Anatolian Shepherds as Livestock Guard Dogs
When we first established our farm, we knew we had predators to contend with. In our area, we have coyotes, foxes and domesticated dogs. While other areas may have more and some think they have none, I want to make sure everyone understands that DOMESTICATED DOGS pose the second biggest threat to your livestock. That's right, your friendly neighborhood stray dog or recently escaped household pet. Dogs will hunt in packs, for fun. They can and will kill livestock, even if they are not hungry. ... Full article >
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Skirting
Here at DSCA, we have 60+ alpacas that I need to process their fiber. I currently work a full time job (from home) and Tony works most weeks out of town. This leaves me the daily chores of scooping poop, feeding animals and general farm maintenance after putting in an 8 hour day at work. This doesn't leave a lot of time to do what I really love, PLAY WITH MY FIBER. So, I have been experimenting with ways to process my fiber, quickly and efficiently. I am publishing a series of articles ... Full article >
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Washing your Fiber
This is the continuation of my series on Hand Processing Fiber. In the article, I am going to outline the steps that I take to wash my fiber. My goal is to find the easiest and most efficient way to process the large number of fleeces that I have on a yearly basis. Now, my personal preference is to wash the fiber before I spin it. I would strongly encourage you to do so as well. Although alpacas don't have lanolin they do have dirt!! And lots of it!! They sweat and the dirt gets mixed... Full article >
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