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A great time was had with lots of interactive activities for the little ones.  Thanks Wendel's Nursurey for hosting this years event!

The Results are in! All weights are in US lbs.

Short answer: 60 lbs or 6 months. Although, you may see them imitate their herd mates grazing in the pasture. A cria's rumen is not fully functioning until 3-4 months of age. There are 3 methods used in weaning Cria from their respective mothers.

1. Cold-Turkey
This method is used when you are able to separate mother and child out of sight from one another for 1-2 months. Make sure that they can not see each other or that you have built strong sturdy fences. If the little one

The Results are in! All weights are in US lbs.

                                       1st               2nd                   

Dams should gain 25lbs over their pregnancy. Some have gained on a rare occasion as much as 40lbs.

Birthing Labor Stages

STAGE 1 - Pre-Birth
a. Different Posture
b. Increase in the amount of "Humming", They will also look directly at you while "Humming"
c. Prolonged standing over manure piles
d. Distancing from other herd members
e. Holding Tail in odd manner
f. Acting like their grazing but not actually grazing
g. Her teats will change

Tips from the Pro's ( Not necessarily from us ) just things we have heard or learned along the way.

Cria Care:
1. Jump Start Plus Oral Gel- To be given to them after birth once a day for the first 2 weeks. Just a little "dab will do ya". Give them a 1ML dab off the tip of your finger. Helps them get the energy they may need after the delivery to start to nurse.
2. Hot Box - Get this one set-up ahead of time. Easy to do, take two straw bails place them next to each othe

Alpacas are ARI registered and we breed huacaya alpacas with the goal of upgrading their fiber quality. Alpaca fiber can also be sent away for testing, a histogram is available upon request.

We’re happy to offer convenient prices to wholesalers who want to buy alpaca fleece/wool in bulk.

Grade 1 Ultra Fine (Royal baby) < 20 microns

*Customers must purchase 12 or more pounds of Grade 1 fiber to be eligible for wholesale prices.

Grade 2 Superfine (Baby

Funny how the simplest things can sometimes elude you when you search for them on the internet. This one was driving me crazy. I just wanted to see a picture of what "Quality" "Crimp" looked like in an Alpaca's fleece as opposed to "Not So" quality "Crimp".

As Crimp is a strong sign of quality in an Alpaca's fleece, I wanted to better understand this characteristic as part of the basis for total scoring of the value of a given animal. I have provided two picture to the right which

Many fall in love with alpacas because they very cute, gentle and have such loveable personalities. Once the animals have won over hearts, the new-to-alpacas person will eventually ask, “What are they used for?” This note is a short review of the many wonderful qualities of alpaca fiber.

Semi-Hollow Fiber There has been a good deal of R&D money spent on the development of synthetic semi-hollow fiber. The reason is fairly simple. A hollow core fiber weighs less that the same diamet

Congratulations on your purchase of a fine alpaca product!

You may find that with proper care, your valuable alpaca garment will become a personal favorite or even a family heirloom! Properly cared for, your well made alpaca garment should last a very long time. Here are some tips, gleaned from experts, on the best ways to keep your fine alpaca garment clean and in good shape for years to come…

We do not recommend using a washing machine to clean natural animal fiber garme

Let’s review the various types of alpaca sounds:

Humming – This is the primary method of communication and it starts at birth. When a new cria (alpaca baby) is born, the mother and cria hum constantly to each other. It is their way to communicate and stay connected. Alpacas will also hum in an effort to express distress or anger. This is especially true if living arrangements are changed, they are moved, or they are separated from their herd. Alpacas may also hum if they are curious,

Test run and the end results.

Washed:
5 towels 3 hand towels and 3 wash cloths - exact same towels in each load.

Both loads were washed on hot with the spin cycle between medium and extra high

Both loads were dried with dry flow sense - very dry setting on medium temperature

Before each load was dried a different load in the dryer and cleaned the dryer lint trap. So the temperature would be the same starting temp.

The same amount

Agist- When an alpaca owner lets his/her animal live at someone else’s farm, this is called “boarding” or “agisting.”

Alpaca Talk :
Bugling – The warning sound made by alpacas when they trouble or a threat.
Clucking – The sound alpaca moms make when they talk to their baby (cria).
Humming – The sound alpacas make when they are talking to one another.

Carding – The process of combing and cleaning alpaca fiber.<

What is an alpaca?
Alpacas are members of the camelid family. Most people are familiar with the ones with humps; the dromedary of Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Asia, and the Bactrian camel of China and Tibet. However, there are four other camelids (without humps) that are indigenous to South America: two of them, llamas and alpacas, have been domesticated for thousands of years; whereas the other two varieties, guanacos and vicunas, continue to roam in wild herds toda

The first time you witness "choke" it can be a bit intimidating. For us, we had just changed feed to a smaller extruded pellet. We feed in troughs roughly 21 inches off the ground but we did not spread the feed out in the trough. Classic mismanagement, this lead to the alpacas feed being "clumped in piles" which in turn allowed them to grab a large mouth full of feed and swallow it repeatedly. Alpacas have a dental pad on the roof of their mouth, they do not chew food as much as swallow it wh

What makes Alpaca fiber so amazing?



Alpaca fiber is hypoallergenic- it does not contain lanolin, an oil commonly found in sheep's wool which requires harsh chemicals detergents to wash out before processing. Alpaca fiber's microscopic scales are also shorter than wool of the same fineness, making it feel smoother on the skin.

Alpaca fiber is moisture wicking-it is water resistant and possesses moisture wicking properties. The fiber's semi-hollow core allows i

1. It has been estimated that alpacas are 30% more efficient grazers than sheep.

2. Alpacas come in 22 colors ranging from white, fawn, brown, grey and black.

3. Alpacas can live for up to 20 years, The oldest alpaca on record lived to be 27 years old.

4. They produce a highly sought after "Fleece". They product 5-10lbs of this "Fiber" "Fleece" per annual shearing
a. Alpaca fleece (wool) is naturally water repellent, hypoallergenic and difficu

Meningeal Worm Introduction:
M-worm is a White Tailed Deer parasite that uses snails as it’s secondary host. Alpacas get infected when they eat those snails or even when they come into contact with the snail trails.

Meningeal Worm Prevention:
If you live in an area with White Tailed Deer (Please see provided reference map), You will want to put your Alpaca herd on a defined deworming schedule. Your local vet may also be able to help with a worming plan. I say "may" as it h