Saturday Surprise!

Well, we were going about your average Saturday...when I saw my husband Jay in a fast canter up from the girls barn...with that look that says "we've got a baby!" There is nothing like the excitement of a cria birth on the farm!

We have been looking at each other for the past few weeks and saying NO Way is Lacey going to make it TWO months! But I had double checked my records and checked the gestation tables and yes....that was the calculated date...but I knew Sat. when I saw him running up (in a controlled way) from the barn that we had a baby...and when I met him half way I called out...Lacey had her baby didn't she? The answer was yes! Any alpaca breeder will tell you that we alpaca breeders know our due dates! We plan, we calculate... select or herdsires, we check... we chart and we re-check. In looking back over my records the only thing we can figure is that last season she went down, bred and we calculated based on the last breeding...when in actuality an earlier breeding took? This makes you wonder...was she just in the mood? Enough of that, we could be here all night discussing the breeding habits of male and female alpacas, their breeding habits etc...!

Well I am sure you are curious at this point...the cria and mom were fine, healthy, up and enjoying HER Saturday! Yes she is a beautiful white female weighing in at 16.5 lbs. Not bad and the best part...no waiting, no butt watching and pre-delivery stress. Alpaca breeders will actually drive themselves crazy watching the expectant mother...for days, hours, minutes, and even seconds. Literally staring at the alpaca's butt, it is as if if we watch hard enough... a tiny head will peek out from under the tail and say "Hi, I'm here". Of course everyone wants to be around for the birth of the cria's on the farm in the event they really DO need our help:-) ON this day we were blessed.

All kidding aside it is the first unobserved birth where I have found the mother with slightly bloodied teats. I think she may have actually nipped at her own teats to "unplug" her teats as we alpaca farmers deem necessary :-) A quick clean up with a sterile wash and all is normal. The two are fine...and did it all by themselves. Imagine that. This Saturday had a happy ending. It was after all "D Day" and in honor of D Day and our surprise we have named her ATFA's Normandy "Mandy" for short.

(We will let you know if someone on the farm just can't live with "Mandy")

Recovery time...a week!

Okay, you know you are getting old when it takes you a week to recover from shearing day! Seriously though...doing 36 animals in two days doesn't sound to bad but we did it a little different this year and due to the excitement of the day I will have to do separate blogs!

This year we used a different shearer and we were very happy for the most part. Let me explain. In the past we have used a skilled sheep-shearer turned alpaca-shearer. The difference...care of the alpacas! This shearer used a table and took the time needed to make the animal look fabulous! This meant that the animal was walked to the side of the table and gently tipped on it's side and strapped to the table. There was literally little to no struggling and the animal was gently tipped back off the table. It was great. Once you have used a shearing table you will most likely never go back. It was a little more time consuming compared to the usual wrestling and flipping of the alpaca...and more gentle on the pregnant females. This process also allowed us to sort the fiber as it came off the animal, inspect the animal and take care of shots, teeth trimming (if needed) and nails! It was a great couple of days but tiring doing 36 animals over two days. It is like that family trip when you had children...best to some times get in the car at 4 am in order to have a quick quiet trip rather than dragging it out over two days...but if and when we do it again...it is still worth the loving gentle technique used with the table rather than the wrestling match that sometimes ensues with the ground/mats. Alpacas first!

Birthing Season 2009, Cria #1

We usually keep our births posted...and the dates of our pending summer birth schedule is posted on our website...but the posts are coming in slowly and for that we apologize. We work multiple jobs and the farm is a passion we enjoy before after and sometimes during work!
This cria was 18 lbs and is a real spitfire. He was born in the late evening but we were fortunte enough to catch the birth in person. A visiting friend of a relative told us Yulo meant "night" in Japanese...so he shall be...since we recently found out that the original name we had chosen..."Kulo" meant something not to nice about an individuals rear end...in a few other languages...Thus the change ;-) We'll keep you posted and catch you up to date over the next few days. It is a busy time on the farm as we are preparing for shearing day in the farm this Sat. May 9th.

Rudy it is!

Well I was thrilled to be in the barn today...I came home from my school at lunch time to help "nurse" a mom and cria...only to find that the new cria we had Sat. had in fact just started nursing! It is exactly like when you make the appointment at the pediatrician and then realize your kids are better. I had the vet coming in the afternoon and voila..she's nursing and her borderline high temp was lower! We were thankful. While standing there watching one cria nurse, my husband...who is a man of few words...refers to cria # 2 as Rudy. In that moment I knew he was right. It looked like a Rudy...after the movie...little... but mighty! Rudy has made his debut at Angel Tree Alpacas!

Look, look, look...Feliz, Feliz, Feliz!

Translation: Happy, Happy, Happy!

This is the meaning for our alpaca mom's name...and this is how we felt yesterday. Happy...when our cria finally arrived at 5:20pm yesterday afternoon. We have been waiting for this birth from our favorite elderly alpaca (for 350+9 days!). This past year we couldn't resist but give her one last try for a rose grey girl...she came through on half of the gamble. We had a rose grey...boy...so it is hard to complain. (This alpaca pairing has produced a rose grey boy, medium brown girl and now another rose grey boy).He was 9.4 oz and a little small but is doing well. When you have a healthy, nursing alpaca you are a happy alpaca farmer. Within seconds of the birth my family was prodding me to "look"..."look"..."look"! Not only have we been lucky enough to be present for the first two births of the season, we have had healthy crias and they are nursing and on their way! Alpaca owners know about that moment when you are standing over a brand new cria on the farm...time stands still and you hesitate, taking a deep breath...before lifting the leg to look in order to determine if you will call it "he" or "she". Then it is over. The long wait, the anticipation. Then you quickly remind yourself how lucky you are to be a part of this incredible animal, to witness the birth of a magnificent creature that will surely win your heart within moments...whether it is a boy or a girl!

No name yet...forward suggestions and help name the cria!

Dirtiest Jobs? Alpacas? Come and see!

Find out for yourself at our Shearing Day open house May 9, 1-3:00pm!

Angel Tree Farm will have the farm open on May 9th from 1-3:oopm so that our alpaca followers can come and see what "Shearing Day" is all about. Many "alpaca people" have been discussing the edition of America's Dirtiest Jobs show...you know the one...where they feature alpacas/shearing as one of America's Dirtiest jobs! For years now of our visitors have been asking what alpaca shearing is like? We decided to give the alpaca enthusiast an opportunity to see for themselves what shearing day is all about. East Hill Alpaca Farm will come for the day and our two farms will shear our animals. The day will offer an opportunity to see the shearing, bagging of fiber and readying it for the mill as well as the end products. The farm store will be open with handmade alpaca items, such as, felted hats, mittens, scarves, fiber art products, yarn, roving, batting, with many products made from our animals as well as natural items from Peruvian alpaca pelts such as, teddy bears,, slippers and rugs.

It should be a fun day and an opportuinty for you to decide if Alpaca shearing/alpacas are one of America's dirtiest jobs or America's most loved job??

Okay...alpaca shearing is a "dirty job" for that day...but also one full of love and rewards! The reward of incredible fiber grown throughout the year and a special day for the alpaca breeder to reap the rewards of their labors during the year. That of incredible... luxurius of fiber that is yet become an amazing product whatever it may be turned into! Come and see for yourself!

And cria season is off... ATF welcomes cria #1!

Well it was a quiet evening on the farm and while hanging around in the pastures we noticed Kenya laying on her side and being a bit of a stinker when another alpaca came near. She had that "stay away from me...I'm about to have a baby look!" That was a 8:30pm and by 10:30 she was the proud mama of a 19.4 pound baby boy! A night birth is a little unusual. (Births in alpacas usually occur between 5 am and 1 pm so that in their natural habitat the baby cria can be up and nursing before night when predators are out) She is a good mom and we were able to just watch and enjoy the natural birth of yet another beautiful cria on the farm. This was her third and the first for one of our personal favorite herdsires...Black Kilo (for you passer-bys, he's in the pature accross the street). We have owned Kilo for just about 5 years now- ever since starting the farm. He is special to us. The cria...as you can see is a dark black/brown tinged. We are guessing he may end up being a bay black like his father. He has a small white spot over one eye and a white chin. He will be named ATF Kilo's Kolu. Kilo after his dad and Kolu for "night' in Japanese. We had a family member's Japanese exchange student here visiting and we thought we would impress her with the birth of a cria...thanks with a little help from Kenya! Do drive by and see this new little one in your travels...he's a beauty!