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Alpacas 101 - October 2008 Edition

Jeremy instructs participants in alpaca training and handling techniques

A alpaca enthusiast takes Napster for a walk

Brady gives our guests some practice with a reluctant alpaca

"Alpacas 101" went beautifully yesterday. The weather was great, and we had a wonderful group of people attend the class. We had one relatively new suri breeder from Mississippi and six other people at various stages in their research of the alpaca business. The group really loved the outdoor, hands-on portion of the class. They learned about trimming alpacas' toenails, as well as haltering and leading.

I had a terrible case of the "um"s yesterday. Those poor people. I must have uttered "um..." at least twice a minute. Annoying. I am haunted by visions of my high school speech teacher giving me a bad grade, and buzzing me with her buzzer named Beula all day. (She used to "buzz" us everytime we uttered "deadwood" words/sounds.) Now that I think of it, I should look her up and ask her to come to my next class...that would cure me. I was off my game a little, no surprise as I was distracted by some real estate rumblings, but more on that later.

The Alpaca 101 participants were quite forgiving of my foibles and a great time was had by all. We talked about fiber more at this class than at any Alpacas 101 class I can remember. Fitting that our next class will be a fiber class entitled, "Basics of Alpaca Fiber & Smart Skirting for Great Rewards". It will be geared to beginning to intermediate breeders and will take place at our farm in January 2009.

NY Alpaca Farmers

Check out this article about Alpaca Breeders in New York. Nice article. Props to the Poughkeepsie Journal.

We'll miss that big puppy!

Scamp 4 weeks
7 weeks
8 months old

I love livestock guard dogs! Love them. Guess that's why we have 6. After today we'll have only 5 because "Scamp" is going to his new home today at Serenity Farms. Look at how he has grown.

Scamp's new owner, Rochelle, also welcomed female alpacas Ivy By Knight, and Windy Cindy into her herd today. Both girls are blue ribbon winners. What can we say? Rochelle has good taste. We'll miss them all but are so glad they are going to such a great home.

BUSY getting ready for Alpacas 101 tomorrow.

Weekly Web Finds

Here are some interesting things I've found on the web this week:

• This family is living off the grid. They're moving to a farm with no electricity, no TV (I would die!), etc. All I can say is "WOW!"
  
• I think this is my favorite. Check out this post from Rooster Hill Farm on the AI Guy. This is about the guy who goes around artificially inseminating cows. You HAVE to see his car! One day there will be an AI guy for alpacas, but maybe not in my lifetime.
  
• American Farmland Trust: Saving the Land that Sustains Us. Website for your activist side.

Two social networking sites:

• Farmers for the Future
• Alpaca Social

Roscoe helps with the Laundry

Wordless Wednesdays

Just a Little Protein

Why do bugs keep flying in my mouth?

Only recently have I had this problem. Twice in the last month, bugs have flown in my mouth while I have been entertaining visitors to the alpaca farm. Most recently, I was with a friend, and the bug was big. So I just swiped my hand through my mouth, removed the bug, and said, "Yuck! A bug was in my mouth." Gross, but I survived.

The first time, however, was a different story. Picture it: National Alpaca Farm Day. Open House. People milling around, learning about alpacas. Me, floating around, talking with people, sharing the joy of alpacas. la, la, la. Then I see a couple who have visited me before. This time they have brought other family members. They are really interested in the alpaca business. As I chat with them, intelligently discussing the unique and divine benefits of being an alpaca farmer - a bug flies into my mouth. Make that throat. I am stunned. I want to choke. It's wings are tickling my throat. My throat is dry and I cannot quite swallow it. But it's too far back to spit it out. I smile, and continue to converse with the lovely visitors, as though there is not an insect fluttering around in my throat trying to escape.

Finally, I clear my throat a couple of times, and...swallow. My visitors are none the wiser. I wonder how I became this person. And I like to think Jeff Probst would be proud.

Secrets That Sell Alpacas #3

We all know that you have to have business cards. Today we are also going to talk about what to do with them.

As an alpaca breeder you will need business cards that have your contact information, a tagline, and a picture of an alpaca. Remember that many people have never seen an alpaca and don't know what it is. A picture of one goes a long way in explanation with regards to your business. The vast majority of people will think they are cute (or funny looking) and this will peak their interest.

Your tagline should refect what sets you apart from others. Try to limit it to 7-8 words. Some great taglines are shorter. If it feels like too much of a mouthful, try to shorten it. If your market is mostly alpaca breeders, your tagline could talk about your herd specifically. Some examples of good taglines currently used by breeders are: "The Next Generation of Elite Alpacas", and "Leading the Way in Black and Grey". If you plan to market to mostly new breeders your tagline could focus more on the lifestyle. Examples include: "Living the dream..." and "Where Magic Happens". Our farm's tagline, "Fleecy Beaux and Belles for Your Portfolio" is appreciated by many alpaca breeders, but people who don't know about alpacas are confused by it. Many people who see it think I'm a photographer. Back to the drawing board for me!?

People get handed lots of business cards. They ditch most of them. Make yours special so that it stands apart from the rest. Consider having it printed on specialty paper. Using a different size card or a fold-over is another possibility to help make your card memorable. If possible, use both sides of the card, information on one side and a picture of an alpaca on back.

Now that you have your cards, hand them out! This may not come naturally to you, but all the best salesmen/women in the world are pros at handing out business cards. Always keep some in your wallet, purse, luggage. I keep a fleece sample in my car. This way when people ask me about the sign on my car, I can let them feel alpaca fleece as I tell them about these wonderful creatures. Then I leave them with a business card and ask them to visit my website. Give cards to people who sit next to you on business trips. Give them to your dentist, your child's teachers, the man who comes to repair your refrigerator, everyone you meet! Spread the word. I once sold several alpacas to a couple after their daughter had gotten my card when she gave me a pedicure. Good thing I gave her my card.

If you sell things on E-Bay, enclose your card when you mail your items. Enclose business cards when you pay bills. You never know when the person who processes those bills needs some alpacas or knows someone who does! Have your local feed store or veterinarian display some of your cards. Usually you will have to provide the card holder, but they are often happy to let you promote your farm. When you have a prospect who decides not to purchase alpacas, give them two business cards. Ask them to please give those cards to two people they know who might be interested in alpacas. Spread the word, people!

I challenge you to give out 2 business cards today. Leave me comments on how you gave them out, who you gave them to, etc. If you don't already have your business cards, tell 2 people about alpacas (or your chosen business if it's not alpacas.)

Secrets that Sell Alpacas Tip #3: Get Your Business Card OUT there. It doesn't do you much good in your wallet.

Read Secrets that Sell Alpacas #2: Have an Internet Presence

Read Secrets that Sell Alpacas #1: Participate in the Farm & Ranch Guide

Friendship

"Friendship is the bread of the heart" ~Mary Russell Mitford

What IS an Alpaca Anyway?

A few of our alpacas (lft. to rt.)Siege, Minette, Portia, Caesar, and Tapioka.

Alpacas are members of the camelid family. The alpaca is a fiber-bearing, domesticated animal, considered to be livestock. They are very gentle animals. Alpacas have large, expressive eyes and are easy to care for. They are easy on the environment because they do not pull grass out by the roots and their soft, padded feet don’t harm the ground. Alpacas grow to be about 3 feet high at the withers and 4.5 feet high on the top of the head. Adult alpacas weigh about 150 lbs. on average. Pregnant females (dams) bear only one offspring per year. The gestation period is between 11-12 months. A baby alpaca is called a cria, which means creation in Spanish. Crias weigh between 12-20 lbs. at birth. Alpacas produce between 2-10 lbs. of fiber a year. They come in 22 specified colors with many shades in between, more than any other fiber-bearing animal.

Alpacas are ruminants and eat grass, hay, and alpaca feed. 7-8 alpacas can generally be put out to graze on one acre of pasture. They also eat a small amount of pellet type food daily. Alpacas need to be sheared once a year. In the summertime they need access to fresh water, shade, and air circulation to do well. With proper management alpacas can thrive in hot, humid climates. Currently, alpacas are being raised in all 50 states. To care for an alpaca it costs about as much as it does to raise a medium size dog, including medication and feed. Alpacas can be insured against theft and full mortality. Alpaca ownership has great tax advantages. They are considered to be the world's finest livestock investment. For more information on these lovely creatures, visit our farm website.

Tervis Tumbler Giveaway

This is my cup. I start each and every day with diet coke in my insulated cup. The colorful sequins put a song in my heart, a little pep in my step. Occasionally I will borrow my son's cup which has the Mardi Gras colored confetti. (He is a nut about Mardi Gras. More on that in February!) But I use this cup EVERY DAY.

So what has me changing cups this weekend?

The Texas Longhorns, that's what!

My dear, sweet Mamma gave me these cups a couple of years ago for my birthday. Just because I'm only dragging them out when Texas becomes ranked #1 in both the AP and Coaches' Polls doesn't mean I'm a fair weather fan. In fact, I am a UT grad who has, in the past, named alpacas "Vin-Sanity" (after Vince Young for those of you who don't follow football, he's a football player) and "Major Applewhite". Get ready for a little "Colt" to be pronking around in the fields this Fall.

These cups are the greatest! Virtually indestructible, they keep drinks cold and the glass doesn't sweat, protecting my fine antique furniture. To celebrate the Texas Longhorns #1 ranking, I am giving away a set of 4 - 16oz. Tervis Tumblers. The winner can choose tumblers from either the Glitter category which includes Christmas, Mardi Gras, Springtime, or Multi (my cup above), or any available Collegiate teams. The contest will end at 11pm (EST) on Monday, October 20, 2008.

To enter, leave a comment telling me either: 1) why you agree that the Longhorns are the best college football team in the land (if you disagree - feel free to keep it to yourself, or 2) which cup you will choose if you win! Leaving a comment will earn you one entry. You can earn two additional entries by posting this giveaway on your own blog. Be sure to tell me if you do so. I look forward to checking out your blog. The winner will be chosen at random.

Please note that if you leave a comment and it doesn't show up right away - it will soon. I did get it so you don't need to comment twice. I moderate comments to fight spam so it may take an hour or so for it to show up on the blog.

Thanks for your responses! I'm excited to see who wins. Good luck everyone!

Thanks to everyone who entered! Mannequin won. She chose the Christmas Glitter cups.

I used the random integer service to choose the winner. Thanks again! Keep visiting our site. More giveaways coming soon.

Don't Look at Me - I Didn't Do It!

When I was on my walk this morning, I came upon this site. Hmm. What's wrong with this picture? (Note: Luminescence sees nothing wrong as he gobbles his breakfast.)

Dillon looks back, as if to say, "Well, would you look at that."

Oopsie Daisy!

(that leg had been giving us trouble, rusted screw/bolt whatever)

"We did NOT do that!"

"Uh, Miss Katy, this will not affect our daily eating schedule, will it?"

Nope. We'll just prop it up. With kids and critters - It's always somethin'!

Morning Nature Walk

Every morning I walk my house dogs (beagle and collie). Why? Because every time I have a pen where I could possibly put them outside, I put alpacas in it. This morning I took some nature photos so you might join me. The sun was just coming up so it was still rather dark.There a two little birds at the top of the weathervane (the M is for Morton Buildings)

Which Sire to Hire?

As a new breeder, I usually selected males for my open females based on how attractive they were. My idea was to choose a male that I would like my cria to look like. Often the sire’s owners would make suggestions, but I was never clear exactly WHY they were suggesting that particular male. Back then, all alpacas were lovely and if the male had a few ribbons, a few nice cria on the ground, and the price was reasonable – then it seemed like a good choice. Today, with more experience under my belt, breeding decisions require more thought. Let’s look at some of the steps to take when choosing a herdsire.


1. Assess Your Female
When you purchase females, it is a good idea to ask the Seller about the female’s strengths and weaknesses. (Like people, alpacas have both.) This is a good starting point. If your female was born on your farm and you are new to alpacas, you may experience “barn blindness”. This can happen to long time breeders too so don’t feel bad. But when starting out, most of us think that all our alpacas are wonderful and we can be blind to their flaws. A more experienced alpaca breeder can help you determine the strengths and weaknesses of your little darling. Ask an alpaca friend, expert, or the herdsire’s owner to help you assess your girl.


Another way to have your alpaca assessed is by entering her in an AOBA sanctioned alpaca show. Halter shows are a great way to meet other breeders. Watching the show will help you learn about the best alpacas in your area. Listening to the judges discuss their placements will teach you more about what makes an exceptional alpaca. Consider both fleece and conformation. Ask to look at the Champion and Reserve Champion alpaca’s fleeces as they exit the ring. This can teach you a lot about what the alpaca industry is breeding towards.


For assessing fleece, nothing is better than an AOBA Fleece Show. You will have to skirt your fleece beforehand. Some shows allow you to mail in your fleece. This is one way to get a judge’s opinion of your alpaca’s fleece without the extra expense of hotels, transportation, and missed days of work. Your alpaca will receive a scorecard with various scores on different aspects of her fleece. While winning ribbons is great, even if you do not win, you will receive feedback from the judge that will be valuable as you prepare to breed your female. Now you have assessed your female....click here to continue reading.



For more articles like this, click here.

Ten Reasons to LOVE Alpacas!

1. Luxurious Fiber


2. They look like big teddy bears


3. Once pregnant, the girls spit at the boys (helpful and humorous)


4. No need to bathe them - EVER


5. Great fertilizer


6. Over 95% of the time they birth unassisted


7. They potty in a community poop pile


8. Tax advantages


9. Those big, beautiful eyes


10. They hum

Alpaca Farm in Fall

Favorite Drop Spindles

If you are looking for a drop spindle, check out
BONNE's ABODE: Favorite Drop Spindles
You can buy a great product and support a good cause all at the same time!

Keep Cooking by CrockPotting: Happy Crocktober! Brand new eLume Give Away.

I have been meaning to tell you about this incredible website. How do you have a successful career, operate a farm smoothly, and keep the husband and children happy? I have no idea, but cooking with the crockpot can help!

This darling gal made it her New Year's Resolution to use her crockpot every day this year. Visit her site for lots of great meal ideas that will save you time and money. Plus she's giving away 5 FREE crockpots. A Year of CrockPotting: Happy Crocktober! Brand new eLume Give Away.

Fruit Basket Turn-Over

People often ask me how I determine which alpaca goes into which group. We break the larger herd up into smaller groups for several reasons. We like to have animals of the same sex and age together for feeding and management purposes. We might have one group with show animals in it that we try to keep out of the mud. Sometimes we will have a "skinny" group with animals who could use feed that is richer in nutrients. It is easier to catch animals for various reasons if they are in smaller groups, and this system aids in pasture rotation.

When planning your alpaca farm, you will need to plan for at least 4 groups of animals eventually. A group for younger (weanling - yearling) males, a group for mature males, and two groups for females. Having the ability to separate your females into two groups helps when it comes time for weaning and managing different body scores, birthing patterns, and personalities. If you start with all females, you can house your alpaca herd in one group. Just be prepared that as the herd grows, one day you will need at least four groups.

Several times a year we re-evaluate each group and move some animals around. Today I did just that in preparation for the Autumn "Fruit Basket Turnover" as I like to call it. All the female alpacas that are due in 2008 will go in one group. The females due in the Spring of 2009 will make up another group. We will also separate the girls who will need to be bred this Fall. I have a "special" group of 5 girls that are to be bred to Shawnee. He is a younger herdsire just starting out his breeding career. We will consider "field breeding" him with these girls for about a week. More on that once he arrives from Ohio. (This is not a usual practice for us. Almost all breedings we do are "hand breedings" where we put the male and the female together, watch the breeding, and record what occurs. But with his inexperience, we think Shawnee needs a more naturalistic approach to get him past his first time jitters!) We will also have a group of younger males and our herdsire group.

I will go over the groups again with regards to personalities before we actually move any animals. Alpacas have sweet, somewhat sensitive temperaments. Some alpacas are pretty tough and don't seem to mind where they go. Some alpacas are very sensitive and need to be with alpaca "buddies" or herdmates they have known for a while. The lovely Antigia, pictured here with daughter Juliette, is one of our more sensitive girls. When we wean her cria (baby alpaca), she will really miss her. Antigia will come to the fence and cry for her for several days. (not all alpacas do this) We will want to make sure that when we move Antigia and her baby away from each other, she has some friends in her group to help her with the transition. Alpacas are very social animals and they exhibit emotions just like people do. We have decided to put Antigia in a group with other girls who will birth when she does next year. This way she can stay with the same group of animals for the long term. Paying attention to each animal's individual needs pays you back tenfold with regard to that animal's production.