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 Half Horse Farm
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Head injury leads to alpacas Written by Paul Cheney I have always liked farming, when I was growing up my Grandfather usually had a pair of steers and a horse or two. Tammy and I have raised sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and had over 300 rabbits at one time. Tammy and I started out with two Quarter horses and that’s where the farm name came from. Tammy and I even raised two children, Joshua (21) and Sylviann (20). I have always worked labor intensive jobs, such as carpentry, clamming, farming, sawmill and a sandblaster at Bath Iron Works. In 2001 after 15 years at BIW I substained a head injury that left my life in turmoil and my future uncertain. In 2003 after trying to stay at work and driving myself I had a set back where I couldn’t drive and had to leave work. I had to find something I could do at home. A unpleasant day at the Union Fair (crowds and moving objects bother my head) turned pleasant when we talked to Al Maloney at the alpaca display, then went to his farm on Open Farm Day. We visited other alpaca farms and got info from the internet. Al told us about how easy alpacas are to raise, and that they are not that expensive to feed. 
In the spring of 2004 we got some chicks and Nigerian Dwarf goats and planned on getting
alpacas someday. Watching those chicks and goats grow gave me a renewed interest in life,
they were good for the soul.I wanted to start small, to just get a couple of geldings and grow from there. I didn’t want to invest very much untill I found out if this was what we wanted to do. I wanted to promote Maine alpaca fiber and Maine alpaca products. Alpaca fiber is so soft, it’s almost like touching a cloud. In June of 2005 we bought 10 alpaca boys (so much for starting small). I’m hoping these boys will be easier than having females, with the breeding and births. I just need to get everything written down, when to do shots and worming, so I don’t forget. It’s a big challenge, some days are more overwhelming than others. Tammy helps out when she’s not working in the home health care business. |
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