Is it the Economy?

[Illia]

Oh yeah, people can't afford things like they used to, also, lots of people are more aware now of the different animals they can own, and Llamas are pretty popular, so naturally there's gonna be a lot of stuff given away. . . Not chickens though, unless they're roosters. They lay eggs, they're thrifty buggers, and they can be eaten

We get LOADS of ads for free llamas, sheep, ponies, horses, etc out here. If I had the freezer I'd get them, butcher them, and feed 'em to the dogs.

Free food, good food.

 

[debilorrah]

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Hesperia here and alfalfa is $22 a bale. We had to rehome our horses in May, it got too expensive.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

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Yeah me to! WOW!

 

[HHandbasket]

I live on an alpaca ranch, and I can tell you that it's the economy.

While the owners of our ranch are doing quite well, it is because Dianna is retired & Jack is still teaching, and they've had this ranch for 32 years. We have 41 alpacas and a llama. Our animals are still being sold at decent prices but not anywhere NEAR $50. Couple grand for breeding girls, I believe, and a similar price for herdsires. I'm not really sure, as I am not really involved in that aspect of the business. My big thing is going down to the alpaca pastures, feeding them, scooping the poop, and giving them love. They're really affectionate animals.

But what is happening is that several ranch owners, like several home owners in our country, are going into foreclosure, and they are giving away/selling off the animals cheap both in an effort to pay their mortgages and save their farms or, in many cases, the foreclosure has already happened, people have to move out of their homes and off their ranches, and the animals need to be rehomed as a result.

We do keep the llama because everybody that comes to the ranch invariably asks, "What's the difference between an alpaca and a llama?" Because this ranch is focused on alpaca education and fiber, it's nice to have Diane the Llama to actually demontrate to ranch visitors the differences between the 2 animals... aside from the fact that the alpaca weighs about 130 pounds & the llama weighs about 400 pounds!

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

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I have heard that hay is costly in the south and midwest, but I did not think it was that bad in upstate New York!

My FIL has several hundred bales for sale... $2 you pick up and it isn't selling. I

WHERE?!?!?!?!

 

[conny63malies]

Too bad free animals are never free. I got a free puppy once and spend 100+ $ the first week alone on vet care. Out here is Kansas i always could get a older free horse, donkey for less than 50$ and of course tons of small mammals. Thats actually how i got my daughters birthday presents, two free female guineas ,with cage and food. One is 4-5 years and the daughter 4 month old. THe only time i ever regretted not taking a free animal was a 14 year old cat that lived at a no kill shelter. Month later the shelter was raided for phony reasons and most of the kitties were put down for being old,disabled,minor health issues, having IBS or just a cold. WEll duuuuhhh, this shelter saved the cats other shelters put on death row, my cat is from there. Roscoe was only 35$ fully vetted.
Once we move and have settled i will give homes to a select few unwanted goats and ????

 

[zzGypsy]

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I have heard that hay is costly in the south and midwest, but I did not think it was that bad in upstate New York!

My FIL has several hundred bales for sale... $2 you pick up and it isn't selling. I

where are you?
if that were local I'd be right over!

hay's cheaper here in MO than in california but the price rises every day. up 50% since end of July.

saw an alpaca go at auction for $20 about a month ago.

but so far, noone has offered me free sheep.

in case you're thinking of it, I'm looking for woolies... suffolk, cotswold, longwools...

ducks, geese, turkeys are all good too...

yes. economy and also drought. we may not get a fall hay cutting here because there hasn't been enough rain.

 

[Godsgrl]

I think it's definitely the economy. There is someone on our freecycle offering a donkey for nothing. I wish I had the resources to take him, but must stick to smaller pets.

 

[Mattemma]

I have seen some free animal posts.I am always tempted but know we can not afford them.

 

[conny63malies]

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donkeys and mini horses going free too now. People get tired of feeding lawn ornaments with an additude.