Alpaca Farmgirl

After one of my Twitter friends said that “Pronking” sounded dirty, I figured I’d better explain what it is. Pronking is a verb that describes the alpacas’ version of skipping. Most of you are familiar with PePe Le Pew doing this when he’s in love. It is like hopping around with all four feet hitting the ground at the same time. There is a kind of “Boing! Boing!” feeling to it. Alpacas do this when they are happy, most often around dusk. Cria (baby alpacas) are most likely to pronk. But it is really heartwarming to see the older (even very pregnant) alpacas pronking in the fields. Truly a joy to behold.

Alpaca pronking pictures above and just below were taken and shared with us by Carolyn Hitchcock of Cameron Mountain Alpacas. Thanks Carolyn!

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Alpacas are certainly a hot trend in investing right now. In the past two weeks, we have entertained no fewer than 7 groups of farm visitors interested in investing in alpaca breeding stock. So yes, the market for alpacas is still great and the number of alpaca farms is growing!

Traditional farmers are finally coming around to the benefits of raising and breeding alpacas. They already have the land and the animal husbandry knowledge. Those already in cattle or horses are coming around to the benefits to having alpacas as a way to diversify their operations. The Washington Post’s story, Old MacDonald Wouldn’t Recognize This Farm, documents one farm’s move into alpacas and away from hogs and cattle. As the suburban sprawl continues and the price of acreage increases, it is more difficult for cattlemen to justify the huge amount of land it takes to have a profitable operation. John Underwood chronicles some of the problems cattlemen face in our region in his article, Urbanization Impacts Residents Engaged in Animal Husbandry.

With their cute faces, minimal land requirements, and the tax advantages that come with them, alpacas are an attractive investment. More and more people are falling in love with them every day.

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The United Nations designates International Years to draw attention to major issues and to encourage international action to address concerns.  The objectives of the International Year of Natural Fibres 2009 include:

1.    Raising awareness and stimulating demand for natural fibers and improving  the lives of those growing natural fibers.

2.    Encouraging innovations in natural fibers and they way they are used.

3.    Fostering an effective and enduring international partnership among the various natural fibers industries.

4.    Promoting the efficiency and sustainability of all the natural fibers industries.

The UN defines natural fibers as “those renewable fibers from plants or animals which can be easily transformed into a yarn for textiles”.  Since the 1960s, the use of synthetic fibers has increased, and natural fibers have lost a lot of their market share. The main objective of the International Year of Natural Fibers is to raise the profile of these fibers, to emphasize their value to consumers while helping to sustain the incomes of the farmers.

Natural fibers contribute to a greener planet. They are healthful, comfortable, renewable, high-tech, and most importantly, NATURAL.

In a letter to AFCNA members, Dianna Jordan, President of AFCNA (The Alpaca Fiber Co-0p of North America) writes, “These are exciting time for alpaca fiber producers.  The alpaca industry is beginning to experience a shift in focus from strictly breeding and selling to exploring new ways, and expanding existing ways, to grow the fiber industry.  Current economic conditions have shown to be an incentive for many breeders to take a closer look at the fiber end of the business.  There appears to be an increased interest in utilizing fiber production as a means to offset expenses.  More and more alpaca breeders are discovering what AFCNA members already know…the future is in the fiber.”

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The morning of Christmas Eve, Lily left us this adorable little Christmas gift running around by the barn. Thanks Lily. Merry Christmas, indeed.

We've decided to name her Merry. I have been supplementing her with a bottle so Merry and I have become friends.

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No, I’m not breeding for blindness.  lol. However, I have three wonderful alpacas with eye problems. Read My Home for the Blind - Part I (SiSi)

Beloved

This story begins with a wonderful fawn herdsire named Tre. After we had been breeding alpacas for a few years, we realized that we needed to beef up the density of our herd. (this means we needed our alpacas to have more fiber) We searched for a male who could help us with this goal, and we found an incredible one named Tre.

Tre was gorgeous and very laid back. He went to lots of shows. He would lumber into the showring, half-asleep with an attitude reminiscent of Eeyore. “I’m here. Thanks for noticing.” Never the flashiest guy in his class, but judges usually remarked that Tre had the best fleece in the class.  He was often the bridesmaid with a multitude of 2nd place ribbons.

On the farm, Tre quickly became our favorite alpaca. He was so handsome, and so easy-going that my young children could walk him around and enjoy him. With his great personality and textbook perfect fleece, we expected to have Tre for years and years to come.

Then he injured his leg…We imagine that he was playing with the other boys when he tore his ACL. The injury seemed to bother him while breeding so we opted to have it surgically repaired. In hindsight, this may have been a mistake. Tre’s laid back personality lacked the fighting spirit he needed to overcome the complications that followed his surgery. Tre never recovered from the surgery, dying a few weeks later back at the farm.

Losing Tre at age 4 was heartbreaking. It was truly tough on everyone at the farm. His funeral was attended by our family and farm manager, Jeremy. The children made a cross on his grave with the petals from a nearby gardenia bush. We had worked hard to save him. We had loved him so dearly.  And we hadn’t bred him nearly enough.

When Tre died we had only 2 of his cria in utero. When the first one came due, we had a horrible situation where a veterinarian (not my usual one) and I disagreed on whether or not the female was in labor. In the end, it turned out the female had been in labor but she wasn’t progressing because the cria was breech. The cria died during the vet’s attempt to deliver the cria from a breech position a day later. (Note: Do not try to deliver an alpaca in the breech position. Experts recommend a c-section for a full breech.) The stillborn cria was a girl who looked just like Tre. The vet and Jeremy tried to revive her for 30 minutes. It felt like an episode of ER. Many tears were shed. The disappointment surrounded us and weighed us down. We cut a lock of her fleece, and buried her atop on her father’s grave.

When it came time for the last Tre cria to be born, I was more than excited and nervous. I dared to hope. My heart had been broken twice that year. I was ready for anything, but I was also hoping so hard for a beautiful fawn female who could carry on Tre’s bloodline. The dam carrying this last cria was Earth Angel, one of the best females we have ever had the pleasure of owning.

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To thank our readers this Holiday Season, we have 12 prizes which will be given away at Alpaca Farmgirl. From December 12-23, one Giveaway will be ending each night at midnight. Check back to see if you’ve won.

Our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways include something for everyone. There are prizes for fiber artists, chefs, livestock owners, knitters, and more! Our goal was to offer something for everyone.

Winners will be chosen at random. Enter as many different giveaways as you like, and along the way learn more about alpacas! Leave your comments on my posts and let me know what you’d like to hear more about. Click here for more information and to enter.

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways:
Day 1 - Christmas Cards
Day 2 - Hay Bale Bag
Day 3 - Alpaca Baby Blanket/Throw
Day 4 - Alpaca Bean Coffee Gift Basket
Day 5 - $50 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card
Day 6 - Alpaca Scarf (or Kit)
Day 7 - Toothamatic
Day 8 - Alpaca Socks
Day 9 - Blog Design/Makeover
Day 10 - Alpaca Yarn
Day 11 - Alpaca Teddy Bear
Day 12 - $100 Home Depot Gift Card

Happy Holidays from Alpaca Farmgirl! ~ Katy Spears

This Thanksgiving, I find myself grateful that I have found my niche in life. An unlikely farmer, I adore raising alpacas on our ten acre farm. A former pychologist, I am so happy to be home now raising my four children. After years of struggling, I am thankful that my DH, the Artist, is now the toast of France with his sculpture.

As the economy sputters, our investments peacefully eat grass in the fields gestating next year's cria crop and growing our fleece harvest. After being told by countless teachers that I talk too much, I have finally found my voice on my blog Alpaca Farmgirl.

I am grateful for my farm and for each new life created here. I am happy that my children can learn about the circle of life and the value of a hard day's work in our backyard. I am grateful that I still have a good connection with my tween, and that her brother and sisters have outgrown sippy cups but still need me to cut their meat.

This Thansgiving, I am thankful that I have found my bliss. Every day I get to do what I love: Raise my babies, raise my alpacas, and write about it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Join me on my journey at www.alpacafarmgirl.com

Saturday morning, while I was at an alpaca show, Judy decided to have her cria. Early in the morning. When it was very cold. When our farm manager, Jeremy, arrived, he found this little guy with purple ears and his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. The baby was almost lifeless.

Jeremy is not the type of to allow a cria to die on his watch, so he blow dried him and got him warmed up. The baby began to show more life. As he warmed him, the cria would sometimes give in to his weakness and his head would droop. “HECK no.” Jeremy told him and brought him around again. The first day he was bottle fed goat colostrum (alpacas almost never have extra colostrum to freeze). This is his mom’s first experience with having a cria to nurse and she took some convincing.  But by Sunday afternoon, the little guy was up and nursing.

Born weighing only 9 and 1/2 pounds (12 lbs. and under is considered at risk), we really didn’t expect this cria to be doing so well. Today he is at 10 and 1/2 lbs, and he’s running around, healthy as can be! The kids and I have come up with some possible names for him. We have a poll on Alpaca Farmgirl where you can vote for which name you think we should choose. Vote here.

Once a month Alpaca Farmgirl will feature an interview with an interesting Alpaca Farmgirl. Visit this site to read about a variety of inspirational women in the alpaca industry.This month our interview is with alpaca breeder Cindy Lavan who lives in Bowdoin, Maine. Cindy and her husband, Tim, have been raising alpacas for 15 years. They have two sons who have grown up with their alpacas. As a Southern girl, I am in awe of a woman so tough that she could raise livestock in Maine! Cindy and her family do almost all the farm work. In this interview we will learn what it’s like to care for alpacas through Maine winters, how she and Tim have invested for their sons’ financial futures through alpacas, her thoughts on how the economy will affect the alpaca industry, the large role alpaca fiber plays on their farm, and more!

Q. Whose idea was it to raise alpacas, you or Tim? And how did you hear about them?

A. It was actually Tim’s idea initially. He was reading an article in the USA Today newspaper during lunch and brought home the article. I was taking graduate classes and working at a local university. I was consumed with finals and work so he contacted AOBA (the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association) to learn more. Remember this was before the Internet so we had to talk to people over the phone. We never really saw the alpacas themselves in person for quite some time. This was while we were working in Washington, D.C. and lived on Capitol Hill. Not really the perfect habitat for these lovely creatures. While D.C. is a great place to live, it’s not where we wanted to raise a family, let alone run a farm and business.

Q. A few years ago when my twins were young and I was struggling, I asked you, “How do I do all the farm chores, watch the kids, and keep the house all at the same time?” You told me to “Forget the house.” That advice has saved my sanity many days. Any other shortcuts or advice on “the daily stuff” that you can share with us?

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The end of daylight savings time signals the beginning of the best season on our farm. In LA (Lower Alabama) we really only have two seasons, Summer, and not Summer.

Summer involves watching the alpacas carefully for signs of heat stress. It is super humid and kinda hot down here. If the alpacas show signs of being too hot, we will take the proper precautions. But we spend five or more long, hot months watching them closely from 7am until 8pm or later. And if we find what we’re looking for, it’s not good.

During the not Summer, we watch the alpacas carefully as well. For babies. If they show signs of having a baby, we will prepare for the arrival (run get the camera and a towel). We will spend seven or more happy months watching them closely from 7am until 5pm. (Notice I get 3 hours off here!) And if we find what we’re looking for, a cria, it’s more than good.

So when daylight savings time is over, I know it’s almost time for the fun to begin. Our first cria of the season is due on Monday, November 10. Stay tuned…

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