A Horse Arrives!

In early January, Lavender Hill Farm became home to Chance, a 16 year old Thoroughbred.  He's solid bay and 17h tall.  We converted part of the girls' side of the barn into a stall for him and put up corral panels to give him a separate turn out area.  The alpacas have seen horses only a couple other times on the farm and Chance had never seen alpacas before.  We kept the alpacas close to the barn while letting Chance get accustomed to his new surroundings.  The boys came around to see him first, causing Chance to trot back and forth for a little while, as he was trying to figure out what all the alpacas were.  After a short while Chance settled down and became more comfortable being around the alpacas.  Now they are very used

 to each other and enjoy each others company.

 Chance had just arrived in this photo.  You can tell he's a little worried,

 but he settled in great!

He hasn't seen the alpacas yet..

The boys came to see what all the fuss was about and they followed Chance from left to

 right as he trotted back and forth in his paddock.  The alpacas couldn't take their eyes off him!

 

Chance stopped and got a better look at the alpacas.  He finally realized they're

 not a threat and calmed down.

 

This is Chance after a couple days on the farm.  He's much more relaxed and has his

 alpaca buddies in the background.

I took Chance for a walk out back and he grabbed

 a bite of what little grass he could find.

Chance is settled in and has a much more relaxed look on his face.  

 

He enjoys soaking up the sun!

 

 

Kimmy, the alpaca, is seen spying on Chance.  She's a very curious alpaca and just seconds after this photo was taken, she stood up on the bars of the corral panel as if to get a better look.

 

 

It was nice to see Ember, Peg, and Ambrosia cush (lay down) near Chance's paddock.  They're all very comfortable with each other already.

 

Buddy came by to say hi!  Buddy may be small, but he's

 not afraid and wants to be friends the alpacas and Chance.

Chance is getting a better look at Buddy.

 

It's great to see he's settled in so well and feels comfortable

 enough to lay down and take a nap.

 

I opened up Chance's paddock space so he could roam in the deep snow.  He loves the snow!

 

There was great weather this day with no wind and tons of sunshine, so I took off Chance's blanket so he could get some fresh air.  He loved just standing in the sun.

This is what a horses' snow angel looks like!  Chance enjoyed a nice roll in the snow!

I'm looking forward to nicer weather so I can start riding Chance again, but in the meantime it's great to be taking care of a horse on the farm!  He's a really friendly horse and very easy to work around.  He's a great addition to the farm and I'm sure many visitors will enjoy meeting him!

~Rose

Blizzard January 2015

Having a blizzard dump around two feet of snow, with drifts much higher, means there will be a lot of extra work when it comes to doing chores.  All gates need to be shoveled out and a path that a wheel barrow can fit in needs to be cleared in order to clean up manure.  That means a path to the manure pile also has to be cleared.  Don't forget the path from the barn to the house either!  We also clear the road that we drive in on to bring hay, grain, and supplies to the barn.  When the snow is deep, we use the snow blower to make paths for the alpacas.  They love to spend their time in the snow, but dislike walking in the deep stuff.  This gives them more space to be outside and makes enough room to feed them their grain outside also. Sometimes snow collects on the overhangs of the barn and has to be cleared.  In the case of this storm, it was necessary to shovel the roof and use a roof rake to get the large amount of heavy snow off the roof.

 

 Buster, Mikey, Miko and JJ are enjoying some hay outside as the snow begins to fall.

Kimmy was out in the snow for awhile, getting a light dusting of snow.  

Buddy enjoying some time alone under the tree.

This is the entrance to the shop the morning after the blizzard!

 

The side entrance to the shop was blocked by a high drift.

 

The barn was covered with snow!  I removed snow from the front and right side of the

barn where there was the most accumulation of snow.

It's hard to even tell where the stairs are leading up to the shop!  They're just to the left of the hand railing that's barely sticking out of the snow on the right side of the photo.

 

It seemed like there was no end in sight, trying to dig out the stairs.  Almost there!

 

Out back, the snow is perfectly untouched.

 

Ambrosia is enjoying some time outside in the snow.  Alpacas don't mind the snow

 and are usually outside in it.

The boys are enjoying their hay outside.

 

Champ is licking snow that the snow blower threw at the tree.  

Alpacas seem to like licking snow!

Here's a view of the boys in the snow.  Their colors really stand out against the white.

 

Here's a view of the girls from up on the roof.  Every shovel full that landed on the edge of the roof, landed with a "thunk".  This was some heavy snow that could have caused damage to the barn if left for too long.  It's always better to be safe than sorry and do the work to keep the animals safe.

 

The roof is cleaned and ready for more snow to come!

The alpacas are enjoying their new white surroundings.  Winter is really here now

 and we're ready for the next round of snow at the farm.

~Rose

The Holiday Season at Lavender Hill Farm

We had a great holiday season at the farm, meeting new friends and catching up with old ones. The shop was open 10:00 - 5:00 each Saturday and Sunday following Thanksgiving up until Christmas.  Visitors could browse the shop and also visit the alpacas in the barn.

Welcome to the shop!  The little orange ball of fur to the right of the door is Kitten, our "greeter".  He loves to wait for customers to stop in.

All the alpacas had stockings hung inside the shop, each one with their name on it.

If you visit the shop, be sure to sign our guest book to get word of future events at the farm.

Our large tree was decorated for the season.  It makes a great back drop for photos!

 

We have apparel made in Peru, where alpacas originate, available for purchase.  We have sweaters for the whole farmily, gloves, mittens, scarves, hats and socks!

We had certified sorted yarn for sale as well as a variety of yarn from our own animals.

 

The felted alpaca ornaments made at Lavender Hill Farm were a hit!  There were many colors and styles to choose from and were no doubt a unique gift to give.

We had roving in many shades, all from the animals on our farm.

 

We had many different styles of hats to choose from, including these made from baby alpaca.

There's nothing that beats alpaca socks in the winter!  You'll be hooked after wearing them just once!

 

 

The barn was also decorated for the season.  Each alpaca has a name sign also, 

making identifying each alpaca easier for visitors.

 

At night the barn looked great all lit up!

 The chicken coop was quite festive also.

Kitten was still waiting at the shop when we were about to close for the day.  He's a hard worker!

The shop is now closed for the winter, but you are always welcome to visit by appointment.  Call Paulette at (860)917-5154 or email us at lavenderalpacas@gmail.com.  See you in the spring!