Breeding on the Farm

Participating in Wordless Wednesday

November 3rd, 2010 | Tags: alpaca, Alpacas, breeding, breeding season, Fall breeding, farm, Magnum, Wordless Wednesdays | Category: Alpacas, Good Breeding, Husbandry, Magnum, Wordless Wednesdays | Comments (6)

We started the year with the kids being on time for the bus. For weeks they never missed it. Oooh! I was so proud of those usually sleepy little children!

Then routine began to set in. And slowly but surely they began to miss the bus in the morning. Guess who has to drag her butt out at the crack of dawn to the car to take them when that happens?

Chew got it!

It’s bad enough having to get up at 5:30 for the bus. But c’mon. They can get up when I wake them up. Heck, they can at least get out of bed within 15 minutes of being awakened, or take fewer than 20 minutes to find their shoes! One would hope.

A mother can dream…

For the longest time I couldn’t figure out a deterrent for missing the bus. (Lame, I know. I’m new at solo parenting and my migraine meds cause mental dullness. The kids love it! Not only do they have me outnumbered, but their IQ points are double mine these days.)

But after at least one of them missing the bus the last 5 out of 7 days I’ve finally figured it out. And the kids are so pissed!

From now on – you miss the bus –> ONE HOUR of SCOOPING POOP on the FARM.

From now on they can each miss it every day as far as I’m concerned.

Nuff Said.

October 12th, 2010 | Tags: alpaca, Alpacas, Husbandry, kids, poop scooping | Category: Alpacas, Husbandry, Lifestyle, Tending the Hearth, The Alpaca Lifestyle | Comments (8)

Alpaca Shearing

I thought we would hit 100, but it was only 97. (I can just hear Mac in the background now saying, “Only 97?!!” incredulously.)

That’s Mac above with the hat and the gloves. He and his wife, Mary, have helped us for the past three years on shearing day. They are spinners. Mac works the ropes on shearing day like a man half his age. Mary weighs the fleeces and keeps me together. She and my beloved friend Ann are both very calming, which is helpful on shearing day. Great energy for the animals too.

Friends Brought Alpacas for Shearing

How did we have 97 animals to shear? Not only did we have our own alpacas to shear, but we also had alpaca females who were visiting our farm for breeding, alpacas who board on our farm, neighbor alpacas who came over, and some alpacas owned by a friend from the next state who brought hers for shearing too.

We set up outside pens for visitors

Our professional shearer Mark Loffhagen with head man Cody

The alpacas’ legs/ankles are placed in ropes and they are gently stretched out and laid down on mats for shearing. They are turned about and then lifted up and returned to the stalls with their friends. (See more pics from last year.)

While the alpacas don’t love shearing, it is a quick process that does not hurt them, and it is good for their overall health. Shearing allows us to harvest their fleece, and prepares them for the coming warm months, preventing heat stress. Some teeth and toenails were also trimmed while we had the alpacas as captive patients on Saturday.

"Sparkle waits her turn."

In this stall some of the alpacas have already been shorn, others are waiting their turn. We go by color, starting with the whites, moving to darker colors, cleaning up between each color group, with the black alpacas being shorn last. This way the lighter fleeces do not become contaminated by darker fibers and vice versa.

Sparkle "BEFORE"

Sparkle "AFTER"

These alpacas don’t want to come inside. The noise of the shears and all the commotion was scary to them. It usually took more than one person to round them up and herd them inside.

Joey and Daniel catch Tapioka for shearing

We were blessed with some of the best friends and helpers in the world on shearing day (not all are pictured here).

Hardest-working fleece picker uppers!

The best Rope Men in the Biz!

I love introducing babies to alpacas!

Our friend Joey helped us with alpaca shearing several years ago. Now he’s back, and this time he is married with a lovely wife and a beautiful baby! How wonderful to meet them. (I have no idea how he does this wearing shorts, but he does. Wow!)

A special shout out to Carmie, her sister, and her niece. We couldn’t have done it without you. I have a special post planned to show off Carmie’s enthusiasm and alpaca love later next week.

Thank you to Sarah Elhoffer and her fella, to Mary and Mac, Ann, Stan and Stephanie Mize, Bud and Daniel, Joey, Stephen Thompson, Sarah, Cody, Steve, and my kids for all your help. I hope I’m not leaving anyone out. It takes a big team, this one headed up by none other than shearer extraordinaire Mark Loffhagen. I cannot recommend Mark more highly or say enough good things about him.

Not only is Mark an excellent shearer, but he also makes the alpaca owner feel at ease. He takes over, makes the “boss” feel like everything is going to be fabulous. (He’s the only person who ever calls me “the boss” – can you tell I luv it?)And it always is! That’s the kind of guy I like to have shear for me every time.

You can visit Mark at his Alley-Pac website.

If any of you tried to follow my Tweets from @AlpacasLive, you know that I had technical problems and that failed. I was able to tweet some pictures from @AlpacaFarmgirl and you can see those on my AlpacaFarmgirl Tumblr site.

If only I had a tech crew…maybe next year…

March 24th, 2010 | Tags: alpaca, alpaca shearing, alpaca shearing day 2010, Alpacas, Shearing Day | Category: Alpacas, Husbandry, Lifestyle, The Alpaca Lifestyle | Comments (9)

I admit I’m nervous and I’m rambling… We are shearing the alpacas tomorrow. The head count is hovering near 100. We have never sheared 100 alpacas. In 2009 we sheared 77. Every year I get nervous, and every year it goes off without a hitch. Maybe it’s like putting on a big Broadway production. Whatever the correct metaphor, it IS a big event.

So far I’ve labeled the black and brown bags (that’s only about 15% of the way finished since most of our herd is fawn/light). I have to order the food and make the brownies.

Last night my young son made my day year when he actually said to me, “Mom, can I help with shearing day? I’ve always wanted to. It looks like fun.”

Oh yes he did.

He was sick last year. I remember one year him helping a grown up who was sweeping up the debris. (but that was not really fun so he lost interest after a few hours)

I hope super-shearer Marc Loffhagen and I can come up with a cool job for him this year. My son showed me his muscles and he is pretty strong so we shall see…

If you are interested in following along with the shearing madness I will be tweeting all day on Saturday from my @AlpacasLive Twitter account. If you are interested in purchasing alpaca fiber you can email me at katy (at) alpacafarmgirl (dot ) com. Bulk pricing is available in for 9 lbs. and up. Individual fleeces (2-4+ lbs.) are available as well in white, fawn, greys, brown, and black on a very limited basis. Visit our Etsy shop for alpaca yarns and more fiber. Visit our Alpaca Farmgirl shop for alpaca teddy bears, blankets, socks, and more.

Now I’m off to label the fawn bags…

March 19th, 2010 | Tags: alpaca, Alpaca Farmgirl Etsy, Alpaca Farmgirl Shop, alpaca fiber, alpaca shearing, alpaca teddy bears, alpaca yarn, AlpacasLive, Bulk pricing alpaca fiber, fiber, Individual alpaca fleeces, Marc Loffhagen, Shearing Alpacas, Shearing Day, Twitter | Category: Alpacas, Husbandry | Comments (15)

My usual way of breeding is to have female alpacas come to my farm and breed where I have control of the situation. Last year, for a variety of reasons some of my customers and I decided to bring my boys to their girls and do mobile breedings at their farm. I made several trips with my males to their farm last Spring, and we thought we had several pregnancies, but later their vet reported that the progesterone test results indicated that only one of the five were pregnant. (Three were maidens)

Well, we had to wait for my males to come back from their Summers away, and then we had the girls come over to our farm so we could be sure to get them pregnant this time. Two of them were very NON-receptive. Then it got really cold so we weren’t really breeding.

Then we didn’t want to give our customers January cria so we didn’t breed in February.

Then I started to notice something. Something alarming. to me.

One of these girls was huge. And her belly was dragging the ground.

Come to think of it, the other one who wouldn’t breed (the pretty rose grey one) was horribly spitty and kinda mean. She wouldn’t even let me into their shelter to put the food into their dishes without spitting green stuff all over me.

This got me thinking. Hard. I called my customer on the phone.

“The pretty rose grey one,” I said, “What was she like before she was bred?”

“Oh, she was the sweetest animal we had,” my friend gushed. “She would come and put her head in your lap before she was bred.”

Uh huh.

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.

Suspicious that the reason these two females are so big, so grumpy, and the reason they won’t BREED is because they are already pregnant, I called the vet’s office and begged for a quick appointment for an ultrasound for them.

In the meantime, I tried HARD not to think about them delivering a cria up in the front field while no one was there, but checked on them a lot to be sure it didn’t happen without us knowing. (I was kinda scared to know when they might be due…I’m heavy into denial)

Friday Dr. Stewart came by on his way home. I wish you had seen me wrestling that beautiful, extremely pregnant (*oh yes*) rose grey alpaca to get that ultrasound shot to prove without a shadow of a doubt, that, yes, there was a baby in there causing all this consternation!

Dr. Stewart is used to having a vet tech but he was on his way home and had to squeeze me in at the end of the day. I’m used to having a farm manager (or I used to be). But there was no one to help us or to (horrors for a blogger!) hold the camera.

So I will just have to describe it for you. The older one, whose belly is practically dragging the ground, was first. (I know to do easier first) I held her pretty strong and he was able to get a quick look. When the baby is this big you just need to see a rib or a head or a body part to know something is there.

The rose grey girl was like a bucking bronco. I could hold her for a few seconds. But as soon as he put the alcohol on her to use as the conductor (think the jelly they put on human pregnant bellies and how cold it is) she jumped around like crazy. I thought I was going to lose a limb. Had to shake it off several times, breathe and come back for more. I eventually had to tie her halter and we had to go for 3  Loooonnnnggggg seconds.

You know how professional bull riders have to ride for 8 seconds to get a score? We had to hold this beauty for 3 seconds for Dr. Stewart to get an ultrasound reading on her. When we did it, and he got a positive reading – it was the best feeling! I have a terrific bruise to show for it, and am proud as hell of it.

In the end – our friends are thrilled! They are getting two babies – SOON! When we looked at the breeding dates, both are due this month. They came to get them the next day so they can deliver at home.

Our story has a happy ending with these girls being ultrasounded and being diagnosed properly. In the past we have had alpacas misdiagnosed with false positives by progesterone testing when the alpaca had a retained CL (corpus luteum) and no pregnancy, costing the breeder a year of productivity.

Some breeders don’t have access to ultrasound machines. Do you rely on progesterone testing? Have you ever had a problem with it?

Leave us a comment and tell us your thoughts and experiences with progesterone testing for pregnancy diagnosis in alpacas.

March 15th, 2010 | Tags: 3 seconds, alpaca, alpaca breeding, Alpacas, breedings, customer service, false positives, female alpacas, pregnancy diaganosis in alpacas, pregnancy testing, progesterone, progesterone testing, retained cl, ultrasounds, veterinarian, vets | Category: Alpacas, Good Breeding, Husbandry | Comments (5)

Ever wonder how alpacas travel? They usually travel in horse trailers, but sometimes they go from farm to farm in a minivan. Once they get in, they usually cush (sit down), chew their cud, and enjoy the ride.

Here are some pictures sent to me by my friend, Sarah Elhoffer of Sierra Echo Accoyo Alpacas. Sarah writes:

“I made it back from KY where all the snow is.  Thought you would enjoy these photos I took.  Only 4 alpacas show in the photo, but actually 5 are in the minivan!  (actually 5 and 3/4 because one is preg) You are welcome to use it on your blog if you think others might enjoy the alpaca ark.  I was actually holding the camera backwards and having to look in the rearview mirror attempting to see the viewfinder…and “concentrating” on the road!  I am so surprised I caught anything in the pic.   Other pics (below) are immediately after unloading after the 10 1/2 hr drive from snowy KY to FL”.

Thanks for sharing Sarah!

February 23rd, 2010 | Tags: Alpacas, cush, FL, horse trailers, how alpacas travel, KY, minivan, Sierra Echo Alpacas, snowy, transporting alpacas, van | Category: Alpacas, Handling/Training, Husbandry | Comments (6)

When alpaca cria (babies) are born on cold, grey days we usually use a blow-dryer to get them warm, toasty, and dry: ready for the world. Most of their moms are startled at first, but they usually decide it’s okay for me to blow-dry their cria.

Not Ultra. (see above green spit)

Participating in Wordless Wednesday.

January 20th, 2010 | Tags: alpaca, Alpacas, blow-dryer, blow-drying alpaca cria, cria, Ultra | Category: Alpacas, Handling/Training, Husbandry, Wordless Wednesdays | Comments (9)

This article reprinted with permission from author Ian Lutz of Cas-Cad Nac Farm Alpacas. It was originally published in the Autumn 2009 Cas-Cad-Nac Farm Chronicles.

If you birth out enough crias sooner or later you will run into a female [alpaca] who wants nothing to do with her newborn. Often times, though not always, these are first-time moms who having just gone through a rather painful experience, just don’t grasp right off that they need to nurture that floppy looking wet thing that keeps humming at them. The good news though, in our experience, is that in the vast majority of cases the maternal instinct is there, you just need to figure out where the switch is to turn it on!

I want to start with the assumption that we have isolated our mom and newborn in some way, preferably into a bonding pen of some sort. The classic case of rejection we see most often is the female who when her new baby tried to go underneath her looking for the udder either screams, kicks, spits, lies down, or best of all: some combination of all of those! In these cases the best solution is to keep your cool and come up with a plan. Obviously the end goal is an independently nursing cria through the shortest route to that may not always be a straight line.

Thankfully there are two creatures involved here, the dam and the newborn and a natural instinct exists in both of them. The trick is to nurture that. More »

November 14th, 2009 | Tags: alpaca, Alpacas, bonding, Cas-Cad-Nac Farm, cria, dam, newborn, nursing | Category: Alpacas, Husbandry | Comments (4)

Napster loves his barn

Alpacas can thrive in a number of different kind of shelters. At least a three sided shed is the usual recommendation. Alpacas need to be able to come in out of the wind, rain, and snow. The three sides provide a windbreak as well as shade.

In the Southern states, where snow and cold winds are not as much of a concern, some breeders house their alpacas in carports that are open on all sides. These structures provide shade and some shelter from rain, and are less expensive than similar structures with sides. Personally, I prefer 3 sides for a shelter, but many alpaca breeders in warmer climates are happy with these open shelters. In climates where summers are hot and humid, having electric fans in your shelter is essential for keeping alpacas cool.

Alpaca Barn at Ameripaca

In more Northern parts of the country, a full barn may be the preferred way of housing alpacas. It is nice to be able to lock the animals inside during a blizzard, protecting them from chilly winds and snow.

On our farm we have three different types of shelters. The first is my beloved barn. A 40×60 Morton building with skylights, hayloft, feed room, office, and restroom. I love this barn. I designed it, and it makes my heart sing. But alpacas do not have to have such a fancy set-up. They do just as well in our other shelters.

Our main alpaca barn

Our second shelter is a garage that we’ve converted into a “boys barn”. Our farm came with an existing out-building that had a finished area and an open area with 2 bay doors. We use the finished area for seminars or fiber arts. The part with the bay doors is divided with one bay for the adult alpaca males, and one for the lawn mower and other tools. To create this shelter we simply put steel panels in the barn to divide it up, and extended fencing up to the door. This has worked really well for our farm.

Garage converted into shelter

Inside the "shop" turned boys' alpaca barn

A couple of years ago we wanted to add another shelter to the front of our property, but we didn’t want to spend much money or add another permanent structure. We found this wonderful shelter at FarmTek.

Livestock Shelter

They show it with baby cows in it. We ordered the larger 16X12 version (pictured below). With shipping included this shelter cost us less than $2,000. Ours has a leak (hence the tarp), which is most likely due to being installed without reading the directions. Other than that one glitch, this shelter is a super solution for a semi-portal and relatively inexpensive alpaca shelter.

Alpaca Shelter in Background

I love the “loafing sheds” made by Sand Creek Post & Beam. A friend of ours just got government funds to help her build 3-sided sheds in all of her pastures! At our new farm in TN, I will be applying to get the same so that I can have one of these in every pasture.

Run-In Shed from Sand Creek Post and Beam

To sum it up, alpacas aren’t picky. Give them a way to get out of the weather and they’ll be fine.

If you have pictures of your alpaca (or other livestock) shelters you’d like to share, email them to me at katy (at) alpacafarmgirl (dot)com.

October 22nd, 2009 | Tags: 3 sided shed, alpaca barn, alpaca shelters, Alpacas, Ameripaca, blizzard, FarmTek, Fiber Arts, garage, Morton buildings, Napster, Northern, run-in shed, Sand Creek Post and Beam, seminars, shelter, shelters for alpacas, Southern, windbreak | Category: Alpacas, Husbandry | Comments (7)