Alpaca Friends

I find the alpaca herd dynamics quite interesting. It must be the sociologist in me.

We noticed last fall at the shows that Maddie is very attached to Sommerfield. If Maddie was separated from Sommer, she would cry and whine. It makes sense. Maddie was taken (by us) from her mom, and the only alpaca who has been with her the entire time since being away from her mom is Sommer. Though I wonder if one of the other girls were there, she may have shown her attachment to them as well. Sommer just happened to be the only other girl there.

When doing herd health on Saturday was noticed how tight Apollo and Tucker are. When J was trying to trim Apollo's nails, Tucker went out of his way to try to push between J and Apollo. They are true buddies. We still haven't figured out why they don't fight. We hear stories of how boys will fight, and in fact, Tucker was in so many fights at the farm he came from, that is why they wanted to get rid of him. No fights at our farm (knock on wood). We've wondered if Snowstorm keeps the peace. I have seen him put an alpaca in their place. Even if he is gelded, he still seems like the leader on the boys side.

I find the cria fun too. When J was trimming an adults nails, one of the cria would come up to him and sniff at his hat. They are such curious little creatures.

Herd Health Day

Saturday was herd heath day, the day we trim nails, weigh them and give any necessary shots. We've found that the older ones who we have a weight on, we trim their nails in the field rather than put them in the chut. The Chut seems to freak out the older ones. The little ones we need to monitor their weight (to make sure they are growing and to know how much shot to give them). All our littles ones are growing nicely. Sommerfield is now 124 pounds, perfect for her to be bred this spring. Maddie is 103 pounds (finally over that 100 mark). Bugs (Lightning) and Tehya were both in the 70's (75 and 73). Tehya is a big girl given she's two months young then Bugs but only a couple pounds less. Shelby is our little one at 60 pounds, but she also gained the most in the last two months. She's cathing up just fine.

We had a bit of a thaw too, so spent some time getting up the poop. It's been a debate of mine when it's cold out whether to chip up and dig up the frozen poop, or let it lay until it thaws. There was one spot in the boy's paddock where I did chip and dig and that spot ended up in a pond :( I had similar things happen last winter when I did the chip and dig thing. In the girls paddock I just scrapped up what poop would come up. Now on a day when it thaws a bit, I could scrap up a lot more. This seems to have worked the best.

One concern for the day is that when we went to feed them in the evening, Kateri was limping. We aren't sure what could have happened to her front leg. The most likely is that she pulled a muscle when we were trimming nails and giving shots. She is a fiesty girl and fought us a lot (Tucker pushed me into the snow and I couldn't get up, and Sancha spit at us, but Kateri was bucking and fighting quite a bit that way). We will have to see how she is today. I hope it heals quickly.

spinning

A wonderful lady at spinning guilde let me borrow her spinning wheel. I used it to spin the rest of the wool rovings I got with my spindle. There is definitely a learnign curve with this, but I don't think I did too bad.

J took 2 different colors of the wool I spun and plyed them together. One set is the darkest color brown mixed with medium brown, the other is white plyed with the darkest brown. Both look really neat. He then washed it to set the twist. They were hung to dry overnight. Now J is going to use the ball winder to create a ball of yarn.

I was going to make a purse/bag from this first spun wool. Then I thought what warm slipper socks it would make. And now I can't decide. I will start knitting something from it today.

We cannot wait to get our alpaca fiber into rovings to start making our own product. I think I will try spinning from raw (though that may be too hard an endeaver for a new spinner, we'll see).

Sancha's last trimester

If you have been watching the due date calculators at the bottom of the page you will notice Sancha has just over 3 months to go. With an 11.5 month gestation, she is nearing the end. And that due date is average. She could go weeks before (or after, like she did with Lightning).

Given our experience last year with Sancha getting so thin, this year we are going to be proactive. We have switched her to the SGL grain (the one with extra calories, instead of the maintenance grain). We have upped her Equine Senior (which she has been on since the vet recommended it last summer). Sancha is ten years old, and like many older females, has a really hard time keeping on weight. In expectation of the impending birth and her needing to feed the new cria, we want her nice a healthy, not thin.

I'm starting to think about boy vs girl and what color this new one might be. I love the surprise of a baby cria :)

Zack's big joke is that he wants the new baby named: Sanchafield (a mix of Sancha and her daughter Sommerfield). Zack thinks this is the funniest thing he has ever heard of. Well, let's just say he makes me laugh when he says it because he's laughing, but that's not on our list of names ;) Come to think of it, we should start a list of names. I'm thinking of sticking with our "nature" theme for Sancha's offspring (Sommerfield, then Lightning). That's very broad though, so much falls under nature. I guess for me some of it depends on if the cria is white, or if it's fawn. There's a 50% chance either way. Any ideas?

site counter

I added a site counter just before the beginning of February. I wasn't going to even mention it, but then I thought maybe someone would think it was there from the start. Given this blog has been going for over a year, that's a long time without counting. Plus, someday I might want a reference point from when it started. So February 2009 is the start of this site counter.

Here are some angora rabbit pictures

Snickers is a mix, German and Satin mix. This makes her bigger due to the German in her.

German (or giant) angora rabbit (how ironic this picture is bigger too):



A Satin Angora, the color on this is called "Broken"



A French Angora


The English Angora


This picture actually looks a lot like Snickers, but Snickers is a different color:



Emma has been doing a great job caring for Snickers. She even set her alarm early this morning to get up and feed Snickers :)

now I have angora

J picked up a rabbit today. Snickers is a satin & german mix. The main agnora types are: English is the most common, German (or giant), French, and Satin which is supose to be the best for spinning. J liked the satins the best because they don't have a furry face, and he thinks they look most like rabbits. He did the research on it, so I let him pick. I just want hair to spin. Snicker's color is agouti, which appears to mean a mix of brown/grey/blueish hue (is that a color?). I think it will mix well with white alpaca for a neat blue/grey tint to the white (give the white alpaca a blueish hue).

I'd post a picture of Snickers, but we still haven't fix our camera vs computer problem (our computer is too old to match with our camera software).

Emma is on cloud nine about the bunny. We told her since she's been responsible this can be her's. Though I know I will be brushing her, and J is already all over the feeding.

Halter Training

oh the horror....

I must start halter training the 3 cria. We've had them on leads a bit but no formal training yet. Last years training sessions were not fun. I keep reminding myself it will be a bit better this year. The cria are younger (last year is was Sommerfield and Max that were so hard, Maddie wasn't bad). Well, these babies are close in age to what Maddie was, so it should be ok, right?

I'll let you know. I'm starting this weekend.

Updated website

we did update our website but due to technical difficulties it's not up. I'll let you know when it is.

Show Tickers

Best of the Midwest Alpaca Show and Auction





Indiana Alpaca Invitational





The Great Midwest Alpaca Festival

Show Season

Show season is coming on us quick!

Last year our show season was only in the fall. Though we attended the spring show in Fort Wayne IN, and liked how it was run. We decided we not only want to attend that show this year, but want to show in other states too. Weighing many factors, there are the three spring shows we are planning on attending:

1) Best of the Midwest Alpaca Show and Auction (Colombus OH)
March 13-15
http://www.alpacanation.com/events/NL_ViewEvent.aspx?EID=12477

2) Indiana Alpaca Invitational (Ft. Wayne, IN)
April 3-5
http://www.alpacanation.com/events/NL_ViewEvent.aspx?EID=12470

and

3) The Great Midwest Alpaca Festival (Madison, WI)
April 24-26
http://www.alpacanation.com/events/NL_ViewEvent.aspx?EID=12493

I need to get a ticker going on the countdown to our first show. It's not that far off. And we need to halter train our three cria.

my head is spinning

as I look at all the various spinning wheels.... and dreaming.

My ideal criteria is:

1) 1 Treadle (pedal). I think 2 would confuse me (I never did get how to use more than one pedal when playing the piano). I think 1 has a lot of benefits, such as being able to switch legs when one gets tired.

2) single drive. I think double drive would have a steeper learning curve and could frustrate me.

3) I would like some variation in the ratio ability so that I can make various size yarn, though I do think I will do more with the thick chunky yarn. For this, I need the lower ratios (4:1 rather than 30:1). Though options would be good because one never knows what the future holds.

4) it's portable. I want to take it to shows, and spinning guild and who knows where. Not that it has to be labeled "portable" or even "travel" but something that I could carry with me places. This includes considering the weight of it, and the shape. I call the one style the H shape (looks like an H). It's the typical one people usually think of, like is in the story of Sleeping Beauty. Well, that's not the one I really want. I'd rather have more of an i shape (called a castle style). So portable meaning not terribly heavy and castle shape.

"H shape" spinning wheel:


"i shape" also called the castle style:



5) price... there is alway price. Being one could spend $1k on it if given no limits, I need to limit it.

I'd love the Ashford Joy. It has all the features I want. But it is out of my price range. So :(

Joy:


I have my short list reduced to 4:

Most other Ashfords I crossed off my list for one reason or another. I do still have the Ashford Kiwi on my short list, though I don't like the fact it has 2 treadles. If it weren't for that, this would be my top choice.

Kiwi:


I have 2 Kromski brand models on my short list. The Kromski Prelude is on my list even if it is the H shape. As for portability, it is only 9 pounds so not terrible to transport. It has 1 treadle, various ratios, and otherwise meets my ideal. The Mazurka is also on the short list. I'm confused if it is a double drive, or if that is an option on it. If it is only double drive available then that is off the list. If it has the option of not being double drive, then it would push the Prelude off my list.

Prelude:


Mazurka:



The other one on my list is the Louet S17. Initially I didn't like this one because it's not what one would think of as a traditional spinning wheel and I was worried what impression it would give at shows and such. It is also 20 pounds, so not ideal with portability. But, it's supose to be best for the thicker chunky yarns that I am aiming for. And J mentioned white washing the wheel and putting a silloutte of an alpaca and maybe a rabbit on the wheel. That would make a neat personalization.

Louet S17:


At this point I'm most leaning towards the Louet. It's only down side is the portability (20 pounds of it). But at shows we carry much more heavy stuff than that anyway. I'll just have to build up some muscles.

spinning yarn

Originally I had thought I'd learn to knit, but have a mill make the yarn. Then at a show last fall I spoke with a lady who was spinning and thought that I would like to spin after all. Since then I have been looking more into it, but given the price of spinning wheels I'm taking it one step at a time. I located a local Spinning Guild and grabbed up some courage to go and attend. I learned so much! I came home with a spindle with the start of a strand of yarn on it. Now I am really itching to get a wheel.

This weekend I am going to wash some of the fiber. I bought a book that helps outline exactly how to wash it (it has been explained to me but I am very fearful of making it into felt accidently). We will see how that goes.

Now to decide on a spinning wheel. I know I want one that is portable. I want to be able to take it to shows and spinning guild and so forth. I also know I want a one pedal one (not two). I wish there was an easy way to find a used one.

subzero temps

It has been bitter cold lately. I threatened the kids that the babies are coming in the house and sleeping in their beds. Of course that got the conversation going of which one would sleep in who's bed.

Instead, we put down more straw in the barn, a nice thick layer for them to snuggle into. I fed them more alfalfa hay (the hay gets their rumination going and warms them up some, the alfalfa has more protien than other grass hay). And, I did many of their grain feedings in the barn to keep them out of the wind. Their fiber coat is very warm, but the wind is difficult on them.

The first few nights we worried, and checked on them first thing in the morning. They all made it through the night, though had frost on their backs and in some cases it was hanging on their eye lashes and muzzles. I have some pictures (one of these days we will get pictures back here).

I am glad to see warmed temps in our forcast.

You know you are a farmer when.....

You know you are an alpaca farmer when......

..... when you have a day off of work and spend it at a hay auction. J warned me what it would be like, but still a culture shock for this girl who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. Am I really a farmer now? I don't know if I can ever get the city girl totally out of me. Growing up, I would have never thought I'd find myself at a hay auction. One advantage we have is that alpacas need hay with more grass in it, hay that isn't good for horses or other livestock. There wasn't a lot of grass hay there, but what was there, there wasn't much competition for. We got some decent hay for under $4 a bale (what it is sold for at a local farmers market).

..... when you determine the temperature outside by the point the poop freezes. I haven't perfected this yet, but I have discovered that there is different freezing points. For example, there is a point where poop on the ground will freeze to the ground. This I remember from last winter. It's a pain because the choice then is to dig it out by chopping up ice and frozen ground with a shovel, or to wait until it thaws but have a soapy mess. We tried both options last year and I didn't like either. The chopping one leaves holes in the ground, the soap option is so messy come thaw time. I have discovered a new freezing point, it has to be at a lower temperature. This is where the poop freezes, but in the round ball shape before freezing to the ground (a round ball of the raisin shape pellets) . This week I have found poop frozen in balls of pellets not attached to the ground. I haven't figured out at what point this happens. I also haven't figured out if it freezes in that shape before it hits the ground, or if the ground is too frozen to let it blend into the ground (it's likely a combination of these two). Things you never needs to know!!

The end of the year

Here our first full year of alpaca farming comes to an end. The first alpacas, Victoria, Kateri and Snowstorm, showed up at our farm in November of 2007. Early in 2008 Sancha, Sommerfield and Maddie came. Then we had the unexpected death of Remington :( who was soon replaced by Maxito. Maxito has since been traded for Apollo Griffon. We gained Tucker, a son of Grey Wing. And we have our three cria born in 2008, Lightning, Shelby and Tehya. From 3 alpacas to 11, our farm has grown a lot in the last year.

The fun parts of the process have been the births and going to shows. I also think we have had a lot of family time taking on farm projects. I'm impressed what farmers the kids have turned out to be. The hard part has been the unexpected health issues (Remington, then Lightning needing a transfusion, and J hurting his back)and growing faster than planned (we had to put in another barn and buy more food than we had budgeted for).

2009 we are expecting at least 3 cria. Sancha is due in just over 4 months. Then over the summer Victoria and Kateri should deliver. We still do not know if Sommerfield is pregnant, if so, make that 4 cria. By next year at this time we could have a farm of 15. Then 5 cria for 2010! And 7 for 2011!! That's a farm of 27 by 2011. Even with the females only having 1 cria a year, we are growing faster than we had planned.

I also hope to get my picture issue resolved soon so that I can get pictures back on my blog. I need those cute faces to keep it interesting :)

Protective Mom

Wow did I get a lesson in how protective a mom can be!

On Wednesday when I went to feed the morning grain to the girls, I noticed Shelby was shivering. We have been watching her closely because she's the smallest and because her mom is outside a lot and Shelby tends to stay with her mom outside. We had snow on the ground but there had been some rain first. She had gotten wet, then the water froze and she was cold. I was alone at the barn but decided I needed to get a cria coat on her ASAP. I grab the cria coat and then I grab Shelby. Well, she's a strong little thing and it took some struggling to get the coat on her. In the end she had cushed and I was on the ground almost sitting on top of her. Mom, Victoria, did not like this one bit. As Shelby squirmed she cried and Victoria came to her side. When I had Shelby on the ground Victoria was behind me spitting at me and ready to step on me! I have never seen her so protective. I was sort of glad to see it because she's seemed like a very easy going mom, I wondered what she would do if her baby was in danger. She showed me.

This whole incident got Tucker all excited. Seems he likes a girl that is feisty. Later on that day we spit tested the girls with Tucker. Sancha spit at him before he even got through the gate. Kateri was spitting next. Victoria ran more than spit, but when she is open she is a flirt so this confirmed all three of them pregnant via spit testing (a female will spit off a male if they are pregnant, though this isn't 100% accurate by any means, it has some validity). Sommerfield was much harder to read. This is her first year being bred so she might not even know herself if she's pregnant. She sniffed at the males and flipped up her tail (signs of being open). Being that she's never been pregnant though, it's really hard to know. What was more telling to us is that Tucker chased her and tried to mount her, as if he could smell that she was open. We'll see. I think we will have her u/s this spring to see if we need to rebred her or not.

No Pictures

My blog is going to suffer for a bit here because I am having a problem getting pictures on it. Our home computer died. We have a laptop at home and while it runs, it is not compatible with the software to upload pictures from my camera (the laptop is a bit old). Hopefully we can find someone to fix out computer and it will be up and running and loading pictures again very soon.

comments on the alpaca business

Looking at the CBS clip I noticed below people have added comments. Many comments are in support of the business, but there are always some who claim it's a pyramid scheme and/or it will go the way of the ostrich or emus. The only comments I was shocked about were the ones that said it's a snobby Republican business - they apparently never met me! LOL I'm far from snobby (politics aside). Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and like all businesses/investments there are many opinions out there.

I say do your research. We did. We certainly did not jump into it one day on a whim. I had wanted to do it for over 10 years before I got the facts and felt we could do this. And even then, there are days I wonder how we are pulling this off.

It is an investment, but I think people who get the most from it enjoy nature, enjoy animals, and enjoy the alpaca community. We greatly enjoy spending time at the barn (even poop scooping is a break from my day job, there is something easy about it, rather than solving people's problems). I am very excited to knit items from our alpaca fiber, I can't wait! We love going to shows, and chatting with alpaca folks. And to add onto the "snobby" idea, alpaca people come from all walks of life. You can see it blatantly at shows. There are the big farms that drive in with their fancy trucks and trailers and have their polished outfits. There are some small farms that have really nice things but on a smaller scale. And there are those who rent a minivan to transport their 2 alpacas to the show (or drive in a run down old trailer). It's a very diverse crowd of people who show up to the shows, but all have the common interest in alpacas.

There are people who strictly see alpacas as an investment rather than a life style. That would not be my personal choice, but it is done, and some people prefer this. These are people that have another farm care for their alpacas, they personally only have limited involvement (and that varies greatly too, some come by frequently, others only go to shows, and I imagine there are some that do not have any contact with the animals). To me this is a different alpaca owner than the farmers that we are, but it is an option (especially for city folk who cannot have alpacas on their property, or those who just don't care for the nature part of it).

The business/investment is not for everyone. But I would not be so quick to say it's a scheme or to write it off as a "snobby" thing to do. Get more facts before making those assumptions, please.

Alpacas on the news

Last night CBS had a segment at the very end of the show on investments - in alpacas :)

I happened to see an email that this was going to be on, around 6:50 p.m. I turned the channel to CBS just in time to see it. Very cool to see alpacas on TV like that.

If you missed it:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4641582n