People are always asking me how we choose the names for our new baby alpacas (called cria). Here are the top ten ways we do it.

1. Look at the cria and see if he or she is just “looks” like a certain name or if the situation calls for something special. For example, when “George” and “Martha” presented themselves unexpectedly on President’s Day, that seemed a no-brainer.

2. Let your children choose the name. This can leave you with a herd where most of the alpacas are named “Fluffy”, “Brownie” or “Pickachu”, but you can call their offspring “Fluffachu”, “Pickabrown”, and no one will care. Or you can go the fancier route and go with “Fluffy II” or my favorite “Fluffy 2.o”.

3. No? Give the kids some options and let the public vote. (Check out our “name that alpaca” post for example.)

4. Where do you get these names? Scour baby name books.

5. Keep a list of names that your spouse said “no” to when you were having children. Mine is a mile long.

6. Keep a list with you, perhaps on your phone or computer, and every time you like a name from a book or a movie that you think would work for an alpaca, make a note.

7. Name the alpaca the same initial as his/her dam. For example Adele’s cria would be Abby, or Abel. Callista’s cria would be Calliope, or Checkerboard.

8. Visit the internet for pet naming sites like Cat Names Meow where you can find the purrrfect cat name.

9. Combine the names of your cria’s ancestors. For example, I’m considering “Magnum’s Brown Mesquite” for the little guy in the picture above. His sire is our herdsire, SCA Peruvian Magnum, and his grandsire is Peruvian Black Mesquite.

10. Follow your heart. But use your head too. Will people want to buy an alpaca named “Chaos” or “Paris Hilton”? The fun part is – it’s up to you to name your cria. Have fun with it!

Got any good alpaca naming stories? Any unique names or naming techniques you’d like to share? Let us hear about them!

Ice Cream Turkey

This Thanksgiving was a quiet one because the kids weren’t here. Jim and I had some welcome alone time. We had my parents over for a late afternoon lunch. We also had the pleasure of our dear friend, Anne’s company. She lives down the road, and is a regular visitor and confidante whom I rely on heavily. Anne is adorably crochety. She gets around admirably well with her cane and has remarkable energy for her 70+ years. The other day I walked in on Anne discussing the merits of kicking the crap out of bullies that might be bothersome with my third grader. You really don’t want to mess with Anne. But when she’s on your side there’s no one better who’ll love you more!

Every holiday that I get to spend with my father is a blessing to me. About twelve years ago he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. And he almost died. Thank the Lord, he beat it. If it weren’t for that he wouldn’t even know my youngest three children! In July, he had another bout with cancer. He had 34 carcinoid tumors removed from his stomach. Some were microscopic, but some were bigger from M&M to golf ball sized. Since then he has been in a world of trouble with complications, and has been mostly in the hospital. The worst part has been that he has had to have all his “food” through a tube. “TPN” for those of you familiar with it.

So this Thanksgiving my Dad was finally able to get back to eating soft foods again – YAY!!! Along with the mashed potatoes and dressing, we got an ice cream turkey from Baskin Robbins that he could eat. It was made of pralines & cream ice cream. I have to say that it was worth the hour drive over to West Mobile to get it! It was delicious. Dad didn’t want to give it back, as you can see.

(Oh, and by the way, can you tell that my Dad looks like a cross between Santa and maybe Kenny Rogers or Merlin Olsen or something? He’s so cute. He lives on the beach and wears a Hawaiian shirts EVERY day. Like every day. He has maybe 25, and one for every single occasion. Except a wedding or funeral. Then he will change. I think he thinks he’s Jimmy Buffet or something.)

The drumsticks on the ice cream turkey were made from the sugar cones and were filled with the ice cream too. The outside was topped with a caramel glaze that was so good! We all loved it. You can order them with any flavor you want inside, and there was a coupon in the newspaper the weekend before Thanksgiving. The kids are clamoring for us to get an ice cream cake now for Christmas because most of them didn’t get to have any before it was gone. It was such a hit! Sounds like this will be a repeat and will become a family tradition of ours.

What have you done over the holidays in recent years that was a hit that has become a tradition in your family?

Jim and our new cria

After a long deployment in Iraq, my sweetie, Jim Cocking, is finally home! Actually, he has been home a while. We’ve taken the last month to have a honeymoon. Kinda. As much as you can on a farm with a passel of kids and a herd of alpacas. So not much of one now that I think of it.

But it is wonderful to have Jim back home and not in harm’s way. And we love being able to communicate  face to face instead of by email. We have realized how many of our email convos have been misinterpreted because you can’t read the nonverbal and metacommunication. (Yeah, that’s a big fancy word left over from when I was a psychologist. I like to throw stuff like that around every once in a while so my parents don’t feel like my degree was wasted.)

In the above picture with my dear husband is another new addition we need to welcome – Princess Quita’s little female cria that she had with SCA Peruvian Magnum. This little girl is a beauty! She has a tremendous fleece that is already showing excellent bundling, crimp, and density. She and Princess Quita are for sale in our End of the Year Sale in a package that includes a breeding for each of them for $7,000 for those alpaca fans out there. Email me for more info.

The other day I went out into the field, and what did I find? A new baby!

Amber had her little cria. It’s a girl, and she’s doing well, bopping around. Playing with the other little girl we had last week. Our next cria are due today so we are on baby watch again for four of our alpaca mommas. Should be a Fun Fall!

I rushed inside their pen and picked up the cria. It was dry so it had been born earlier in the day. I wanted to see if it was a boy or girl, but it was too dark, so I had to feel around to try to determine what it was. I was pretty sure it was a girl, and as I held her up in the moonlight, I could see by her face that she was a Magnum daughter. Just the look of her jaw…well, I know what his babies look like and I saw him in her face. (Of course I knew her mom was bred to him, but it was so amazing to see it so clearly in the moonlight like that.) I guessed she was some sort of fawn, but I’d have to see that in the morning. (The whites shine in the moonlight. If you’ve ever seen a garden of white flowers in the moonlight you’ll know what I mean.)

This little girl was not only walking around, she was running around and it looked like she was nursing too. This was excellent news! Her dam, Foxy Lady, was a first time mom. Sometimes first time moms don’t know quite what to do with their babies, or they don’t have milk yet. Various things can happen with them, but it looked like nature had done a perfect job while we were gone that day. A textbook birth and bouncing baby girl.

Since she was born on my mom, Suzy’s birthday, I decided to name this little cutie “Suzy Q” after her. This video was taken the next day. I hope you enjoy it as much as we are enjoying her!

Cute Critters are in 3D

On the way into the soccer fields last night, this darling little child says to me, “Mom, I want some food. Can we please go to the Confession Stand?”

Yes. She wants to go to the Confession Stand.

One green, one blue, and two red snow cones, two blue power-aids, one bottle of water, and one diet coke later, I make it out of the there.

I’m out 12 bucks. But as I try to balance 4 drinks, a fold-up chair, and my purse, I think to myself, “That was the easiest trip I’ve ever made to the Confessional.”

This weekend alpaca farms across America will be hosting National Alpaca Farm Days on their alpaca farms. Our farm, Fairhope Alpacas, in beautiful Fairhope, Alabama will be open to the public on Saturday & Sunday, September 24 & 25th both days from 1-5 pm.
To find a farm near you, visit the National Alpaca Farm Days website and check out their farm locator. Go see an alpaca breeder near you this weekend to learn more about these magical creatures!
And if you do go see some pacas, come back and tell us about it in the comments section.

AlpacaFarmgirl: Is this event the same as the AOBA new Cottage Fiber Show going to be? The guidelines/rules made it look like it was….but then if you don’t have to be an AOBA member or have the alpaca’s ARI…then it seems like no. So that confused me.

Robin of CIABA: Our event is not an AOBA event.  AOBA put out their new cottage classes after CIABA sent them a complete outline with rationale for our event.  You do not have to be a member of either organization to participate nor does the animal need to be registered.

AFG: What is the purpose of this show for exhibitors? Do they win anything? Are there prizes? I see that they will get evaluations…Are there different classes/divisions like a real show or is this mainly for people to send in and get a judges’ opinion on their fleece for end product use?

CIABA: The purpose of the event is to educate alpaca owners about their fiber and give them a place to sell their fleece.   We did divide fleeces into classes for clerical purposes, but fleeces will not be competing against each other.  They will be competing with a standard.  The prize is the information they will receive about their fleece and the chance to sell it.

AFG: What is the purpose of this show – for CIABA? What is their goal? Short term and long term?

CIABA: The purpose of CIABA has been and probably will be to educate alpaca owners about their fiber, introduce them to venues for adding value to their fleece, and helping owners to connect with manufacturers.  We are a nonprofit organization and try to keep costs low enough for people to be able to participate.

AFG: I love what CIABA is doing, and I would really love to help you get your message out there. I don’t think people across the country really understand what this is all about. Some alpaca breeders have had the benefit of hearing people talk about your mission, but there are a LOT of them who haven’t heard the word yet.

CIABA: This event is introducing a totally new way to think about alpaca fleece.  People are bound to be confused.  That is why we loosened the instruction for presenting the fleece.  We want people to learn what they are producing so they can make better breeding decisions.  CIABA wants to be the place people go to find out what is going on in the world of natural product manufacturing.  We started CIABA to help the whole industry.  Our “staff” is all volunteer.  People have put aside their personal interests for the good of the whole industry.  None of us expects to personally profit from the organization any more than all the other members.  I think that’s what makes it work so well.

AFG: One more thing. So for people who send in their fiber, what happens to the fleece after it is judged? I think I saw somewhere there was a discount for processing…? Also you said that you were trying to help them sell? Will there be people buying fleece there?

CIABA: There will be people there who are interested in buying fleece if the person wants to sell it.  Otherwise, the sorted, graded fleece will be sent back to the owner.  The best use part is to let people know what they can do with their fleece — what products are best made from it.  The participating mills area giving a coupon for 5% off on processing.

AFG: So CIABA is trying to give alpaca breeders another way of looking at their fiber. Send your fiber in, UNSKIRTED, (saving you the work & worry if you are new & nervous about how to do it), and their judges will evaluate your fiber and tell you all about it. From the perspective of the fiber industry. Forget the ribbons and the hoop-la of the traditional showring. This is a real-world, livestock production, “how are you going to make the best end-product” perspective.

Thank you, Robin, for answering my questions, and for all the hard work you do for our alpaca industry.

I love it! It is very practical, and a much needed point of view. And I love these ladies who give their time and tons of hours volunteering to CIABA for the love of our industry and alpaca fiber. If you have more questions please ask them below and Robin or Val will answer them. Find out more about the CIABA Unskirted Fleece Event. Entry Forms are here, and I strongly recommend that you consider joining CIABA. Visit their website http://www.ciaba.org

photo by Val Newell

A few of us Southern alpaca breeders were discussing this topic on Facebook recently. Alpacas are induced ovulators so we can determine when we want our alpacas’ to breed. (It’s actually really convenient.)

What is this induced ovulation? you ask. That means that the act of breeding/intercourse is what causes the female alpaca to ovulate. I may be oversimplifying this for you scientific types, but you that’s the gist of it. Alpacas don’t go into “heat” like dogs do. They do have a cycle that we want to “catch”. We want to find her at the receptive part of her cycle, but open females will usually be receptive more than once a month, so we can choose our breeding seasons.

This makes breeding alpacas convenient for alpaca owners. Alpacas gestate (stay pregnant) for 11-12 months. So let’s say you were going on a cruise next April, or you really wanted to go to that family reunion…well you might choose not to breed your alpaca females in April and May the year before if you want to be present for the births.

Breeders can also choose not to breed during times of year when the weather in their area is a challenge. Northern alpaca breeders choose not to breed for Winter cria. Whereas, Southern alpaca breeders tend to avoid Summer cria.

Of course sometimes, Mother Nature has plans of her own and occasionally the cria come whenever they want, early or late. For the most part, we can try to control this part of our farming destiny and bend the alpacas’ birthing to our will.

Because our farm is so far South, I try not to breed until December 1 and we stop July 1. It can be so cool in November that I am always tempted to start the breedings then. Sometimes I give in, though I shouldn’t. Our Winters are like Disneyland so we breed and birth all through them. We can birth through mid-June because even if it is warm our girls are practically naked from shearing and have been so for the last few months of gestation so they have been comfortable.

So, when is YOUR breeding season?

What other questions do you have about alpaca breeding and birthing?

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