Alpaca Tribe

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! Alpacas are mysterious creatures. We get to know them but they still surprise us with their mysterious ways. 'Why do they do that?' becomes 'Why do they sometimes do that?'. I have three questions that might help: Is it me? Is it them? Is it something in the local environment? Megan spat in my ear again. She doesn't always but sometimes I get surprised. Wi...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! Update post-storm and what is happening with the alpacas in the valley. If you are celebrating a holiday around this time, do enjoy and share life with those you love. Of course for the alpacas, it is just another day! Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed it. You can contact me by email - steve@alpacatribe.com - or leave me a voicemail from your br...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! We knew to expect some colder weather but thought we were on the edge of the weather alert area. Maybe not. It started cold and frosty but then came some snow. Now it was not that bad really - just a surprise. The first real cold weather of the season is always like that. Keep an eye on the water - checking for ice. And think about some extra food that wil...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, I sit in the sun and think alpacas, and swans, and herons and the rest. No one ready for breakfast when I first went down to feed them - no one at home. But they heard me and came ready for clearing the troughs. Cold mornings make for hungry alpacas. Birds about today on a beautiful, clear, bright, sunny, still day with low sun. Ravens hav...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! Feeding alpacas can be fun and sometimes challenging. Always a great opportunity to catch up with how your herd is doing and what is going on. Also, it can add to the positive experiences they have of you as a safe person to be around. Of course, sometimes there is more than you bargain for. I have been musing about what makes a good alpaca. Particularly r...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, I share my delight on a dry, still autumn day. The colours, the sounds and the alpacas enjoying their pastures. Things to notice as always. Keep notes of the changes. Watch the body condition, particularly of older or weaker alpacas and boost the rations to keep them healthy. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed it. You can contact...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In the calm between storms, my thoughts turn to tools and fences. Maintaining them during the downtime of fall and winter is a great way to invest in the future of your alpaca farm. This time of year has some lovely moments, so take advantage when you can, to get outside and spend time with your alpacas. A cup of your favourite beverage and something to si...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! We want to be confident, fulfilled owners of happy and healthy alpacas. The moving target of what is involved in achieving that continues to entice us to do better. Good food. Keeping them healthy. And spending time with them. Steps along the way. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed it. You can contact me by email - steve@alpacatribe.com - or leav...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! Things stay the same until they don't. Unexpectedly we had to make new arrangements for feed supplies. Moving in the right direction now and we will settle into a new routine I am sure. In the meantime, it is an opportunity to review everything and make sure we are doing the best to care for our alpacas. This is especially important as the autumn weather e...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! As we celebrate 300 episodes of The Alpaca Tribe Podcast, I have been reflecting back on what I have enjoyed and what you have listened to most. How we started and an invitation to breakfast with the girls seem to have been popular so I wanted to share some clips with you (again if you are a regular). Thank you for being on the journey with me and for the...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! People love to ask questions about alpacas. They are unusual animals and many people have not spent much time with them. In today's episode, I run through these typical questions and offer some perspectives and answers that might satisfy that curiosity. If you have any other questions, please email me and we can include them in a future episode. Thanks for...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! Alpacas have a pace all of their own. And if we choose to, we can let them teach us to find a slower rhythm that could just suit us better. I love it when alpaca life spills over into the rest of life. What do you notice about your alpacas? What about friends, family and colleagues? What about you? Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed it. You can c...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, I share some of my alpaca obsessions. Where are they and what are they doing? We learn by making mistakes - hopefully small and not disastrous ones. It starts that way when we first start keeping alpacas and it continues. The specifics change as we get more experience and more adventurous! Keep learning and if you can go spend some time wi...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! You can enjoy being with alpacas whatever the weather. They seem to cope with it all but it does change their behaviour, which is true of us too. Here in the UK particularly, we seem to be obsessed with the weather. The wind can put an extra spring in an alpacas step. If you can go spend some time with your alpacas in windy weather and notice what is going...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, everyone maybe talking AI - but not everyone is talking Alpaca Intelligence Join me as I consider the intelligence shown by these amazing creatures. I also got caught out in the rain and had to shelter while giving breakfast to the girls. Preparation and spontaneity. Why not have a half-hour holiday with your alpacas? But take something to...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! Sometimes we can feel lost even when we are not and other times, we really are lost and need help. Being lost means there is a piece of information missing. Either we don't know where we are; we don't know where to go; or we don't know how to get where we are going. Strategies to move forward include waiting for more data, starting to make a move in the be...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, we consider how alpacas like being with other alpacas and ask the question - how many make a herd? Alpacas love to be able to see other alpacas. They have a strong herd instinct and to help them thrive we need to understand this and accommodate it as much as we can. How many make a herd? One alpaca on its own is not a herd. But that doesn'...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, I consider the colours of alpacas and what my favourite is. And no, it is not blue! Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed it. You can contact me by email - steve@alpacatribe.com - or leave me a voicemail from your browser. Alpaca Tribe is hosted and produced by Steve Heatherington of Waterside Voices . This podcast uses the followin...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, listen in for a valley update - the alpacas, the birds, the warmth and the water levels. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed it. You can contact me by email - steve@alpacatribe.com - or leave me a voicemail from your browser. Alpaca Tribe is hosted and produced by Steve Heatherington of Waterside Voices . This podcast uses the fol...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, Alpacas are predictable until they are not. The same can be said of the weather. Join me for some musings and a valley update. What is predictable? Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed it. You can contact me by email - steve@alpacatribe.com - or leave me a voicemail from your browser. Alpaca Tribe is hosted and produced by Steve He...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! Alpacas are semi-ruminant. That means they have multiple stomach compartments (three) and chew the cud. This kind of digestion is similar to cows and sheep which are the ruminants most people know about. These are not separate stomachs but compartments. This seems amazingly simple to my alpacas but I can't easily get my head around how it all works the way...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! Building cooperation comes by building trust. Being trustworthy to your alpacas is a worthwhile investment even if it takes time and effort. Start with the simple and take small steps and you can grow your alpacas' confidence in you - and also your own confidence in you. A clear win-win. Leading is different to managing. I vote for leading - listen in to f...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, we are thinking about how ordinary and extraordinary days can both start looking the same. But keep your eyes open, you never know when the extraordinary is going to show up and surprise and delight. Frequently around cria birthing time, I have found this to be true. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed it. You can contact me by em...

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, the air was still and the valley was quiet. The alpacas were waiting for breakfast. What a great start to the day. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed it. You can contact me by email - steve@alpacatribe.com - or leave me a voicemail from your browser. Alpaca Tribe is hosted and produced by Steve Heatherington of Waterside Voices ....

Welcome to the podcast for alpaca people! In this episode, I finish the update on this year's shearing and happenings in the valley. It is always nice to clean up and pack away the shearing equipment for another year. It went well, we had a good crop of fleece and almost all of the herd were in good shape. Satisfying. Of course, another round of feeding and weather-watching follows straight after,...