Help on a family alpaca farm in Monthault, France

Details

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  Description

  Hi, my name is Rob.
  
  Together with my wife Deb, we have a small alpaca farm and a small garden plant nursery in France. We are originally from the Netherlands and moved a few years ago to the edge of a small village on the border of Brittany and Normandy.
  We have 7 hectares of land and 14 alpacas. In addition, a number of sheep, a few goats, chickens, cats and three dogs. We are renovating our own house, which was built in the 17th century. For this we use natural materials, such as the wool of our own alpacas for roof insulation. But also the wood from trees in our own forest, which we saw ourselves into beams and planks. We also use the granite stones and clay that can be found all over the site for construction.
  We try to create an ecological cycle here. The manure of our alpacas is partly used directly for the garden of the nursery. We have made worm hotels, which feed on compost and the remaining manure of the alpacas. The excrement of the worms is used to enrich the soil of our plants. We also use the leaves from the forest to make leaf compost, which also enriches the soil of our plants. The garden at the nursery is freely accessible to the public to relax and get inspired. We get a small income from the sale of plants that can also be found in the garden.
  The area where we live is very rural and a combination of pasture, arable farming and forests. The nearest neighbors are about a kilometer away from us. It is a beautiful area with lots of nature. We live close to 'le Mont St Michel' and there are various nice ancient citys and towns in the neighbourhood to visit. Here is also the possibility to have nice walks or bikerides in nature and enjoying the wildlife (badgers, deers, foxes and lots of birds) in our area.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As mentioned earlier, there are many opportunities for relaxation and excursions in the area. Le Mont St Michel is nearby. Historic towns such as St Malo, Cancal and Fougeres are also nearby.
  Of course it is possible to gain knowledge about keeping alpacas and about garden maintenance and multiplying of plants. The propagation of the plants is not intended for the plants we have for sale. All activities we let the workawayers do have no connection with our commercial activity at the nursery
  We speak Dutch (native language) of course, we speak good German and good English and a little French

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  Help

  Every spring it is quite busy maintaining the garden at the nursery and shearing the alpacas and sheep. We could really use some help with this.
  For shearing, I (Rob) need someone to assist me with controlling the alpacas. Of course, there is the option to use the shearing machine yourself. In addition to shearing, the hooves are trimmed, the alpacas are dewormed and the teeth are touched up if necessary. Approximately an hour to an hour and a half is allocated per alpaca to do all the actions. The intention is to handle two or three alpacas per day. Depending on how fast it goes. The wool will be used to insulate our house.
  Deb can use help at the nursery to maintain the garden at the nursery. Weeding, repotting plants and propagating plants by dividing, cuttings or sowing. Also spend half a day here (the morning) and the afternoon is free to do what you want.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Dutch: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We have a guesthouse, consisting of two caravans, which have been renovated on the inside. It has a normal bed, toilet and shower, which is connected to the water network and the sewer network.
  This guesthouse has its own terrace and is approximately 50 meters from our own accommodation, so it is very private. We provide three meals a day. You can indicate per day whether you want to use it. Of course also drinks are enough available.

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  What else ...

  We live in a remote area, where public transport is not very close. A private car is useful to visit the old towns. And in case you don't have one, we are quite willing to take you to a bus stop if you want to take a day trip. Of course, pick-up on arrival and drop-off on departure to a train station is also possible, provided this is within a radius of 75 kilometers.
  We have two e-bikes that you can use.
  
  Regarding working hours. We are very easy and everything can be discussed. I previously indicated that we wanted to do the work in the morning. If you prefer the afternoon, that is also fine. If you want to go out all day, there is certainly an option for that and we don't put everything on a scale.
  
  If you have allergies or are vegetarian, we will take this into account with the meals. We also discuss every day what we are going to do the next day in terms of work and what we want to eat together.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Enough space for campers or caravans. Energy supply also available. Our area will get fiber internet t he next couple of months, but we can't say when it will be here on our property. Till then we only have internet through our mobile phones. We do smoke , but we are used to not smoke in company of not smokers.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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