What’s with the PPP?

As I wrote the previous blog entry about Biscotti and his lineage it dawned on me that for those outside of the alpaca industry some of the names mentioned might appear a little strange.  It might appear to some as if my keyboard had got stuck when I typed words such as PPPeruvian, or perhaps they thought I was having a bad typing day when I wrote 4Peruvian instead of just the word Peruvian.

There is though an explanation of those strange versions of the word Peruvian and it is related to the importation of alpacas from Peru into the United States during the 1990’s.

According to the web site of the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association,
http://www.alpacainfo.com/AOBAhistory.asp
the first importation of alpacas into the United States was a herd of ten alpacas that were imported from England by Richard and Kay Patterson in 1982.  By 1984 there was an importation of alpacas from Chile into the United States.

The first importation of alpacas from Peru into the United States was in 1993 with subsequent importations from Peru taking place every year until 1998.  By the 1995 importation, the alpacas from that importation were registered with the Alpaca Registry using the word PPPeruvian in their name to indicate they were from the third importation.  Subsequent importations changed the format of the name a little by using 4Peruvian, 5Peruvian and 6Peruvian as part of the alpaca’s name.  A detailed article regarding the importation of alpacas from Peru into the US can be found at the website of Northwest Alpacas by clicking on the following link

http://www.alpacas.com/AlpacaLibrary/ImportedAlpacas.aspx

So, as you can see my keyboard is working just fine, my typing though, well that varies on a day to day basis, but when it comes to words such as PPPeruvian, 4Peruvian, 5Peruvina or 6Peruvian my typing is just fine.

As the alpaca industry in the United States matures it is sometimes easy for those of us in the business to become very familiar with various terms and trends that are alpaca specific.  We forget that others have just discovered alpacas and might, at times, be wondering what on earth we are referring to.  Sometimes we need to take the time to back track a little and explain what we are talking about and help those who are not yet in the alpaca industry feel informed and welcome – who knows, over time they might decide to join us in raising alpacas and enjoying all that the alpaca lifestyle has to offer.

Rosemary

Welcome To Our Latest Arrival

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biscotti of Peak Ranch!  Not a newborn cria, but rather a 10 month old male alpaca. 

I came across Biscotti while at the Great Western Alpaca Show in Denver back in May.  I looked at a lot of alpacas at the show but Biscotti and his stall mate Jack Black stood out in my memory.  So much so that while I had planned on setting off back to Clovis on the Sunday morning without going back to the show grounds I instead decided to go back and take a another look at Biscotti and Jack Black.

I was impressed by the fineness and handle of both of the boys fleeces but the brightness, consistency, density and tiny bundles of Biscotti’s fleece along with his long list of top quality ancestors made him the winner at the end of the day (how I wish money were no object or I would have no doubt bought both of the boys, but Ric had put a limit on my spending – spoilsport!).

Biscotti of Peak Ranch

Biscotti’s fleece has a drape to it almost like a suri fleece, but when you part it you are greeted by well organized huacaya crimp with a stunning brightness and soft, soft handle.  Biscotti’s registration certificate contains names such as CND Accoyo Bizcocho, PPeruvian Timoteo, PPeruvian Camilio, PPPeruvian Auzengate, 4Peruvian Black Magic, SCA Peruvian Desert Sun and PPeruvian Leon – and just in case you haven’t guessed Biscotti is full Peruvian.

Biscotti’s dam Gypsy Sun has five blue ribbons and two Reserve Color Champions to her name and at five years of age is still holding her fleece qualities, something that we look for in bloodlines that we bring into our herd.  Biscotti’s sire CND Accoyo Bizcocho is a full Accoyo who is densely covered from head to toe with beautiful, lustrous fiber.  CND Accoyo Bizcocho is also holding his fleece qualities as he ages.  With such great genetics in his background Biscotti should eventually put some wonderful cria on the ground.

Biscotti is a very easygoing alpaca, sweet and easy to handle which is a good thing as he is also quite large for his age.  It will be quite a while before he is ready to breed but we are already looking forward to seeing how his cria turn out.

We thank Rene and Dennis Beshear of Peak Ranch Alpacas for giving us the opportunity to bring some fresh genetics into our herd and look forward to keeping them updated on Biscotti’s progress.

Rosemary

What’s The Difference Between

Dream in Full Fleece

 

This

 

 

 

and  This?

Dream Shorn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It turns out to be about 4 ½ lbs of fleece (not including belly and lower leg fleece).  Young Dream who weighed in at 93.5 lbs with her fleece prior to shearing certainly did well in the fleece production department.  For a little alpaca she has a lot of fleece.

Dream comes from a line of good fleece producers, her dam Rosie now 5 years old and about ready to deliver a cria still produced just over 4 lbs of fleece in her blanket, leg and neck combined and she too is not a large alpaca.

We have been pleased with our fleeces overall this year and I now have 15 show fleeces ready to be skirted in preparation for show.

Atlas who has done so well in the show ring produced a really dense, fine fleece with a wonderful long staple length that proved to be quite a challenge to Ric’s shearing skills.  Looking at Atlas prior to shearing we knew he was carrying a lot of fleece but had not quite grasped just how much superfine, dense, high frequency crimp fleece he has. 

White Blast who did well in the fleece shows last year has produced another spectacular fleece which is fine, dense and bright with beautiful crimp style.

Even our smallest alpaca Little Man (aka Tonka) did us proud with his fleece.  Weighing all of 58.2 lbs with his fleece on Little Man produced 2.3 lbs of silky, shiny cria fleece that almost hangs in dreadlocks from his head to his toes.

There are still a few alpacas left to shear but this week will hopefully see the end of our shearing for the year.  Next the show fleeces will be paying a trip to the skirting table in preparation for showing and then we will need to decide which fleece will be going to which show.  Lots of fleeces to show and lots of shows to show them in – what fun!

Rosemary

Milk Bag Alert!

Cria birthing time is definitely drawing nearer, Queen, Rosie and Shiimsa are all due to have their crias at the end of this week, although as with an impending birth there is no guarantee that any of the girls will have their crias on their the due date.

As the girls get closer to delivery, so the neighbors get more entertainment. They can see me in the pasture each morning looking at the rear end of the pregnant girls waiting for a tail swish to allow me to see if there is any puffiness or change in the area under the tail and also contorting to see if I can get a glimpse of any change in udder development. Not that I do that all the time (I certainly have many other things to do!) but during morning chores I like to try and get a status on any changes in the near term pregnant girls.

Sunday did see another change in Rosie, now where her udder was high and tight it is starting to fill out and look as if Rosie’s milk is coming in. This could mean that labor could take place in the next day or so, or it could mean that labor is still a week or more away. All the development of Rosie’s udder tells me is that her pregnancy is making good progress.

It is exciting to watch the girls’ pregnancies progress and wonder what the resulting cria will look like. It is also a reminder to make sure our birthing kit and medical supplies are fully stocked. There’s always something to keep us busy!

Rosemary

Nighttime Antics in the Pasture

A Freshly Shorn Zianna - My Nighttime Pasture Check Companion

As the pregnant girls get nearer to their due dates I make sure I make at least a couple of visits to the pasture during the evening.  Past experience tells me that while the majority of alpacas birth between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. once in a while you will get one who decides to birth at a different time of day and even sometimes at night.

Typically (but not always) nighttime births happen due to a problem with the delivery.  Sometimes a dystocia, sometimes it might be a maiden female who is slower to deliver as her body has to stretch more for the first cria to come through.

Evening pasture visits can be quite interesting.  Most times the alpacas are contentedly cushed in their family groups, chewing their cud and enjoying the cooler night air.  Other times I will find the crias at play, chasing each other around the pasture or pronging with delight.  Rabbits prove to be a source of entertainment for the alpacas, heaven help the poor rabbit who tries to cross the pasture when the alpacas are feeling mischievous and frisky as that rabbit will soon find that it will be mercilessly chased all over the pasture.

The last few nights though I have had a companion on my nighttime pasture checks.   One of the yearling alpacas, Zianna has taken to joining me as I walk between the different groups of the alpacas making sure that everyone is okay.  The first evening that Zianna did this it seemed she was fascinated by the beam of the flashlight that I carried, walking alongside the beam and jumping back when the flashlight beam moved toward her.  By the end of my pasture check Zianna had taken to rushing up to the beam, snorting and then galloping off for a short distance, only to shortly return again.  Zianna’s actions soon had the younger alpacas up and joining in the game, turning a peaceful nighttime pasture into a frenzy of alpaca frivolity.

Now Zianna has got used to the flashlight beam and will trot along behind me “talking” to me with her alpaca clucks as I walk around.  I am not sure what she is saying, but I am pretty certain that it has to do with either wanting more of my attention or a request for food.  What ever she is saying, Zianna makes a good companion on my nightly pasture checks.  When I have finished checking the pasture I make sure I finish up by a group of alpacas, tell Zianna that it is time for me to go and leave her with the herd.  At that point Zianna does not follow me to the gate, she knows it is time for her to stay with her alpaca friends and settle down for the night – unless a rabbit crosses the pasture,  in which case I am sure she is one of the leaders in the rabbit chase!

Rosemary

Back on the hay trail

It’s that time of year again; time to start looking for a supply of hay to keep the herd fed and healthy for the next year.  Already area farms are starting to cut wheat hay and with yet another dry year hay is going to be sparse and sought after.

With the annual quest for hay we are also reminded how important it is to have the hay tested before we purchase it.  Hay can look good and smell good but without an analysis there is no way to tell the nutrient content of the hay. 

I get into some interesting conversations with hay farmers when it comes to asking about analysis of their hay, one farmer I spoke to recently became quite indignant when I asked if he had analyzed his hay.  He assured me he had but when I pushed him for the results of the analysis his reply was “seven”.  I asked him what the seven related to and he told me “that was what the hay tested at and it’s some of the best hay you will find”.  Well, if the “seven” related to the protein content of the hay then I would not consider it to be very good hay, but who knows what the “seven” was.  I asked the farmer if I could see a copy of the analyses and he told me “your not supposed to ask that”.  I decided that particular farmer and I did not need to do business, thanked him for his time and left it at that.  I suspect that the hay had not been analyzed and that he had mistakenly assumed that I was not knowledgably about matters of hay analysis.

One of the next hay farmers we dealt with was a much more pleasant experience.  A lovely man with some nice looking, sweet smelling wheat hay.  He readily admitted that he had not had his hay analyzed but was quite happy to sell me a bale so that I could take it to our local forage testing lab for analysis.  The farmer asked me questions about what nutrients the alpacas needed in their hay and was willing to hold some of his crop for me until the hay was tested.  Sadly the hay came back with a very high potassium level, something that could cause reproductive problems with the alpacas and could also contribute to heat stress.   The forage testing lab told me they have seen a lot of high potassium in the wheat hay this year, so much so that they have already checked the calibration of their equipment to make sure that the tests are accurate.  To date it seems that the testing equipment is fine but there is a problem with a lot of the wheat hay this year.

So the search continues and this afternoon we spoke to a hay grower who seems to really know what it takes to grow good hay.  He tests his soil and fertilizes to balance out what his soil is able to provide.  He tests all of his hay and also seemed knowledgeable about the nutrient requirements of various livestock.  This particular grower has not dealt with alpaca nutrition before but was interested to learn about our needs.  For now his hay is sold out but we have asked to be notified when his next cutting becomes available.  This particular hay grower is the type of hay grower that we like to deal with, he understands not only what it takes to grow good nutritious hay but has an understanding of livestock nutrition and understands our concern about acquiring hay that is suitable for our alpacas in its nutritional content.

If we did not take the effort to test any prospective hay we could easily make some costly mistakes.  Hay that is only 7% protein is completely inadequate and would no doubt cause health problems in our herd over time, likewise hay with high potassium could cause problems in the herd.  Granted it takes some time to get hay tested and we have to pay for the testing, but our local forage testing company can usually get us test results within a day or two and the test costs less than $20 – a small investment but necessary investment if you ask me.

(Footnote  – we also always ask for a sample of the hay to take home to feed to the alpacas, in the past we have had hay that tested out well but that our alpacas would not eat.  No matter how well the hay tests if the alpacas refuse to eat it we would be wasting our money to buy it!)

Rosemary

Spinning Wheel or Kid Magnet?

The Spinning Wheel has a magical attraction for children

 

The last couple of days have found us with school groups, first a group of nine kindergartners (along with a few parents and siblings) who visited the farm for a field trip, then a visit to a local elementary school to talk about alpaca fiber and the process of taking raw fiber to cloth as part of their medieval arts project.

It is always interesting to see the reactions both of the children to the alpacas and the alpacas to the children.  The kindergartners proved to be very interesting to a couple of the alpacas, Sleeper and Cinnamon took time to check them out reaching their necks forward to sniff the children and also being very interested in the artificial flower on one the little girls hats.   We used Pride as the alpaca for the children to touch and also to show off his teeth and feet pads, he behaved very well and was very tolerant of the small hands that all wanted to touch him.  Having learned a little about alpacas and met the alpacas and llamas the children declared that they were now hungry and were happy to eat their lunches on our front lawn in front of the girls’ pen.  I reckon two of the llamas Maya and Griffin must have encountered kindergartner lunches before as they hung by the fence line and were eventually rewarded with pieces of apple from the children’s lunch packs – smart llamas!

The elementary school visit also went over well, although Blast and Atlas, the two alpacas we took with us, were a little overwhelmed when they walked onto the school patio to be greeted by the first group of children who were kindergarten through Grade 2.   There were a lot of children and a lot of noise as their excited voices reverberated against the patio walls.  Blast and Atlas bravely entered the patio although I am sure they were wondering what on earth all that noise was.  The children soon settled down when asked and enjoyed learning about the alpacas and spinning alpaca fiber.   Blast was particularly taken with one of the teachers who offered to hold his lead rope, giving her kisses and checking out her sandals on her feet.

The second group of children was Grades 3 through 6 and so was a little older.  They soon settled down and had plenty of questions about the alpacas and alpaca fiber.

One thing both groups had in common was their fascination with my spinning wheel.  Since owning my spinning wheel I have learned that spinning wheels are “kid magnets”.  Children are absolutely fascinated with them and almost cannot stop themselves from coming up and touching the wheel.  I have seen many usually well behaved children defy their parents “do not touch” request when it comes to a spinning wheel; as with the yarn it spins the wheel just seems to draw the children in.

This group of children was no exception and shortly after I started spinning in front of the first group I discovered that I was surrounded by small children who had completely forgotten that they were supposed to be sitting on the floor listening to Ric’s presentation.  The children had lots of questions too “where does the yarn go”, “what’s this”, “is that hard to do” “how does that happen”

The older group of children did manage to stay in their seats a little longer, but as soon as they were told by their teachers that they could get up came over to the spinning wheel reaching out to touch the main wheel, the drive belt, the yarn and anything else they could get too.  They were just so curious and fascinated by the spinning wheel that they too could not stop themselves from making a connection with the magical machine.

It struck me as I spun in front of the children that it would be pretty cool to have spinning as a regular school activity.  Certainly spinning is very relaxing and helps your mind to focus.   In these days of high technology and instant communication I wonder what effect it would have on school children if they had start and end each day with 30 minutes of hand spinning.  I suspect it would have a very positive result.

Rosemary

Will She or Wont She?

That is the game we will be playing at the farm as spring cria season comes upon us.  With several girls due to have their crias over the next six weeks we will be watching for signs of impending labor.

The first girl to set us on our toes in anticipation is Rose Marie.  Rose Marie is due on May 30, but as I write this blog entry I am getting the feeling that we may well be seeing her cria before then.

Rose Marie was shorn this Saturday (May 16).  As she was so close to her due date we gave her some banamine to help prevent or stop any contractions and some Acepromazine to sedate her a little.  By the time we sheared Rose Marie she was definitely under the influence of the Acepromazine.   

With all of the pregnant girls we take extra steps to be careful when shearing them.  We lower them onto the mat as gently as possible and try and get them shorn as quickly as possible.  The pregnant girls may look a little less “polished” in appearance once they are shorn, but safety of the pregnancy is much more important than appearances.

Sunday turned into a great day for cria delivery, sunny with temperatures into the 70’s it was a beautiful day.

Shortly after feeding I noticed Rosie cush in front of one of the hay feeders, taking her time to lower herself to the ground.  Her actions were different from usual and enough to catch my attention.  I know from experience that with alpacas it is the subtle signs that give you a clue something may be happening.

Rosie didn’t get up to join the herd when we put out beet pulp shreds, which is not like her at all.  I kept a spoonful of the shreds for her and took them over to her once the other alpacas were all busy eating.  Rosie nibbled at them but not as heartily as she normally does.

The next odd sign with Rosie was her straining over the poop pile.  She did pass some poop but stayed at the poop pile a long time, even chewing her cud as she stood there.   Finally she took a couple of steps and then cushed close to the poop pile – hmm something was definitely going on.

Rosie stayed cushed for a while but then kicked her legs out to the side a little.  After a while she laid on her side, still chewing her cud, again an unusual behavior.  I stood close to Rosie and watched her for a while.  She was not groaning and did not seem to be distressed.  There was a little movement of the cria towards Rosie’s rear but no contractions that I could see.  Rosie didn’t look puffy in the rear end and so I started to wonder if she was just in the process of rearranging the cria.  I decided to give her a little longer to see how things progressed.

About 30 minutes later Rosie was happily eating at the hay rack and I was starting to think that perhaps she was not in labor at all, but at the next check (about another 30 minutes) while Rosie was still heartily eating there was another change.  Now Rosie was puffy under the tail and the other girls were occasionally sniffing her.

So who knows or as the title of this entry says “Will she or wont she?”  It is difficult to say, this is only Rosie’s second cria and with her first cria she showed no signs of impending labor and then delivered her cria at night.  Fortunately I do nightly checks on the pregnant girls and discovered Rosie in labor that time.

My suspicion as I write this blog entry (it is now just past noon on Sunday) is that Rosie may be in the early stages of labor and that we may have a cria this afternoon or tonight.  Then again perhaps what I witnessed was just a change that indicates the advancement of Rosie’s pregnancy.  Time will tell, and until the time the cria is born we will be playing the will she or won’t she game.

Rosemary

What to give an alpaca that has the hiccups!

She’s at it again; one of our breeding dams Clarissa has started with the hiccups.

I have written about Clarissa’s hiccups in a previous blog entry.
On previous occasions Clarissa’s hiccups seemed to be tied in to a certain stage of her pregnancy, but this time she is not pregnant.

It’s difficult to know what to give an alpaca with the hiccups. One of our favorite and most effective human remedies is to drink a teaspoon or two of vinegar, but I am not sure that would go over well with Clarissa. For ourselves we have also tried drinking water out of the wrong side of a cup – imagine getting an alpaca to do that, I don’t think that will happen. Then there is always the old scare tactic, but I somehow don’t think it would be fair to sneak up on Clarissa and yell “Boo” or something else as startling.
Clarissa’s hiccups do not seem to bother her too much; she has eaten hay without a problem, drinks without a problem and allows her cria Tonka (aka Little Man) to nurse, all the while hiccupping as he nurses (does that create an alpaca milk shake?). Eating pellets was a little more challenging for Clarissa with her hiccups and we have found that she does better if her food is soaked and softer making it a little easier to swallow.

Clarissa’s hiccups do not seem to bother her too much; she has eaten hay without a problem, drinks without a problem and allows her cria Tonka (aka Little Man) to nurse, all the while hiccupping as he nurses (does that create an alpaca milk shake?). Eating pellets was a little more challenging for Clarissa with her hiccups and we have found that she does better if her food is soaked and softer making it a little easier to swallow.

For now all we have been able to do is give Clarissa some Rescue Remedy to keep her relaxed and keep a watchful eye on her. Hopefully by tomorrow the hiccups will be gone and life will be back to normal for Clarissa. In the meantime if anyone has any suggestions as to how to relieve an alpaca of hiccups then please let us know, Clarissa will thank you for it I’m sure!

Rosemary

An Exciting Product Development

 

Alpaca Dream Wear Resistol Hat

Alpaca Dream Weare Resistol Hat - Alternative View

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While at the Great Western Alpaca Show in Denver recently I noticed some flyers on the walls advertising Resistol brand alpaca western hats for sale.  As I read the flyer I discovered that our friends and fellow alpaca breeders Tom and Judy Kania who own Our Field of Dreams Ranch in Earlsboro, Oklahoma were selling the hats.

I made a point to go to Tom and Judy’s booth at the show to say hello and also to see what their hats looked like and I was impressed.

 In our area cowboy and western hats are a big deal, we still have working cowboys in our area and with our hot sun and dusty conditions a good hat is an essential item.  Cowboy and Western hats can range from $50 for a low quality hat to many thousands for a top of the line hat.  So during my time in New Mexico I have seen my fair share of cowboy and western hats.

 Tom and Judy are marketing their hats under the name of Alpaca Dream Wear.  At the show they were joined by their farm manager Renee Mays, who was busy selling hats to customers. 

For me while it was exciting to see such a beautifully turned out product, what was more exciting was that Tom and Judy had come up with the idea of using alpaca fiber in a Resistol hat and had followed through on research and development of their product.

According to Resistol’s web site  they are “the largest manufacturer of headwear in the world”. Just think on that for a moment, the largest manufacturer of headwear in the world has just produced an alpaca hat (it is actually blended with some rabbit fur) made from alpaca fiber raised in the United States. That is definitely a step in the right direction for the future of the alpaca fiber industry.

 If Resistol were willing to develop and manufacture this hat is that not another indication that finally the North American Alpaca fiber industry is breaking into the world of mass production of alpaca products?

 Of course this is only the first run of the hats, but if sales at the Great Western Alpaca Show are anything to go by there will be many more runs to follow.  How wonderful it would be if eventually the Resistol Alpaca Dream Wear hat achieved world wide distribution.

 The Alpaca Dream Wear hat is a nice light weight with a smooth, soft texture, being made of alpaca it should be durable and stain resistant.  The light weight of the hat will allow those who prefer to wear a felt type hat to do so in the summer in comfort instead of having to wear a heavier felt type hat made from another fiber.

 I am sure Tom and Judy have put in a lot of time and effort into the development of the Alpaca Dream Wear Resistol hat, things like that don’t just happen on their own.  That time and effort will not only reward them but also will contribute to the future success of the alpaca industry.

 According to Judy, Renee Mays and her husband Phil (Tom and Judy’s ranch managers) have played their part in the development of the Alpaca Dream Wear Resistol hats.  Renee and Phil have provided enthusiasm and encouragement to keep going on the idea and have been a lot of help in bringing the hats to fruition.  Any time you are developing a product support from those around you is important.

 Naturally I had to buy one of the Resistol hats, not only to support Tom and Judy in their venture, but also because a certain husband has a birthday in May and is particularly partial to wearing a hat and I know he will be proud to wear an alpaca Resistol hat.

 Rosemary