Here’s a quick video of the Hembras and Yearlings getting let out on some fresh grass in a temporary pasture… We have six of our sixteen alpaca shorn thus far [thank you very much continuously rainy spring], see if you can spot them all!
April showers bring May flowers. Well enough with the showers I’d like to see the flowers! Seems shearing will be out off a few days in hopes for some dry weather, can’t shear a wet animal. Getting ready for this years fence expansion posts are peeled and waiting fence has been ordered but the way the weather is going we won’t be out there until June/July.
We have our first batch of chickens brooding in the garage, they are on the last couple weeks before they are put out to pasture. From this batch we will have egg layers and meat birds so watch the site for information on pasture raised chicken & farm Fresh egg sales. We will be getting another batch this week plus 10 Muscovy ducks (bug control), and another group end of June that will be meat birds specifically and I have made it to a list for the Real Canadian Heritage Chicken, the Chantecler. We will be raising them specifically for egg laying, selling hatching eggs/chicks in an effort to keep this wonderful Canuck Heritage breed going.
Hello all, couple things are happening here at the ranch. First things first. SPRING has SPRUNG!!! Yippee!!! Which for alpaca ranchers means a couple things. Usually it is the start of Criation which is the birthing of the new babies (cria) and shearing. This year we are not expecting any cria but we are most certainly planing our shearing. Last year some may remember and even came out for our Shearing Festival. This year we will be shearing on the down low. It just turned out to be too crazy for us and the animals. This year we will be having a Prince Edward County Fibre Festival on Saturday June 4, 2011. This event will be the celebration of natural fibres and the people and animals that produce these items. Stay tuned for more information on that.
Sunday March 20, 2011 marks the first official meeting of the Prince Edward County Alpaca Club, very excited about this as it has been in the works for almost a year now. This one of very few alpaca clubs in 4H Canada so it stands to break new ground for 4H and the alpaca farming industry. I am very excited to be part of it.
Next week is the annual Maple Festival “Maple in the County” in Prince Edward County. It is a self guided tour from literally one end of the county to the other and with many stops in between this year also marks the festivals 10th anniversary and we are happy to be entering into our 2nd year as a participant on the tour.
Personal Fibre Artist Note, I have been accepted as an Artist/vendor at a major event here in Prince Edward County. The Womens Institute Art & Craft Sale which is held at the Picton Fairground on the last thursday of July every year. This year the event is entering its 28th year and will be running on Thursday July 28th. I will be selling Nuno felted scarves, wraps, pillows and felted soap. So I better get felting 
So I am always trying to figure out how to save money when it comes to doing things on the farm. Every year we have a couple expenses that increase as the herd increases. The major expenses is the harvesting of fibre (yearly shearing) which works to approx $40 per animal this figure includes mileage,tax and the odd tooth trimming. So in the end this year the shearing will be approx $650ish. To be sustainable it only makes sense for myself or Kevin to taken on the task of becoming our own shearer. To do this there is the initial investment of 2 key tools. 1) Shearing table retails $1300+tax 2) Sheep Shears retail $600+tax. So right now it still makes sense for us to have a shearer come in and complete the Shearing task, which gives us time to observe and learn.
Another major expense is the processing of the fibre to the end product, be it roving, batts,yarn….For each step there is a charge on average the prices from all of the Mini Mills are about the same. Washing ~ $3.00/lb Picking/carding to Roving/Batt ~ $13/lb Yarn ~ $24-30/lb.
So based on the number of animals the average amount of fibre from each animal then depending on what we have spun into yarn it would cost anywhere from $1500 – $3000 before tax and this is based on this years prices who knows what the next year brings….. Can you say OUCH!!! in the end this bottom line effects the consumers bottom line because the more it costs me the more it costs you to buy our products. You also have to factor in the wait times the average wait time at any of the established tried and tested Mini Mills is anywhere from 6 – 8 weeks and of course shearing season is peak time so this wait time increases.
So it makes sense to look at what steps you can take on yourself as long as you have or invest in the tools & have time. Now when I say tools I am thinking more along the lines of old fashioned tools NOT Mill Machinery. So here are the tools that I would require to bring all or some of the processing in-house.
1) water, wash tub & drying racks I have these so no issue there.
2) A wool Picker – Retail $495us
3) A Drum Carder – Retail $1295us
4) Electric Spinning Wheel ~ Got it approx $300ish retail
