ABOUT OUR ALPACAS
NEW! Check out our photos from shearing in 2011, 2010 and also in 2009.
We have kept alpacas since January 2003, after a devastating bout of fire blight destroyed our apple orchard. Our ranch is in the hills of San Bernardino, in the village of Oak Glen, and home to our own animals and those of others for whom we agist. All the alpacas run amongst the cedar, pine and oak trees, and sometimes snow.
Peddlers Pack breeds for excellence and our efforts are reflected in a herd of beautiful fawn, brown and black huacayas. We enjoy the many positive relationships and partnerships they have gained through being part of the local "alpaca" family. We also enjoy the education our alpacas give us on a daily basis.
Alpacas are South American camelids related to the vicuna, guanaco and llama. They are primarily raised for fiber and come in two varieties: the crimpy "Huacaya" and the locked "Suri". They produce up to 15 pounds of fine, light, soft, warm fiber when shorn once a year. They are generally good natured, gentle, peaceful, curious animals. There is nothing better then sitting and listening to their humming or the clucking of one of the dams (moms) to her cri (baby). Alpacas are slow reproducers with a gestation of about 11 months and maturity at 1.5 to 2 years. They usually have a single birth in the early daylight hours. They have been known to live over 20 years. They weigh an average of 120 pounds as an adult. Height is about 36 inches at the shoulder. They do require being kept in at least pairs, as they not do well alone with their herd animal instinct. They are easy on the land with their soft padded feet. They are adaptable to most climates and use a communal dung pile, so cleaning pastures is easier.
Deelaina Rana
As I sat out on my swing overlooking our wonderful Alpacas I am feeling really blessed.
One of our Alpaca friends had just called to see if we needed help because a fire had started last night in a nearby canyon. We are fine but whenever there is a fire nearby I can count on a call from our friends offering to drop everything to come move our girls out and anything else needed.
Our week old cria baby was running around the yard, then lying down at the top of the dirt hill and rolling over and over going down the hill. Didn't I used to do that as a kid?
While at the Alpaca Fest West show for 3 days, our friends Dee and Elaine cria baby sat to be, our Alpaca Mom to be, and while at our ranch were my house angels. I came home from the show to find that my "angels" had vacuumed our house and folded my laundry, but no baby cria had arrived.
Monday after the show, I went down to check on Momma to be, LaTiDa, and she hummed and hummed at me, some how letting me know that today was the day.
As I kissed my husband good bye and headed for work, I told him the baby would be here today. At 10:00 AM he called me at work, I was in a meeting, and told me to come home, baby was on the way and he needed help. As he hung up the phone, LaTiDa, started sounding out that she was in trouble. Jim knew I wouldn't be home for at least a half hour, what to do?
Then he realized our friend and neighbor was home, another Alpaca friend. He immediately called Rana and only said, "I need your help now!" She was over and down in the pen before Jim, with his bad back, could hobble down to LaTiDa. What a woman!, no questions asked, and she was ready and willing to help.
A few minutes later, a lively baby girl was born and in I pulled home from work. All I could see at first was the thumbs up, that all was well. I am sure I made a funny picture as I ran down to the pen with my work dress on and heels.
Deelaina Rana had been born. Tears came to my eyes, I always cry when a cria is born. And as I reflect on our baby cria named for 3 dear friends, I realize that she symbolized what is important in our lives which is really our friends and loved ones.
Jim and I are blessed with many dear friends, many of which we have met thru our Alpaca business.
Summer Surprise
Last spring I learned a valuable lesson, one of our girls Lilly was due to give us a cria. Well her due date came and went. hmmm. Guess we should have done that dang blood test three months after she came home from breeding. Of course then we would have known that we were waiting for a cria that wasn't even there. So there I was depressed and missing the joy that a baby brings to the ranch. Darn, she was the only baby we were expecting before the fall! I love watching the babies run in the pen. I would miss that this summer.
Just AFTER we discovered Lilly was not pregnant, we decided to pull blood on all of our girls to make sure no one else was not pregnant, duh!. So our friend Lisa came up early in the morning and helped Jim and the boys pull blood on all of the "pregnant" girls. No problem, all went well.
It was the first day of summer, Jim and the boys went back to working in the yard. About 2 hours later they heard screaming coming from the herd. They ran over to see what was up.we have bears and coyotes around, so sometimes the alpacas sound off when a wild creature comes up the driveway.
All of the girls were over the poop pile looking down at something. Jim thinking it was odd, ran ( well hobbled he doesn't run much anymore) down to the girls and lo and behold there was a cria! The cria was a pinto with a white head and legs and a brown body. SHE didn't look anything like our mommas! He looked around and said, "So who's your momma?" Not getting a response, he figured that if he had Josh (son) pick her up and take her to the pen the right momma would follow. Sure enough Dutchess, a solid fawn, and of course, her mom followed and gave up the after birth an hour later.
The cria is named Summer Surprise and aptly so.
Funny how things turn out, Dutchess was not due until September, but due to an erroneous negative blood test in June we had rebred her in the Fall.of course now we know why she was spitting at the re-breeding!
PS Any guess as to the outcome of her blood test from the blood pulled that birth day? .43.normally a negative pregnancy test.she was in labor, of course, when we pulled blood!
Nap time!
