Bella (the alpaca momma) produces wonderful black or grey cria for us every year. She’s a super mom plus her fleece has the finest handle next to Magnum on the farm, even though she’s over ten years old!

We’ve decided to name her “India.” Jim thinks she’s a keeper. For years he bred some of the best black alpacas in the country so he should know.

The majority of our herd at Fairhope Alpacas is white and fawn so seeing the black baby in the field is a happy addition. The more I build the fiber side of our business the more I realize we need some more black alpacas. People love black alpaca!

Can you tell how shiny she is? We will definitely repeat this breeding!

If you like this little girl, you might also want to see her true black half sister, Black Pearl in the Fall 2011 cria class.

For those not familiar with alpacas, here is some basic information. Alpacas are very gentle animals. Alpacas have large, expressive eyes and they make a humming noise to communicate. These animals are easy on the environment because they do not pull the grass out at the roots and their soft, padded feet don’t harm the ground. Alpacas produce between 2-10 lbs. or more of luxurious fiber each year, and their manure is a great fertilizer.

Alpacas grow to be about 3 feet high and about 4.5 feet high on the top of the head. They average about 150 lbs. Pregnant females (dams) bear only one offspring per year. The gestation period is between 11-12 months. A baby alpaca is called a cria. Crias weigh between 12-20 lbs. at birth.

Alpacas are ruminants and eat grass, hay, and alpaca feed. 5-7 alpacas can generally be put out to graze on one acre of pasture. Alpacas also eat a small amount of pellet type food daily.

Alpacas need to be shorn once a year. In the summertime they need access to fresh water, shade, and air circulation. With proper management alpacas can live to be 15-20 years of age.

The cost to care for an alpaca is comparable to what it costs to care for a medium sized dog, including medication and feed. Alpaca breeding stock can be depreciated on your taxes, and they can be insured for full mortality and theft.

For more information about alpacas, locate an alpaca farm near you to visit through the Alpaca Owners and Breeder’s Association. You can also visit our farm, Fairhope Alpacas, online or in person.

It's coming along...

I have been inspired by some new friends to get back to knitting. I’m not really a new knitter. I just have zero three dimensional thinking skills. Up until now I have only made scarves with garter stitch. That’s fine, but I wanted to branch out.

My friend, Tara from Blonde Chicken Boutique, recommended the book Stitch N Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook by Debbie Stoller. (Tara also writes and teaches about building your Crafty Business here. She has great ideas!)

So, I started to read the book and got overwhelmed. But I decided not to give up. I grabbed some rose grey alpaca yarn and started trying to learn to Knit 1, then Purl 1 for a cute pattern I saw in the book. It looked easy enough…(thought the woman who had never purled before.)

The beginning was a disaster and my mom had to help me pull it out. Then she taught me how to purl. After some struggling I think I’m getting the hang of it. Here’s crossing my fingers I don’t screw it up again.

Are you a knitter? If not, have you ever tried to knit? Was anyone you loved when you were growing up a knitter? Leave a comment and tell us about your knitting journey or someone you love who knits.

If you’d like to buy some homegrown alpaca yarn, visit the Alpaca Farmgirl Etsy shop. For more fiber-y fun, visit the other participants in Fiber Arts Friday and Creative Friday.

Medium fawn out of a dark fawn dam

Our Archangel son, Napster, is a proud pappa for the first time! Hooray!

Napster has been a bit of a late bloomer so we have been waiting eagerly for his first cria to hit the ground. This little male above was recently born at Augustyn Acres to one of the Augustyn’s females.

Napster

Napster is co-owned by our farm, Fairhope Alpacas, and our friends Melissa and Bill Augustyn in North Carolina. Napster is currently standing stud at Augustyn Acres through November. He will be coming back to Alabama in December and will be here through the Spring of 2013.

Napster is an double AOBA National Show Blue Ribbon winner with a yearling AFD of 14.9. His two year old fleece had an AFD of 16.2. Standard deviation of 3. Napster is one of the few working Archangel sons out there. We are thrilled to have more Napster babies on the way!

Contact me for more information on breedings.

Can I please have one, Mom?

Last weekend we crossed the Alabama/Florida border to deliver some alpacas. Only one of my children was free to go with us. She lucked out and got all the bunnies and chickens to herself. The other kids will be jealous once they see these pictures.

She insisted on bringing our dog

It’s always fun to visit someone else’s farm. Often they have different animals or crops that you don’t have. And everyone does things differently when it comes to how they set up their farm.

Robin and Jim in the chicken coop

For example, Robin has chickens on her farm that are about 5 weeks old…

Bunny Hotel

and bunny rabbits!

"Jake" so cute - I die!

I’ve never been much of a “bird person”, but I have entertained the idea of having chickens for their eggs.

The boxer and the chicken

Robin taught me all about caring for chickens. We were intrigued that you can have bunnies and chickens live in the same “coop” just with different houses.

"Charlotte" was the friendliest chick there

I think if I get the kids some bunnies, I will be able to get them on board with taking care of chickens too.  Everyone I know who has chickens raves about how entertaining they are.

Awesome shade tree for the alpacas

Oh yeah. The reason we were there. Robin was so happy to have her first alpacas in her backyard! They have a great spot for them with lots of grass and shade. Sigh. I think they will love it there! I can’t wait to go back…

What’s your favorite thing about visiting other people? Do you have chickens? If so leave a comment and tell us about it.

This tastes better

Click here and here for more Wordless Wednesday entries.

The alpacas watch the game

Jim’s kids recently came down to Alabama for their Spring Break. Jim was able to take a rare break from work so he could spend lots of time with them. My kids were thrilled to have their new brothers here.  My son, in particular,  loved it.  After living with three sisters his whole life, it’s a real treat for him to have some more boys around.

The kids played soccer every day.

The boys went deep sea fishing in the Gulf. They were so excited to tell me all about how they caught a shark! Now they want to go shark fishing this summer.

In the shark's mouth

Speaking of sharks, we took the kids to see the Megalodon exhibit at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center in Mobile. They got to see the bones from the largest shark that ever lived and go on an archeological dig. The exhibit about our bodies and the snack bar were also rated highly.

The kids are all looking forward to being together again over the summer. They’re trying to talk me into going shark fishing. Would you go? I’m voting for regular fishing…

What did you do on your Spring Break? Leave a comment and let us know what fun things you did.

]]> http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/2012/04/spring-break-on-the-alpaca-farm/feed/ 3 http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/2012/04/alpacas-on-cbs-sunday-morning/ http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/2012/04/alpacas-on-cbs-sunday-morning/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:00:38 +0000 Katy http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com/?p=7020

Click here to watch a wonderful video about raising alpacas from CBS Sunday Morning. I watch this show every week, and boy was I surprised to see alpacas cropping up on it. The story is warm, cute, and friendly. Just like alpacas.

We have been offering an Alpacas 101 class (like they show in the video) several times a year for the past ten years. If you’d like us to let you know about our next class, sign up for our newsletter in the top right corner of this page. You can also watch for it on our events page.

I loved the part where Mo Rocca say you always remember your first herdsire. Leave a comment below and tell us what was your favorite part of this video.

Charlot Gum Rubber

I love my bogs boots! Bogs footwear gave me a pair of their VEGAN boots to review. When I’m working on the farm I like to have a little fun so I chose this flashy purple pair below.

Classic High Lanai

My first concern is always comfort, and these babies passed the test with flying colors. The soles are cushy with support, and the sides feel good. They didn’t scratch my leg or rub my calves at all. These boots are durable, waterproof, insulated, and well made. I wore them on my trip to Montana in February, and my feet stayed toasty warm in these boots.  I love that they are pretty as well as functional. Bogs come in a variety of colors and styles.

Classic Mid Women's

Over the years I’ve worn several different kinds of shoes to work at the barn. From cheapy rain boots to Crocs and Birkenstock professionals, I’ve tried them all. I think bogs are my favorite. Why? Because they designed them for Agricultural use. They are perfect for the kind of work I do outdoors. The other shoes I’ve tried were really built for other purposes.

I think I need a black pair of these Mid High’s (above) to wear during the summer. They even have shorter ones. Hmmm. Decisions, decisions….

Check out Bogs Footwear for more styles.

White alpacas get shorn first

Shearing alpacas kept us busy on St. Patrick’s Day at Fairhope Alpacas with 92 alpacas to shear. Shearing day is about working hard and working together towards a common goal.

Me and Jim - our first year shearing together

Alpacas must be shorn once a year to keep them healthy. Shearing prevents heat stress in warmer temperatures.

Jim Carries Suzie Q Over to be Shorn

First the alpacas are led to the shearing area where they are tied with ropes. This may look mean, but it keeps them still while the shearer takes off the fleece. If they wiggle they may get cut by the shears so keeping them from moving is essential.

Helping keep the cria calm

While we have them “captive” we trim their toenails…

Jim gives an alpaca a pedicure

…and their teeth. (if they need it)

Dental work for alpacas who need a touch up

Did you know that alpacas’ teeth continually grow? For years alpacas lived in the Andes mountains and the rocky terrain wore their teeth down as they grazed. In the U.S. our pastures are so soft that sometimes their teeth need to be trimmed. Fortunately we have a tool called the Toothamatic that makes it easy to do.

Shorn Alpacas

This is what the fleece looks like right as it comes off the alpaca:

Fawn Alpaca Fleece

The whole family helps on shearing day. It’s definitely a team effort.

The girls help put the fleece in bags

"Hey Girl...I got this. Why don't you just go get a drink?"

Jim was amazing!  And when our sire Magnum kicked a hole in his pants (crotch area naturally), he just laughed.

Only a portion of what we sheared

By the time we were finished, we had harvested over 400 lbs. of luxurious alpaca fleece!

Ready for Summer

And the alpacas are cool and happy!

We Sheared 97 Alpacas on Saturday!