About Us and About Alpacas...

The Long Story

Mission Statement
Alpacas Facts

The Long Story

We are professionals whose goal was to have a gentleman's farm in 10-15 years. Joe is an electrical engineer and I (Susan) am an occupational therapist. We both felt that we should work a little longer for financial reasons and to accomplish professional goals; mainly to get our professions out of our systems. Little did we know that our bi-annual trip to Joe's home turf (Upstate New York) would lead to a major life change.

We were having lunch with some good friends on their far in Cato, NY. (Joe lived on a farm there as a young boy.) They told us that their neighbors down the road were raising these “alpacees” that sold for over $15,000 a piece . Of course, we couldn't believe the price and had to see this! $15,000 for a goat?!
We laughed all the way over to the farm with the alpacees and continued snickering as we fell in love with them. Dick and Debbie McCoy explained to us how easy they are to care for compared to other live stock and how the business works. Although the price still continued to cause spasms of snorting and snickering. We finally controlled our giggling enough to pay closer attention when Dick proceeded to tell us that he used to be an electrical engineer and is now making more money now than her ever did at a 9-5 job.
For the next few weeks, we could not talk about anything else. As soon as we got home to San Diego, we began to visit alpaca farms in our area. We did intensive research and found out about alpaca shows in our area. In about a month, we purchased 4 production females (Peaches, Calico, Delta and Penny). We quickly became addicted as we learned about and interacted with them. Instead of finding an AA group (Alpacas Anonymous) we bought some more animals (Belkis, Summer, Gwen,...). We now have a herd and are still giggling. We are currently agisting and hope to have a farm in about a year.

Mission Statement
  1. We believe that the most important part of the business is the attentive care of the alpacas. We will do everything in our power to educate and train our clients and ourselves about practical day-to-day care, breeding and the most current health issues and concerns.
  2. We are committed to providing professional service to our clients with consideration of their business goals, finances and time. We will assist clients in building a solid, manageable infrastructure for their businesses.
  3. We know that the most rewarding work is work that is loved. We will do all we can to facilitate alpacas as a way to realize financial success and emotional well-being.
How Can We Live Up to our Mission Statement if We are “Just Agisting”

Since before we began buying alpacas, we educated ourselves by visiting farms. We spent 4-5 hours on average at each farm asking for information, pamphlets, books web-sites and reading everything. We even spent days on farms that offered farmer-for-a-day types of programs. As soon as we made our first purchase (Peaches and Tweak), we signed up for as many classes and shows as possible.
We visit our animal at All American Alpacas as frequently as Rick and Patti Horn will allow. This gives us a chance to see the care of our animals but care and handling of an entire herd of about 80 alpacas. Rick and Patti are eager to educate us as we usually come loaded with many questions. they also allowed us to alpaca sit when they have needed to get away and were expecting crias.
We communicate frequently with Dick and Debbie McCoy at Foxrun Farms in Cato, New York where the other half of our herd are agisted. They keep us up-to-date on our “kids” as well as advise us on business strategies. On our last visit to see our East Coast herd, I (Susan), had the opportunity to perform a prenatal exam on an expectant mother.
For two people who do not have a farm, we have sure done a lot. We have had experiences with shearing, have trimmed toenails and teeth, given shots, measured and administered worming paste, learned herding and handling techniques. I have found myself in the show ring multiple times showing animals for farms. We have been educated as to the best way to set up a barn and pastures to facilitate ease of care. We have learned about how to care for pastures, about what kind of feed to use, the differences of how to feed males verses females, pregnant verses open and how appropriately ween a cria. We understand the behavioral issues related to feeding and herd hierarchy and how to set up feeders to minimize conflict. We have participated in prenatal classes, observed normal birth, performed a prenatal exam, and assisted a veterinarian with a difficult birth.
We have attended seminars as to how to recognize quality alpacas and how to describe their strengths and weaknesses intelligently as well as make breeding decisions for our females. Joe has created business planning software that can assist potential buyers in making the best decisions to match their needs and finances. We have already built a solid herd and are educated as to the best way to continue to breed good quality with strong genetics.
All we need now is a farm.....

The Plan

When the alpaca bug hit, we were in the middle of a long-planned make-over of our home in the 'burbs. As anxious as we are to move on & be with our “kids,” we need to finish the remodel since the upstairs is gorgeous and the downstairs is a mess! We expect to be done early next year, at which time we'll be looking for a place to set up shop in East County, San Diego. (Its going to be funny living in a house that isn't a construction zone!)

Fascinating Facts About Alpacas
  1. Really cute members of the camelid family. They are related to camels, llamas, vicunas, and guenacos.
  2. Alpacas generally do not spit at people although they spit at each other. They will spit at a human if abused or if caught in the cross-fire.
  3. Although their feet look like cloven hooves, the feet are actually soft on the bottom with nails on top.
  4. They have no upper teeth, just a hard pallet for chewing and teeth on the bottom.
  5. The males grow fighting teeth around breeding age; around 2-3 years.
  6. Females produce 1 cria (baby) per year.
  7. Their pregnancies last 11 ½ months and are receptive to being bred in 2-4 weeks after giving birth.
  8. An alpaca will spit at the male when she is pregnant. She will also spit at the human that exposed her to the male if she is really cranky.
  9. Alpacas are induced ovulators. This means that it is the sexual act that stimulates release of the mature egg.
  10. One egg becomes mature every 3-4 days.
  11. Alpacas generally give birth before 1 pm.
  12. An alpacas fleece is strong and warm as wool but soft enough to wear against the skin.
  13. Alpaca fleece is hypo-allergenic.
  14. The fleece comes in about 20 natural colors but can easily be dyed to achieve any color.
  15. Alpacas tend to poop in a community pile, making clean-up easy.
  16. Alpacas are native to South America (Chile, Bolivia and Peru) and are the oldest domesticated species in the Western Hemisphere. They were raised by the ancients for their fine fleece which was worn by royalty.
  17. Alpacas were first imported into the US in the 1980's. Today, the registry is closed to imports and there are approximately 100,000 registered animals in the US.
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