they come for their feed

Canadian Quarantine Facility-Alpacas

Especially Built, and designed for premium comfort, no matter how hard the weather is outside.
Heated sheds for the winter, hay storage above, adjoining paddocks to graze when weather is good. Every latest technology that could be used, has been supplied to this facility, with utmost care in design, selection of feed, and care.
Inbuilt cameras in the facility, with someone watching every move any time of the day.
CFIA are impressed with this purpose built facility, and has given it 5 stars.





With enthusiastic people around us working as a team, both Tannis and Carla, keep a very close eye on all the alpacas in this facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Whaiheke Island New Zeland _Auckland Ferry Terminal

We had a flying visit to view the New Quarantine Facilities at Whaiheke Island.
Run by Lisa and keenan Scott.
A beautiful day in Auckland, on the Friday, a beautiful city.




This is at the Ferry Terminal, a quick bite for Lunch

Alpacas have arrived in Luxembourg

nd alk






Just received an SMS, from Yvonne & olivier, they are just leaving Belgium on their way to Luxembourg to pick up the alpacas, they flew in overnight, (Monday night , Luxembourg time), and they will be there at 9 am in the morning to pick up their alpacas.


Black Onyx, Snow Drifter Montoya, Aailyah, Kasarni.
it is so exciting, for them.
I hope the weather is kind, and the alpacas have rested well over night, i hear they have been fed some beautiful fresh lucerne, and are watered.

First Quarantine for Keenan & lisa, and all has gone well.
Congratulations to you all.
Another quarantine starts next week.
Well done

SUCCESFUL QUARANTINE AUDIT

As a "Registered"Premise for exporting Livvestock, we are audited twice a year, with a fine tooth comb.

A "Registered"Premise is that of the highest standard in the country, and we passed again with flying colours.

THe quarantine has a perfect record, since we started exporting livestock in 2003.

With over 50 exportes under our belt, exporting to all European countrys via, New Zealand, Switzerland, China, Canada, and looking at other countries.

Now have a licence for Camelids, being Llamas and Alpacas, Sheep & Goats by air.

hair cuts

We have to trim the Canadian alpacas up, before they fly out.

It was too cold to shear here, and they need some fleece to come off, for when they fly.

Although they can fly in full fleece, as most of these alpacas come from NSW, where they shear earlier in the year than we do in victoria.

Their weather is a lot hotter than we have. They have more than 12 months growth on them currently.

But we cannot shear them to low to the skin, as they will arrive in a canadian winter, which i am told is very, very cold. In the minus, so the Canadians leave their legs, and underbelly on as that keeps those parts which is closest to the snow, when kushing, warm.

So we have tried a happy balance.

It takes on average 4 hours to trim up an alpaca, and you get heaps of blisters from the scissors.

My blisters are finally healing, so if we get time to day we will tackle a couple more of the alpacas.

The bigger alpaca is Mantra.

and the other two photos are of Star Dynasty.

It may look like a rough heairt do, but we will neaten it up before they go.

we just have 10 more to clip up, these will be the hard ones, as they are older females.

Farm Chores

We have now 5 vet students to help s clean the quarantine, learning quarantine procuedures.
Todat they weighed some weanlings, wormed and innoculated for Vit D, and 5 in 1.
Frosted Rose, had a abcess on her Jaw.
The vet was up anyway, sho he treated this, and showed the vet students how to clean this out.
The weather has been extremely cold, and windy.
Heaps of rain, so the herd has been moved to the safe paddocks on the lower part of the farm, where the wind just goes over the hill.
Fibre samples were taken, to be sent off to the fleece testing.
We will take more fibre samples tomorrow. OUr average fibre test for the progeny has been 15 microns, over 100 weanlings, that is not a bad average.
Vallon De Oro' is producing a superb density, lustre, and evenness with fineness.
I have been trying to finalise all my paperwork for the end of the financial year.
must go now, just updating my webpage
www.mariahhillalpaca.homestead.com/mariahhillalpaca.html

vip going well

Ekyse is home from her break, and 7am, in the morning we are the front of her little flatette which is on the property, beeping the horn.

We had a huge day on.

Checking the alpacas, first thing, letting ones in sheds out, and making sure they are all wam.

Rob and Elyse go down and let the quarantine alpacas out and clean and disinfect the area.

All alpacas are going well.

Raelene Moves the girls to a new paddock, where there is alots of freash grass, this paddock has been rested since March.

We have approx 400 plus alpacas on 100 acres, but they really do not eat a great deal.

2/3rds of the farm rarely get used, and is mainly used for growing hay.

At the moment we have about 100 round bales left for sale. They are going very quick, as really this state has been in drought for about 8 years now.

We are lucky although we are not cutting as much hay as we used to, we are still getting good quality hay, and enough to feed the herd, and sell some off.

Elyse is on the tractor here.

She is really versitile.

Well off Rob and Elyse went to do another clean up, as people have moved out of their house, and then a huge clean up in the garden, for a massive mansion in Harkaway.

He said the grass was almost as tall as himself.