John struggles with the invasion of space. When someone comes to the farm, his reaction is almost always negative. It quickly changes once the person makes contact and speaks to him directly. We have found that the more people around him, the easier it is for an addition to the group.
Yesterday was filled with all sorts of activity. John's nephews, Noah and Ian, were with their father for the weekend. They helped unload hay and were waiting to go for a bike ride with Matt, their Dad, when our vet arrived. John was aware that she was due, but he still sputtered and told her to "Go home".
Once she greeted him, he settled down. Dr Diane checked Patagonia's Alameda who is due in late June, gave her the CDT shot to help the cria's immune system, and announced that her last cria, Alpaca Shack's Sooleana was very healthy.
Kaboom, our gelding, is perhaps not totally gelded. She took a blood sample from him in order to ascertain his testosterone level. We are hoping he will be our "test male" for the females. Alpacas are induced ovulators and show receptivity to a male.
John interacted appropriately and warmly as we made arrangements for Dr Diane's next visit to innoculate Danko's Irish Rose. Once John is acknowledged by a visitor, he becomes very compliant. We are hoping that he can overcome this first negative response with more experiences.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
FIRST SHEARING DAY AT ALPACA SHACK
Wednesday was the day that John and Patty arrived to shear our alpacas. We had spent most of the morning preparing our animals: haltering and vacumning. John was ready for "hair cuts".
Each animal was brought to the mat, stretched on the stretcher and sheared. John followed the bags around as we sorted the prime blanket, seconds and garbage fiber. Each time one alpaca was led back to the pen, he shouted "More!"
There is a rhythm to the procedure as John and Patty exchange clippers to prevent overheating. Patty is invaluable in pointing out areas that need clipping, alerting John to potential problems and trimming around the feet. Our John would echo their voices as they called out "Watch your clippers!" "Switch" "Easy, easy, easy" What we thought might be stressful for John turned out to be exactly the opposite.
At the end of the day, we carried our twenty pounds of fiber into the loft-grateful that we could provide our son with this wonderful lifestyle.
Each animal was brought to the mat, stretched on the stretcher and sheared. John followed the bags around as we sorted the prime blanket, seconds and garbage fiber. Each time one alpaca was led back to the pen, he shouted "More!"
There is a rhythm to the procedure as John and Patty exchange clippers to prevent overheating. Patty is invaluable in pointing out areas that need clipping, alerting John to potential problems and trimming around the feet. Our John would echo their voices as they called out "Watch your clippers!" "Switch" "Easy, easy, easy" What we thought might be stressful for John turned out to be exactly the opposite.
At the end of the day, we carried our twenty pounds of fiber into the loft-grateful that we could provide our son with this wonderful lifestyle.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
The Lure of Spring Grass
John has had plenty to do this Spring as another pasture area was added to the farm. Drilling post holes, stringing six foot no-climb fence, and discing the new ground have filled April with lots of new experiences and added responsibility.
With the men working the lowest pasture, it became our duty to handle all the pen cleaning and feeding chores. Yesterday I was in Kaboom's pen-the men were hanging the gate. John was over with the "girls" who are anxious to graze the new, green grass that is currently unavailable due to the wet conditions.
Suddenly John started sputtering and he became quite upset. I looked up to see Princess Nomian and Danko's Irish Rose slipping through the fence in the barn... Patagonia's Alameda was on their heels. Fortunately I was able to divert her, but the two others manuvered around all the barriers I had purposely placed in the doorway, right past our shih tzu, Bootsie, to the green grass up by our motorhome.
John's reaction became more intense when I called down to the men for help. (Those "girls" completely ignored the dish of grain I was offering them-they were totally engrossed in that green grass. ) Although he was yelling at the top of his lungs, he remained in the pen with the other alpacas; they were just as upset as he!
With Bob's help herding the two "mavericks" around the perimeter, I was able to open an outside gate and keep Kaboom busy at the top of his pen-(Kaboom was very interested in that dish of grain! ) They came running in, but now we had two females in Kaboom's pen! When I opened the adjoining gate, the remaining "girls" rushed to roll in Kaboom's shed of dry B's !!!
We were back in the routine....the "girls" got their roll and went back across to their area. John went back to filling the hay wagon.... but, the lure of spring grass is ever-present.
With the men working the lowest pasture, it became our duty to handle all the pen cleaning and feeding chores. Yesterday I was in Kaboom's pen-the men were hanging the gate. John was over with the "girls" who are anxious to graze the new, green grass that is currently unavailable due to the wet conditions.
Suddenly John started sputtering and he became quite upset. I looked up to see Princess Nomian and Danko's Irish Rose slipping through the fence in the barn... Patagonia's Alameda was on their heels. Fortunately I was able to divert her, but the two others manuvered around all the barriers I had purposely placed in the doorway, right past our shih tzu, Bootsie, to the green grass up by our motorhome.
John's reaction became more intense when I called down to the men for help. (Those "girls" completely ignored the dish of grain I was offering them-they were totally engrossed in that green grass. ) Although he was yelling at the top of his lungs, he remained in the pen with the other alpacas; they were just as upset as he!
With Bob's help herding the two "mavericks" around the perimeter, I was able to open an outside gate and keep Kaboom busy at the top of his pen-(Kaboom was very interested in that dish of grain! ) They came running in, but now we had two females in Kaboom's pen! When I opened the adjoining gate, the remaining "girls" rushed to roll in Kaboom's shed of dry B's !!!
We were back in the routine....the "girls" got their roll and went back across to their area. John went back to filling the hay wagon.... but, the lure of spring grass is ever-present.
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