New Digs!

I'm trying out a new site for my blogs that will allow me to have multiple pages.  If you would like to continue to follow my blogs visit Zephyr Hill Farm at:
https://zephyrhillalpacas.wordpress.com/blog/

Hope to see you there!

Frozen February

As we begin our frosty February there are a few updates coming from the barn.

First of note, the chickens apparently have resumed egg laying after a two month hiatus.  While looking for a M.I.A. Delores at the morning feeding, I discovered her roosting on the chickens last known laying nest.  When she got up I discovered eggs!  They may have been accumulating over a couple of days time.  That is an unknown since I haven't been looking for eggs and wasn't expecting any for a month or so.  One egg had definitely been there long enough to freeze and crack.  Of course the temps have been brutal the last few nights so it could have been laid just on Friday.

As you can see, despite the freezing temperatures, the chickens are still happily doing chicken things, they're just doing them inside.

Bo unhappily blocked as I attempt to clean the boys stall.

The alpacas, especially the boys, are reluctant to venture outside.  I have to bribe them with hay just to get them to leave the stall long enough to get it cleaned.

Raphael and Bo grudgingly having hay alfresco.

With temperatures freezing, then having snow, then thawing and freezing again the snow build up on the barn roof is constantly sliding off.  It has now passed the bottom of the chicken coop window.  I don't recall it being this bad last winter.  Fortunately I'm not using the chicken coop door into the chicken run! 

Snow accumulations climbing up the side of the barn.

I've been working with the babies, getting them used to being handled and used to wearing a halter in preparation for possible shows later this year.  Faith was last to come on board with the whole halter thingy.  She questioned my judgment for awhile!  

"Why do I have to wear this thing?"


Linus is suffering from the winter doldrums and I have had a hard time coaxing him outside.  He hasn't ventured to the barn in over a week.

"Ugh who thought up winter?  I can't get any vole hunting in with all the cold white stuff on the ground!"

Last known siting of Linus in the barn.

I'm excited to finally have an organized office!  I've purchased canvas totes to store all the alpaca yarn and goods in.  I've also rearranged the office and feel it's functioning better and  I'm not dreading spending time in there.

New office arrangement and organization!

Though I'm not thrilled with the snow and the cold temperatures I can fully appreciate the beauty of a chilly sunrise as it turns the snow scape into a glistening vista.

Snow diamonds!

Happy February!!  Only six weeks till spring!

Bright Sunshine on a January Day! Hooray!

This morning at 6:45 a.m. the temperature was one degree!  It had been a beautiful clear night with a 3/4 moon.  At 3:00 p.m. this afternoon with unlimited sunshine and clear skies the temperature has climbed to 32 degrees.  All the beasts, both inside and out, and the humans, are revealing in the vitamin D boost in their own way!!

A chilly sunrise.

Still chilly at 9:15 a.m. despite the sunshine.

Not only does it look chilly it was!  Still only nine degrees.

Linus coping as best he can!

Finally the temperature is climbing and the girls are enjoying sunshine and hay.  Can't beat that combo!

Despite my best efforts at reconciliation Daisy is still not happy with me and my decision to isolate her and Andraya from the rest of the girls.  In an attempt to repair bruised relationships I frequently let all the girls get together during the day to catch up.

Sting Ray continues to capture my heart!  He is a lot like Linus.  Friendly, smart, and always getting into trouble!

New Year Beginnings

Thanks to the crocheting talent of my Aunt Carla, I now have a beautiful afghan created using all five of the natural colored alpaca yarns from our alpacas!  I was anxious to see how the yarns would work together and can't be more pleased with how my Aunt skillfully blended them.  Thank you Carla!!

Carla's beautiful Afghan with all five colors of our alpaca yarns.

Here are the five yarns used to create Carla's Afghan.

One of my goals this year is to teach myself how to crochet so I can create products out of our alpaca yarn.  Hopefully one day I will be able to match the skill of my Aunt!

I'm also going to be exploring the art of felting.

I've begun felting basics 101 by creating dryer balls out of the alpaca roving I'm selling on Etsy.  These dryer balls can be used in place of chemical laden commercial dryer sheets.  I'm felting them by using Daisy's raw fleece as a core which I fashion into a rough ball. I then tightly wrap that with layers of roving until it is slightly larger than a tennis ball.  These balls are then placed in an old nylon knee high.  I can get four balls in one knee high tying a knot in between each one.
The sleeve of balls is then washed and dried two to three times.  This felts the balls.

I've been using them in my dryer and find that they help cut down on static (though I can't say they eliminate it entirely) and in loads with towels they help create a fluffier towel.  I've been adding a drop or two per ball of essential oil creating a subtle scent.  Dryer balls are also touted to help speed the dryer time.  I can't say I've done a scientific study to determine if they have helped reduce my dryer time.  What I can say is that I'm quite pleased to replace my commercial dryer sheets with a natural non chemical alternative!

Suri Alpaca Felted Dryer Balls

 I hope to be able to offer a set of three dryer balls for sale soon on my Etsy site.  Right now however, I'm in the process of fulfilling a large order and don't have any available.  I'll post on facebook and my blog when I have dryer balls available.

In other farm news, the bitter cold has created some interesting chicken behavior.  My girls have taken to roosting in the rafters at night.

I was startled to discover Delores about three weeks ago missing for night call when I went out to feed for the evening.  The other four girls were already settled in for the night in the coop but I couldn't find Delores anywhere.  Fortunately I glanced up and found Delores perched 12 feet above me.  She seemed quite content and there was no way to get her down.  So I left her there for the night.  Since that night she has managed to get up into the rafters each evening before I make it out to the barn.  Plus she has convinced the other three younger chicks to join her!  The only one not joining the rafter party is Winifred.  She has never been able to even marginally fly and can't get up on the hay stack to make it into the rafters.  So she is content to roost in the new enclosed roosting box in the coop.  The only chicken in a 10' x 10' chicken coop!  On top of that all five of the girls are going through their seasonal molt.  Poor Winnie, however, is looking downright ugly.  It looks like she has been randomly plucked.  I wonder why chickens molt during the coldest season of the year when a nice layer of feathers would be a welcome protection from frigid temperatures?

Winnie looking freshly plucked.

The baby alpacas are growing fast and have now started eating a regular diet of hay and alpaca crumbles ($$$).  They are still nursing, however, and won't be weaned until late March or early April at about 6 to 7 months.  I'm having a hard time keeping the Moms, Felicity, Birdie and Twizzler at a good weight.  Between providing milk and trying to keep warm in our already frigid winter they are looking too thin.  I've increased the amount of alpaca crumbles they get and I am giving them as much hay as they will eat.  I've also started adding alfalfa pellets($$$) and goat feed ($$$) to the crumbles which have a higher protein content.  I'm hoping this will help them gain more weight and maintain it.  I've learned an important lesson.  Any further breeding I do will be done to create late spring crias so that Moms will have access to a summer of rich pasture while they are nursing.

Sting Ray enjoying his own alpaca crumbles and hay.

Since the babies are eating a more regular diet they are creating more output.  In an attempt to make stall cleaning feasible and help control feed grabbing by the Moms I've moved Daisy and Andraya  to their own stall.  This meant I had to move the boys to the new stall and give the two maidens, Daisy and Andraya, the boy's old stall.  That way they can still see their old herd mates and share a fence line with them but they don't have to compete with them for feed and I have an easier time cleaning the stalls.  Unfortunately Daisy thinks I've sentenced her to purgatory and won't acknowledge my presence!  She has always been an outgoing friendly youngster but now she is starting to resemble the cranky old maid Andraya.

Daisy, Daisy, Daisy!

Ah the trials and tribulations of the barn life!  Worse then a soap opera.

On a brighter note, I received a new larger two wheeled wheel barrow for Christmas!  Just one more way to make stall cleaning easier!

The new super duper Truper barrow, able to move more manure with fewer trips!