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HANDS-ON DAYS We continue to offer FREE "Hands-on Days". You are invited to come and spend a day (or several hours, it's up to you) at Killinagh Lodge. Spend some time with the alpacas, learn about them and get some practical experience with the animals, You can be a part of, and participate in, the normal activities with the animals. There are no formal training sessions but we are available to answer your questions and show you how to handle the animals as you do things with us. The day is FREE and you can choose your own date. However it is essential that you phone to book. This way we can be sure that there will be some interesting activities in which you can participate. Alpacas are so easy to manage there are many times when there is little to do - but we can always arrange something! Events planned for 2008 During the year we will be running courses on Alpaca Husbandry and Alpaca Assessment. These will be of interest both to new owners of alpacas and to people who are considering buy alpacas. Contact us to express your interest and to learn about details Phone: 046-973-1191 email: xkw@bigfoot.com Buying Alpacas Alpacas need minimal care or facilities compared, for instance to sheep. However more time and thought should go into choosing your purchases for several reasons. Alpacas can live for up to 20 years, possibly more, so working with them is a long term project and the animals you purchase will be the foundation of your herd. There is a lot more to consider than when buying many other animals: fleece, colour, conformation, quality, behaviour, breeding status, pedigree etc. We can help you with your choices and we encourage you to spend time with us, getting used to handling the animals, and learning as much as we can teach you. We want you to be happy with the outcome Newly weaned young animals for sale The young arrived at steady intervals all through last summer and are a delight as always. Last summer we were blessed with a large proportion of female births. These cria are now being weaned. These young females offer an economical way of starting a herd.
WOOL AND FLEECE We have our own fleece for sale both as raw fleece for those who like to spin their own and as spun yarn for those who like to knit or weave. The colours are the natural colours of the fleece. Alpaca fleeces come in a range of colours from various shades of white and cream through fawn browns and greys to black. It is available in 50 gm balls.
SHOWS Several shows were cancelled last summer due to heavy rainfall. As a result we have been concentrating our work on the Hands-On Days and training sessions at Killinagh Lodge. OVERALL * we are now in our 8th year at Alpacas of Ireland * we have sold animals into more than twenty counties throughout the country and to many more clients * sales are steady and the interest in alpaca breeding is growing * many of the females return in the summer for mating and it is a joy to see them * our stud males are kept fully busy and loving it * alpaca breeding is proving itself to be a financially viable way of farming
All this means that the Alpaca industry in Ireland is moving ahead steadily and securely.
We are interested in talking to people who would like to work with us in expanding this industry throughout Ireland. There are many possibilities, not just that of buying your own animals and running your own herd. If this interests you you can contact us by email: xkw@bigfoot.com Ph: 046-973-1191 Killinagh Lodge, near Clogherinka, Co Kildare. [6 miles south of Kinnegad (M4), 1/2 mile off the R401 Kinnegad to Edenderry Road]
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