Country life: Alpacas in Essen: Fluffy animals will soon be growing

The alpacas at Gut Gazweiler in Essen-Haarzopf don’t get presents until after Christmas: They’re currently enjoying themselves with fir trees – nicely dosed so that there’s no stomach ache. Farm owner Viktoria Gazweiler will not only be offering alpaca hikes this year, but is also planning other activities. There is also something special for chicken fans.

Viktoria Gazweiler and her husband Julian have been living on the approximately 700-year-old former Röttgen farm near Essen-Mülheim Airport since Christmas 2021. They bought and renovated the farm in 2020. Six alpacas are grazing in the fields on Eststraße. Another two or three animals are to be added this year. There is enough space, the animals have a 1.5 hectare pasture at their disposal.

“We only have male animals. You can’t keep males and females together and breeding is not planned,” explains Viktoria Gatzweiler (34), who has fulfilled her lifelong dream with alpacas and likes to let other people share life with the fluffy animals.

The Essen alpacas are stars on social media

The animals are now stars on social media. Almost every day, Viktoria Gazweiler posts videos of Willi, Alfi, Fritz and Co., but also of the ponies, pigs, sheep and other animals on the farm. You can just watch how the alpacas happily nibble on the Christmas trees that were not sold. In the past the trees came from her brother-in-law from Oberschuirshof, this year they come from farmer Kammesheidt in Schuir.

“These are unused, undecorated trees that the animals are really happy about,” says Viktoria Gazweiler, who gives the alpacas one or two trees a week – to nibble and scratch. “A few trees remain there all year round so that the animals can push themselves against them.” The alpacas will enjoy the delicacies for a long time: for the time being, the supply of around 50 pieces should last.

The farm owners want to start selling colored eggs in the spring

Viktoria Gazweiler and her husband are currently expanding the chicken coop. “We would like to sell eggs. But not the normal brown or white ones, but colored ones from so-called Buntlegern. These are chicken breeds that lay red, blue or green eggs. That should be our unique selling point, so that you can tell immediately: If someone has colored eggs in the fridge, they are probably ours,” reports the farm owner about the plans. If the hens are already laying colored eggs, coloring at Easter is superfluous…

For the time being, 100 to 150 Buntleger are to be purchased, which usually have a slightly lower laying performance than other chickens. “Hen sponsorships are also being considered, in which the sponsors will then get five or six eggs a week in the color of their choice.” It takes a few weeks for them to lay eggs.

The friends of Gut Gazweiler can also look forward to the tried and tested: the walks with the fluffy animals will definitely be continued this year. Alpaca hikes are also possible in winter, but due to the early onset of darkness and the bad weather, there is not as much demand as in summer.

Hikes and alpaca yoga are back on the agenda

On the Haarzopfer farm and in the barn, events such as bachelor parties or children’s birthday parties involving the animals are still possible. “The alpaca yoga courses, which got off to a good start last year and were very popular, will continue as soon as the weather permits,” says Viktoria Gazweiler. Depending on demand, they could even take place weekly.

Viktoria Gazweiler is also planning workshops in the creative area, such as boiling soap or arranging flowers, which usually take place outside so that the animals can be there. For children’s birthday parties in the barn, a straw castle or something similar should also be set up so that young visitors can let off steam in the hay or straw.

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