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Lesley

The Good Life - an update! - photo heavy...

By Lesley, in The Nesting Box

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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Not thinking of adding alpacas, no ................. :D

 

We didn't think we wanted sheep - we thought they were a bit boring - but we've found them so lovely to look after and they do have a personality!

 

They do have a tendency to just keel over - we lost three to clostridial problems :( , but now we know we have it on our land and we have to vaccinate.

 

George the ram went home today :( He started limping a couple of days ago - probably a touch of scald. We treated him to a pedicure - complete with purple spray..........he looked quite fetching by the time we'd finished :lol:

 

We took him back and his owner was very impressed with his condition :D - he said we shouldn't have any problems if we looked after our ewes as well as we've looked after him :oops::D

 

Now we just have to wait and see if he's done his job properly.

 

Tomorrow, we can put all 8 ewes back in together - the 2 old ladies haven't been in with him.

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Valkyrie Cocka-doodle-loopy

Valkyrie

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Lesley wrote:

George the ram went home today He started limping a couple of days ago - probably a touch of scald. We treated him to a pedicure - complete with purple spray..........he looked quite fetching by the time we'd finished

 

:lol: But I bet he didn't get his purple nail varnish all over the lid of the loo and bath like DD! She twisted her ankle at a concert the other day - she is limping too! The bandage is off now and she is complaining about the difference in size of her ankles - she wears trousers all the time - why is she so bothered! :roll:

 

With regard to the shocking cost of alpacas - the better the quality of fleece, the bigger the price - some get to be over £12,000 last time I looked! :shock: My dream was to have a couple of not so expensive ones to keep the foxes away from the hens - and they have a designated toilet area so poo picking is kept to one spot only - bliss (plus great for compost combined with chicken poo should make even more fantastic veg). The fleece would be used for wadding for my quilting - it is hypo-allergenic, and so the dream goes on . . . :pray:

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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No - George didn't get purple all over the toilet and bath :lol:

 

We buy our feed from a place called All Things Rural.....they breed and sell alpaca - I didn't realise just how expensive they were 'til I looked at their website :shock:

 

Our Shetlands have lovely soft fleece - I'm saving it up now until I have enough weight to send it to be washed, carded and spun. I like doing it in small amounts - and Lauren and Jake can do it as well - and then weaving with it, but I'd like some done professionally from my own fleece.

 

We nearly had a bit more fleece today.....and meat :evil: One of the Shetlands barged into Carl's leg when he was trying to catch the black sheep - we thought she'd broken his leg :shock: Luckily, the pain subsided a bit and he can walk on it so not broken......but he'll have a few more bruises tomorrow.

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Lewis Chronic Clucker

Lewis

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We didn't think we wanted sheep - we thought they were a bit boring - but we've found them so lovely to look after and they do have a personality!

 

They do have a tendency to just keel over - we lost three to clostridial problems :( , but now we know we have it on our land and we have to vaccinate.

I used to think exactly the same thing! I worked on a childrens farm and they had goats and sheep, and I always used to think the goats were better becuase we got to take them for walks on leads with the children and milk them, and the sheep used to just run away when you went in their pens.

After I went Lambing at Easter, I'm converted!! :mrgreen: I agree, sheep do have personalities, and I got to milk them and we had a few of the stubborn ones on show harnesses to move them :wink: The lambs swayed it a bit aswell, especially looking after the cade ones 24/7 :D .

 

The farm has a problem with enzootic abortion, so I spent a few days injecting over 600 ewes with 10ml of really thick vaccines, which were horrible to get into a syringe, and then into the ewe, and because it was so thick we had a few burst syringes! But at least now you know its a problem you have and you can vaccinate against it.

 

I think an alpaca would be great, and they do poo in one spot so its easy just to shovel up that patch. I'm looking for an alpaca farm near me to go and get some work experience :) !

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Lewis Chronic Clucker

Lewis

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That would be great work experience! - I hope you find somewhere.

 

You don't have transport do you? - or we could put in a word at the farm near us? It's in between Stratford and Alcester.

I did google it yesterday and it looks really good, but it's 50 minutes away from me :( I'll speak to my Mom, but I think it's just a bit too far to go yet. Maybe next year when I'm driving :lol:

 

Thanks anyway :D

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