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!

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!

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

Charlie Wins at AOBA Nationals!

Jim and I bought our very first alpaca together. When we saw this little guy, Challenger’s Sir Charles, he stopped us both in our tracks. He was so cute and fluffy. He had so much presence!

Jim and I are supposed to be immune to that kind of charm, right? I mean we are both seasoned alpaca breeders of ten+ years… but I’m telling you…

he had me at hello.

Of course usually the ones that look great on the outside don’t have the fleece to back it up. It’s Murphy’s Law. So when we opened up this boy’s fleece, we both thought, “Jackpot!

Wook at that fuzzy head!

I knew we would have to buy him when, the next day, Jim told me that he had had trouble sleeping the night before. He had been thinking about Charlie all night. I knew Jim had gotten the alpaca fever again, and we would have to add him to our herd as a jr. herdsire.

Jim had previously owned Charlie’s sire, Legend’s Challenger for many years. Each time he did a breeding he wanted the result to turn out to be an alpaca like Charlie. But only occasionally do you get one as nice as this boy, which made it much easier to make the purchase. Jim said that only a handful of the Challenger offspring turned out to be the total package like Charlie is. So we are very thrilled to be partners on this male, Challenger’s Sir Charles, with Dave & Darlyne Spina of 3D Alpacas in Kentucky.

Jubilee Wins at AOBA Nationals!

Not to leave out this little beauty,

We also took Fairhope’s Jubilee to Colorado, and she won a Blue ribbon too (pictured above) in Composite. Jubilee is a beautiful Magnum daughter we have for sale until on special until bred this Fall. 16.9 AFD with incredible bloodlines. She’s a sister to our herdsire, Napster. Check her out.

So – buying alpacas is an emotional decision sometimes. Or is it? What do you think? Do you think with your brain or your heart when making buying decisions? I’d love to hear from my readers on this.

I just love this photo. Janice says that this little puppy, Sophia, pictured here, weighed less than 10 lbs, and the alpacas hardly paid attention to her.

Participating in Wordless Wednesdays.

Recently I was asked the Question: Have I ever had to milk a female alpaca? And did I have some tips…

Yes, I’ve had to milk an alpaca. Too many times, actually. And it’s difficult. You need 2 people or a chute usually to hold the dam still. I find most alpaca dams don’t have enough milk that you can milk out by hand to sustain a weak cria.

Some alpaca breeders tell of being able to milk alpacas with syringe tips and other rigged things. I am in awe of their patience and their alpacas. I have only had two alpacas over the years who had enough milk that I could do that and get enough milk to sustain the cria. Remember – I also have 4 children, and am currently flying solo with 50 other alpacas. Most of the time I have 10 loads of laundry, a basketball tournament, and a piano recital calling for me, not to mention several little voices calling “Mommy”, and that creepy cat that thinks he’s my boyfriend. So I have to be practical, and I do it a little bit differently.

Back to milking. I always milk out the dam enough to keep her milk flowing, but not enough to make her sore. Christine Navarre, DVM advises that too much milking by human hands can cause the alpacas’ teats to become too sore and may cause her to shy away when cria goes to nurse. (We do NOT want that!) So I milk no more than 2-3x a day.

Because that is usually not going to get me enough milk to sustain the cria, I supplement with local frozen goat colostrum that I keep on hand for the 1st 24 hours, then regular A & D cow’s milk after that (with a bit of  liquid yogurt, Activia or Kefir too for the gut) until mom and cria get connected – hopefully REAL SOON!

I always put mom and cria together around feeding time and try to get cria to nurse after each bottle feeding. NEVER giving that up. I keep mom and cria together as a twosome until the bonding/nursing thing is figured out.

My Stash of Frozen Goat Colostrum

Having frozen colostrum around when a new cria is born is critical. Just as important as it is to have plasma (for low IGG or failure of passive transfer).

Ideally we would all have frozen alpaca colostrum, but alpacas are not prolific milkers. When I was new to alpacas and trying to figure out how to find a vet that would work on them the famous vet, Dr. David Pugh told me, “Just tell them they’re just glorified goats. That’s what they are.”

So the next best colostrum is goat colostrum. I buy frozen from a goat farm in my area. I consider them “My Dealer”. I protect that stuff like it’s liquid gold. Because it is. It has life saving properties like nothing else! And I’m so lucky to have it. The fact that they are local means that those goats have built up an immunity to diseases and things in our area. That is priceless. It is infinitely better than buying it from some goats 6 states away. Or giving them powdered colostrum from a cow. (I’m not going to go into why, just trust me. or ask your vet. Either one.)

So, my opinion on the milking is – do a little milking, you will do a lot more bottle feeding. And try HARD, HARD, HARD to connect that dam and cria. Never give up on that. Don’t let them off the hook on that one. Or you will be bottle feeding for 6 months. And nobody wants that. (at least here they don’t!)

And most important of all - GET A DEALER~!

Ask around at the feed store or at your vet’s office – who raises goats? They can often tell you. Goat keepers will often sell you their frozen colostrum. You will feel SO good to know that it is in your freezer. OMG it is such a good feeling to know that it is there!

Above is one of the latest additions to our herd. Our farm, Fairhope Alpacas has recently acquired the girls from the Windy Ridge herd. We are so excited to add 20 amazing females to our herd. Later this Spring we will be sending our herdsire SCA Peruvian Magnum to cover most of them. The thought of it just gives me the vapors. sooooo exciting!

Jim and I believe in the future of the alpaca industry, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to grow our herd. I have worked with Windy Ridge for several years and I know their bloodlines well. They are all about quality, just as we are. When they needed to get out of the business due to health problems, I was happy to be able to acquire their stable of lovely ladies, and one phenomenal boy. (more about him very soon!)

One of the challenges over the years that Jim and I both faced as alpaca breeders of “small farms” was that it was difficult to grow our herds if we were also selling well. Breeding all of these girls this Spring will make for a wonderful growth spurt for our herd in the Spring of 2012.

I can hardly wait! Thanks Windy Ridge and the Tharp family for the opportunity. We luv you and wish you all the best.

Actually I think Momma’s gonna be naming this one

As a mom you have the most enlightening conversations with your children while driving in the car.

My twin girls and I were discussing the new baby alpaca that had been born that day as we were heading home from softball practice. At our house everyone always wants to be the one to name the newest cria. The girls were rattling off names like Chocolate Chunk and Sprinkles for the brown little boy. Names were floating through the air like Gingerbread, Brownie, Fluffy, and Darren(?). One of the twins became insistent on the name Marcus. (I vaguely recognized this as the name of one of the boys in her class at school.)

I tried to explain to them that before we gave this little guy a name, I wanted to determine if he was going to be pet alpaca and needed a cute pet name, or if he was going to be a serious stud alpaca and needed a big deal name.

“…so we have to see if he’s not that great a male,” I finished. What I meant was that if he did not turn out to be a herdsire quality male, the girls would probably get the chance to name him Brownie IV or whatever they wanted. If he turned out to be fabulous, well, Mom was going to name him something fabulous and they could just call him whatever they wanted anyway…

“Oh, Marcus is not that good of a male.” my daughter said, obviously referring to her classmate that had given her the name inspiration.

I almost coughed up a lung. “What?” I sputtered.

“No, he’s really not, Mom,” she went on to regale me with stories of Marcus pushing her off the monkey bars, causing her to fall down and scrape her knee. According to her, Marcus was always interrupting her, and once he even cussed out the teacher and got suspended. That Marcus also had the audacity to tell people that he liked her. She went on and on about the trials and tribulations of going to school with Marcus.

At first I was ready to fuss at her for saying something so mean about a classmate. “Not that good of a male.” But once I heard he had bloodied her and cussed out a teacher, I wasn’t so sure…

So I just listened. And learned a lot.

But to hear my own words come back at me like that, “He’s really not that good of a male,” in her still baby-sounding voice, I have to admit I had two reactions:

1. It was hysterical! Knee-slapping funny.
2. And it also made me think, “Uh-oh. What have I done?”

Well, I guess what we’ve done is evaluate “males” as keepers or non-keepers in the genetic pool. And really, that’s probably not the worst thing when I think about it. There are a whole lot of men out there that my girls should probably think of as “non-breeders”. It’s just not usually politically correct to talk about it that way. But let’s face it. She’s starting to weed out the “bad” ones already. so good for her. it’s better than the alternative.

right?

Oh, let’s face it. She’s in elementary school. I’ve got a long way to go…

My little darling with my fiance Jim at Disney World this New Years. She knows her momma thinks this male is a keeper!

Apparently this alpaca male (in Peru) had an issue with this ESPN reporter. LOL! Most alpacas don’t act this way, but for some reason the alpaca macho didn’t want this guy in his field. I’m wondering why this alpaca was on a soccer field…

Anyway, whenever alpacas make the news – I gotta share it with you guys! And this one has been making it around the internet…

What do you think?