Bruce's Journal

[Bruce]

Nope, they still think my main goal is to trap and torture them. Even though the only thing I did to them the first 1.5 years was to shear them last year. After trapping them in the barn for that they STILL exit the barn post haste if I go anywhere near that end of the barn outside. If I've opened the big doors at their end of the barn in the morning and come in the evening with their pellets, they go out those doors when I go through their gate to close them, then they come back in their "always open" door to get their pellets. Now of course they have again been tortured with foot trimming and one shearing. Teddy will be hard to catch.

Just know that these silly alpacas will be suspicious when you get the gates out and set them up.

Yep. There will have to be some sort of permanence to at least part of it. Might have to use a combination of permanent, movable and time. IE move the portable pieces to form the chute a few days before I plan to trap and torture them.

How's Laddie's cut looking today? Good luck with shearing Teddy later this week.

Don't know, been feeling poorly most of yesterday and all day today.

 

[Mike CHS]

Our main loading pen by our chute can be set up in about 5 minutes. The t-posts that are used are left in place but I left enough room around them initially that I could cut grass and not need much hand trimming. I brought in a load of gravel at some point but the cattle panels are still not left on unless we are going to use the trailer to haul sheep. By keeping it temporary we can sort animals in 3 different directions depending on what we want to do.

 

[RollingAcres]

Don't know, been feeling poorly most of yesterday and all day today.

The "tortured" Alpacas or you?
Hope you feel better.

 

[Bruce]

Me, they seem fine. Laddie wouldn't let me look at the top of his head when eating his pellets. If I came close enough to the gate in the run to see, he would lift his head and back up.

 

[Baymule]

When alpacas were $20,000 in the height of their popularity, they were touted as back yard pets. Ads had pictures of alpacas with smiling children playing with their "pets" and hugging them.

Teddy and Laddie must not have seen those advertisements......

 

[Bruce]

No, I'm sure they didn't! Laddie was purchased by the people who gave them to us but Teddy was born at their property (Laddie is not the sire). You would THINK he would be reasonably friendly but Noooooooo.

I guess you couldn't sell an alpaca for $20K if they were shown kicking and spitting at the offense of cutting nails.

 

[Mike CHS]

I definitely will NOT be adding Alpacas to our farm.

 

[greybeard]

Chinchillas and Emu is where the real $$ is Mike...
Trust me on this...they are TNBT

 

[Mike CHS]

I know of a farm where they got some Emu when they were at some ridiculous price point. They no longer own that farm.

 

[Baymule]

Emu meat never caught on in this country. Breeding pairs sold for $20K at the height of their madness.