, so we seperated her last night with some companions.

Apple Vale Florina

We had a set-back last week, when Freedom, who was only just on 10.5 months pregnant, had a still-birth early in the morning, a  male weighing just 3.8kg, fully formed externall, and a light fawn. The placenta appeared normal. She has had a quite extensive attack of mange mites on her legs in the last couple of months, which we had been treating and had got on top of, with Cydectin, but clearly she has struggled to develop the cria to a point of viability. It was heart-wrenching to see her looking to where she had delivered it, after I had taken it away, and humming for it. On top of that, yesterday we discovered an abscess on her thigh and have this evening treated it with Hibiscrub and Manuka honey, and fly-spray, which we understand has worked like magic for another breeder. Fingers crossed.

Bramley with Florina

Shiraz for shearers (or, showing showing, shorn)

Two blog titles, for the price of one today!
Enjoying a glass of the red stuff, after completing shearing our herd for this year today. We have been on cria watch for a week or so and now have three in their 'window', with two or three to follow.

Bramley and Elstar

Being able to shear our own, we have taken it steady to suit ourselves, the herd, the weather, and the show season.

Autumn Gold, shown above, was scanned as not pregnant last September, and we've found her to be body scoring very high, and she's kept us guessing, but we are convinced that she is pregnant and should be first to reveal her 'cargo' any day - she has the easiest temperament, and will happily chew your shoes or trousers, but has always seemed a bit 'dim' - fingers crossed.

Scrumpy: "don't tell anyone that I squealed like a wuss while being shorn"

 

Empress and Minnie wrestle for superiority.

I'm gradually getting quicker at shearing, and it's the pressure to get finished and release the alpaca that results in odd tufts being missed, that you notice as they walk away! One of those quirks of life, that getting 70% of the fleece, the blanket, takes 10% of the time, and shearing the legs, neck, head and tail, 30% of the fleece, takes 90% of the time, but there comes a point when they are getting stressed, and I've sweat the pint of cider that I have to replace, that you must let them go, after all they're not entering a beauty contest. (today I noticed flecks of blood as I sheared Minnies tail, and it turned out I had caught the top of my finger!) nothing important then.

Scilly season

Allow me please, to share something non-alpaca - we've just had a short 5-day break in the Isles of Scilly, planned between shows, shearing and birthing We went 9 years ago for an anniversary, and so enjoyed it, we had to go back. It may seem expensive at first, but it is special, having a rarified, quiet, un-hurried atmosphere with lots of space - you don't need a passport(!), and from boat to hotel or boat to car on your return, takes only 10 minutes, it is so simple (or you can fly). And, no I don't get commission!

This is known as 'Loaded-Camel Rock'

motor boats take you between the islands.

Sometimes the beaches can become crowded, if another family turn up!

I went on a boat trip around the outer islands and saw plenty of seals - there are Puffins, but they are a bit elusive.

Time to get the boat home...

We brought the girlsto the closest paddock for birthing, but the grass has grown so well, if a cria is born we'll have a job to find it!
It got so warm today, that I brought Scrumpys shelter over, and he recognized the shade and soon sat under it - he's not daft, he's got the Patou instinct.

Royal Bath & West Show

 

 

"hmm, second...I'll try and do better than that"

Squeezing the trailer out of the drive this morning at 7.30, I clipped the corner of the guttering on the porch....I reversed, but there is a pinch-point with the oil tank on the other side (anyone with a trailer or caravan will know that when a manouevre is a bit tight, it's best to go right back to the start because it only gets tighter)...I eased forward, and this time took the other corner of the gutter off and buckled the length of gutter between...I should have gone back to the start...so instead we un-hitched it and moved it by hand leaving the pieces of gutter for our return! Manouevering a trailer is great for marital 'harmony', so we got on our way, both tense, biting our tongues, not blaming each other for dismantling the gutter...things got better.

Our girls classes were early in the day, and their entry numbers were 4 for Empress and 13 for Elstar, which was to prove lucky. Rosemary's hair was looking fantastic today (you'd need to read her blog to understand the context: www.westhill alpacas.blogspot)
Junior Female Whites began the day, and while seven were entered, three did not turn up, and I was chuffed as she took second place, behind the same winner as at the Devon County Show - that's second out of seven in my book!

Judges apprentice Barbara Hetherington assisting judge, Mary-Jo Smith

Soon it was Junior Female Fawns, and Elstar was in a class of five, the judge Mary-Jo Smith, called for the colour chart and concluded she was brown, so off we toddled having had a taste of the ring experience, which set us up for a polished performance to take first in the Junior Female Brown! A big moment, as it was our first first - and she was our second to be born from a dam born on the farm, Bramley, whose sire was CME Centurion, and her own sire was Van Diemen Qjori of Patou - good work boys.

Despite the expression, I am delighted!

We then had the unexpected pleasure of both girls being in the Championship line-up, rubbing shoulders with the best of all colours - no sashes for us, but we feel our breeding plans are now bearing fruit, after steady progress, and a slow-down while we sought additional land to allow growth.
The next task? to shear those fleeces well enough to compete in some fleece shows later in the summer - I'll need to be concentrating when I shear those!

Devon County Show

As I write this, it has been raining for 4 hours on what should have been the final day of the show - it was cancelled yesterday afternoon as cars needed towing in and out of car parks. Until then, only a few heavy showers had interrupted the alpaca judging for ten minutes at a time, with otherwise bright and breezy conditions. Today should be the Championships, but as I left last night, a decision hadn't been made, whether it could take place.

Our small, but perfectly-formed team had to travel on two days, coloured classes being day one, lights and whites on day two. Following heavy showers through wednesday night, we had two very wet alpacas, but I had taken a calculated decision, that the first of their classes was late enough in the day for them to dry out, rather than confine them to a shelter, and the stress that might have added to them - I hadn't reckoned on the white Empress rolling on the dry earth floor of the shelter with her wet fleece, as we collected them to lead them into the trailer, so she had become a red-brown for the day!

First-up was Apple Vale Elstar, in a class of 10 female fawns she came 6th with her lovely soft fleece, behind progeny of equally notable sires.

On day two in another class of 10, female whites, I was chuffed, as judge Liz Barlow waved Apple Vale Empress into 4th place, mentioning the good density amongst her fleece attributes, in a class filled with progeny from other high-achieving sires.

The cheery demeanour  of judge Liz Barlow helps any event, and she makes the gathered spectators feel included - unfortunately, I don't have any photographs of ours in the ring, but we are very pleased with the results, and with the trailer already cleaned out, looking forward to the Royal Bath & West this week, where we'll be showing the females again, and Joy will be demonstrating felting on the wednesday as part of  Fibre Focus, led byVal Fullerlove.

First breakfast - and shearing begins.

Bramley and Elstar both sit for the feed bucket.

It's interesting to study cria as they grow up, and see what traits of their mother they pick up - whether it is instinct or visual. Bramley often sits for her mineral supplement, and rolls the bucket over with her neck. Recently, her daughter, Elstar started this, but hasn't bothered eating it... until today that is, when she had her first manufactured feed.

Is she eating, or looking?

"Yummy!"

Yesterday the South West Alpaca Group held a "chukka" - a social gathering, with lunch, to kick around thoughts, and ideas for alpaca-related activities for the group.

So today, with continuing good weather, we kicked off our shearing season - we didn't set a silly target, so did the two most heavily fleeced (Juniors excepted, as they have two shows coming up).

Apple Vale Freedom discusses with Joy, what garments she would like her fleece made into.

Empress checks who the 'new' member of the herd is.

...still not sure...

Meanwhile, Scrumpy fancied the look of ladies with a new hairstyle, and his testosterone got going and set him strutting up and down the fence line!