Happy days are here again!

I'm feeling much better about my farm and farm plans. I have found a new girl to add to my herd. Her name is Jasmine. She's a bred girl and she comes with a male cria at her side. I've named him Captain Gold. I'm very excited about my new additions. She's bred to black and has a silver grey mom, so I could end up with a grey female. I understand she's overdue for a female.

Next summer I'll start looking for a light colored herdsire. Because Jasmine is a blue eyed white, The herdsire I buy will have to be a solid male with no white on him.

Now that my farm is back on track, I'm seriously debating having my own mini-mill. There are so many latent costs associated with processing fiber that I understand why some breeders are not looking to process their fiber. I'm not sure but I am excited to have a new research project.

Paying for Respect

Just when I thought I'd recovered from the surprise to my plans, I get hit with another blow. I guess I need to clairfy my previous post. This business is about selling alpacas. "A bird in the hand beats two in the bush" So yes, I understand selling an animal if you have someone standing in front of you with cash in hand. But when you have a verbal agreement, it really isn't too much to ask for a phone call saying "Hey we got an offer on the alpaca you wanted to buy and we'd like to go forward with the sale".

For a while I was thinking about getting out of the alpaca business, but at this point, I have invested too much to simply walk away. And I have found an incredible deal that I believe can help me get back on track. And I have to remind myself that simply because one person does something, doesn't mean another will.

I'm choosing to use this as a "live and learn" moment.

Business is business...and heartbreaking

I just found out that the girl I planned on getting myself for Christmas was sold. The news is very upsetting. The plans I had for my farm have gone up in flames. She was a key foundation female for me. I realize there are other alpacas for sale but that isn't the point.

I understand that someone with cash in hand is a better option than someone who would make payments, but I just don't think I could have done that. I know the sale wasn't made to hurt my feelings, it was simply a business decision, but the result is the same.

I'm more than a little disappointed right now, but eventually I'll come up with a new plan. I'm considering trading Priscilla, but then again, I may simply select another female and be in the same position I was in before. I don't know, I'm feeling pretty disillusioned right now.

Maybe it's a sign to stick to my fiber farm and forget doing anything with breeding until Michael is old enough to become a herdsire. Who knows? As soon as I figure it out, I'll post.

New Home for the Kids

Since I've moved to Arkansas, I haven't been as active with my kids. I miss them dearly. The good news is that I may have found a home for them close enough that I can see them as often as I used to. There is a llama farm just outside of town. I'm going to visit this weekend. I am beyond excited.

Good News and Good News

I am a very happy girl! Both of my girls spit off! Now we just need to keep them happy so they'll stay that way. I kind of feel sorry for the boys getting all happy thinking they get to play again, but such is the life of a herdsire. A friend did tell me something really scary, four of her girls have been holding on to their pregnancies for close to or over a year now. ay,yi,yi. I really hope my girls don't do that to me. It'll be really exciting especially to see Carmella's cria. This one will be Flash's first. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for light colored girls. :-) I've recently relocated to my new home where my farm will eventually be.

Farm hunting time!

100% Alpaca

I was disappointed to learn that 100% suri should not be done. Not for a good quality wearable product. Not that suri isn't a good quality fiber, it is; however, I have recently learned that suri fiber doesn't have memory, therefore it won't hold the shape of whatever it's made into. That was very disappointing but not the end of the world and certainly not the end of my suri herd.

My fiber mill made a very simple suggestion: blend the fiber. If I want to still have 100% alpaca blend the suri with huacaya. And he said I would only need 10% for the yarn to retain memory. Of course I can blend it with other naturals as well. I was already considering silk, angora or cashemere. I have no problem adding huacaya to that list.

Now that I know that blending is a necessity, I'll definitely be adding huacaya fiber animals to my herd. I've just about completed my revised plan which tells me that at the end of 5 years I should have 17 breeding and fiber animals, not counting the cria born to my breeding herd. I think 17 is a nice manageable number.

Sad Day at the Ranch

My visit yesterday was bittersweet. It was great because I got to spend all day with my kids. We walked Michael and Ewok and they did very well. Ewok has decided he definitely does not like being halter trained but he cooperated - somewhat. Michael did so well, he looks like a champion. He’s going to do his father and grandfather proud. We did a mock show and he tolerated being touched, though he did object to looking under his tail. Not bad for a 4 mo old on the halter for the third time. :-) I’m especially excited that he gained another 9 pounds. He will definitely reach the cria goal of 60 lbs by 6 months. He already weighs 57.

People say that alpacas are really smart and I fully believe that. Especially after yesterday. I went to hug my boys because I won’t be seeing them for a while and they went with it. Even Ewok and he hates being touched. It was almost like they understood I was saying good-bye. I’m going to miss them terribly. I didn’t interact too much with the girls because newly preggos are hormonal shouldn’t be upset.

Rick and Patti gave me an amazing send off: we had wine and cheese on the patio and they gave me an alpaca bear. Rick looked over my route to make sure I was going the most efficient way.

I know they’ll take great care of my kids. But I'm going to miss going to the ranch every week and seeing my kids grow and sitting with Rick and Pati and discussing alpacas. It's very hard to find good people and I'm very blessed to have them as friends.

Oh Happy Day

What a busy,busy productive day! We officially traded Keona for Priscilla, we drew Ewok's blood for his ARI registration, walked the boys (Michael and Ewok) and both of my girls, Priscilla and Carmella were bred.

We bred Priscilla to Blade and Carmella to Flash. They were happy campers. What's truly funny is that Blade hurt his knee the other day so he was walking with a slight limp but when he realized he was going to the breeding pen, that limp disappeared. He wasted no time to getting the deed and if his knee was bothering him, it didn't show. He even went back for seconds. Priscilla was such a great sport, she took a nap while he did his thing. The things we gals put up with.

We went to get Flash, and he actually started to skip. I'm so proud of myself that Rick and Pati agreed that Flash was a good breeding choice. He got right down to business. Pretty good for a first timer. When he was finished, he got up, and tried to go back for more but he was so excited he was just all over the place. We tried to let Majik breed to his grandmother's best friend but they both spit him off. Poor guy.

Michael and Ewok didn't walk quite as well as they did the first time, but they did walk further than the first time. Nice trade-off. Then after being forced to walk on the halter, poor Ewok has blood drawn. He was not a happy camper. Michael let me put my hands all over him which will be great for shows, but he wasn't too pleased about my looking under his tail. One step at a time.

Overall, it was a very successful productive day and I'm a happy camper. I wish I could be here for the spit tests, but a girl can't be greedy.

Yes, I can. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for girls.

Using Knowledge for Planning

The more I learn about this business, the more I tweak and adjust my plans. It happens. It wouldn't make sense not to make changes if I've learned that something I want to do isn't practical or financially sound. A lot of my original plans were made based on being excited and anxious to get started. Now that the initial excitement has given way to common sense, I can make real plans.

I still have a lot to learn about this business, but I have learned enough to know that my stress level and vet bills will be a lot lower if I stick to my plan of a predominately fiber herd. Besides, I have found that I really like the male alpacas more than the females. It might be because the males are more sociable, but I understand that the constant hormone fluctuations of being pregnant, giving birth, nursing and nursing while pregnant can play games with one's disposition. Another reason males are easier.

Speaking of adjusted herd plan, I've been reading for sale ads and it's amazing to me how many animals are being sold for practically nothing because the animals are so closely related to their herdmates. I've been thinking of how to avoid this in my own breeding herd and I've decided to have two herdsires and each of them having their own exclusive females within my herd. This way I don't run into the issue of having my animals so related to each other that I have no one to breed them to. Now, I just need the discipline to stick to that plan. :-)

Happy, Productive Day

Today was a great day on the farm. Pati and I had a great conversation about my kids, my future plans and where they fit in those plans. We decided that Keona wasn't the best fit for my plans and they generously allowed me to trade Keona for one of the white proven females, Priscilla. I put my hands on Priscilla she has really nice fiber, just as important, her cria, Cleveland, has great fiber and luster. I'm very happy with my trade and I'm still on track to give myself Carmella as a Christmas present. And typical of how wonderful Pati is, she gave me Priscilla's fiber. It's really great.

In other business, we put the boys on halter today. Ewok didn't alarm scream like he did last time. He actually walked along side Michael. Michael behaved beautifully. He pulled and pronked a bit, but for a new guy, he did very well. We took Michael and Ewok by Boy's Town and introduced Michael to his father, Blade. However, once Blade determined Michael wasn't a female, he lost interest. Haltering and unhaltering Michael would have gone a little better if his Mom hadn't kept clucking at him. Now that I think about it, maybe she was just trying to make him feel better, but he took it as come here.

All-in-all it was a good day.

Happy Farm Days

Whew! This was a whirlwind weekend! Setting up for farm days reminded me of my Venice Beach days. It was realy fun meeting and greeting visitors. Even more fun was the hands-on learning about the fiber. I spent Saturday learning how to pre-cleaning fiber and on Sunday I saw alpaca products flying out the door.

The kids were so great. Considering the amount of traffic they had to put up with, they were amazing. Shogun and Hardy were excellent ambassadors. The girls were majorly funny. We threw hay over the fence so they would come over and be seen. Some of the girls (Malea and Paris Hilton) decided these were there personal hay beds and rolled around in it and promptly fell asleep. Too funny.

We took two girls to a show pen and Miss Dora decided she wanted no part of it and tried to carry the show back to her pasture. Poor Dora. Maybe next year will be better. Dreamgirl was loving getting treats from everyone. So was Barry. I think the alpacas have decided that since Farm Days = treats all day, they like it!

Farms days were a great fun and totally educational experience. I can't wait until I can have my farm involved.

60 Days.....and Counting

When I started this blog, I decided I wanted to write daily because so much happens when a new venture begins. But I also realize that a daily blog is a lot to read. I know because I read my friend Susan's blog that she kept for two years. It took me several days and she only kept hers weekly (most of the time). After reading hers I decided to keep mine daily for 90 days and then switch to a weekly format.

Since things have slowed down, there really isn't much to write about so I'll be switching to the weekly or if something interesting happens format early. Yesterday I kind of reflected on my time, but I'm going to really reflect:

From the time I had that fateful conversation with Susan and started into the world of alpacas, my life hasn't been the same. I started looking at my future with prospect and hope. I could see that I could fulfill my dream of financial independence. The economy was crashing (still is but not as bad) so I was worried about how I was going my finance my old age. At this point, the stock market was proven as an unsafe place to put one's retirement fund, social security would not exist by the time I reach retirement age, so what was I going to do?

As I began researching alpacas, I discovered the best of both worlds: an independent income and having lots of animals. I've always been an animal person. The idea of alapcas made me very happy. I found three boys I wanted to purchase, but I was talked out of that and bought Keona packaged with Michael instead. And of course I bought Ewok for Michael. If I hadn't made an excitement purchase and thought about my purchase more carefully, I probably would have bought one of the pregnant girls first. Of course, I realize I still would have needed a second female, but I think two preggos would have been better. Please don't get me wrong, I am very happy with my kids. Keona is a maiden and will eventually will give me crias. And Michael, as the grandson of Cantano, has the potential to be a great herdsire. My apprehension is that now I am thinking in terms of fiber production rather than breeding, I am concerned about having animals whose fiber are not colors that people normally wear. From this point forward, I will only be purchasing animals whose fiber is light fawn, white, black or silver grey. I have definitely decided that I want a fiber farm and I will keep space available for rescue and/or evacuations.

I will still have a small breeding program, that's where Michael and his lineage comes in. And Lady Carmella. She's a King Kong daughter. In about six months, I'll go on the hunt for a white herdsire with great lineage. By then I will have decided if I want to breed Huycayas. If I do, I'll have to buy a breeding pair. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Ewok is going to cut it as a herdsire.

I am very much looking forward to my alpaca farm career. Being on any farm is just so peaceful and relaxing. The peace and quiet alone is worth whatever financial trade-off I'm making. As long as the kids pay for themselves and give me enough to feed me, I'll be a happy camper.

Happy Days

I just received the news I've been waiting for and I can finally begin to really solidify a lot of my plans. It's hard when things are up in the air which for me they have been for the past several months.

I feel I've used my "up in the air time" well. I have an excellent framework for my plans. This time has also forced me to slow down and really think about what direction I wanted to go in. There are so many different things one can do in this business and it's so exciting that I feel like a kid in the candy store. I just want to explore everything. And I did. But not knowing when I could really start doing things kept me from going ahead and made me simply explore.

This whole research project has been like standing in line at your favorite amusement park and waiting to get on the ride. I've been standing and patiently watching others enjoy the ride and now it's my turn.

Getting Ready for Farm Days

This weekend is going to be great! I am going to be at two different farms for Alpaca Days. On Saturday I'll be at All American and on Sunday I'll be going to .925 Sterling. Both farms seem to be the impression that there isn't going to be much traffic. I hope they are wrong. It just seems like it should be so much fun.

I've never been on a farm when there is a high volume of traffic. What's really gret is that both farms have great Ambassdors. Shogun loves people so he'll allow people to pet him. (He actually gets offended if you don't pet him). And of course Hardy is a big lovebug as well.

I know that most alpacas are not people-pacas, but I really want a good ambassador for these types of events. My fear is that I'll have to raise one to be that. My hope is to find an alpaca like Shogun or Hardy when I have my farm when it's my turn to host Alpaca Days.

Time to Get Serious

When I was visiting the farm on Saturday, I was confronted with questions about my plans to make my fiber profitable. I have thought about and put together a tentative plan in my mind, but I haven't committed a plan to paper. No, I didn't finish the written part of my business plan. So many people told me they didn't have a business plan, that I got lazy and stopped with the financials.

But having to try to answer those questions made me realize that if I'm going to advocate for the fiber side of the alpaca industry, I'd better stop being lazy and commit my marketing plan in writing. Actually regardless of any promoting, I need to have a solid plan. It's nice to have an idea in your head, but it isn't until one puts it in black and white when you can see the potential. Writing it our can also make you see things that you hadn't thought about and can save a lot of trial and error, which can get very expensive. Also having a solid plan enables one to be be able to present themselves in a way that can be taken seriously.

After all, as cute as they are, if alpacas are not an income generating business, they are very expensive pets.

Leaning More towards Fiber Farm

I've thought a lot about it and after reading the prenatal/neonatal posts, I am leaning more towards my thought process of having a predominately fiber herd. There are just so many things that can go wrong in the breeding process. It would make me feel so bad to lose an animal because I don't know what I'm doing. I don't think an animal's life should be my learning curve. That's why I'm glad I'm agisting while I'm learning. I will take a prenatal/neonatal seminar, but the whole thing makes me nervous. Besides, the more time I spend in Boys town, the happier I am.

I've read that boys are nicer in general and easier than girls and I'm finding that to be somewhat true. I have met some friendly girls, but most of the friendlier animals I meet are boys. While I was rinsing out and refilling the water buckets, Shogun came and leaned on me as we waited for the bucket to fill. I stroked his neck and hummed a song and he just leaned there. Every once in a while he'd put his head up for kisses. And when I scratched his top knot, he just rolled his eyes like "oh, yeah". The other boys aren't quite that friendly but they try. Mo and Fred like to be pet as well. Not quite like Shogun, does but very close.

I was upset to learn that poor Rev Black was killed by a kick to the head. Poor thing kept trying nurse from everyone in the immediate vicinity and he didn't get not to do that. High price to pay. RIP Rev.

Off to the Farm

I'm on my way to see the kids. It's suppose to be hot. I hope not. I would love to get in some halter training. The good news is Pati's back and we can have a nice long conversation about fiber. Rick says that's Pati's forte. There is another new person in the forum asking about how to make fiber profitable. To me this is very encouraging. It gives me a sign that I'm right about the fiber industry being on the verge of a boom.

Stop! Fiber Time!

I am so totally jazzed! I just spoke with BJ from All Alpaca Fiber Mill and he told me that they are ahead of schedule on the machine that makes fabric out of alpaca fiber. With having actual fabric instead of just yarn, the items that can be created with alpaca fiber are endless. I'm going to take sewing lessons along with knitting machine lessons.

I just love ground breaking ventures. And this new way of finishing fiber here in America is exactly that.

My mind is just swimming thinking of all of the possibilities.

Kill or Scare?

There's a raging debate about coyotesin the Alpaca Nation forum. One forum member found a coyote in her boy's field after the wild turkeys there. One of her neighbors offered to hunt down the coyote. I have a major problem with this. The coyote wasn't after the alpacas he was after the turkeys. Why does he deserve to die for doing what comes naturally? All he knows is that he's hungry and there's food in the field.

Now I'm not in favor of letting coyotes run wild on any farm, but I don't think killing them is a solution. I think firing a gun in their direction will scare them sufficiently. Coyotes and other wild animals are not like humans, they don't understand gun fire, all they know is that there's something dangerous and they don't want a part of it. I also think having big dogs and guard llamas will provide enough of a deterrent.

I haven't decided what kind of poultry I'll have, I've been thinking about chickens and geese. Geese are great guard dogs. I do know that the small flock I'm planning shouldn't be enough incentive to attract wildlife. *fingers crossed*

Time to Play!

When I went to the farm, Rick and I were unsuccessful on finding Keona's fiber so he gave me Kalea's instead. He also gave me Lady Carmella's and a bag huacaya fiber to play with the so I can get used to the difference. Also it's close to Kalea's color so I can blend it if I like. A while back I had read about felt soap and I see that one of the bloggers I'm following did the project yesterday. This idea is very fascinating to me. It sounds like fun. I'm trying to come up with fun things to do on my farm to develop traffic and get the locals interested.

We'll see how it turns out.

Openess and Ingerity

I am a big believer in conducting myself with integrity. That's why I'm an open book. Yes, I value my privacy and I believe everyone is entitled to privacy, but I don't think that applies to business.

I am very disappointed that two threads were removed from AlpacaNation forum. Both dealt with shady alpaca deals. One was a dispute between two farms, I can almost understand not wanting a free for all; however, why hide a shady deal? Especially if the deal can impact other people? The other thread was about the guy in Wisconsin who is the first farmer to be suspended by ARI. I'm assuming that it was removed because the other was to not show favortism of one thread over the other.

I really question why people are so desperate to hide this part of the alpaca industry? Why not warn people? Why set-up newbies to do business with someone with no integrity? I don't get it.

It figures

I am now convinced that those All American females have decided I will never see a live birth. I was going to do a farm visit on Saturday and then go to visit my kids on Sunday. I didn't hear from Rick, so I wasn't sure if he got my voice mail, so I went on my usual Saturday. While I was there, I spoke to Kalea, Keona's mom, who was on baby watch. I explained that next week was my birthday and I would appreciate it if she could have the baby on my birthday. I took the air puff to be an agreement.

Apparently airpuffs don't mean a hill of beans. Guess who had her baby on Sunday? A beautiful little girl. Had I gone on Sunday, as my original intent, I would have been there for what I'm told was a pretty dramatic birth. Oh, well. I'll have my own farm soon and hopefully I'll see lots of births. It just would have been nice to not have my first birth on my own.

Congradualations Rick and Patti on the birth of your little boy (Reverend Black) and little girl (unnamed).

Why Research is Important

I was about to give in to temptation. I kept looking at that cute face on Alpaca Nation and I almost gave in to buying the girl I've been seeing on the big alpaca sale. Apparently, during the past week, the person coducting the herd dispersal sale/auction decided to change the girl from sale to auction. A little disappointing, but not the end of the world. But what I found next was.

I am a firm believer in second chances. I believe that we screw up, we're all human afterall and none of us is perfect. The person who is conducting the sale committed a terrible fraud, but I thought maybe being sanctioned by ARI would have been an eye opening experience to make him change his ways.....wrong.

The girl I've fallen in love with isn't registered. She has an ARI number but when we looked for her on ARI, she wasn't there. Her sire and dam were, but not her. It's possible she's one of the many animals caught up in all of the legal drama, but still it's disappointing. One would think he would have used this as an opportunity to stage a positive comeback, but no, he is using it as an opportunity to continue on the cheating path.

I'm very disappointed, she's so cute.

Farming is Fun

I went to the farm and cleaned boy's town again. I've read several times in the Alpaca Nation forum that boys are infinitely easier to take care of than girls. There are definitely far fewer medical issues with boys.

The boys are so funny. I'm glad I'm more interested in the fiber end of the alpaca business than breeding. After working in the boy's fields, I have no problem with having lots of boys. I didn't scrub out their buckets this time, I just simply rinsed them out. And they again watched me like a hawk. A little later, I went down to belly hose them. They are such water hogs. Especially Luther and Flash. What's funny is when Blade and Fred want it, they want it. Of course, it would be nice if Fred had come down to be soaked before I put up the hose, but oh well. It was fun playing with the boys.

It was too hot to weigh the kids, but hopefully it will be cooler next weekend. Keona and Michael allowed me two whole minutes of petting time. Ewok was having none of it. Today was the first time I've seen them cling to their moms and not each other. It's about time they started acting like babies.

Finished Product Hunt

I am on the hunt for a place where I can get my fiber from animal to sellable finished product. I find one place but they don't provide a phone number which I view as a red flag. Why would I sent my fiber to a company I can't call for information? It's a bit of a challenge, the places I've found so far only take the fiber to skeined yarn at best.I do plan to make some items myself. I can knit and I'm buying a knitting machine so I can make sweaters faster. I'm going to learn how to crochet so I can make rugs. The one item I'm not 100% comfortable with are socks. But I have discovered soap felting. It looks easy and fun. I'll find out. I think a sewing machine might be in my future, who knows? The fiber mill I've chosen to work with is still on track getting the machine that makes fabric out of alpaca fiber. I'm watching their progress with great interest.

Happy Birthday, Keona!

Today my little girl turns one. She will begin her show career this November. And hopefully the judges will see what I did when I choose her for my first girl in my herd.

It's Official!

The day that every new alpaca owner waits for arrived for me yesterday. I suspected that yesterday was the day, but you never know until it actually arrives.

I received my first ARI certificate! It's for Michael Jackson. I choose to list my farm name on the certificate rather than my personal name, but whether it's reads Chenyn Allen or Alpaca Springs, it's still MY name. I won't get the one for Keona until next year, but I'll have one for Ewok in time for Christmas. I think that will be an awesome Christmas present.

It's one thing to have a contract that says you own your animal, it's quite another to have the ARI certificate that says you own your alpaca. It's a happy day.

The Waiting Game

At this point, I have done everything I can do to get my alpaca business going without physically setting up my farm. And since it is not financially feasible for me to do so now, all I can do is wait. I'm not very good at waiting. But I really have no choice.

Of course, I can continue to grow my alpaca library and network and I'll do that. At least I have something very positive to look forward to.

Lazy Day

I have to admit, like everyone I like a lazy day, every once and again. Yesterday was my day. I read the book I received and maybe spent an hour an the internet. Mostly researching alpaca vets. I really need to expand my alpaca library and take it offline.

I spoke to my goddaughter on Sunday, as well. She and I will need to talk more, but she has expressed interest in running the farm with me. The ideal that I might not be running my farm by myself has given me some very different ideas about the growth rate for my farm and herd. It's a very exciting prospect.

Hot Time in Boys Town

I went to visit my kids yesterday. It was very hot so I didn't get to spend much time with them. I got to the ranch early so I could help Rick. I cleaned up Boy's town on my own. Cleaning Boy's town is alot different from the Girl's fields. For one thing, the girls have absolutely no interest in what you are doing. They just go about their business while you scoop poop or scrub out the water buckets. Not in Boy's town. They stand there and watch every move you make. And they stand in the way. That was during poop scooping.

Cleaning the buckets is the boys' least favorite activity. Especially if you bring the buckets into the alley. They flipped. When I brought the bucket into the alley I had the undivided attention of every boy. Merlin kept nudging Mo, so Mo spit at him. And yes, I got a little slimed, just a little, but still. When I put the bucket back, Mo stood over it like it was his newborn child. ay,yi,yi. Lesson learned, do not remove bucket from field, so when I moved to the next field, I cleaned it in the field. Only to have Conquistador stand over me. I finally cleaned the bucket standing because he wasn't going away, he was so scared I was going to take away the water bucket. Shogun was upset that I wasn't in the field to pet him. My goodness he's a lovebug. The boys in the Rainbow field had a drowned mouse in their water bucket. EEEWWWWW! mental note: put ladder on side of water bucket so falling rodents can get out.

The boys all forgave me when I belly hosed them and gave them carrots. I'm not sure if any of the guys besides Mo ate the carrots. I saw him eating them, Rick thinks rabbits ate the other carrots.

It was a great visit even though Kalea didn't have her baby. Rick and I had great conversation about breeding and bloodlines. When I got home, the book I ordered about alpaca farming had arrived. In the immortal words of Number Five: More input!

Exciting week

Wow! I feel like it's Christmas. I should be getting my ARI certificate for Michael Jackson anyday now. Since I got the email that he's officially registered, I've been watching the mailbox like a hawk. And this week my little girl turns 1. I'm a happy girl. :-)

I've discovered (thanks to AlpacaNation forum) that NEAFP provides full end alpaca retail products. This is an exciting discovery. I've started working on my business plan for my farm store, so this is great.

I've also started writing the information pages that will eventually go on my website. I've been keeping a diary of the questions I've had since starting in the Alpaca business and I'm going to publish the information I've found. Afterall, the whole point of information pages is to provide information.

Like I said, busy, exciting week!

The Value of Fiber Animals

There seems to be this general thought that males have little to no value. Unless he is in 10% considered good enough to be a herdsire. This thought process confuses me. Mainly because most of the research I've done has said that fiber is the reason alpaca farmers are in the business.

I've mentioned several times that I've found that when I speak with alpaca farmers, their focus is on breeding and winning show ribbons. Now that I'm researching the fiber industry, I'm finding more people who think like I do. That the birth of a cria, male or female, is a good thing. Because we are focused on the fiber and what we can do to sell the fiber. Since there are farmers who are starting to turn their attention to fiber, rather than shows, I think that the prices of alpacas are going to keep coming down as more animals begin to be viewed as "fiber animals".

Don't get me wrong, there will always be alpaca shows and show winning quality alpacas who will command higher prices. And I intend to participate in that end of the alpaca industry. That side is important because it helps generate publicity and interest in alpacas. But I think that males will stop being seen as "hay burners" as the focus shifts to the fiber end.

According to my math, in dry lot conditions, it will cost just under $550 per year to feed an alpaca. If that same alpaca is shorn of 5 lbs of fiber, it will cost approx $192 to process it. So this alpaca, if it doesn't need veterinarian services, it will cost it's owner just under $750 per year. In order to recoup those costs, obviously a female who has a cria a year has more than covered her cost. But what about the male? Let's say for argument sake 90% of the fiber comes back leaving you with 72 ounces. If you sold the yarn at $4.50 an ounce you're only going to make back $325. A loss of $425. That's why I decided to not stop at yarn and make end products like sweaters, scarves and rugs.

A typical alpaca sweater sells anywhere from $75 to $200. By using 8 oz of yarn to make a sweater, instead of making $36 selling yarn at retail prices, one can make a $ 56 dollar profit selling the sweater for $75 (wholesale). And if you sell the sweater for $125 (retail), you've made a profit of $ 105 per sweater. 72 ounces of yarn can make 9 sweaters. At $125 per sweater, you've made $945, a profit of $195. You might not get rich from a $195 profit but you aren't losing money either.

In my humble opinion, the value of fiber animals just went up.

Education for Focus

I have learned so much since I was introduced to alpacas. A lot I've learned from my mentoring farm and the woman who introduced me to alpacas and I've learned a lot from the people I have met while doing research. My research has been so good for me. In learning the various aspects of the alapca industry, I have learned what will work for me and won't.

There is still alot for me to learn and I feel very fortunate to be in an industry where everyone is eager to help a newbie learn. I know that as I learn more my plans will chagne and shift. I was cautioned against falling in love with my business plan becuase alpaca are livestock and livestock is unpredictable. One thing I learned about life is that things do change. My business plan has helped me focus and discover questions I didn't know I had.

I think to give my alpacas the best life possible, I need to learn as much as I can. I also know that as much as I'll learn while I'm preparing to set-up my farm, I'll learn a lot more once my kids move in.

More Herd Planning

Like most alpaca owners, my first purchase was an emotional one. I saw Keona and fell in love. There was just something about her I connected with. Her half brother, who I renamed Michael Jackson, was just the cutest thing ever especially when I saw him fence running with his buddy, now named Sir Ewok. When I saw how much they loved each other, I couldn't separated them. And so I purchased my first three alpacas.

In writing my business plan, I've had to think about how I want my herd to grow. And now that I'm over the initial excitement of alpacas, I am making more clear headed, business - sense decisions about future purchases. For instance, had I been thinking, when I purchased my first alpacas, I would have bought one of the pregnant females that I'm now planning to purchase instead of Keona. Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy with my kids, but a yearling maiden and two nursing boys probably should have been a second purchase, not the first.

At least they weren't "hay-burning" purchases. Both Keona and Michael (Blade does beautiful work) are show quality animals, so I get to learn about and participate in shows. My next purchase will be one of the pregnant girls. I decided to buy my preggo from All American where I bought my kids so that the animals are familiar with each other. I hoping that being familiar with each other will help alleviate the stress of moving from California to Arkansas.

The most ideal situation for me would be to not make my move with just these four. If budgeting goes well, and the animals are still available when I'm ready to move, I'd like to buy one of the white girls, one of the herdsires and possibly the black girl. The herdsire purchase will depend on whether or not the guys can live together. I'm still planning and deciding, but I have plenty of time. After the preggo, my next purchase won't be until I move to my farm, which if everything goes according to plan, will be next summer.

Reputation is everything

After several conversation with other alpaca owners, I realize that I have to be extremely careful about what I say and do. The alpaca industry is a very small world and actions spread like wildfire. I was quite surprised after I made a farm visit to get a phone call from another farm I had visited to ask me what I thought. Just, wow.

Right now on Alpaca Nation there's a farm trying to divest itself of 500 alpacas. There is an auction planned for at least half of them. So far, I haven't spoken to a single person who plans to buy any of the alpacas even though they are reasonably priced. Why? The seller has a reputation for dishonesty. No one wants to go through the extra steps necessary to ensure one is getting what one is paying for. My concern is what happens to these poor animals if no one buys them? I can understand completely no one wanting to buy from him, it's almost like asking to be ripped off. He has proven he has no problem doing that.

He is a glaring example of what is wrong in ANY business, period. I'm just sick that 500 animals, most of which look to be in good condition, might end up at one of those slaughterhouse auctions because of this guy's reptutation.

The Importance of Research

OMG! As you know, last week I changed my mind about my ranch name and officially changed it with ARI. Well this weekend I decided even though I'm still in the planning stages, it wouldn't be a bad thing to put my farm name and website link on my signature in the Alpacanation forum. It was a nightmare. Not because putting a link on a signature is difficult, it's actually very easy. The nightmare was getting a new domain name. Apparently there's an Alpaca Springs farm in Canada. Had I known this, I would have stuck with Suri Springs, even though I will have hucayas. Of course had I simply typed the name in the address bar, I would have known that. Sloppy research bit me in the heiney. I did do some research, I checked AOBA, ARI and Alpaca Nation. but had I taken that last step, I could have saved myself some creative thinking. Especially since some wonderful person has parked the name Alpacasprings farm.com. So I have a .net instead of .com. No biggie, but after my misstep I spent the better part of the day. Wrestling with myself so I didn't make the same mistake.

Now this rushing into a name cost me unnecessary money. Because I didn't live with my name before grabbing it from all over the place, and making sure I really liked the name. I had to pay to change the name with ARI and pay for a new domain name. Granted this time rushing only cost me $25 but the next time it could cost way more. Not to mention the time it took to change the name on this blog, and my email address. Thank goodness I hadn't started using email yet. It sounds simple and the actual actions are but I hadn't realized how many places I was already using my farm name.

Anyway my farm name AlpacaSprings is official and isn't going anywhere. Everything is set-up and ready for building and expanding. I can't wait to have the land and I can put that name over the entrance.

Responsibly Owning Alpacas

I am an animal lover. Most Alpaca owners are. Like in anything, unfortunately there are a few bad apples. Meaning the greedy and irresponsible.

I can't volunteer in an animal shelter because I couldn't look at those sweet faces and know they would be dead the next day sleep simply becasue they don't have a home. Most of these animals are there because they stopped being cute. Or the owners abandoned them for convenience. I read a thread (slaughter house/ livestock auction thread) that lets me know this also happens with alpacas. I've already decided to make a space on my farm for rescue so if a farmer is in a dire situation the animals don't suffer. I won't have enough room to save the entire population, but even saving a small herd is a step in the right direction.

I'm working on my exit strategy so I don't end up as one of those irresponsible owners. ( I acknowledge there are times when life rears its ugly head and things just happen - I'm not talking about that) I worked up an alpaca life expectancy chart. Across the top, I've listed the years and from the year I'll turn 60 I've noted my age above the year. From the year I'll turn 60 through 70, I colored in gray because I'm just not sure I'll want to have an active farm after 60. Down the first column I've listed the animals I already have and the animals I anticipate acquiring/breeding for over the next five years. (I used my business plan for that list) Then I colored in a life expectancy of twenty years for each animal. I used 20 years because the average lifespan of an alpaca is 15 - 20 years. Some may live longer or shorter, but if I plan for long life, then I have no ugly surprises.

From my chart, if I acquire my goal of 6 breeding females, two fiber animals and three herdsires within my first five years and they all have crias that I don't sell, I acquire no more animals after the fifth year and everyone lives 20 years, my Alpacas will all be gone by the time I turn 65.

I realize that I don't have a crystal ball and I can't predict the future but that's not my goal. My goal is to give myself a realistic idea of what I'm committing to. And not be in a position 20 years from now of having a large herd, realizing I want to retire and having one of those herd dispersal sales. I'll probably never be without alpacas, but there is a difference between having a working farm and having a home with pets.

I think if more people thought out how long the animals they are buying/breeding will live, and gave themselves a visual of what that looks like, life would be better for both the alpacas and the humans who own them.

It's really a business

I am so proud of myself. I am really starting to look at and treat the Alpaca business like that, a business. I've completed the financial part of my business plan and now I'm on to the fun part - the writing.

I am definite about making space for rescue. And I'll agist as well. Since I'll have a large amount of land I've decided to trade a section of it to a vet so I'll have a vet living on premises. I'll accomplish two goals doing this: 1) I'll have an alpaca vet, 2) The area will have an alpaca vet.

I've already created an Alpaca Information Sheet which I'll require anyone buying animals from me to sign. When I create my website, I'll have this and any other form I create available for download. the AIS form contains a clause acknowledging that I will broker the animals for sale if the client finds they are going out of business or unable to care for the animal. They will be required to pay agisting fees which, hopefully, will keep people from using up an animal and dumping it when it becomes older. I'm also going to require that people have a basic education of alapcas before I sell an animal. I don't see why people don't do that now. Correction, yes I do - they are more interested in making money than the animal's welfare.

I hope this downturn in the economy will purge such people from the alpaca industry.

Feeling Good

Every time I turn around, I keep getting more and more positive reinforcement that I have made the right decision gong into the alpaca business. I can't think of another business where most of the people you come across are so nice and generous with their knowledge. After I read that horrifying thread in the AlpacaNation forum about livestock auctions, I made a definite decision to make room on my farm for rescue so that as many of these poor animals as I have space for would have someplace safe until they could find a new home. I was also thinking that I should do like other rescues and have mandatory education for new owners so that the alpacas would go to people who know at least the basics about the animals and their care before taking them home.

From the business classes I've taken, I've learned that the best businesses to study are not the ones that succeed, but the ones that fail. Yes, you look at what works, but you can also learn so much from what doesn't work. Learning from other people's mistakes can save a person a lot of time and wasted energy. To this end, I've gone through the herd disperal ads on AlpacaNation (all 140 of them - yeah 140, very scary) because most people write why they are going out of business. I realize that in today's economy a lot of businesses are struggling and/or closing, but the bad economy isn't the sole reason businesses close. Most new businesses close within one year even in a good economy.

During my research I found a farm that had two herd disperals and it turned out he was doing exactly what I was thinking about doing: providing a safe place for alpacas whose owners have gone out of business. We had a very nice conversation (just shy of an hour) during which he explained the pitfalls of what he was doing and the rewarding side as well. Interestingly enough, he echoed a lot of thoughts I had, including making sure that the animals went to people who knew the basics. After my conversation with him and reading the threads in the forum, I realize that the Alpaca industry is on the cusp of major changes. In order to survive, it's going to have to. Breeding for profit is starting to not work and I have a feeling that those who fail to recognize this are going to be in trouble.

Fiber Education

Finding that AlpacaNation forum has been a Godsend. I knew I had a lot to learn, but after reading the fiber threads, I have a more to learn than I thought. A lot.

I truly understand why people want to stick to the breeding side and not deal with the fiber side. There's so much to learn, but it's like with anything. Anytime one starts a new venture there's a lot to learn and thinking about how much you have to learn can be overwhelming. But if I want to have a successful alpaca business that is not dependent on breeding I have to learn it.

Someone else posed the question of having an all fiber herd. Considering what happens to the poor males in this business, I like the support the idea got. I'm still leaning towards the rescue idea and I don't see why I can't to both. I can use the fiber from the rescued animals in my fiber program until I can find a suitable home for them.

This business is exciting with many twists and turns. I feel like I'm really starting to get a handle on what being an alpaca owner means. And what it takes to make it a successful venture. And I do want it to be successful. I guess a lot of my apprehension is that I'm doing it on my own and I don't want to get in over my head.

I'm just going to go slow and continue to develop a wonderful support network.

The Ugly Side

I have discovered the ugly side of the alpaca industry. Apparently, there are people who are unable to sell their animals so as a last resort they sell them at livestock auctions. At these auctions, the animals are subjected to neglectful treatment while waiting to be sold. This knowledge really hurts my feelings. I realize that not everyone succeeds in business, but there is a difference between having a store full of merchandise and a live animal.

I will never understand people’s lack of responsibility. I can understand buying a house or a car and finding out a year or two down the line you are unable to afford it. But these are non-living things they can sit without any harm. Ok the car wouldn’t be drivable if it sat too long, but you know what I mean. An animal is a living thing that has to be taken care of for a long time. Why people don’t think is beyond me. Alpacas live for 15 – 20 years. If you can’t feed the animal for 20 years, don’t buy it. Or breed for it. I don’t think the initial problem is the animals originally purchased but the animals that are bred for after the purchase. People are breeding with the assumption that they will be able to sell the cria. What if you can’t sell the cria? You now have another mouth to feed for 20 years.

To me this is another "take it slow" lesson. I find it hilarious that people are being encouraged into this business to increase the number of animals to create a viable fiber market when we can’t provide homes for the animals that already exist here. I also know part of that reason is that people are trying to sell the animals for what they paid for them in an over inflated market and can’t wrap their minds around taking the loss. To me, a 50% loss is better than a 90% percent loss which is what is happening if that at livestock auctions or a 100% loss if the animals are destroyed.

I think that I’m going to create space on my farm for rescue animals. I understand that I can’t save every animal, but I can put forth an effort for those I can.

A New Discovery

Last night I made a interesting discovery. As much as I'm on Alpaca Nation I can't believe I just found it. There's an alpaca forum. I'm so excited. I got my email this morning activating my account. I did read some threads and it's scary how people will jump into something knowing little to nothing about what they are getting into.

I was feeling like I hadn't done enough research before buying my kids but I've discovered that some people do absolutely no research before buying alpacas. I don't understand it. But then people are always buying animals and knowing little to nothing about them. That's why so many dogs and cats end up in the pound. I wish people were more responsible.

I'm going to enjoy this forum. If it's as helpful to me as the relocation forum was, I'll be all set for when it's time to open my farm.

Speaking of which, my farm is officially called Alpaca Springs. I like it alot better. I know I'm focusing on suris, but I do have Sir Ewok, who is a hucaya and I may end up one or two more hucayas and I didn't want to leave them out so instead of Suri Springs, Alpaca Springs.

The Farming Lifestyle

The more time I spend at the ranch, the less I like LA. It is so peaceful. Why anyone would want to be in the hustle and bustle of the city when they can sit on a quiet patio and relax is beyond me. When I tell people that I drive an hour and a half to Murrieta to visit my kids, they look at me like I've grown a second head. But it's so worth the drive to me to be able to go there, interact with the animals, and just sit in the peace and quiet of nature. I don't even mind the little bit of work that must be done first. The reward of peace is well worth a couple of hours of hard work and long drive.

The hard part is not the drive to the ranch when I have to watch my speed because I can't wait to get there, but actually leaving. It takes me at least two hours to talk myself into leaving. It's the same with my ranch visits. I'm usually there for several hours because I just love being on a ranch so much.

I've always known I wasn't a city girl and growing up in LA was great because LA wasn't a real city then, but it is turning into one which makes me very sad. But it's a good thing because it encourages me to stay focused on my goal of having my own farm. Farming is for people who enjoy nature and desire a quiet life. Alpaca farming is for people who enjoy nature and love animals. That's why I know alpaca farming is definitely for me.

Hot Visit at the Ranch

Today was a Hot Springs day on the ranch. My cousins came and met my kids which was really fun. Christopher didn't want to go in after Rick cautioned them about standing behind the animals and touching them. Marianne was a lot more adventurous, she even helped belly hose the boys.

Watching the crias play is too entertaining. Who needs TV? I belly hosed the girls in maiden field and it turns my girl is a waterhog. And of course, she had to go rolling in the mud. That's my girl. Mud bath at the spa.

Speaking of spas, I consulted Rick and Patti about changing my farm name and they loved my new name. I really liked it to so, sorry Jo, I think I'll be changing the name afterall. I also talked to Rick and Patti about my wish list. They are supportive of the idea of my buying Carmella and Windy Ana. Things are moving right along.

RIP Little boy

I just received an email from my dear friend that her girl had a still born cria Wednesday. I knew when she didn't return my call something was terribly wrong, but I couldn't imagine anything this terrible. My heart goes out to Susan and Starr.

And just to add insult to injury, she's selling three of her boys today, including her beloved Alpha. I can only imagine how difficult that must be. Poor Susan. I can't even begin to imagine selling Keona's first cria. This is why I really want to be on my own farm when my herd starts to grow.

Dear Susan, my heart goes out to you in this very emotional time. I am so sorry for the loss of your cria and your boys.

What's in a name?

I thought long and hard about the name of my farm and came up with “Alpaca Sauna”. It’s kind of a play on the word “summer” my favorite season and I also chose it because the place where I plan to have my farm, Hot Springs, Arkansas, feels like a sauna during the summer.
Then I started thinking again and thought maybe I wanted to change the name (ARI only charges $ 5 for a name change). During my conversation with the representative at ARI, I decided not to change the name. She really liked it. I do, too, I just didn’t think people got it. Also, I understand the name is pretty unique, which made me like it more.

Speaking of names, I’ve backtracked on my decision to not put specific animals on my wish list. I have officially decided that I want Lady Carmella (daughter of King Kong) and one of the other white girls that Rick and Patti are selling and I might let fate determine which one but I’ll have my preference.

I’m not backtracking on concentrating on fiber rather than a breeding program, but if I am going to have a breeding program, albeit a small one, and have the opportunity to acquire high end lineage, I don’t see a reason not to.

It's nice to have friends

I have had few people in my life who have helped me. Normally when people are nice to me it's because they are getting something out of it. Since my introduction into the alpaca industry, I have been blessed to meet people who like to help people for the sole purpose of helping people.

I can never thank Rick and Patti enough for everything they are doing for me. They allow me to come in and work on the farm so I can learn the day-to-day and they share with me their knowledge. They also help curb my fanciful tendencies. Most people who are selling things love to see someone like me coming. They could have sold me a bunch of animals, and filled my head full of grandiose ideas, encouraged my grandiose ideas and called it a day. But they actually take the time to explain why things will or will not work. They tell me which animals will and will not work for my goals. They share with me their honest evaluations of my kids' potential. A lot of time I feel like I'm taking advantage of them or ripping them off. In my opinion, I am receiving so much more than I am giving. But they disagree.

When I did the math and realized the true value of Keona, I offered them a cria. They flat out said "NO!". And now that I'm realizing the potential in Michael Jackson, I really feel bad. But I know there's no point in my trying to compensate them, they won't hear of it. That's okay, I'll have an Alpaca Nation farm page soon and I'll plug them there. And their farm will always be on the front page of my website. And Rick wonders why someone sent him a ride around cooler. Some of us are very grateful for what you do.

And Susan. My dear friend who introduced me to Rick and Patti and took me to All American Alpacas. Everytime I'm feeling discouraged or have a concern, she listens to me and helps me come up with a solution or feel better. She also introduced me to the ARI registry and showed me how to use it. It's a great research tool. And a fantastic way to do independent research to find out how much of what you read in ads is hype. I was concerned when I read that she stopped farm research when she met Rick and Patti, but I truly understand why.

The people I've met on my farm visits have been very nice as well. Nancy of .925 Sterling Alpacas has been wonderful in sharing her knowledge of fiber and fiber products. And it was fun riding around Windy Hill with Cindy. She breeds for shows and showed me what makes a quality show animal. She also helped reinforce and drill into me that alpacas are a business. I don't think I'll ever 100% hold that view, but then she doesn't either.

And the gentlemen who run All Alpaca Fiber Mill deserve to be mentioned here because I don't know many people who will take your phone calls and have extensive conversation when they know they won't be getting any business from you for at least 7 months.

It's nice to find a place in the world where people are wonderful and share. I'm really liking the alpaca industry.

Herd Planning - the colors

The contemplation of my foundation herd continues. I've decided I want a variety of colors for my foundation herd: black, white, fawn, grey and brown. At first I was thinking I wanted one color for each sex but that I've gained some alpaca knowledge, I know that this isn't necessary.

First of all, I'll end up with more alpacas than are needed for a foundation herd. Secondly and most importantly, it doesn't matter what color the parents are, there's no way to guarantee what color the cria will be.

With this thought in mind, as well as knowing I already have dark brown with Keona and Michael, I'm setting my sights on the other colors. Rick and Patti have two very beautiful girls I have my eye on who will nicely take care of white and fawn. There's a potential herdsire from the Aurness herd that I would like for black. I'm thinking I would like a white male and have a white pair even though I know I will probably end up with a color rather than white when they have crias. And since I'll have three males at this point, my grey will be female. The other two females, I'll leave to fate.

Planning is so much fun! I can't wait to get my farm set-up.

My Wish List

This weekend Patti and I went over my wish list. I'm trying not to allow it to get too long, thus I have a self imposed ban on visiting Alpaca Nation. We discussed the animals from Arness's farm as well as my animals of interest from All American. Apparently, Ms Arness is retiring from suris just like Rick and Patti. Her animals are currently agisted at Windy Hill so I probably saw them but because I wasn't there shopping, so they didn't really register. Sounds like another visit to Windy Hill is in order.

We went over Rick and Patti's herd and she basically gave me an education on who's who (I am having a heck of a time telling the white girls apart). We went over the pros and cons of each animal. Patti also let me know that they can take a female if I buy from outside, but no males. They have too many as it is. She also let me know that they buy outside females to mix up their bloodlines. So she understood my concern about being in the position of having animals you can't do anything with because they are all related. If bought the girls I was interested in, some of them would be related but it doesn't really matter with females, the big concern is their crias. If I only had one herdsire, they would all be related and couldn't be bred to each other so they would all have to be sold.

Breeding is a very delicate balance. Another reason it's a good thing to be friends with other alpaca breeders. We can trade breedings.

Phase 2

Now that I've worked out the expenses portion of my business plan, it's time to move on to the reason for being in this business: the potential income. Key word here is "potential".

Patti started talking to me about fiber yesterday and we'll really get into it next week. One thing she told me which was a bit disturbing is that fiber loses quality over the years. In fact, in Peru, alpacas are eaten after the age of 7 because as far as the Peruvians are concerned, once the fiber is no good the animal has no value except as food. I could never eat one of my babies. But the information got me to thinking: if the fiber loses quality over the years, what do I have left if the quality goes down half way through my angels life time? Now I'm really understanding why people want to focus on breeding rather than fiber. Not only can one make more money with the breeding program, but apparently it's income is more long term as well.

Thank you Susan for being a ray of light. She told me that one of the boys won a blue ribbon for his fiber - at the tender age of 12. So I guess it's a matter of breeding for fiber rather than breeding for shows. So I am going to have to be careful with my breeding and breeding selections regardless of my motivation.

Speaking of my herd, we weighed Michael and Ewok yesterday and at 7 and 6 weeks they both weigh 37 pounds. Big boys. Momma's very happy.

Halter not training

Well I have to say that I have to own one of the smartest alpacas, at the very least, one of the most creative. My girl has decided that she will allow the harness to be put on her, but she will only walk on her own terms. Today, she stayed in front of me and she kept twisting the leash around her neck. When that wouldn't get the leash out of my hand, she twisted the leash again, then before I could get it from around her neck, she jumped straight up in the air, flipped over on her back catching the leash with her back foot as she went down - effectively snatching the leash out of my hand.

She ran up the alley and I gave chase, when she got to the end, she realized there was a gate and she was stuck. So she gave in on walking on the alley but when we got to where we needed to stand, she wouldn't stand still. She kept going in circles. My girl.

At least Susan's girl had a good day. Creme Brulee walked on the harness like she'd been born to it. She even walked through the garage. However, once back inside of the field she pulled and bucked like she was dying. Beyonce and Bon Aninee were liking harnesss training either. They didn't go for a walk. Beyonce was acting every bit like her namesake. She coped what I call "alpaca-tude".

Michael Jackson and Keona are officially registered to me. And I officially own Sir Ewok outright. Rick and Patti are wonderful people who refuse to let a person waste money or make a bad move. No matter how hard headed I am. :-) They really feel it's unnecessary to register Sir Ewok since he is only a companion animal for Michael Jackson. They showed me the difference between Sir Ewok's fiber and another Hucaya's. That other Hucaya's fiber was much softer than Ewok's. At 6 weeks of age, he should have the best fiber he will ever have. Their point is taken.

I still have high hopes for Michael. I understand that great herdsires are a long shot but Michael is a big boy with a fantastic lineage. If he grandson of Cantano of Peru (sold for record $265,000), and great grandson of Peruvian Meteor doesn't have a chance to be a champion herdsire, I don't know who does. Of course, Blade (Michael's sire) is nothing to sneeze at. He's a big, beautiful boy who does beautiful work. Just look at Michael and Keona.

Babies Everywhere

I visit to the farm this weekend will be especially fun. Both Malea and Percy had their crias. From the pictures Rick posted on http://www.allamericanalpacas.com/, they are beyond cute. This is the problem with alpacas, they're all cute. I can't wait to have a farm.

I finalized my herd plan portion if my business plan. At the end of year 5, if everything goes according to plan, I will have 19 alpacas. That plan involves my starting with Keona, Michael Jackson and Sir Ewok, buying a breeding female and herdsire when we move to the farm. After we get settled in, I will add a breeding female every year until year 5 which will give me my desired 6 breeding females. Michael and Ewok will be old enough to breed by then and hopefully will have grown into herdsires. Michael, being the grandson and great grandson of award winning star herdsires, has an excellent chance of this. As for Ewok, Rick thinks "pet". I'm thinking for a fiber program, he'll be okay.

I realize there are objections to buying animals as fiber animals when one will get them naturally from the breeding process, but I still plan to acquire a pair of fiber animals at the end of the second year. Between my acquistions and my girls having crias, (I plan to sell every other cria) I should have a nice size herd. With six breeding females, and everyone staying healthy, I'll add six crias a year and if I sell at least three, in Arkansas, the girls will be paying for the farm. Of course, the fiber sales will be very helpful in putting me over the top and allow me to build savings.

*deep sigh* Plan complete. Now on to implementation, by the time I'm 50, I'll be able to retire to my farm. YEAH!

Alpaca Raffle

Creating my farm business plan just got easier. The farm holding the raffle for Chai Tea had it. Unfortunately, I didn't win, but maybe right now that's for the best. The last thing I need to to have another animal to agist before I have my own farm. I am glad I was able to contribute to our troops getting alpaca socks. I've decided that every year I'm going to contribute a fleece to make socks for the trooops.

By my calculations, all things being equal and all of my females have no problems reproducing and do so every year, and I should have 30 alpacas by the end of my 5th year. My plan is to sell at least half of the crias. My plan (finally) is to have 6 breeding females and three herdsires as my foundation herd for my breeding program. I will probably acquire one or two fiber animals per year after the third year which will give me 6 fiber animals. I'd like to have a fiber herd of 12. Before I buy fiber animals, I'll wait and see what my girls produce.

Thirty alpacas is not a small farm but it's not a large operation. I think I'll be able to handle it.

The Importance of Lineage

As I am planning my herd and creating my wish list, a lot of ads tote lineage. "Add MacGyver bloodlines to your herd", "This is the offspring of King Kong", "this alpaca has Peruvian bloodlines", etc. And when I research some of thesse bloodlines, I can see that the Alpacas they are touting have impressive offspring numbers. If one is strictly breeding for show ribbons, and some alpaca owners do, I can see where bloodlines are important. I can see where having a "celeb" alpaca in your breeding program can be a good thing. More importantly, a ribbon winning alpaca from a "celeb" bloodline. Such claims greatly increase the alpaca's value (translation raises the price). Since I am planning to do some breeding, I am learning who the big boys are.

I know I will only buy ARI registered animals. Even if they are simply fiber animals. I will register all of my crias, whether they turn out to be show animals or pets. Yes, it costs money to register the animal, and for most people, the registration is about proving lineage, but more importantly, and my point is, that it tells you where the animal came from. Unless the animal is registered, how do you know where it came from? The animal could be stolen for all I know.

Since I am planning a majority fiber program, how important in lineage? I'm thinking that for me or anyone running a fiber program, lineage is not that important. I think that if given the opportunity I would like the acquire the high end bloodline animals, but in the end if all I want is great fiber, how important is lineage?

Decisions Decisions

What is making life really easy for me is having such wonderful mentors in this business. Everyone has a different way they approach this business but the goal for all of us is the same: to earn enough money from our animals to make a living.

After carefully considering the various ways to make money in this business, I keep coming back to the fiber end. Rick and Patti suggested that I open a fiber mill. This sounds good, I'll definitely research it. If I do decide to go that route, it won't be for a few years. I'm really concentrating on building my herd. It has been suggested that buying fiber animals will be a waste of money. I can see that point; however, it appears that waiting for alpacas to reproduce to my desired number will take me outside of my 5 year plan.

I was up really late last night working on my plan and my goal is to finish it by the end of the week. Finishing will let me know if I need to buy fiber animals to supplement my goal number. For now, my concentration is on what I need to set-up my farm.

Charting my own course

I'm still learning about the alpaca business and I'll still be learning for years to come. Last night I finished reading my friend's blog about her first steps into alpaca. She's stopped writing her blog because the government has apparently decided to read blogs and social network pages to confirm people's business activities. Yes, I have a problem with "Big Brother" looking over my shoulder, but by the same token, I'm not doing anything wrong, so read on.

Everything I go to a website, or talk to someone I learn something whether it's what to do or what not to do. I am deeply grateful for all of the guidance and information I've received. The biggest problem I have with advice and mentoring is that people have a tendency to want you to do exactly what they suggest or follow their footsteps. Through reading her blog, I've learned that Susan was comfortable stoppingher research when she met Rick and Patti. I can totally understand why. They are wonderful people with tons of experience and share it generously wanting nothing in return except to see the person they are helping succeed.

I am not entirely comfortable with one ranch being my sole source of alpaca experience or information. What I learned in college is to write a successful paper, one had to have more than one source. That's why I've visited several farms and plan to visit more. I want to learn from more than one source so I can chart my own course. I haven't gotten the impression that anyone who has given me advice would stop or be upset if I didn't follow their advice to the letter. But I have had that experience before. I've come to realize that those people who turned their backs when I charted my own course did so out of ego. Their intention was not to help me but to see extensions of themselves or to live their lives vicariously through me.

Rick and Patti are not like that. Neither is Nancy or Cindy, or for that matter Susan. But once bitten, twice shy. I feel funny deciding a different course of action from theirs but I believe I'll receive the support I need regardless. This is what I love about the alpaca industry. It's about support and working together while respecting individual choices. The rest of the world should be like the alpaca industry.

This Business is Fun

I know that so far I've been talking about the business of alpacas and not the alpacas themselves, so I 've decided to take a page from Susan, the wonderful woman who introduced me to alpacas, and when I visit the farm, write about my visit.

When I go by myself, I go really early to help muck the fields and get a feel of everyday life on a farm so when I do have my farm I won't feel like a fish out of water. Mucking it is not fun but at least it can be done quickly. The main problem is that ten minutes later, it doesn't look like you touched it. Patti and I had great conversation while mucking. Her advice on pricing, "price what the market will bear." That's why she and Rick have such reasonable prices. They know right now the market isn't bearing $20K alpacas very well. It's just like with anything, there are always going to be people who can pay top dollar but how many of them want to buy your product?

When we got to the main field, we saw something Rick and Patti had only seen one time before: a girl slipped her pregnancy. It was extremely gross. We had to keep making her move so that gravity could pull it everything. (double yuck) The former mom-to-be seemed to take it in stride. It was her first pregnancy. Now it has to be determined if this was a fluke of nature because she had a placental abruption or if she can't carry a pregnancy.

It's situations like this that underscore the risk in the alpaca business for breeders. If you've bought a female with the idea that she is going to pay for herself by giving you lots of crias, you're taking a huge risk with an unproven girl. When I went to .925 Suris I met the sweetest alpaca, Hard Days Night. Not only is he sweet but he is gorgeous, I want to breed him to Keona. Anyway, he was his mom's first and last child. She died after giving birth to him because she couldn't hold her uterus and by the time the doctor got there, she bled out. The risk of breeding. The good news is even if she only gave Nancy one cria, she gave them a good one.

Rick went over what I have so far of my spread sheet. He filled in some pricing I didn't have and corrected some pricing I did have. He also advised against buying fiber males. He pointed out that I will have males born who will only be fiber males and they won't cost me a cent. I'll see how my fiber sales work out before I totally shelve the idea. Rick and Patti also told me it would be a good idea to start my own fiber mill. I don't know, sounds like a new research project!

We halter trained Keona for the third time. She wasn't any happier than the last two times, but at least she walked with us. She decided she doesn't like being tickled, so she didn't stayed cushed longer than a second inthe beginning. She refused to walk the way we wanted her to go. When we got to the circuit, she did everythiung beautifully going up hill but down, she decided to stage a power struggle. I swear she understood Rick tell me not to let her get in front of me because the second he said guess where she went? Even with my hand in front of her she just put her nose in my hand and kept going. Then she cushed. We ended the lesson there.

I can't help but laugh. Keona doesn't want to be controlled anymore than any human and she's doing a great job of lettting me know it. Not only do I love Keona dearly but she ahs earned my respect. Now I have to do the same with her.

Understanding is half the battle

I haven't done my high end shopping yet, but I have done a lot - and I mean a lot - of soul searching. And I realize that regardless of whatever high end shopping I do, if the prices don't make sense, they don't make sense. The shopping will console me that people do spend these ridiculous amounts of money on products, but in the end knowing that people will buy high without knowing why still wouldn't out me in my comfort zone. So I began asking myself why.

The answer came to me in the middle of a phone conversation while I was talking to a potential investor. As I was explaining to him the potential for profit, I gave some rough numbers. Even though I have been working on a business plan, I'm still working on the expenses, I haven't gotten to the profit side yet. As I was explaining it to him, I was explaining the prices of alpacas to myself. Once I did the math, the cost of the alpacas made sense to me:

Alpacas live 15-20 years. Once she reaches breeding age (2), she can have a cria a year until she is 15 or sometimes older. One female can give her owner 13 crias over her lifetime. If a cria sells, for argument sake an average of $3500, this one female has made her owner just over $45,000 over her lifetime. And if she's popping out champions, they sell for higher. Well obviously, if an animal can potentially produce $45,000 or more over her lifetime, she's definitely worth more than I was thinking. And maybe $5 - $10,000 isn't so high afterall.

In the end it's all about perspective. And affordability, of course. But even with this knowledge, one still has to exercise caution because nothing is guaranteed. Anything can happen over the course of those 13 years. But coming to the financial realization does help me feel a lot better about alpaca prices.

Now onto the second half of the battle: end product prices.

*deep sigh* shopaholism + understanding and accepting high end shopping prices. Why doesn't that sound like a marriage made in heaven?

High End Pricing

As I continue my research, I realize that the alpaca industry, the fiber in particular is very high end. While you scratch your head, let me explain. I’ve always known that alpaca was high end, but knowing something and dealing with the reality are two different things. I realize that my natural tendency towards bargain hunting is probably going to alienate me in the alpaca world. I look at the prices and go into shock. I think that the prices are outrageous, but I realize that this is the industry standard and I’m going to have to “get with the program”.

Like I said, we all have our own personal experiences we bring to the table. I have to let go of my own personal crap and let this wonderful thing happen. I know in order for me to be successful in this wonderful business, I can't antagonize the other people in this industry and that means to a certain degree, I'm going to have to get over my high price sticker shock in not only pricing my alpacas but the end items I create from their wonderful fiber. Thankfully, I have mentors who will gladly help me with this.

My sister laughed when I told her my problem. Apparently, she’s been waiting for me to realize that my natural cheapskateness and the alpaca industry were on a collision course. I’ll be taking tours of Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Saks, Nordstrom’s and Neiman Marcus. Hopefully that will help. You would think that working for a high end cruise lines for a year would have helped and to a degree it has, but there is a difference quoting someone else’s price and quoting a price you’ve created.

Well, onward and upward.

From Ideal to Reality

Yes, I was excited before just meeting the animals and wondering about the possibilities, but now that I'm getting a handle on the actual possibilities and not just the ones I imagine, the excitement is building considerably.

I spent the better part of last night reading of alpaca owners blogs like this one and I have found them to be very educational. Everyone has a different point of view and experience and reading those is helpful to me because I'm getting answers to questions I haven't asked yet. And I also realize it could be years before someone reads these and I should try to keep these short. (a lot of reading :-))

This alpaca business can be a pretty wonderful and amazing thing. And as I have read many times, it is not a get rich quick scheme. Which is good, that's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for sustainable long term income. I believe I have truly stumbled upon what will be perfect for me.

Fueling Impatience

Nothing fuels impatience like excitement. I am so excited about the future. My research is going better than I possibly could imagine.

I have determined that it is going to be very possible for me to support myself through my "golden years" with my alpaca farm. And I have definitely decided that I will expand to have a large farm as fast as it supports itself.

The fiber industry is growing and becoming more successful and I believe I have made the right decision to focus on the fiber side of the business rather than the breeding. I have acknowledged before, and I believe it more than ever, that it would be foolish of me to focus on fiber to the exclusion of breeding but I'm thinking I'll have a 75/25 balance. I almost have enough information to complete my business plan, then away I go.

Why not a big farm?

After my farm visit and thinking over the whole idea of a large vs. a small farm and it occurred to me that if I’m concentrating on the fiber market I might want to consider having a larger farm after all.

I’ll start of slowly and if things go well, I’ll begin expanding. Especially if I can maintain a positive relationship with my chosen fiber mill which I believe will happen. I don’t see a reason why I can’t have a larger farm since I’ll probably need to if I’m going to focus on fiber production. And with fiber animals being much cheaper than show animals, it won’t be nearly as challenging to reach a profitable status.

I’ll have help as I get larger; anything over 50 I won’t be able to handle on my own. The farm that I visited had a live in veterinarian which I will absolutely do once I get a large number of animals, probably around 150. I guess the biggest challenge I will face is selling the goods that are produced. Looks like I have more research to do. Good thing I like research.

Alpacas: Pets or Business?

Donald Trump says, "Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life".

This quote pretty much summarizes why I am so excited about having an alpaca farm. I want to do something fun and that I'll enjoy. I love animals. I always have. Having a farm is so me I can't believe I haven't considered this before. The freedom of being my own boss will be a very welcome latent effect of starting my farm.

I went on another farm visit yesterday (yes I was scared) but it was a very nice farm. It was huge. There are over 400 animals. Again it was pleasantly educational. The farm's owner kept emphasizing the financial end of alpacas and continuously reminded me that they are a business and that by having them, I am going into business. This is the part of the alpaca business that disturbs me. Her focus is on the breeding end of the business and I'll have to say from the number of ribbons she and herherd have won, she's very good at it. She emphasizes the very thought process that have turned me off of the breeding end of this business. Yes it's a business and yes the alpacas are livestock. But I view them as pets and I try to treat them with the same respect I want to be treated with. I can't look at an animal and say because your face is long your not good enough to breed. She is very good at looking at the animals and detemining who was show quality and who wasn't. I would love to learn how to do that. What amazed me was that in spite of how hard core business she was, she was very sweet and very loving with her animals.

She has so many that they all have name tags. And that's great for visitors. When we were discussing animals, we could address them by name rather than "that one". She has several that I liked but her prices are bit a high end for me. I view it like this: in everything cars, homes, clothing, restaurants there are different levels to meet almost everyone's budget and comfort level. She sells high end (Maserati) and my budget and comfort level is economy. The last time I flew I had a bargain seat and had to wait until the first class people got on and off the plane first but at the end of the day, we all took off and landed at the same time. I might be paying economy prices for my herd, but I still have good quality animals.

Being the savvy businesswoman that she is, she realizes that there are going to be more people like me visiting her farm and she's already preparing to divide her herd into two levels so that they are affordable to everyone. I hope that the animals I liked fall into the affordable tier and are still available when I'm ready.

Alpaca Shopping

I live on AlpacaNation. I have learned so much from that site. I have also learned quite a bit from the websites of various farms. These sites have been such an invaluable source of information for me, I can't wait to get my site set-up so I can share with other people like me.
I'm thinking that this blog is a good starting point, so I'll keep this up even when I get my site up and running.

Now that I've decided how many animals I want and what kind, the new decision is who buy next. Fortunately, I have plenty of time to make this decision. I have decided that I want to buy Red Shogun from Rick and Patti. Especially since they have such a great program that will allow me to buy him without breaking my bank. I'm still on the fence about Malea.

Malea is a great girl and breeding age which is what I want, however, I'm thinking I need to expand my genetic pool and buy from other farms or ranches. Buying Malea does fit into expanding my genetic pool because she isn't related to anyone else at All American. We'll see. I guess a lot will depend on if she's still available when I'm able to make my next purchase. My next acquisition must be a female because Keona has no one to be in her field with. I'll have three boys and I don't really need anymore, but there seems to be an abundance of males available.

I saw one ad that has me very tempted. There's a trick trained alpaca who gives "high twos". Beyond adorable. If I had extra money, I'd snatch up him and his two buddies. (I will need fiber animals) But since I don't right now, I have to be sensible and get a female next.

Of course I'm going to wait until the raffle results to see if I win Chai Tea. That would be great. She comes with a breeding to any male of the farm including Captain Morgan. I think I could add some serious value to my herd by having offspring of Captain Morgan.

Planning the Herd

I've sat down and thought long and hard about my herd and what I want it to be. I'm taking some cues from the number of herd dispersal sales I'm seeing on Alpaca Nation. I'm definitely going to keep my herd small and grow it slowly. It's very tempting to want to have a large herd but I'm bearing in mind that alpacas are living creatures and have not asked to be born or live on our farms. And I'm remembering they live for 15 - 20 years so I have to be prepared to care for them that entire time.

The most disheartening thing I've seen are listings for animals that are 15 years or older. I don't understand this. If an animal has given you 12+ crias over the course of her lifetime, doesn't she deserve to live out her retirement on your farm? No animal I own will ever not have a home. Even the crias I sell will have a space on my farm.

I have decided that I will have 6 females and two, possibly three, males as my breeding herd. As for my fiber herd, I'll let time dictate how and when I acquire them. I'm planning to have six fiber animals, male or female. I know I know I don't want more than a dozen animals of my own and I plan to agist an additional dozen. And I realize as a write this that I've already put my number above 12 but anyone who knows me won't be surprised. I love animals in general so much that the only surprise will be if I can keep the number down. :-)

A Real Farm

Now that I know what I can do with the fiber, I'm going full steam ahead planning my farm. I really love reading the web pages of other farms. I found one where they have chickens. I had been toying with the idea of having chickens. I've also been kicking around the idea of having a horse, too. I also like the idea of having a vegetable garden and possibly a small orchard.

I've been working on preliminary sketches of the layout. I've also been looking a blue prints for houses and found a great floor plan for the farm store and helper's cabin. I'm even looking at potential houses. I've become a DYI network junkie and I'm convinced I can build them myself. I'm also thinking realistically that I might simply purchase a maunfactured house.

Today's task will be creating my five year financial plan so I can begin the process of getting funding. I found a grant to start a new farm unfortunately it was already closed. Maybe next year.

The Fiber Market

I am now more excited than ever about my ventures into the alpaca industry. My biggest questions were "what to do with the fiber?" Afterall, the fiber is suppose to be the reason we are in the alpaca business. From what I've read, fiber is the end product. I was getting concerned for a while because I was unable to find solid answers and once I was on the right path, I encountered something I hadn't before in the alpaca industry: rudeness and lack of assistance. I was actually feeling discouraged but I forged on and found what I was looking for: what to do with the fiber.

I have found a wonderful alpaca fiber mill, All Alpaca Fiber in West Virginia. I spoke with an employee who was sweet and very helpful and later her boss called me to answer the questions she couldn't. It was a relief to find the kindness and comraderie I have come to expect of the alpaca industry. They have reasonable rates and excellent turn around time. And now that I've found a place that will process my fiber for me, not only into yarn, but into fabric as well, (they are working on making fabric from the fiber) I can now comfortably plan out my place in the alpaca industry.

I have decided to focus more on fiber and creating end product and helping increase the demand for alpaca fiber products. I think I'll be a lot more comfortable with the majority of my business focused on fiber but I will be very active on the breeding and showing end as well.

Farm Visits

I've been told the most valuable learning tools for a new alpaca owner is farm visits. I have only visited two farms besides where my kids are, but of course, I'm still new to this. The first farm I visited was great. The people were really nice very sweet, incredibly hospitable. They were generous with their time and knowledge of their experiences. They have a family operation and have two farms, one here in the LA area and one up north. I liked the layout and the space they provided for their animals and how they were able to reconfigure their fields by opening and closing different gates.

The wife suggested another local farm that specializes in suris, the type of alpaca I'm really interested in. I went there and saw an absolute nightmare. The animals were so crowded that the first thought that came to my head was "puppy mill". The poor animals couldn't even move more than ten feet away from the poop pile. She had breeding males directly next to open females. The guys were not happy campers. I know it was hot and she called herself bringing them in from the heat, but I can't imagine they were happier in those conditions than they would have been outside.

After that visit, I learned the value of space and one can never have enough shade shelters or trees. If she'd had some outside, the poor animals wouldn't have been cramped together like that. The scariest part she boards other people's animals. Never mine.

I told the person who recommended the farm about my visit and she was horrified. She said her lesson was to always have her farm in "visitor" condition and to be careful about recommendations. I am keeping those lessons in mind for myself.

Research

I guess I should begin at the beginning. How did I decide to invest in alpacas? I was speaking with someone who has become a friend and she told me about her alpacas. She also invited me to visit the ranch where hers are agisted (lay term: boarded). While waiting for her to come back from vacaion, I began my research online and loved everything I read. By the time I went with her to the ranch, I was sold.

That's probably why is wasn't hard for me to decide to buy Keona especially since her brother was thrown in. Look at those faces, why could you not fall in love? And when I saw Michael and Ewok together and how much they cared about each other I knew I couldn't separate them. But emotions aside, alpacas and having an alpaca farm is a business and before I take over the care of my kids, I have a lot of things to learn and a lot of decisions to make.

I've already made some: my farm will be in Arkansas, I'm going to have a small herd, 25 at the most, and most of my herd will be suri (decision made by attraction - every alpaca I really liked except one was a suri). I still have a lot of research to do. I have to learn about the fiber end of this business and decide if I'm going to emphasize the fiber end of the business or the breeding side. I haven't learned enough about the fiber end but from what I've learned about breeding, I'm not 100% comfortable with it. But we'll see what the future holds.

My First Alpacas

I have purchased my first Alpacas! I am very excited. I have two boys, Michael Jackson and Sir Ewok and Michael's sister, Keona.

My boys are only one month old and Keona is 10 months old. Keona is being halter trained and will be going to her first show in November.

Michael has incredible luster and is looking more like a herdsire everyday. He and Keona are out of Blade and they are incredible looking animals. It looks like my Sir Ewok might just be Michael's fiber buddy. But we'll see.

Here are pictures of my kids.