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.

A friend of mine was recently dealing with a cria whose temperature she couldn’t get to go down and stay down.  After thinking about it, I realized there are several reasons why a cria might have a high temperature, particularly in the summer. A brief discussion on the possible causes of elevated cria temperature follows:

In Alabama all summer we have been dealing with unseasonably hot/humid weather, the kind that combine for those nasty heat indexes we don’t usually see until August. So heat stress is going to be suspect number one for the poor cria. However you have to look at the age of the cria and the situation as well. If it’s not heat stress, or if heat stress measures aren’t doing the trick, lets look at the other possible culprits.

In my experience newborn cria who have difficulty regulating their temperature may do so as a result of neurological damage. When that has happened to my cria it has been related to birth trauma. At least that was our assessment along with our vet’s. It can also have to do with prematurity or dysmaturity. However, whatever the cause the result is a cria who can get a high temp in the sun, then when brought into an air conditioned room can have that temp go much lower. In other words you have an animal whose human caretaker has to control it’s temp because it cannot do so on its own. In cases of neurological problems like this, a product called DMSO can be helpful. Using gloves we put DMSO* on the cria’s ears and top of head/behind the ears. Also apply to underbelly between the legs, avoiding umbilical and genitals. Doing this several times a day can stimulate brain connections and it can be very helpful with bringing around a cria with neurological symptoms of any kind.

Another possibility is that the cria may have an infection of some sort that is causing her to spike a fever. When this happens to our cria we usually consult with our vets and have the cria put on antibiotics to cover them just in case they have an infection (such as pneumonia) and to prevent/treat a possible septicemia which might take them to alpaca heaven.

Just a few thoughts on crias and temps from this blasted hot climate on a hot summer day. What are your thoughts alpaca lovers?

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* You can get DMSO from your vet. If you get it on your skin while applying, you will taste the stinky stuff for awhile. Not pleasant, so be careful with it.

Alpaca Barn

Our farm is finally listed for sale. It took me forever and a day to do it, but we finally have it listed. Don’t worry. We’re just moving to a bigger alpaca farm. We ran out of room here and really want to be able to grow the herd.

You can find official listings and more information here and here.

Pictures of the farm in the Spring:

Pictures of our property in the Fall:

If you know anybody looking for a farm in lovely Fairhope, Alabama – I’m happy to pay a finder’s fee.

Jubilee!

We live on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay in Alabama. Mobile Bay consists of both salt water from the Gulf of Mexico and fresh water from rivers.  Lots of seafood live in this estuary, and a fascinating phenomenon occurs here that is called a Jubilee.

Wikipedia describes a Jubilee as a natural phenomenon that occurs sporadically on the shores of Mobile Bay, a large body of water on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. During a jubilee many species of crab and shrimp, as well as flounder, eels, and other fish will leave deeper waters and congregate—in large numbers and very high density—in a specific, shallower coastal area of the bay. A jubilee is a celebrated event on Mobile Bay, and it attracts large crowds drawn by the promise of abundant and easy-to-catch seafood.

Although jubilees have been reported in other regions, Mobile Bay is the only body of water where the regular appearance of this phenomenon has been documented. When a jubilee is spotted, people living near the shore will often ring bells and call out to alert their neighbors so that everyone can rush down to the water with washtubs, gigs and nets, and gather a bountiful—and easily reaped—harvest of seafood. As jubilees only happen on warm summer nights, often in the early pre-dawn hours, the event takes on the aspect of a joyous community beach party, with lights shining into the Bay water.

Ever since I have lived in this area, I have wanted to name an alpaca after the “Jubilee”. When I went outside last night to give Merry her bottle, I found this fabulous new cria! Though she didn’t arrive in the pre-dawn hours, her arrival at dusk was unique. We weren’t expecting SiSi’s cria yet (she was due 5/21) and since she has had two white cria for us, we were surprised to see this richly colored fawn FEMALE by Magnum! For the past two years, SiSi has thrown the finest cria on the farm (lowest average fiber diameter). She is a very special alpaca.

A welcome Jubilee!

Jubilee and dam SiSi

She's Got Milk!

Serendipity for our farm!

Occasionally I do leave the farm. One such occasion is when my kid-lets are in a Mardi Gras parade!

Fairhope, Alabama is one of the sweetest towns I’ve ever known. If you have never visited, you must! Fairhope is on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. Less than an hour from both Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL, Fairhope is kind of a throwback to a simpler time. It has the feel of Mayberry, yet it is more fashionable with upscale shopping intermingled with local artists’ studios and antique shops.

Recently, Forbes.com ranked Baldwin County’s Eastern Shore the 4th-best place to live in the U.S. in the event of an economic recession.

Fairhope maintains seasonal flowers planted on every street corner in town. There are usually hanging baskets of blooms on every street lamp, and the trees are lit at night with thousands of white fairy lights from December through Mardi Gras. *Sigh* It is a magical place to live.

In addition, Fairhope has one of the best school districts in Alabama. Fairhope leaders care for the children. There are many family activities available, including concerts, a Christmas parade, and an Easter Egg Hunt, among others. This week the big events were the Mardi Gras parades. In particular the one for the Kindergartners and First Graders of Fairhope!

People lined the streets to cheer on the little Fairhopers!

Unicycle Club

Some people have serious "get-ups"

Fairhope Middle School Band

Could it be that even Santa came to Fairhope for Mardi Gras?

These clowns were really into the parade.

How did you spend your Mardi Gras?