About Us
Rodney and Emma have dreamt of running their own smallholding for many years and with their children grown up by 2010, the timing seemed right. Rodney was raised on a farm; his parents were poultry farmers who managed farms up and down the country. Emma grew up with a natural affinity with animals, with hobbies of dog walking and horse riding. Together they formulated their perfect lifestyle business to utilize their transferable skills, as well as give them the opportunity to learn many new ones!
Emma has a magical touch with the alpacas and a desire to keep rural skills alive, born from her lifelong love of animals and nature. Promoting and teaching the art of hand spinning using a traditional spinning wheel and basketry willow weaving, Emma offers workshops for beginners at their off-grid smallholding in West Wales.
After lots of research, they decided that alpacas were the right livestock for them on a small acreage.
Although a niche and relatively new market, (America and Australia are 10-15 years ahead of the UK) alpaca breeding and the demand for their fleece is growing, as people are becoming more conscious and concerned about where their products come from.
Alpaca fleece is hypoallergenic (lanolin free) and alpacas have minimal impact on the land. A low environmental impact has always been an important part of Emma and Rodneys’ ethics, and this ethos is encompassed across the business.
OFF-GRID LIVING: the opportunity of starting an off-grid farm was very appealing. The smallholding has no mains electricity with all power coming from the solar panels and a backup generator to top up or when the sun is scarce. Energy is then stored in a bank of batteries.
Their water is from a spring and is treated using filters and a UV light providing plentiful chemical free water.
The business is a family affair with Emma and Rodney taking great care of the herd and smallholding. Emma then sorts the fleeces which are harvested once a year and decides which fleeces will be processed by hand and which will be sent to the mill. Once the yarn is prepared Emma s mum Joan and friend Margaret knit some lovely hats, scarves and gloves to be sold in our online shop and local craft fairs and outlets. Our local mill will then weave the yarn into lovely throws, woven scarves and a new venture for us this year is a Welsh Woven Alpaca fabric!
The smallholding offers workshops for beginners in fibre spinning using a traditional spinning wheel and basket weaving run by Emma.
The land is approximately 12 acres and split into 6 paddocks. The alpacas gently manage the land and do not poach the ground allowing nature to thrive. We avoid using chemicals as much as possible and use traditional farming methods. The hens roam freely protected from the fox by the alpacas.
We have a polytunnel and veg plot and grow plenty of fruit and vegetables including potatoes, onions, courgettes, carrots, garlic, leeks, broccoli, cauliflowers, strawberries and apples.
We have recently linked up with http://www.glasallt-fawr.com/what-we-offer.html
Our Volunteers
We are very lucky to have some lovely volunteers from a nearby care home
http://www.glasallt-fawr.com/ which is a rural residential care home for adults with learning difficulties. They have weekly visits to Bird Farm where they help Emma with tasks including cleaning out the chickens, collecting the eggs and planting willow. Filling in potholes along the bridle path seems to be a favourite job! This is a mutually beneficial arrangement which we are all enjoying, we hope to continue for the long term. Below is a note from Birgit who is one of the care home s manager who frequently attends with them.
“We just love volunteering at Bird Farm! There is a certain peacefulness around Bird Farm which is only topped by some homemade cake
and a cup of tea after a good spell of hard work. We love looking after the Alpacas and chickens and the company of Willow, the dog.
This is truly a win-win situation; surely our residents (people with learning disabilities) enjoy immensely helping Bird Farm to flourish.”
Birgit Walter, Registered Manager N. Barcud, Glasallt Fawr
We have another volunteer, Maisie coming on weekends who is currently doing her Duke of Edinburgh award.
Maisie is helping with some alpaca husbandry, so far we have been catching up 3 of our boys to practise halter training. Maise has also helped with poop scooping and feeding.
