Imminent Alpaca Arrival!

Champagne

I have started the countdown to the arrival of my four alpacas: two white huacayas, Diana and Emilia – a white suri, Champagne, and a black non-breeding suri female, Nicola.

The white females are all pregnant, as I intend to make this a business as well as a wonderful lifestyle change. So the intention is to breed alpacas and then sell some of them as well as spinning the fleece and making products.

At the moment I am clearing the area where they will be living and waiting for Enrico, my “wood man” (ie he delivers the wood, he isn’t someone I have stashed away in the woods!) to do the fencing and convert a little used gazebo into a cosy shelter.

I am gnawing my hands with frustration at how long this is taking and filling in the time by discovering new talents, like woodwork.

Away in a Manger

The Hayfeeder Plan

My alpacas will need hay and also camelid food and so where better to serve these up than in a manger? I Googled “manger plans” but all that resulted in were lots of teeny tiny Christmas cribs. Realising “manger” was probably a bit too First-Century-Bethlehem, I tried “Hay Feeder”. This was much better and I came up with a set of plans from the Canadian government (I think) for “Hay and Grain Feeder for Sheep.” Perfect! Thank you Canada.

I downloaded the plans for this wonderfully complex-looking bit of kit and then set about making my own version, courtesy of all the bits and pieces of wood I have lying around, augmented by a quick couple of visits to the DIY store. This took absolutely ages, if I am honest, but now I have finally finished.

My Wooden Manger

I can honestly say I can’t remember when I have enjoyed myself so much. Who would have thought sawing, measuring, hammering and measuring again could be such fun? I was so taken with my manger I even worked on it on a Sunday afternoon in the shed in the pouring rain accompanied by a sodden English Setter who nearly became a rescue dog for the second time by daring to put his huge hairy paws on my pristine plywood feeder.

Now all I need are the alpacas!