Alpaca Tribe

In the previous episode, I mentioned I was giving up on the last three potentially pregnant alpacas. Just to prove me wrong, Olwyn gave birth the following day! A month late and late afternoon. Wenna, a beautiful brown female is now happily running around in the field. It was a late afternoon birth - never a good start and we are still having some feeding issues to work through with her and her mu...

It is not possible to always know the answer and the right thing to do. But this podcast can help you to lean in the right direction. To learn as we go, making the best decisions we can. I guess we will always be a work in progress. Listen in for a catch up on life in the valley with the alpacas. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Catch up on the valley happenings and musings. Cria behaviour - nature or nurture? A little bit of sad news and the change of season seems to be here - Autumn for us in the UK and Spring in Australia. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Cria, like most babies, seem to turn up when they are ready. More waiting means more sitting around with the alpacas - which is quite a treat actually. We name the cria by taking the next letter in the alphabet and since we have the herd name of Welsh Valley Alpacas, we have a book of Welsh baby names to help us. Some letters are limited (or don't exist) and some are plentiful for male/female but...

Millie had an adventure - as did we all. And this one needed the assistance of the Fire and Rescue Service - to whom I am immensely grateful. It could have been very different, but we are all well thanks to the knowledge, experience and equipment of the Fire and Rescue Service from Morriston and Swansea Central . Thank you. There are some pictures on the website at https://alpacatribe.com/podcast1...

I spent some time with the girls after mucking out and topping up the water. There seemed to be a fair bit of talking, even though they were pretty laid back. After all the talk and lots of watching - nothing to show. But the next day was a different story... Born too near the edge we temporarily lost the newborn cria off the edge of the path but thankfully we saw enough and heard enough to know t...

Well there were a few to choose from but Betsi was the first. A lovely black alpaca with a beautiful dark fawn cria. 8.5 kg is a good size and Lena, our lastest arrival has made a strong entry to the valley and the world. Born near the lake - too near to be left there - I moved her up to a broader path with less danger while she found her feet and the milk-bar. Both baby and mum are doing well and...

This is such an important time, all around the world, to be taking notice of ourselves and our mental wellbeing. Alpacas help. In this episode, I encourage you to take note of what you are saying to yourself about the need for time, space for yourself and stopping for a bit. What better way than to be around some alpacas. And being around the alpacas, you will find that they speak to you too - lea...

Physics is around us every day and can make our lives keeping alpacas easier or more difficult. Take note of how you do things and adjust as necessary. Listen in for some practical tips on lifting on carrying loads like alpaca feed bags and mucking out. Down on the farm - update on the geese and the alpacas. Stay safe and if you can, go spend some time with an alpaca. This podcast uses the followi...

Build your confidence and care for your alpacas like you want to. In this episode, we explore three simple things you can do to be a more confident owner. Take the long view and keep trying. Know who is boss - hint, it is supposed to be you but work with the herd leader too. Stay safe - of course, this means don't put yourself at risk but also help your alpacas view you as safe to be around. It ke...

Confidence comes from a combination of sufficient knowledge and practice over time. In the last episode , I asserted that gaining more confidence with caring for your alpacas was possible, not just in principle but specifically for you. David Dunning and Justin Kruger of the Dunning-Kruger effect fame, suggest we can delude ourselves about how good we are. Their work starting back in 1999 suggests...

Build your confidence and care for your alpacas like you want to. In this episode, we explore three simple things you can do to be a more confident owner. Take the long view and keep trying. Know who is boss - hint, it is supposed to be you but work with the herd leader too. Stay safe - of course, this means don't put yourself at risk but also help your alpacas view you as safe to be around. It ke...

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day - it is certainly my favourite. I love having breakfast with my best friend, my wife Sue. But I also love having breakfast with 'my girls', down at the stable. You get to see a lot and if you take it slow (weather and diary permitting), it is a great start to the day. Join me and the girls for breakfast in this episode which is something of...

I love talking alpacas with alpaca people from around the world - it is so good to learn from each other. Listen in for more discussions with Rita Soares of Campo Verde Alpacas near Melbourne, Australia, on showing and shearing. In another video, Rita managed to catch kangaroos and alpacas co-grazing. I hope the alpacas were not watching too closely as the kangaroo made hopping over the fence look...

Rita Soares of Campo Verde Alpacas is an old friend of the Alpaca Tribe. Listen in as Steve and Rita talk alpacas, particularly how life with alpacas is developing having started with four and grown to 35! Be warned, it happens sometimes that alpacas can grow to be a bigger part of your life than you first expected, especially if you have the 'alpaca gene'. We also talked births and weaning; fence...

Keeping alpacas is unique, at least in my experience. There is a cost - financial, emotional and time. But, I think it is a price worth paying for having these unique animals in my life. Listen in to get a sense of how it feels, good and bad and see if it is for you. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Knowing you are finished is such a nice feeling, especially when shearing. Today we are talking about shearing, with some thoughts on how you can approach shearing, especially mentally; what to do when things don't go quite according to plan (almost guaranteed); and how to build for a better future with your alpacas. We have just finished shearing our herd of 37 alpacas - and it is so nice to know...

Alpaca fleece can hide a multitude of things. Shearing time can bring things to light - from vegetation and unexpected prickles to body condition and occasionally fly-strike. Explore with me some of the things that can be hidden beneath the fleece and what to make of them. We have started shearing now and I include an update on the first few adventures, including Alys giving us a surprise. This po...

Alpacas can help teach us how to prioritise. Take sleeping for example - essential for a fast-growing cria and the rest of us. The three alpaca priorities are to: eat well, sleep well and explore like mad, so you can make sense of the world and know how to live in it safely. Priorities we can live by for sure. Check out our earlier episode - Episode 97 - Be More Alpaca This podcast uses the follow...

Jeremiah Owen of Hiraeth Ranch in California is an old friend of the podcast and Alpaca Tribe. Listen in as we catch up on his pandemic-year with his suri alpacas. Cria births and complications; keeping the rhythm of normality during the pandemic; looking forward.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Spring continues to arrive with the occasional flip back to winter. Overall the alpacas are doing well and enjoying the greener grass. The spit-offs are done and some things are a bit clearer. Meanwhile, there are goslings, swallows and rabbits to add to the mix. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

We all like a challenge - so here is the Alpaca Tribe Quiz! See what you know already. Questions How many toes does a Camel have? What is the group name for Llamas, Alpacas, Guanacos and Vicuna? What are the two types of alpacas? What is the nature of the land that is native to alpacas? What language do alpacas speak? How heavy is a bag of candy-floss? What are baby alpacas called? Answers in the...

As shearing approaches, I wonder what you will do with your fleece? If you haven't tried wet felting you really should. There is also needle felting but I always feel nervous of needles heading towards my leg. Nuno felting is also worth exploring at least for inspiration - check out these books for starters (some needle felting snuck in there too) See Liz Clay's website gallery and be astounded Th...

Alpacas need and want to have their basic needs met; to be safe and secure; to have some interest; and to be able to express their natural behaviour. So how can we create the best environment for our alpacas? It involves providing many different elements: the physical environment; the emotional environment; and the behavioural environment. We all want to do the best we can for our alpacas and...

What is the best colour for an alpaca? They come in a variety of shades - what would you choose if you were starting out keeping alpacas? Colours stretch from true white to true black, via fawns and browns. We also have some Welsh gray - which manifests in the wet weather when they get all muddy! But since they are 'dry-clean' animals there true colour emerges when they dry out and fluff up again....