Appalachian Hills Farm

Appalachian Hills Farm A local farm in the Laurel Highlands; Specialize in raising llamas, sheep and alpacas; Creating hand-spun yarns & rovings

When deliveries arrive the cats gather around because they have learned those deliveries are really for them. They reall...
09/19/2025

When deliveries arrive the cats gather around because they have learned those deliveries are really for them. They really don't care what is in the box. It is the box that brings them joy. As we cut open every box they circle around us like sharks waiting for the moment to move in.
Diamond always finds a way to fit into the small boxes. He gave up trying to curl up inside this one.
Amethyst was the first one to claim the larger box. As soon as she jumped out of the box Onyx and Ebony took turns sleeping in it.

Ted is doing well. He will continue the antibiotics for another couple of weeks. His activity restrictions can be lifted on Sunday which will make him happy.

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It is often difficult to distinguish the name of a sheep from its baa. Many of them sound alike. We do have a few with a...
09/18/2025

It is often difficult to distinguish the name of a sheep from its baa. Many of them sound alike. We do have a few with a distinctive baa. Cube is part of that group.
Tonight I heard him outside the door. He only gave a couple of loud baas. As soon as I checked on him he started crying again. He had food so I knew he shouldn't be hungry. As soon as I walked toward him he immediately grabbed the pocket of my jeans which had a few treats. How he knew I had some is a mystery. Most nights I run out of treats rather quickly but tonight everyone was more interested in food than treats so I still had some in my pocket. After he had two treats Cube rubbed his nose on my leg then walked back to finish eating hay.

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09/17/2025

Without rain the pastures are looking very poor. The blades of grass are dehydrating and shriveling away. We brought everyone into paddocks a few weeks ago so the pastures would not get overgrazed but this drought is doing as much damage as overgrazing.
We do on occasion feed the flocks grain but that is not a daily routine. The grain room crew is the exception. To prevent the hay supply from being depleted we have decided to feed grain more often.
Today I made a new mix and tried it out on Cami which probably wasn't my best decision since she will eat any kind of safe food put in front of her. I wanted to see if any of the grains were pushed away and not eaten. True to form Cami did her best vacuum imitation. I don't think she chews before she swallows.

Ted came through his surgery without any issues. The team pulled three teeth. The two on the right side were involved with the abscess. The third one was on his left upper side. During the pre surgery x-ray they noticed that the tooth was cracked. His upper right jaw bone is inflamed but has not deteriorated from the abscess. He will continue with antibiotics and pain medicine for the near future.

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Three weeks ago the right side of Ted's face became puffy under his eye. The diagnosis was an abscessed molar. He was gi...
09/16/2025

Three weeks ago the right side of Ted's face became puffy under his eye. The diagnosis was an abscessed molar. He was given antibiotics and pain medicine. Within a few days he was doing well and the swelling went down. Four days after he finished the antibiotics the infection came back with a vengeance. Not only was the swelling worse the infection had traveled to his eye. The veterinarian put him back on antibiotics, eye drops, and pain medicine but felt this would end up being a continuing issue so the clinic opened a spot for him to have surgery.
Early tomorrow Ted will have his molar removed and the abscessed area in his jaw and cheek flushed. If all goes well he will be home tomorrow afternoon.

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For many years deer have found safety close to or inside the pastures. One year a doe took up residence inside an unused...
09/15/2025

For many years deer have found safety close to or inside the pastures. One year a doe took up residence inside an unused pasture. She and her twins spent weeks living there. Everyday we would greet them. The doe always looked at us as if she was returning the greeting. Some days the fawns were hidden in the tall grass but we knew they were safe since the mother never left the field. We were working close by on the day the doe leaped out of the pasture with the two fawns slipping through the fence lines and into the woods. It was sort of a sad day but we were glad the fawns were old enough to leave the comfort of the pasture.
Each year when I see deer along the pasture fence or inside a pasture I wonder if any of them were the ones who lived for those spring and summer months in that pasture.
This doe with her set of twins passed by while I was checking the condition of one of the pastures. They didn't seem very wary of me. Maybe the doe was the doe from a couple of years ago or maybe she is one of the twins who roamed the pasture and watched us work.

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This was a nice surprise tonight. Normally chicory closes the blooms when the sunsets and on overcast days. This pretty ...
09/14/2025

This was a nice surprise tonight. Normally chicory closes the blooms when the sunsets and on overcast days. This pretty blossom greeted me as I was doing the nighttime water trough filling. I noticed it as I was shining the flashlight around while scanning the area. The flashlight lying beside it allowed me to capture the lovely periwinkle color.
When I turned around to walk back to the barn I almost ran into a lone lightning bug. These are one of my favorite insects so this was special. What was really surprising was that it was still around. They normally end their season in early to mid August.
I felt sad for this one since there weren't any answering flashes.
Two surprises in one night was the perfect way to end the week.

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It started off as a normal late summer day that September eleventh. Sadly the news feed showed videos of the World Trade...
09/12/2025

It started off as a normal late summer day that September eleventh.
Sadly the news feed showed videos of the World Trade Centers. We watched in horror as that scene unfolded. Then came the headline of a plane crashing in a field only miles from the farm on the other side of the mountain.
My brain had difficulty processing all that was happening. Even to this day it seems so unreal yet so real.
As that day progressed the images were front and center but the one thing that stands out was the quiet.
On a daily basis many jets cross over the farm. Some days the sky looks like a woven plaid pattern with the jet streams. Even when there aren't any visible jets, private planes, or helicopters there is still a faint hum like noise but that day there was nothing just silence.

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Rocket and Silver stopped by for their cat food meal. We haven't seen Peep and the other triplet for a while. In fact th...
09/11/2025

Rocket and Silver stopped by for their cat food meal. We haven't seen Peep and the other triplet for a while. In fact this is the first time we have seen Silver in weeks. Rocket has become an amusing addition to our day. He is very quiet so we never hear him walk up behind us as we are filling buckets. I usually wait to put the cat food out because that area is in front of the one barn door which we use to carry hay and the buckets outside. The other door is where Turbo stands to watch us and he is not always cooperative when he is hungry.
Rocket has a spot near the grain barrels where he sits to wait for his food. When we aren't quick to serve him he will cautiously move closer to us. Tonight he was about a foot away. He startled me when I turned around because he was so close. I think I jumped about six inches off of the floor. When I jumped Lee flinched but Rocket never moved. Based on the look on his face I think he was laughing at us. The tables have been turned. We are now the entertainment for a raccoon.

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The days and evenings have been a bit cool. Many of the summer inhabitants have either left for the winter or they have ...
09/09/2025

The days and evenings have been a bit cool. Many of the summer inhabitants have either left for the winter or they have taken shelter to stay warm.
Our resident toads spend the spring wallowing in puddles, taking dips in the water troughs, and resting under the shade of some boulders. When the temperature becomes cool they find someplace cozy to shelter.
This one decided to come out to sit in the warm sunlight.
It started out with its back to the sun. It continued to alter its position until every side had some moments in the sun. I didn't realize how intelligent a toad was until I saw this one sunning itself.

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Even though our sheep are friendly they have their moments. When I am trying to walk from one side of the paddock to the...
09/08/2025

Even though our sheep are friendly they have their moments. When I am trying to walk from one side of the paddock to the other every sheep is following me tight to my heels. I will give a few pats but will continue on my way. From afar I probably look like the Pied Piper of sheep. All of that friendly close by my side behavior quickly disappears the minute I want to catch one to shear. They magically seem to sense my motive. I haven't made any visible prep work. All I do is walk through them only to see them give me a wild eye look. Seriously nothing is changed from any other time I walk through or with them.
So how do I catch them? Give them food. While they are gobbling food I can walk up behind them and grab one. Of course everyone after that is on high alert but little smatterings of grain always override their desire to avoid me.
Years ago I used to grab a sheep by its wool. They would panic. Intelligence on my end finally entered my brain. When a predator grabs a sheep it often latches onto the wool before it grabs a more vital area. When I grabbed that wool it kicked a self defense instinct into action. I am sure some of their struggles to get away from being caught this way also had to do with pain. I imagine grabbing the wool is just as painful as having one's hair pulled. Since then I do back leg catching. When I walk up behind a sheep I grab one back leg. This does startle the sheep but it gives me better control until I can wrap my arms around their neck and get a halter on them.
Rams are easier to catch than ewes because I can grab them by their horns.
Of course there are a few such as Cube and Hazel who stand still allowing us to walk up and place the halter over their head.

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I am amused every time I see stacked sheep at the hay rack. There really isn't any reason for anyone to do this. There i...
09/07/2025

I am amused every time I see stacked sheep at the hay rack. There really isn't any reason for anyone to do this. There is plenty of space along the racks plus we put plenty of hay outside so no one would get crowded out. While this is a bit dangerous it is also clever. As everyone is eating from the bottom of the racks this one is getting the lions share from the top.
This happens about once a week. When I see someone standing on another I walk out and remove the stacked one. My fear is someone will fall and get trampled.
Sheep have an amazing peripheral range which hinders our ability to sneak up on them. Having their faces buried in the hay diminishes that ability so we can sneak up and catch whoever we need. I was able to grab this one and lift him off. I escorted him to the outside area where he settled in to eat.

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Oreo is ready for another top knot trim. It has been five months since I trimmed her bangs. Her head fiber grows rapidly...
09/06/2025

Oreo is ready for another top knot trim. It has been five months since I trimmed her bangs. Her head fiber grows rapidly but it doesn't help when she sticks her head in and out of the hay rack causing her fiber to cover her eyes. I am amazed with her ability to maneuver around the pasture.
Some alpacas have head fiber that grows off of the face. They almost look as if they have a pompadour. Then there are the ones like Oreo whose head fiber dangles over their eyes.
Oreo has always been our wild looking disheveled alpaca. If there is a pile of hay on the ground she will find it to roll in. This is also true for any mud puddle. I am constantly picking grass, leaves, and small twigs out of her fiber.
She came over to me for a treat. I asked her for a kiss. She always stops just inches before my face. I still give her a treat because in her mind this might be her version of a kiss.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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Address

Latrobe, PA
15650

Telephone

(724) 423-8107

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