OUR SMALL HERD

Our original four boys came from Ardo Alpacas in Aberdeenshire. We are not alpaca breeders and have our boys purely as pets. Our experience is that you don't need to be a breeder and that a 'batchelor herd' can give much pleasure to the owner. We have 5 acres including our big garden and grazing for the boys, 15 miles north of Inverness, Scotland. I spin, knit, felt and crochet with the fleece from the boys.

Clicking!!

Just a reminder that clicking on (most) of the photos will show them greatly enlarged.

Saturday 19 March 2011

Mad March weather!

Whilst we were doing last Saturday's blog it had started to snow lightly, but by late evening it got heavier and heavier.  We lost our electricity during the night and it came back on at 9.00am.  When we opened the back door on Sunday morning, this was the scene which greeted us!   Bummer!  My car is in the middle of this shot.  Quite pretty of course but it means lots of extra work - first job is to get the snow shovel out....
The boys were the first to be dug out with a large circular trench so that they could get at their morning haylage.    They were not bothered by the depth of snow although boredom soon sets in when they realise they can't get at their grass.  We also dug a trench leading from their field shelters to their poo piles to stop them completely messing the shelters overnight.
Next job was to get to the henhouse even though we know that the birds will not come out when they see the white stuff lying on the ground.  Couldn't get the gate open because the snow had drifted behind it and the white on the left of the photo is the snow filled fence.    Eventually another trench was dug to the henhouse door - and the girls steadfastly refused to budge.
At least the flowering heather can stand the depth of snow whilst all the crocuses have been flattened.  We managed to get into Inverness on Monday to find that there was no snow there whatsoever!  It's taken  all of this week for the snow to shift because of frosty nights but at last the boys have got most of their grass back now.  We had stopped the sugar beet last week but started it again when the snow returned.  We'll stop it again as of tomorrow.  They've also had their Verm-X granules for a week and are none the worse for another week of snow.  We hope that this will be the last time we have to mention snow until next winter!

4 comments:

  1. Crikey Shirley...I really was thinking that spring might be on it's way...just confirms (although not a problem for yourselves) that early births are more difficuly in The North and Scotland!!

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  2. Wow...I cant beleive your snow...!! Thankfully we had none...just loads of sleet and driving wind.....however it was wet and it didn't stay round for long....thankfully !!......Jayne

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  3. Poor you, poor boys. I think the hens have got the right idea about that old white stuff.

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  4. OMG I can't believe you had that dumping. I hope it didn't hang round to long and you have had a nice weekend this weekend to make up for it.

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