double laced barnevelder chickens

We have wanted barnevelder chickens for some time now and have been looking around for point of lay pullets but we would have to drive some distance to pick them up so we have decided to hatch our own! 

As it is a bit of an experiment, we have just bought a cheap incubator, hopefully it will work well enough! We found some lovely people who have sold and mailed some barnevelder eggs to us. Due to some misdirected mail we ended up reordering another batch thinking the first was well and truly lost, however, as soon as we did that the original batch turned up! So the first batch went in the incubator today and we should receive the second batch in a day or two. 

Barnevelders are gorgeous dual purpose chickens and the eggs we received in the mail were certainly very attractive eggs. I wonder if the chickens themselves will actually turn out to be good eating too?

Alpacas are such devoted mothers!

I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it,  one of our alpacas was letting her weaned, and weaned some time ago I might add, 2.5year old daughter have a drink!!!

My birthday came early this year...

My husband has been working really hard and asked for help with what I wanted for my birthday. Which was actually perfect because I really wanted a good knitting bag where the ball of wool could stay safe and unseen by my toddler... When I visited my local knitting shop I found just what I wanted! Here's hoping it works!

So what am I knitting? I'm knitting a jumper for my 2 year old which I'm madly trying to finish so that I can start knitting with some of our own yarn! This is gorgeous though and is going to be worth waiting for! It's the Little Henry Crew pattern by sublime and the wool I'm using is heirloom 8ply baby wool shade 410. Perfect for a relatively novice knitter like me!

Feeding the alpacas in the frost

My boy didn't want to get in the car this morning, so we have detoured to feed the alpacas on the way to the car... Still hopeful we will make it there in his time without a tantrum... But looking more unlikely by the minute. Lucky we have heaps of time this morning!

What happened to winter?

It has simply been a stunning day here today! Normally this time of year it is really cold and threatening to snow! Even now at 3:30 in the afternoon the temperature is above 10degC!

Our solar system has now been on for its first 24hrs! So exciting! I check on what it was generating a few times and the best reading I found was 3.77kW. Not bad for middle of winter!

Our first processed fleece!

We have had Silver Rose's fleece (the rose

grey alpaca, also affectionately called Socks) processed into yarn. It arrived in the post today and it is magnificent!!!

It was processed by Fibre Naturally and they have done a wonderful job of it! I can't wait to start a project... now what to knit or crochet?

I have two "ufo"s (unfinished objects) on the go at the moment, a crochet jacket for a newborn and a blue knit jumper for my boy so do I finished these before I start anything new? Hmmm not sure... In any case, I'm going to have fun deciding what to make with Silver Rose's fleece, probably something for my boy...

Silver Rose (Socks) November 12 prior to shearing

Solar system installed!

I've always wanted a solar system installed and until now hadn't been able to justify the cost. I'm very excited to say that our first solar system has been installed! 5kW on the roof of our house! I just can't wait to turn it on but I'm supposed to wait until the meter has been upgraded... That's just teasing!!!

pineapple recipe a winner!

My favourite Christmas treat

I was astounded! I actually won a competition! Kim from All Things Mum ran a competition about pineapples and healthy eating recipes to win a Woolworths gift voucher and much to my surprise, my entry won!
The recipes I shared were the pineapple and carrot muffins from Australian Women's Weekly Happy Baby Cookbook and my all time favourite treat at Christmas. My Grandmother every year would bring to share at Christmas lunch pineapple cut into pieces and held together with mint and a glade cherry with a fancy toothpick. Sounds weird but so yummy! When I'd hear that I had won I was so excited that I just had to make the recipe. I ran out and bought a pineapple, the glace cherries, mint and toothpicks and created it! I think I ate as much making it as went on the plate!
So thanks Kim!

Lost lamb

Our neighbour's lambs seem to be doing well! This one is a little lost... It was baaing at our alpaca thinking that he was  his mummy!

Tux has a bit too much fun...

Well, its never dull here at adagio alpacas! I looked out the window yesterday to see the sisters Ebony and Silhouette cuddled up together whilst Ebony let Tux have his way with her!

Tux looking wistfully at his girls and the steers are curious

Alpacas are very sweet when mating, the male often crooning to the female. Tux was no exception. Alpacas have very close family and friendship bonds within the herd and Ebony is obviously very close to Tux. Female alpacas are at their happiest when they are pregnant and get quite grumpy when they aren't! They are all a bit devastated that Tux has been separated. I have no idea how but somehow last night he managed to get back into the paddock with the girls! They have all been mooning about since I separated him a second time this morning.

We don't intend to bread with Tux much to our disappointment his fleece was not fine enough however cute he may be! I was planning on separating him out and arranging the castration for next week but obviously I was a week too slow! So the castration has been arranged for tomorrow... He can be back with his girls in a few days once he has healed.

Tux feeling sorry for himself

It is unlikely that anything will come of the mating, I double checked my quick reference guide, a wonderful resource from the Australian Alpaca Association, "Managing Alpacas in Australia" and it indicates that generally males become fertile between the ages of 18mths to 3 years. However I guess we will find out for sure in May/June next year!

The neighbour's lambs only just born

To complicate matters further, our bore pump has had to be removed to be fixed as the iron in the water has completely corroded out the pump, we were lucky it was still working at all! So whilst the boy slept today I had to find 4 lengths of hoses and associated connectors to be able to fill the steers' water back up! Not an easy task with our organisation system... or lack thereof! Luckily we are on town water as well as having a bore so I had another option!

In good news whilst I was sorting out the alternative water supply I looked across and one of my neighbour's sheep had had lambs! They were so new that they still had all the birth fluid on them. Very cute! The boy and I will have to wander down so he can look at them later. Unfortunately the only camera I had on me was the phone but the lambs were very cute!




Hopefully thats all the drama here for a while!