Neve decides to spend the afternoon with us filming in the paddock. She is a real star and the video bloopers are hysterical.
The humans have been in isolation way to long and look forward to re-opening our farm stay mid year as we have been closed since November due to the Summer bush fire season.
Fingers crossed, stay covid safe and hope to see you mid year.
Back in March we were prepared for Covid19 and cancelled all of our bookings as well as self-isolating which is pretty much the norm when you live out here.
Daniela also quickly completed the Certificate in Acknowledgment in infection control training Covid19.
This week we downloaded the CovidSafe app and so should you. We really want to get back to normal and start to run our business once again. Our valley suffered through the horrendous Summer bush fires of 2019/2020, and really we have been shut down since November 2019. Its now time to support our business, our valley and the Hunter Valley community.
We hope to see you all after the ISO lockdown. In the meantime, stay safe and keep social distancing.
Visit our online shop for alpaca fleece, alpaca yarn, farmstay and alpaca workshop gift vouchers.
We have downloaded it. Have you?
Taking some of our alpacas for a stroll past Platypus Walk and into the Old Wheat Paddock on this hot summer afternoon.
Its always fun having the alpacas follow me around the farm. Highly recommended and alpacas love a new paddock every couple of weeks. Paddock rotation is extremely important for us and for the health of our herd. Find out why, when you book into on our on-farm workshops.
If you are looking at starting your own herd, why not book in for one of our alpaca training workshops and we will show you how we manage of herd of huacaya and suri alpacas.
See more on our website.
Though we had a nasty start to the season due to the effects of prolonged drought exacerbating the fire season, and now the current Covid19. We now have predictions for a wet winter.
With rainfall comes insects and parasites, and we are reminding alpaca owners to remain vigilant as we approach winter, especially since we have been enjoying warmer weather right through to late April.
Conditions are right in many regions for insect populations to ramp up, which is reportedly already happening with flies across Australia’s central region and brings a host of issues for livestock owners.
Pasture growth is always a blessing, however, it can drastically increase survivability for internal and external parasites in paddocks. That means greater monitoring to ensure the health of our alpacas.
Conditions from tics due to the remaining warmth keeps them active in the ground, roaming snakes seeking shelter and food, ryegrass seed complications, weed poisoning and conditions such as rickets, barbers pole and staggers, just to name a few.
We recommend you visit the Australia Alpaca Association for a list of known weeds, plants and tree’s that are toxic to alpacas.
Wet weather also brings us an ample growth of wild mushrooms so please remove them safety with gloves and dispose of carefully.
If we do have a wet winter, parasite control is another thing to consider, as the seasonal conditions have meant there are much higher risks of worms and flystrike in some areas. So please ask your vet to conduct a worm count before drenching and remember - paddock rotation is the best natural method you can do.
If you have coloured alpacas we recommend ADE for this time of the year - vitamin boost for colours but also recommend for all.
Feel free to talk to us about which appropriate worming/drenching method to use.
Here’s a photo of me with one of my breeding girls, Neve.
Daniela
If you are looking at starting your own herd of alpacas keep an eye on our website on alpaca sales or join our mailing list for the next herd dispersal sale.
Do you use alpacas as guardian animals? PHD student Paige Matthews from UNE is conducting a study to give valuable insight into how sheep producers are using alpacas and their effectiveness in reducing issues with feral pests and lamb mortalities. Here is the link to the survey. Get involved - help support the science to show how amazing alpacas are as herd guardians! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/guardalpacasurvey.
@australianalpacaassociation
We sadly had to cancel our Australian Alpaca Association Open Day for May 2020 but hope to re-schedule for Spring/Summer 2020 sometime.
As numbers are always limited when visiting our farm please make sure you sign up so you don’t miss out on this unique alpaca farm experience with our amazing herd.
Our Little Valley Farm open days are a great way to find out more about alpaca’s for your farm, how to take care of them, handle them in a safe manner, what to feed, best shelters and pens required plus so much more. You also have the opportunity to ask as many questions as you want, get some hands-on experience and take some memorable photos and interact with our alpacas.
Sign up here for 2020 dates.
Hop on our alpaca list - https://www.littlevalleyfarm.com.au/about
The alpaca is a ruminent with three stomachs. It converts grass and hay to energy very quickly, eating far less (as a percentage of its body weight) than other farm animals. Alpaca manure is lower in organic matter content than the manure from most other barnyard livestock (cows, horses, goats and sheep) but still has enough to improve soil texture and water-holding capacity. This lower organic content allows alpaca manure to be spread directly onto plants without burning them. It is the decomposition of organic matter content of the manure that indicates their efficient digestion system.
The nitrogen and potassium content of alpaca dung is comparatively high, an indication of good fertilizer value. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the major plant nutrients. Phosphorus is relatively low as in most livestock manure. The calcium and magnesium content is about average. South American Indians use the alpaca waste for fuel, and local gardeners find the alpaca's rich fertilizer perfect for growing fruits and vegetables. A herd of alpacas consolidates its waste in one or two spots in the paddocks, thereby controlling the spread of parasites and making it easier to collect and use on our garden beds.
Photo credit to Richard of Incamon Alpaca Stud.
Hello Oberon. Born to Dam Suki-Oberon and cute as a button. Was an easy birth, which we are grateful for as Suki was bitten by a red belly snake when she was four month pregnant. So glad this worked out wonderfully and happy to be isolation with our herd of alpacas. There are many more births due later this month.
Great news, you can now purchase our alpaca fleece and yarn for sale. Here is the fleece from our wonderful Stud, Sir Richmond. Soft and luxurious fleece that is handspun in Wollombi Valley.
Purchase online here.
Our most common question is what is the difference between a Huacaya and a Suri alpaca. Our favourite shop, The Australian Alpaca Barn states it perfectly below.
At Little Valley Farm we have both types of Alpacas and we adore working with both. We are now venturing in the world of coloured alpacas in the next couple of months - and we are super excited!
We currently have super soft handspun alpaca yarn for sale and also raw (unprocessed) fleece for sale. Click here to purchase online.
Photo credit The Alpaca Barn. Check them out in the Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains and Sydney Rocks area.
It is impossible to say these are our favourite birds - but they are the birds that are mostly likely to make an impact on our guests. In a way they are favourites as we love seeing and hearing them all the time.
No.10 - Chickens
Of course our Barnvelder, Wine-dot, Italian White cross Silkie chickens make an impact, the Rooster loves to crow and the girls are pretty regular with eggs to eat and at hatching new chicks. But they are introduced here, and despite their exotic cross breeding, we know them all to well.
No.9 - Guiena Fowl
You can’t miss . Guinea Fowl especially if you are new to the farm. If anything is out of place they will let you know about it at XX decibles, and they will most likely block you from driving down towards the train. However they are again an introduced bird albeit still quite exotic outside of the homeland Africa.
No.8 Barking Owl
No.7 Bellbird
No.6 Butcher Bird
No. 5 Magpie
No.4 Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo
No.3 Magnificent Blue Wren
No.2 Bower Bird
No1. Superb Lyrebird
Discover more about them when you come and create your own unique farm stay experience at Little Valley Farm.
That’s right, we did it! I am not sure if we did impress our alpacas but we certainly had a great time trying, stretching and laughing.
It was absolutely relaxing doing yoga in the middle of the paddocks with the alpacas surrounding us. A huge thank you to Joy, (it was Pure Joy!) and our amazing three guests.
Let’s do it again!
Follow us for our next yoga-with-the-alpacas.
Book your four-person glamping weekend farm stay here.
Coming soon to Little Valley Farm. Yoga with the alpacas. Let’s see if we can impresses Abigail and Lilly.
Our land is indeed for wildlife and shared with us and our alpacas.
Make it your next country destination and experience something truely unique.
#littlevalleyfarm #glamping #farmstay 🦙#somethingunique #lagunansw #wollombi 🦙
Early morning ride from our farm into Laguna Village for a relaxing breakfast at Great Northern Trading Post is the right way to start the day.
You can now hire premium Cannondale bikes when you book your glamping stay with us. Simply contact Hunter Valley Bicycle Company or you can try-before-you-buy an E-bike - check out Cessnock Bicycle Company.
Laguna is home to the annual Gravel Grit Laguna so it has to be something special riding around the Watagans and Olney State Forest once its re-opens after Summer.
Photo credit Euan Wilcox
We now have chemical-free garlic seed stock available for sale. The cultivar is purple and pink turban hard neck. Planting around Easter time. $22 per kilo for pick up Laguna or can be posted within NSW only.
Contact us here for your order.
The minimum order is 1kg. P&P charges apply.
Great story
Read MoreOur valley has been surrounded by fires recently and we had to cancel our open day.
We have huacaya and suri raw fleece available for sale. Prices start from $20 per saddle and perfect for felting, spinning or using as cushion or toy in-fills. PM for more info. Pick up Laguna.
#alpacafarm #alpacafleece #littlevalleyfarm #lagunansw #wollombi #huntervalley #alpacalove #fleece
