Grist Mill Farm Alpacas

The folks at Pearl’s Market invited us to expand our selection of products on display, and we were happy to oblige.  In addition to the yarn and small bears that we were previously offering we have added socks, scarves and blankets.  Most important, however, just in time for Easter and Spring we are offering Lions, Bunnies, Ponies and three sizes of Bears.  All of the animals are 100% alpaca, hypo allergenic and cute as cute can be!  Please stop into Pearl’s market and visit our furry friends. 

During the winter Pearl’s is only open Friday through Sunday, but will be opening seven days a week starting April 1.

 We will be one of 70 artisans and crafters with a booth at the 33rd annual Kimberton Waldorf Craft show.  Come out to see some wonderful crafts and art and get your Christmas shopping into high gear!  Friday night’s program is from 6 to 10 PM, is adults only, and admission is $10.  Saturday’s hours are from 10 AM to 5 PM, all are welcome, and admission is $5.  Please see the Kimberton Waldorf web site (www.kimberton.org) for directions.

Hope to see you there!

Please join us on Saturday, November 7 between the hours of 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM to get your holiday shopping off to a great start, or to buy yourself a little present, … or both!  We will be serving snacks and refreshments, so please stop by and take a look.

Cavalier on a dry, sunny day!

Friday, October 16th was rainy, windy and cold, an all around miserable day until we came home and found that Nocturnal had presented us with her new son, Cavalier.  His birth certainly brightened up our day as we rubbed him dry and got the hair dryer out to warm him up.  He weighed in at 19 plus pounds and continued Nocturnal’s pattern of throwing big babies.

Either a two-headed alpaca or Coco and Cavalier posing

Now Cavalier spends most of his time chasing, and bieng chased by, his new friend Coco.  It is such fun to wathc them race around the pasture,  sometimes graceful, and sometimes not so graceful, as they learn to use those long, spindly legs.

Proud Momma and Coco just a few minutes after she was born

As Patience watches Coco shows off her new fall coat

 Patience decided to make National Alpaca Farm Weekend really special by delivering a female cria at 3:00 on the afternoon of Sunday, September 27.  Coco, named because of her unique color and markings, weighed in at 14 pounds and 14 ounces.  She is healthy and strong and benefiting from the fact that Patience has turned out to be a very attentive mother.  Not that we were surprised, but this is Patience’s first cria and we had no history on her.

Several people who stopped in on Sunday afternoon were treated to seeing an alpaca delivery, and Coco’s first attempts at standing and nursing.  She amused and entertained all of us for the rest of the afternoon.

As you can probably see from the pictures, she is multi-colored.  She is predominately white, but her back and neck are brown, and she has a dot of brown color on the crown of her head.

If you would like to come and see her just call us to arrange a time.

Although it doesn’t officially begin until September 22 we can already feel it in the air, the children are back in school and vacations are over.  We have a number of exciting events coming up in September.  First, Patience, our white nosed girl, is due to have her first cria this month.  I know that we are more nervous about that than she is.  Pictures to follow!

We also have several events, which are detailed in our “Events” section.  Highlights are:  We will be at the Luarels at Landhope on September 11-13.  Our open house at Grist Mill Farm for National Alpace Farm Days is September 26 and 27.  The hours will be 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  Come on out and visit us and the Alpacas and have a cookie and some apple cider.  All are welcome.  And, one new event - we will be back at Pearl’s Market in Eagle on Saturday October 10 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, along with Beauregard and Shadow.  Come on out and see the “boys”.

We have been blessed with a fairly mild spring and early summer so our animals have not yet been stressed by the heat.  Grass is still plentiful and they continue to enjoy their time out in the pasture.  Once the heat hits they will head for the barns and the fans!

Apollonia has been confirmed pregnant and will be returning to our farm by the end of July.  We will be happy to have her back and hangin’ with the rest of the girls.

We are starting to purchase inventory and plan for our many fall events.  Please check our “Events” page, and hope to see many of you at some of the events.

May is shearing month, and we had all 5 of our alpacas sheared.  We will send their fleece away to be converted into yarn, so watch for it in our store offerings in the next several months.  Our animals are much cooler now without their heavy winter coats, but it takes us awhile to get used to seeing them all thin and gangly!

We sent Apollonia off to a local farm to be bred.  This will be her first time, and we are probably as nervous as she is!  If all goes well she will present us with a new cria next spring.

We have just posted a number of events running into the fall, so take a look and come out and say hello.

Enjoy spring!!

We are now selling a limited offering of alpaca products from our Farm Store at Pearl’s Market in Eagle.  Pearl’s Market, located at 160 Park Road in the village of Eagle, offers seasonal items, local gourmet cheeses, local artisan breads, gluten free items, locally grown fresh produce and craft items and products from local artisans.  The market is open 7 days a week, and is constantly adding to its product offerings.

We are currently offering several types of alpaca fleece yarn, our adorable alpaca teddy bears, and note cards which include an original ink drawing of our alpacas.  As we see what items are moving we will continue to add new items. 

Please visit Pearl’s Market, not only to see our display, but also to support a local business which is providing an outlet for other local businesses.

Please remember that our full product offering is always available at our farm store in Glenmoore.  Please call us to schedule a visit when you are ready to shop there.  You can also visit with our alpacas when you come to the farm.  They always enjoy the company!

 

Shadow shows off his distinguishing marking!

On Saturday, March 28, we welcomed our newest resident to Grist Mill Farm.  We acquired Shadow, a young male, as a companion for our young male, Beau.  We purchased Shadow from our friends Bud and Gail Stewart at Rocky Run Alpacas as Beau is about to be weaned, and he was in need of a friend to share his new pasture with.  The three girls (Nocturnal, Patience and Appolonia) will be happy for the peace as the two young boys are quite rambunctious.

Shadow is personable and cute, and endowed with a unique marking.  He is white, with the exception of his tail, which looks like it was dipped in ink.  He has fit-in well with our other alpacas and is already lining up at his feed bowl come meal time.

Please call us to schedule a time to come out and meet “The Shadow”.