Ever wondered how you could own your own alpacas, but you live in the city and don’t own acreage? You can enjoy all the benefits (and there are many) of these amazing creatures without changing your lifestyle by agisting (boarding) them at an established alpaca farm. In this blog, I hope to help open the door to others like me who, for whatever reason, are living in the city but would otherwise love to have their own alpaca farm.
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The International Alpaca Odyssey (IAO) is the only alpaca show in North America where American alpacas are judged using the strict standards of the International Show Rules, competing in a format in which it is possible that no first place ribbons are awarded. By showing under the International Rules, utilizing a three judge panel and under either the 60/40 or 70/30 (Fleece/Conformation) criteria rather than the 50/50 used by most AOBA certified halter shows, breeders both small and large can see where their breeding program stands from a global perspective. In an effort to introduce innovative show rules that could possibly benefit the North American alpaca industry as a whole, this year’s event will introduce a new classification concept that acknowledges that while it is important for continued improvement in the national herd in pursuit of a commercial fiber market, there needs to be equal recognition for the alpacas that serve the existing small processor market.
What do you think about these new rules? International Alpaca Odyssey In a national survey conducted by The Career Guide, Small-Scale Niche Farmer was included in the top 10 best jobs/careers for women over 40. Raising alpacas certainly qualifies as niche farming, and nearly all alpaca farms in North America are small-scale. The reasons for recommending Small-Scale Niche Farmer include:
Although farming traditionally requires land and equipment, if you agist (board) your alpacas on someone else’s farm, as I do, it is still entirely possible to be a successful small-scale niche alpaca farmer without owning any land at all! Agisting expenses are deductible just like regular farm expenses. Whether you own your own farm or agist your alpacas at someone else’s farm, raising alpacas is ideally suited for women. In fact, the vast majority of alpaca farms in North America are operated by women. Alpacas are small and easy to handle. Routine maintenance like daily poop scooping and feeding is easier than traditional livestock. Many women have found alpaca farming to be an ideal business that allows them the opportunity to stay at home to raise their children while still bringing income into the family. It’s a Green Christmas! is a nationally-syndicated one-hour television special on how to make the holidays (and the whole year) more environmentally-friendly. This year, they included a segment featuring alpacas. Today I received the latest edition of the Cas-Cad-Nac Alpaca Farm newsletter. While reading the article promoting their upcoming “Wicked Good Alpaca Weekend” event, I was struck by the following:
Cas-Cad-Nac and Tripping Gnome Farm have joined together to create a pen sale and educational event that benefits not only the two host farms, but also their customers. New breeders have an uphill climb to gain name recognition and attract potential customers, but by lending a small piece of that recognition and goodwill to their clients, they give them something very precious. When was the last time you ever heard of an alpaca breeder that offered that level of support to help their clients to succeed? Or any business for that matter? It strikes me as a very enlightened belief: that if our customers succeed, then they will most likely refer more business to us and purchase from us again in the future. If our customers fail for lack of support during the usual struggles to start a new business venture, the negative fallout will most likely hurt us all. In other words: united we stand, divided we fall. Too bad there are so few who share that philosophy. According to the news release I received today from Alpaca Registry, Inc. containing the latest findings from the Alpaca Research Foundation, the secret to alpaca ovulation may be in the “sauce”, not in the orgling. It was previously thought that the sound that the males make during breeding, called “orgling”, was the key to inducing the female to ovulate. In fact, breeders speculated that a deaf female alpaca may not be able to conceive since she would be unable to hear the male orgling. The latest research has demonstrated that a factor, known as ovulation-inducing factor or OIF, in alpaca seminal plasma fluid may actually be responsible for ovulation following copulation. Recent studies conducted at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Canada by Gregg P. Adams, DVM, PhD, have shown that 100% of those females administered intramuscular seminal plasma fluid were found to have ovulated, as compared to females administered other hormones and a control group with nothing administred. The results clearly indicate that an ovulation-inducing factor exists in llamas and alpacas and plays a very large role in establishing pregnancy. Based on observation on alpaca breeding behavior, orgling does play a role in helping the female to be receptive to the males advances, but it is surely a serenade that only a hembra (female alpaca) would find romantic. Listen to orgling or download as a ringtone to your cellphone. I have successfully used the ringtone to help encourage a male alpaca get in the proper mood and get his “orgle on.” It may also be helpful for checking to see if a female is receptive or not, ie. if she is pregnant or “open.” Arturo Pena has an excellent post on how to do a behavioral pregnancy check on his blog The Alpaca Pro. Join Matthew Modine and all his celebrity friends to help Save the Alpacas today.
 Chickory & Amaya laying in the sun It may seem surprising that an animal with such a warm fiber coat would love to lay in the sun so much, but they do. Alpacas love to bake in the sun like lizards. And apparently Chickory has discovered that her cria, Amaya, makes a nice pillow.
It’s a good idea to check with several farms to have a basis for comparison and to find the best fit for your needs. Of course, probably one of the most important things to consider is if it feels like a good “fit” with the people who own the farm. If they are responsive to your questions, you can communicate well and in a friendly manner, it helps make your experience fun. The United Nations declared 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibres to focus world attention on the role that natural fibers play in contributing to food security and poverty alleviation. Alpaca is a natural fiber with superior qualities. Five reasons why natural fibers are important not only to producers and industry, but to consumers and the environment:
Learn more about the benefits of natural fibers, including alpaca, at the 2009 International Year of Natural Fibres website.  Watch a video about efforts to improve Peruvian alpaca fiber quality & profitability  Silver Sampedro ***UPDATE*** Dr. Grant called with the results from the progesterone tests for Chickory and Dominique and they appear to be pregnant! A conservative cutoff level of serum progesterone for determining pregnancy is at or above 2 ng/ml: the test results showed a serum progesterone level of 3.3 ng/ml. The IgG results for the new cria are a healthy 1268. The dehydrated alpaca that was treated on the farm with IV fluids on Saturday is off the IV, running around, and seems to be doing well now. I like these kinds of glad tidings. |
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For those of us that agist (board) our alpacas at someone else’s farm, it is helpful to know what kinds of questions to ask to help find a good farm to keep our alpacas. Here is a list of questions that I have found helpful: