It’s too big. I think those were the first words I uttered when we first laid eyes on the spread that would become our home, our farm. Way too big, I wouldn’t know what to do with it all. In our small family I’m the voice of reason, the realist, the pessimist Glen would say…. Read more »
When we bought the farm (or the farm bought us?) we wanted to leave it “blank” for a little while, meaning we didn’t know, at first, the purpose of the farm to be or how to populate it. The previous owner kept horses, high-dollar endurance horses: think ultra-marathons for horse and rider. We didn’t know… Read more »
The dog days of summer have arrived at the farm. Alpacas like nothing more than a hose-bath in this kind of weather. Some of the shyest, most laid back of the “pac” are veritable bullies when the hose turns on. We have some new alpacas on the farm (because alpacas are like potato chips, they… Read more »
This is Hershey. We had Hershey for one month. He was our first (leased) herdsire. The ladies went wild for Hershey. They thought he was better than a box of chocolates. Put down your romance novel, animal husbandry is not for the faint of heart. Not five minutes into being led into the all-female field (save… Read more »
For Thanksgiving we had our Albany cousins up to the farm for the second year. We numbered 15 for food and fun. We also had a very pregnant alpaca, Maya. The bitterly cold weather ensured that we were all cozily in the house (okay, extra cozy) while… Read more »
It was a soggy evening. It’s been raining all summer or so it seems. We were so excited when the trailer pulled up and Raymond and Sharon Bogenshutz from Georgian Oaks Farms delivered our four new girls. Rosebud, Maya, Cocobean and Star Lily marched out of the trailer, into our barn and out into the field… Read more »
This is Lady Carmela. She is the best mother alpaca in the world. Or so we think. Of course she is the mama to Pancho Villa, and if you sneak up early in the morning or late in the afternoon mama and son are always resting side by side. And then there is Sparkle. Sparkle,… Read more »
Late yesterday afternoon Big G and Neighbor Ed went out to work the hives. It has been an eventful first week for our apian friends since arriving at King Bee Farm. We had a storm so strong it blew one of the tops off a hive, and in the days that followed probably six… Read more »
Big G and our neighbor Ed went to Cartersville today to pick up our first two hives. Now thousands of Italian bees are getting used to their new home in the lower pasture, safely away from the alpacas and other sundry animals. How long until honey, honey?
In addition to our girls (and baby boy Pancho) we started out with two female guard llamas, Gracie and Powderpuff. We got our llamas through Southeast Llama Rescue (thank you to Deborah Logan). After a thorough farm visit and approval process, it was decided that both sets of animals would be delivered at the same time for the best chance of… Read more »