I was up nice and early in order to go to Garth Hall before helping Josh at Tregurnog. However it was raining heavily. The alpaca food spoils in the rain so I decided to feed them later when the forecast was for drier weather. I got in a good few rows of peg looming instead. Its difficult to handle now as it’s getting so big. One of the ewes that Neil sheared on the weekend, has grayish wool so I’ve added a thin layer of this as contrast.
One rule of transporting livestock is the movement paperwork. These have to be filled in before moving sheep and paper work given to the place we take them. In this case, the abbatoir. Josh was finally ready and off we went. I fed the cat and the chickens while Josh and Skye checked the sheep. With that done, Skye was put back in the truck and Josh hitched the livestock trailer. We checked all the lights as well and then he expertly reversed into the pen. He lowered the ramp and then said “In you come” That was because with his legs he could have done it but not me. I had to inelegantly try and climb the corner of the gate. We’ll I didn’t need to do it inelegantly but that’s how it ended up. Phew. At least Josh didn’t mock me this time. We opened the gates at the back of the trailer and then went to the back of the barn for fresh bedding. Josh spread this out in the trailer. The sheep were put through the run and their ear tag numbers read out by Josh. I noted them on the paperwork and then we could load them into the trailer. The time they go in is also noted.
Josh then drove through the gates. He double checked the ramp was properly shut while I padlocked the gate and then we were off. Skye fell asleep almost immediately, partially on a welly with her head using the armrest as a pillow. This is my first trip to the abbatoir although Josh has been plenty of times. The building is behind a row of houses. It looks like a stone barn really. There wasn’t a nasty smell or anything. Josh reversed in and the 10 were sent up a passageway and then into a large holding pen. We came out and went over the movement paperwork and explained what we wanted. This time we are just having burgers. The sheep we’ve taken are either old or too small to go as half boxes. We will be back the following Wednesday to pick up the burgers for delivery. Finally we took the trailer and dropped it back off. Time for dinner.
After dinner Josh went to work on the website and I went to Jenkins’s in the truck for lamb creep. I got to Garth Hall and put the one bag in Cai along with a bag of DE. I had help from two silvernoses (I can’t really tell which now they are sheared!) and of course Munchie. With those two bags off loaded I went over to open the wall garden gate so I could drive the truck through. I had to stop to take a photo and send a quick message. Neil had replaced the gatepost. This new one was so much better. I got back in the truck. I drove towards the barn…oh no! The gate was open. Wide open. Not good. I leapt out. There were sheep eating the lamb creep. Bugger. I picked the trough up first. It was heavier than it should have been because Molly had her head in it. I put it on the bonnet of the truck. That got the majority to follow me out. I then shut the gate and re-bent the hook that is supposed to keep it shut.
There was a silvernose (unknown), Petra and another ewe. I was trying to find a way to get them out when there was a kerfuffle. I turned around to see one of them with a bucket on her head. Oh for goodness sake mun 🤦♀️ I took a brief video because its always funny. She then started wandering off across the barn, still sporting her bucket. I caught up with her by the hay pile. I took the bucket off. Petra. Of course it was. Even unable to see anything at all with a bucket on her head, she was like a homing pigeon to food. Unbelievable. I got them out and then parked the truck back in the paddock. Off I went to the alpacas. The skies were darkening. Would I be in and out before it rained?
I went as fast as my short little legs would carry me. I got to the livestock trailer and braced for squirrels. None. No food means no squirrels. I hope they move far away! I got the food and fed the boys and little boys without incident. The girls were all together along the hedge line. I counted. 26. All good. I went in to feed and had a good look at the expectant mothers. Then my eye caught sight of another low slung belly. Hmmm. It was Eden. Not a greedy alpaca so not just chubby. I compared her to other similarly aged girls. Her belly was different. It’s a wait and see job. This would be her first pregnancy so she wouldn’t necessarily develop an udder. Hmmm. Interesting.
Helen x
