New Arrivals!

Massimo and Argento have arrived at the farm. They are weaned and now dispersed into the rest of the herd. I divided the boys and girls and Otto is not a happy camper. He has been separated from his mother "Sammie" and girlfriend "Marilyn" and he does not like it much. He’ll get over it. Massimo is settling in nicely and appears to like his new surroundings. Here he is below:

Argento is trying to see where she fits in. She feels like an outsider and seems to follow Ruth Hussey around. The other girls haven't been too friendly to her but give her a few days and she'll win them over. As you can see below she is somewhat of an outcast.

She sure is a pretty little thing and sticks out from the rest of the herd because she is light rose grey in color.

We also received two soon to be gelded males to be used as “buddies” or “companion” animals. Thank you Lisa! These companion animals are a must for any alpaca breeder and serve a multitude of uses. They can provide as a comforting companion to a sick or injured buddy during recuperation. Or with the tolerance of a saint can accommodate the whims of a weanling, teaching the guiding principle of alpaca behavior. Geldings are also an excellent choice to trek to an assortment of off-farm public events. They can be used to greet visitors, show new alpaca owners how nails are trimmed, demonstrate trailer loading as well as other exercises.

The unsung heroes are in the new boy pasture and are liking the new digs. They are the two brown ones on the left, Massimo is in the center with Romeo and Otto on the far right.

March Madness!

We have been having strange weather this winter. As dry as it was here last year, 2008 has brought plenty of rain along with some snowy days. In this area we are actually above the normal rainfall avg. and it looks like things will start to turn around for us as far as the drought goes. I augered holes almost 3 feet deep and came back the next day and there was water in the bottom of each hole. The ground is saturated that deep from all the rain we've had. It's great because I can drill a hole in about 10 seconds whereas last year it could take as much as a half hour or more on some.

One day it was in the 70's and the next day we had 20's and snow. As you can see, the dogs love it.

Although I haven't posted in awhile it doesn't mean that nothing is happening here. In between rainy days I've been drilling holes and putting in posts and stringing wire fence for a barn lot and pasture for the boys. I've been working on the boy stalls and dividing the left side overhang to separate the little guys from the older males.

I also have a small mountain of alpaca beans which will come in handy for our vegetable garden this year. Alpaca poop makes the best fertilizer. It is commonly referred to as Black Gold. I plan to mulch it into the garden soil this year and Tara & I are expecting fabulous Beefsteak tomatoes among others this year. We are planting six different tomato varieties from grape to roma to big beefsteaks. I can't wait. My mouth is watering as I'm typing this!

I just took a couple of pictures. As you can see the back pasture is standing in water as the ground is soaked. Spring is near as the Bradford Pear trees are coming into bloom!

Show Pictures

Here's a couple of photos from the Southern Select show earlier this month. The show was good although I wish more people would attend these events. The seminar by Dr. Norm Evans was very informative and I recommend that anyone getting into this business find a copy of his Alpaca Field Manual. It is the "Alpaca Bible" and a must for any alpaca farmer.