Patty

We have coyotes on our land.   They are approximately 1/4 mile away from the pasture, but I know they're out there.  I can hear them howling at night, and have seen them wandering out in the fields.

One of our alpacas is going to have a cria (baby, in alpaca-ese) in mid-August.   Knowing that we have a potential predator problem, we have invested in a Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD).   We were fortunate to find a fully trained Great Pyrenees named Patty.    Isn't she beautiful?

Patty is a big dog, weighing in at over 100 pounds.  She's a working dog, and will live out in the pasture with the alpacas.   She's also very sweet.  Just don't try to mess with her herd - you'll be sorry!

This is.....work

One of the tests the IRS uses to determine if we're a business (rather than a hobby) is the amount of time invested per year.  500 hours is the magic number.  I think we hit that by May 1.

In the past week, we've compiled all of the barn items needed for alpacas: feed, hay, medical supplies, birthing supplies, feed bins, water buckets, mats, etc.   My husband is also working on the fence.  I've been working on the books.   Trust me folks, this has gone far beyond a hobby.  A few months ago, I never knew there was a store called  the Tractor Supply Company (aka "TSC").   Now, I can tell you how to get to the closet store.   We've also become acquainted with our local camelid / equine nutritionist at the local co-op, and found a large-animal vet.  

However, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Tomorrow, we start putting up the fence fabric.   My husband put in the corner posts a few weeks ago, so we've got a little start.   Our orchard grass is sprouting nicely, is ready to be mowed.   Our alpacas should be here in the next week or two, so all of this effort will be rewarded.

The boys

 

I have two boys.   Well, I have two human boys, and two alpaca boys.   My mother gets really annoyed because I have more pictures of the alpacas than of her grandsons.     Oh well.

This is Bam Bam and Titanium, my two alpaca boys.   Bam Bam is on the left.   

Why are we getting alpacas?   Why not horses, or sheep, or cows, or llamas?    Well.....I'd like to say that we did hours of research, studied vet books, went to fairs/shows, etc.    Simply put, it was the one animal my husband and I agreed on.   They're small enough to be easily handled by a couple of newbies (us), they produce wonderfully soft, lanolin free fiber (so they're practical), and they're just beautiful to look at.     Done.    

Next up:  laying chickens.     Know where we can get some?

Progress!

 

The windows are in, and the doors are on!    This is the view from the pasture.   In a few weeks, this is where our alpacas will reside.  

I have a feeling the view will be lost on them....

Barn Boards

I almost forgot - we have lots of barn boards lying around now.    They are extra pieces that are being taken off in the renovation.  Send us an e-mail if you're interested in them.  Some of them would make nice picture frames or furniture.

The curse of the purple coneflower

I know this is a little off topic, but I need to vent.      A few years ago, I decided to rip out the old, overgrown juniper bushes in the flower beds in front of my house.    I replaced them with lots of perennials, including stargazer lilies, peonies, columbine, clematis, butterfly bush, and purple cone-flowers.   To make the beds look pretty, I also laid down a few cubic yards of shredded wood mulch.     It was a beautiful thing.

Flash forward 5 years, and 2 kids later.     Did you know that purple cone-flowers shed thousands (millions?) of stupid seeds every year?   Do you know what those seeds do in pretty shredded wood mulch?   I wound up with flower beds of nothing but purple cone-flowers!    Argh!    I want variety!   And, with 2 little boys, I don't have time to weed!

So, early this spring, I dug out ALL of the old wood mulch and purple cone-flowers from the 3 beds around my house.    I had a few wheelbarrows full of the stuff.   (The other perennials remain).    

I am an avid gardener.  Where did I put the old purple cone-flowers and spent wood mulch?   In my compost pile.   Life was good.     I dutifully spread my compost on my garden, and tilled it in.    My garden was doing okay, even with all of the rain and cool temperatures we've had.   

However, there are these peculiar weeds growing all over my garden.  It almost looks like someone sowed them, there are so many weeds.   And, it's not crabgrass, creeping charlie, or any of the normal culprits that inhabit my garden.    Imagine my surprise when I realized what they were - those stupid purple cone-flowers.... 

Pictures of our old barn

Our old barn at sunset, a few years ago.

Here's the south side.   You can see some of loose boards, as well as the covered windows on the bottom.  Now, all of the bottom windows have been replaced, and there are 5 windows upstairs on this side.   It's an incredible view.

Dave's Construction from Baraboo is doing the work.   We are incredibly lucky to have found him - everyone else told us to tear the barn down and put up a pole building.   Dave specializes in restoring old ag buildings, like our barn.   I really think he's almost as excited about this as we are.

This Old Barn

We're having our barn renovated.   When it's done, it will have a new steel roof, sides and doors.  We're also putting in 12 windows in the upstairs hayloft, and replacing the windows on the lower floor.   

I have lived at this place for 12 years, and bought it 5 years ago.   When I bought it, I hated that barn - it was a waste of space, and it ruined a perfectly good view.   The only money I thought I'd ever spend on it was picking up it's pieces after it caved in.   

If all else fails on our little enterprise, I will never regret saving the barn.   It was actually in fairly good condition for its age (built in 1917, you do the math).  Our builder can't believe how straight and level everything is.   Plus, now that we're using it for livestock, I am beginning to appreciate all the pens, hooks, storage spaces, and holes in the floor (for throwing down hay bales).   My husband is also going to use half of the hayloft for his studio (he's an artist / illustrator), so he'll have the beautiful old timbers, lots of natural light, and a huge open space.   

It's funny how wrong first impressions can be.... 

What are we doing?

My husband and I have (foolishly) decided that it's the perfect time to start a business.  Not just any business, mind you, an orchard and alpaca farm.     We've got about ten acres and are growing peaches, raspberries, apples, and yes, alpacas.    We are keeping it small, trying to keep it simple, and learning as we go.   And I forgot to mention: we're both city kids.   The adventure begins.

Things we've learned:

• Old tractors can be incredibly useful.   The best money we've spent so far is on an old 1952 Ford tractor.    It was relatively cheap, solidly built, and does a lot of work.
• If you plow, you must disc.   Turning over even a few hundred square feet of pasture by hand may seem like a good idea, but it's not.  
• If you plant grass seed for the pasture, it will not rain for at least a week....except for the torrential downpours that wash all the seed away.
• Peaches will grow in Wisconsin.  Yes, Wisconsin.    We've got another bumper crop this year, even with the miserable winter and 100"+ of snow.  
• Plan.  Plan, plan, plan.    Before we planted our first tree or bought our first alpaca, we laid out about ten guiding principles for our business.  This sounds crazy, but it's been very valuable.