5 Tips for Faring Winter with Alpacas

January 28, 2011 By

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  1. Don’t Let the Fluff Fool Ya! – Alpacas Look Fat and Happy in the Winter with all that Fleece but they may actually be loosing weight under all that fleece. Be sure to get your hands on them and body score at least once a month to be sure they are still in good body condition and you don’t have any surprise “skinnies” in your herd. You want to catch any problems early.
  2. Alpacas don’t like to drink freezing cold water when temps are frigid. Try to give them warm water to drink when it’s cold out if at all possible. They will drink more and stay hydrated better. Remove the ice chips from their buckets at the very least.
  3. Check their gums. Pale gums can be indicative of parasites and/or iron deficiencies. Alpacas can suffer from this even in the winter in certain climates. (We do this monthly during herd health.)
  4. Have vitamins like Vitacharge and supplemental feeds like crushed alfalfa or beet pulp on hand for those animals that need a little bit extra in the nutrition department.
  5. In climates with rough winters, consider weaning before or after the worst of winter. Wean cria in groups if possible and if you can, move the dams instead of the cria. That way the cria stay in the same environment and the only thing they are losing is mom, not everything around them too. The stress of weaning is tough, and extreme temperatures can be the last straw for a severely stressed cria who is not adjusting well.

Following these tips may save you & your alpacas some unnecessary hassles and heartaches this winter season. What are some other things alpaca breeders should be mindful of this time of year? I’d love to hear from you.

Filed Under: Alpacas, Husbandry, The Daily Stuff ~ 5 Comments

RedMaple Alpaca Sportswear & Giveaway!

December 15, 2009 By

RMSnowflakeFuzzy Snowflake Alpaca Sweater from RedMaple Sportswear Co.

I love the RedMaple Sportswear Co. What a fabulous company, and they are owned by alpaca folks! RedMaple Sportswear is a Maine/NH seacoast based apparel company promoting the natural beauty & outdoor lifestyle enjoyed in their region. Though I’m a Southern gal, I adore the looks from this region, and how I love these sweaters for a chilly day! RedMaple’s focus is on natural fibers which provides eco-friendly alternatives to synthetics.  They are a small, independent company with innovative specialty products not found in department stores.

Their Fall/Winter designs focus on the use of alpaca, which has been known for thousands of years as a noble fiber. Most of RedMaple’s staff members are actually involved in raising their own domestic alpaca breeding herds, so they have extensive knowledge of how best to use this amazing resource.

Alpaca fiber is naturally warm, strong, breathable & durable, luxuriously soft, and grows in over 20 natural colors. It is highly resilient for wrinkle-free packing. RedMaple uses 100% baby alpaca (a premium grade) & blends of alpaca with cotton, wool, or other natural fibers. Specialty products feature therapeutic copper, organic cotton, pima cotton, bamboo, & naturally colorgrown (undyed) fiber.

Women’s Eco Vest from Red Maple

Fascinated by an alpaca breeder turned sportswear king, I had to get some more scoop from David Stensland, the founder of RedMaple Sportswear. David worked in apparel design and manufacturing for over 20 years. He worked with small mom-and-pop brands as well as big name companies like J.Crew, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Jack Nicklaus Golf.

During his years in New York City, David got involved in the alpaca breeding community. Soon after that he left the corporate apparel world to work exclusively on alpaca design.

“RedMaple sprung from all those experiences once I moved in 2004 to my current home on the southern tip of the coast of Maine and wanted a brand to reflect the natural beauty and outdoor lifestyle we enjoy here in New England’s seacoast. It’s a classic, outdoorsy, casual, but sophisticated approach to looking good and feeling good that our fans react to regardless of where they live,” says David.

When asked about his alpaca herd, David told me that he began breeding and selling huacaya alpacas in 1998 with a focus on fine fibers in exotic colors like maroons, blacks, and greys. David has always boarded his alpacas with other breeders but did a lot of hands-on things like training and showing. In 2004 RedMaple began to take over most of David’s waking moments so his involvement in his alpacas has lessened a bit, but he still co-owns a herd of alpacas in New Hampshire.

It sounds like RedMaple’s socks are one of their best sellers. They like to say that they are “wear-tested on a real alpaca farm”. David says that alpaca breeders have amazingly high standards for socks. Alpaca breeders sell a lot of socks so they need to believe in them. “I think they are harder to to convince about a sock than a herdsire! But our socks typically become a favorite. We pay attention to comfort, easy care, heels that don’t wear out, etc….so they are a high value item that most anyone can afford and feel good about”.

David has been doing alpaca sweaters and accessories almost exclusively for almost half his career, so he’s learned a few things about how to use this incredible fiber to its best advantage, and in a way that’s both wearable and unique. David takes pride in the high level of taste reflected by his clothing.  “It’s not enough to say, ‘Oh, it’s alpaca’ – the customer has to see it from across the room and instantly say, ‘OMG! I want that!” Then when they pick it up and say, ‘Wow. AND this is alpaca???”

RedMaple Sportswear is all about innovative design, the highest quality materials and construction along with outstanding customer service. I highly recommend that you shop with them this holiday season. As a special incentive for our readers, RedMaple is offering a drawing for a free alpaca accessory! To enter the drawing, enter the code “alpacafarmgirl” when you place any order in December. You can enter (and order) as many times as you like.

Alpaca Hat Giveaway

We are giving away this RedMaple alpaca Summit Beanie courtesy of David and our friends at RedMaple. This beanie is so cute, and extremely soft. You won’t believe how great this feels to your skin!

To enter, just visit the RedMaple Sportswear store, come back and leave a comment with your favorite item in their shop. For extra entries you can 1.) Blog about this giveaway, and 2.) Tweet about this giveaway. Max of one tweet daily. Leave a comment for each additional entry. (If you read this blog post on Facebook – you will need to click here and leave a comment on the main blog rather than on FB.) Winner will be chosen by random.org. Contest ends Saturday, December 19th at 10pm CST.

Thank you to RedMaple Sportswear for sponsoring this giveaway, and for giving me the opportunity to try out your alpaca socks , which I love!

Filed Under: Alpacas, Resources ~

Thirty Days of ___Blank? Farm version

August 1, 2009 By

It does take 30 days of doing something to make it a habit. I’m sure my parents will be proud that I learned something in 8 years of graduate school. Repeating a behavior over and over again tricks your brain into thinking that it has to do that same thing again. Think about the times when you drive home and you don’t remember the whole drive. You don’t have to think about every turn yet you make to your house. Your brain and body have a memory for it, and they can be put on a sort of autopilot to get the job done. That’s what we are trying to make happen for whatever you choose to do for 30 days.

waterThis month I am joining Mrs. Flinger and some other bloggy types in a 30 days of ___? challenge. Choose a habit you would like to pick up, and do it for thirty days. I wish I could say I was choosing exercise, but since my life is super chaotic right now getting the kids ready for back to school, trying to get the house ready to sell, and the ever present alpaca herd that also demands on my time….Anyway I am going to drink a glass of water every day. Simple, but probably a good idea for me since I never drink anything but Diet Coke. (seriously never) I’ve been told my drinking habits aren’t good. Go figure.

So join me in doing something every day for 30 days. This will be fun, and doing it together gives us the support and accountability that helps make a task like this easier to accomplish. Leave a comment if you would like to participate and tell us what you are going to do for thirty days.

Filed Under: The Daily Stuff ~ 16 Comments
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