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We’re already a couple of months into 2026, and whether we’re longtime or new friends, I’m really glad you're here. I love sharing glimpses of everyday life with the alpacas on social media — their routines, their antics, and all the small moments in between. As you may (or may not) know, they’re beautiful creatures with wonderful (sometimes goofy) personalities and surprisingly soft coats. While I make and share video clips all year long, I put together one longer video at the end of each year that highlights the fun, playfulness, and memorable moments from the past twelve months. I've been doing this ever since we adopted our first alpacas in December 2014, and 2025 was no exception. If you ever need a little escape or a way to keep kids entertained, alpaca videos tend to do the trick. Today, though, I wanted to share this past year’s highlight video with you. It’s 35 minutes long, so go make some popcorn, grab your favorite beverage, get comfortable, and enjoy this montage of alpaca fun from 2025.
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Winter is firmly here, and appears intent to stay for a while. The snow is piling up, and a LOT more is on the way this weekend, which makes for a beautiful backdrop for filming the alpacas.  But chores don’t pause for the cold, so warm layers are a daily requirement, and comfort and durability really matter — especially in the everyday things we rely on without much thought. That’s what prompted this post, focused on one item that’s been especially useful this season. Alpaca Hiking Socks — built for real winter days. These socks are made for people who are on their feet and out in the cold. They keep our feet warm, offer soft cushioning for all-day wear, and wick moisture and resist odor without feeling bulky. They’re the kind of socks you wear once — and then keep reaching for. With Valentine’s Day a couple of weeks away, they also make a simple, practical gift for someone who’s always cold, hard to shop for, or who would genuinely use them (yourself included). If you’d like to take a closer look, you can find them below. Thanks, as always, for being here and supporting the alpacas.  You’ve been very patient waiting to learn how many of our alpacas are pregnant, and I won’t make you wait any longer. I will precede the announcement briefly, with a reminder that we bred five girls to Ace in hopes of having more than one cria, so they can play together just like Baxter and Ace when they were young. Those two had a blast growing up together.  The following year, when Indie was born, she was an only child. She was a happy little cria who had a lot of fun being the biggest pest to her aunties, but we always wondered if she would have enjoyed having someone to grow up with.  Anyway, without further ado, below are the girls who are expecting, the sonograms, and their due dates: Are you as surprised as we are??
We’re super proud of Ace, who will become a proven herdsire, and look forward to seeing which genetics he passes on to his offspring and to other farms that are interested in his services. If you have your GSA 2026 wall calendar handy, this is a good time to write down each of their due dates so you can track their delivery dates along with us. I’ve received some really great questions that I’d like to share with you. Maybe you were wondering some of these yourself?
As a quick reminder, we paired our black male alpaca, Ace, with five of our females:
How did Ace pick the girls? Ace had it easy. He only needed to show up. 😉 We decided who we wanted him to pair up with, but we also waited for the girls to tell us they were interested in him. Were the girls ready? Yes. They gave us signals they were interested, whether they flirted with Ace at the fence line or when one camped out by the boys’ paddock waiting for him to join her. How long before pregnancies are confirmed, and how do you confirm a pregnancy? This answer is twofold. We can confirm on the farm within a month via a spit test and behavioral changes, but neither guarantees a pregnancy (a spit test is a behavioral response to a male’s romantic overtures conducted over several weeks). To be certain, we confirmed pregnancies by ultrasound, which should be done at least three months after the last breeding encounter. Do we expect all the breedings to be successful? No. We chose to breed five females to increase our odds that some would become pregnant. Do we know who the expectant mom is? YES! Ultrasounds were recently conducted, and we know who is pregnant. I’ve been wanting since June to share some exciting news with you about Ace but felt it was premature to start talking about it. Now that summer is behind us, I feel more comfortable sharing that Joe and I have given Ace the opportunity to become our first herdsire. Yep, we’re planning on having some cria next summer. This is a new experience for him and us. As Ace was approaching his 3rd birthday, he showed signs that he’s mature enough to get the job done:
A few of the girls have been bred before (of course, that’s how Baxter, Ace, and Indie got here), but we would bring them to another farm that would take care of the breeding process for us. We were never fans of having the girls off farm for so long (at least a month) because we missed them. So, we knew one day we would attempt breeding ourselves when Ace was old enough. We knew who we wanted to pair Ace with, and to our great fortune, the girls told us they were ready and interested as well.  Needless to say, but we’re pretty excited about what’s in store next summer. Lately, Ace and I are having more one-on-one opportunities to do training sessions. Usually, Rocky is right beside him, and any attempt to interact with Ace is disrupted by - you guessed it - his little buddy, Rocky! Rocky always wants what Ace or Baxter has, so he inserts himself with a “me too! me too!” look on his face and breaks any encounter I’m trying to have. I don’t fault him. Rocky is the sweetest and most enthusiastic boy, but sometimes Ace and Baxter appreciate a break. 😉 So, I have to be crafty about it and distract Rocky with some food and sneak Ace out of the paddock so we can train. This video begins with our early days of training, and my gosh Ace was so little!! It was Spring 2024. Baxter and Ace had spent the winter in the main paddock, and I could tell that Ace was bored. It was at least six weeks before we could open the pastures up for grazing, so I thought I would engage with Ace with some enrichment games, knowing it would stimulate him if he was interested. Ace took to the challenge and liked the one-on-one focus as well as the reward: alpaca “cookies” — his favorite! Jump ahead to now, and we’re still at it with our enrichment training. Ace can perform five actions:
During our farm visits, when Ace finds out we have alpaca “cookies,” he’ll start turning around or will take a bow to solicit being rewarded - talk about a smart alpaca! (Let me know if Ace did that for you when you visited our farm!) With winter looming on the horizon and pasture grass becoming dormant, the alpacas will spend more time in their paddocks. Despite the onset of winter, Ace will still enjoy opportunities to get out of his paddock (and away from Rocky) to spend time practicing with me.  They are here! Ready, and waiting to be hung on your wall. Our calendars include important dates (alpaca birthdays) and seasonal reminders such as shearing time and standard holidays. It wouldn’t surprise me if a number of people stop to admire your calendar when they notice all the sweet alpaca faces looking back at them. Maybe there’s someone on your gift list who would love one. However, we only have a limited supply, and I want to make sure you get yours before they disappear at our upcoming holiday markets. Becca has been with us for two weeks now, and I’m sure you’re wondering how she’s acclimating to her new home. I’m pleased to say that she’s doing great and thought you’d appreciate knowing what we’ve observed and learned about her since she’s been here. She loves feeding time - it’s probably the first thing Becca picked up on when she got here. She recognizes the feeding buckets and happily follows us to the fence rail where we hang them. Becca also has a favorite feeding spot. She prefers the first bucket on the rail, but after everyone has had their fill, she’ll walk the fence line and do “clean up” of any leftovers.  Becca loves the boys - this was evident from the day she arrived. She runs to the fence and greets them with her tail up and clucks at them. She is basically flirting with them and letting the boys know that she is interested in them. Becca seems to really like Rocky, and he’s curious about her, too, but he becomes instantly shy around her. I wonder if he thinks Becca is out of his league - LOL!  Becca is becoming more social - we knew when we got her that Becca was comfortable with approaching us and giving us a sniff, but within a day’s time, she was already eating treats out of our hands, and we continue to encourage this behavior.
We’ve had some guided farm tours since her arrival, and I’m thrilled that during our most recent visit, Becca ate treats from one of our guests’ hands - it happened so quickly that I didn’t capture a photo or video of it, but it was wonderful to see. With her comfort level growing so quickly, I’m hoping by next spring she’ll be greeting visitors at the fence. We’re thrilled to see her come out of her shell a little bit, and we expect to see more of her personality blossom as time goes on. What do you think of her progress so far? Say hello to our newest addition, Becca!  Our good friends at Sleeping Monk Farm are retiring and selling their herd. We learned a lot from owners Sue and Bob about alpaca genetics over the years and their 27 years of breeding for "fineness of fiber". So, when Sue approached us about acquiring Becca, it didn't take long for us to decide to bring her home knowing she will contribute nicely to our program of producing high quality fleece. It just so happens that she is Pepper's cousin, which was the "icing on the cake," and we are excited to welcome her into our herd. Becca is now the youngest member of our herd. She's two months younger than Indie, who turned two in July, and Rocky will turn two on September 4. Becca will turn two on September 11 this year. Now that she's here on the farm, we're just starting to get to know each other -- so we don't know her full personality, just yet. But she is already showing signs of a sweet, curious, and gentle temperament - and she is eating from our hands already, which she hasn't done previously, according to Sue. We're excited to see her blossom. Since she's just arrived, she's exploring her new home, learning our daily routine, getting to know new herd mates, and watching the barn cats and chickens with great curiosity. In the meantime, please enjoy the below video of her arrival on the farm There will be updates on her progress on YouTube, so be sure to subscribe to our channel to keep tabs on her.
Our farm tour season will be winding down at the end of September, and we still have a few openings available. If you're local, we'd love to introduce you to Becca. I admit the headline is an exaggeration, but what happened last night could have caused significant damage to the alpaca’s hay supply if I had not caught it when I did. And it was a chain of events that led me to discover the stupid mistakes I made, too. New England just completed a four-day heat wave in the 90s, and the weather going forward is looking comfortable in the 70s and 80s with no humidity. The alpacas were enjoying the balmy temps and spent all day grazing in their pastures. It truly was an ideal day! So, yesterday seemed like a good day to wash and hang dry our comforter that’s been on the bed up until the heat wave.  Baxter, Rocky, and Ace enjoying the summer day It’s also been consistently warm in the evenings (60 - 70s), so it’s typical for the alpacas to spend the night in front of the fans, and last night didn't seem like it would be any different, so I didn’t bother to check my weather app to confirm. This was my first mistake. During the summer, I do a couple of paddock check-ins before going to bed: The first check-in is around 7:30 - 7:45 p.m. (as the sun is setting earlier now), to make sure all the chickens are in their coop for the night, I collect the alpacas’ feed buckets, top off hay racks, and water buckets one last time. The second check-in I do around 8:30 - 8:45 p.m., to secure the barn cats’ kitty door and do a final walk-through to observe the herd to make sure everyone is all set. And last night, I disrupted that order. That was my second mistake. During the 7:45 pm check-in, I put the chickens in their coop and went back into the house so we could finish the 'whodunit' mystery we were watching figuring I'll take care of the rest later. Well, I didn't make it back outside until after 9:00 pm, and I was very tired. I latched the kitty door in the barn and moved on to the paddock. I noticed it was much cooler outside (I had on a light jacket) and only two alpacas (Razzie and Genny) were near the fans, while the rest were scattered throughout the paddock, but I kept all the fans on anyway thinking the temperature wasn't really going to change. I gathered the alpacas' feed buckets, brought them into the barn, and decided to skip the hay, and just top off the one water bucket nearest the barn. I took one last look around to survey the herd and went to bed. I woke up at 3:00 a.m. feeling chilled. The temperature had dropped to 55 degrees, and our lightweight blanket wasn't keeping me warm. I was cursing myself for not putting the comforter in the dryer last night (it was still hanging outside), as I put on a pair of socks and grabbed another lightweight blanket in hopes to warm up. It was in that moment that it dawned on me that the fans were still on and now pushing cold air around. Now wide awake, I decided to get up, go out to the barn and turn off the fans. We won't be out there for another 3-4 hours to do barn chores, and there was no point in keeping the fans running because none of the alpacas would be in front of them. I put on a fleece pullover and the nearest shoes I could find and walked out to the barn, turned on the lights, and entered the paddock. Sure enough, every alpaca was kushed outside on the ground, under the stars in the cool night air. I turned off the fans in both the boys and girls' paddocks and walked back inside the barn, and that's when I noticed it. A large dark mass on the floor surrounded the hose reel and appeared to be span across the discarded hay-ridden floor towards our hay storage. Taking it all in, my brain was trying to understand what I was looking at when I noticed our water hydrant was still in the 'on' position. I had forgotten to turn it off when I topped off the one water bucket at 9:00 pm. Ugh!! The water nozzle at the end of the hose has a steady drip, so when it's off, we keep the end of the hose in a 4-inch-deep pan to collect any runoff -- and now it was overflowing. I quickly turned off the hydrant and grabbed a push broom to clean any contaminated hay on the floor away from the stacked bales and saw the waves of water I created as I pushed the hay into piles. Next, I got an empty water bucket and shovel and scooped as much water as I could collect so that the floor would dry out.  When I finished, it only amounted to about 5 gallons of water. So in the big scale of things, it wasn't as bad as it seemed at first, but it definitely would have gotten worse if I hadn't gone out to turn off the fans. So a crisis was averted: the stacked hay bales were saved from disaster (phew!), and I promised myself not to break the evening routine for the sake of an unsolved mystery (because we fell asleep and didn't find out who the killer was). ou may already be familiar with him as you’ve probably seen him lately on our social media accounts, rearing up in front of the garden hose, wrestling with his buddy, Ace, or just staring at the camera, looking adorable. I don’t think he has any idea how handsome he is, which makes him that much more lovable.  Baxter is the first alpaca to be born on our farm…..  ……and is still the cutest little bug-a-boo to this day. Baxter inherited much of his personality and physical traits from his mom, Summer, especially the ability to grow a big, beautiful, dense, soft coat. His fleece rivals hers, and they both are our largest fleece producers - way to go! Baxter is very mellow and shy, preferring the company and comfort of his herd, a tall mountain of dirt, or crushed stone.  But with no distractions and a calm atmosphere, he will step forward, looking for whatever food may be in our pockets that we could feed him.  He also cannot resist a cool spray of water on a warm day, so if weather conditions are right, he may put on a water show for us when you visit.
With summer on the horizon, it seems appropriate to introduce you to Summer — our alpaca. She joined our herd in May 2021, newly pregnant with her (and our) first cria, Baxter.  I first met Summer in August 2019 — when she was a cria herself — at my friend, Jack’s little farm. I never expected back then that she would become a member of our herd.  Me with Summer as a one week old cria (Aug. 2019) Summer is our most petite alpaca. Most of our herd stand over four feet tall, and they clearly tower over her.  Summer & her friends waiting for their haircuts While she may be small in size, she makes up for it with her personality and by being one of our largest fleece producers (I think it’s her super power). She grows a very dense, crimpy coat that insulates her every winter and keeps her warm so well that we often see her camped out in the snow or rain to help regulate her comfort.  When spun into yarn, her fleece transforms into a lovely champagne color with a hint of pink.  Summer is friendly, easy going, and enjoys being handfed treats. She often walks up to us looking for a handout while we’re doing chores. It’s because of her quiet and cute approach that makes us stop what we’re doing to give her a few treats. I think this is why it takes so long to finish chores sometimes. 😄 She’s also very playful with her friends. She loves to run and pronk around the pasture with them. Summer (white alpaca) blitzing around the pasture this past winter Summer & Pepper having a great time running & pronking together
Shearing day went great! The weather was perfect, the alpacas were dry, and we were well-prepared. We had a shearing order in mind: boys first and girls second. Once Baxter, Ace, and Rocky were shorn, we herded them out to their pasture. Our volunteers enjoyed this step because the boys are an adorable trio who love to romp and play together. Next we focused on the girls who were each immediately released directly to the pasture once their haircut was completed. A sure sign that summer is almost here on the farm is not just the rise in temperature, the trees starting to bud, or the longer days — it’s the arrival of shearing day. Every alpaca farm has their own methods of preparing. So, how we set up is unique to us, but the main purpose is the same across all alpaca farms: to remove the heavy coats that the alpacas grew all year so they are more comfortable during the heat of the day. The secondary purpose of shearing doesn’t apply to all farms — harvesting the fleeces for processing — because not all alpaca farms raise alpacas for their fiber. They may raise them as farm pets, guardian purposes, processing fleece is cost prohibitive, lack of knowledge/resources, or simply not having a fiber mill in their region. There are also the farms whose primary purpose is to raise alpacas for breeding show quality alpacas, but that's a topic for another day.  Tia about to have her mop top trimmed I wish shearing was as simple as scheduling an appointment with the barber, but it's not. Scheduling the actual day the shearer comes is fairly easy, but a lot of planning goes into making the entire event efficient and stress free for all involved including the herd. Here is a list of how we plan for the shearer:
*we do our own toenail trimming regularly, so this is not something we need the shearer to address, but if you don't trim your herd's toenails, it's common to have the shearer do it for you.  Ace being relieved of his prime fleece If there’s anything that you should not do during shearing, we learned it at our very first shearing experience. We hired a professional shearer who graciously educated as we went along, and our little herd of three alpacas emerged with beautiful haircuts despite us being so green with inexperience. I’m pleased to say that our shearer still works with us - LOL! Here is what you should NOT do:
our first ever shearing day circa 2015 And that’s it! Our herd is being shorn this coming Monday, May 12. The weather is looking promising for beautiful sunny day despite the fact that we’re in a very rainy pattern right now and the alpacas look like drowned rats at the moment (see Summer’s photo below). Saturday through Monday will be warm and sunny, so the herd should be completely dry by then. Wish us luck and happy shearing! Want to feed the alpacas some food?
 While our farm tours in April are fully booked, we’ve got an exciting event lined up for you this month.
Come visit us at the Winnacunnett High School Vendor & Craft Fair in Hampton, NH. 📅 Sunday, April 13 ⏰ 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM 📍 Winnacunnett High School, Hampton, NH 🌎 Celebrate Earth Day and Alpacas! Sustainable and unique gifts for your family and friends that they'll love. --and maybe something for yourself. Walk away feeling good about supporting a local small business and our farm’s mission to stay eco-conscious. If you still need a reason to stop by? Admission is free, and it’s the only event this month where you can drop by and shop our alpaca farm store without an appointment, including:
If you can’t make it this time, no worries—we've got a lineup of upcoming events to share. Be sure to check out our full vendor schedule and catch us at a date that fits your plans! Here on the farm, nature has a magical way of showcasing beauty in the simplest of shades—and right now, brown is the star of the show. Here on the farm, nature has a magical way of showcasing beauty in the simplest of shades—and right now, brown is the star of the show.  The ground and trees are the canvas that make the alpacas' coats truly pop.
From their soft whites and golden fawns to deep chocolates and sleek blacks, the herd displays a spectrum of natural hues that complement each other and their surroundings. But the beauty of brown doesn't stop at the alpacas. We see it in nature's transitions:
So next time you are outside, take a moment to celebrate how nature harmonizes colors so perfectly, giving us a chance to enjoy the little things we often overlook.  Come and visit, bring a friend or two or three.... or eight!
Make plans and schedule a visit this summer when you, friends, and/or family are vacationing locally; we're 3 miles from Rte 95, very convenient to area attractions, or a great place to take a break while on a long road trip to your final destination.
While spring is not quite here yet, there are signs that warmer days are coming - the snow is melting, paddocks are getting mucky, the days are getting longer, chickens are laying eggs again, temps are regularly in the 40s, birds singing spring songs, and the alpacas are sleeping under the stars more often. I'm watching the weather constantly because I am wondering (okay hoping) if I can spread grass seed in the pastures in March instead of April to extend the grass-growing season by a few weeks. The alpacas, in their thick winter coats, enjoy the warm sun on their bodies, balanced by the cool and steady winds that blow across our property. That combination makes the weather conditions ideal, keeping them comfortable during the warmest time of the day. Life for the herd right now is a waiting game in their paddocks until the fields are full of green grass again, but we will allow them out occasionally to stretch their legs.  With the deep snow melting away, we saw the opportunity over the weekend to remove a fallen tree that landed on one of the fences in the boys' pasture. We noticed it in early January and planned to address it then, but that plan was deferred thanks to the weekly accumulating snowfall that buried the tree.
Now that the tree is removed, we re-secured the fence temporarily until we replace the broken wire clips that secure the fence to the posts. Remind me, will you? In the meantime, the herd is doing their part by eating the remaining snow and will soon be poking their noses through the fence to the new grass on the other side of their pens. Hang in there, gang! It's just another six to eight weeks, I promise! It is officially cold! The windows are closed and the heat is on. We try to wait as long as possible before we turn up the thermostat, but there's definitely a chill in the air that prompts us not to tough it out any longer. Seeing the frost coating the pasture every morning tells us it's time to give it a rest, and so the herd enjoyed their last day in the field this week. While they were enjoying their last opportunity for open grazing this season, we took advantage of them being out of the way and finished winterizing the barn, relocated hay racks, installed solar lighting, plugged in heated water buckets for the alpacas, and installed weather panels on the chicken coop.  Summer posing in front of the barn, now winterized  Genny, Tia, Olly, & Melody enjoying the solar lights ambiance  The chicken coop is ready for winter It's around this time that herd usually vocalizes their complaints as they look over the paddock fence longingly at the field. but they have been relatively quiet....so far. It might be because we decided to move the boys closer to the barn (since there are just two of them) and given the girls the larger paddock space with the shelter we set up for the boys.  Baxter in the foreground & the girls in the larger paddock Who knows for sure, but we can tell by their happy interactions with us that they're content with their circumstances.
With the cold morning temps telling us that winter is approaching, we are shifting focus to prepare for the colder months. We've already completed some essential preparations. Our boys, Baxter and Ace, now have a cozy shelter with an insulated floor to keep them well-protected from the elements. They don't know it yet, but they're going to have their own hay supply inside their bachelor pad.  Tia likes the boys' winter shelter/bachelor pad We've also started preparing the pastures for their annual winter rest with leaf clean-up.   Next on our to-do list is to spread lime in the fields, winterize the coop and the barn to block the wind and weather, and pick up our second round of hay supply.
How much hay do alpacas need to get through the winter? That depends on a few factors:
Not to get too deep on this topic, but based on the above, it's smart to overstock. We plan for hay as you would plan for a dinner party - you don't want to run out of food before the party's over. The herd is doing great growing their winter coats to keep them well-insulated from the cold during the snowy days ahead. While we'll miss having visitors during this time, we're looking forward to participating in holiday markets and sharing our alpaca products with you. Stay tuned for updates on where you can find us! Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you again in the spring for our farm tours. I started playing a game with Baxter recently. When he's in the pasture, he likes to linger by the fence, and I thought it would be fun to see if he would eat a carrot if I placed one on the crossbeam. So I put one little carrot nugget on the beam, and he walked over and ate it. Then I thought it might be a fun game for him to learn how to find and eat a series of treats if I placed a line of them along the beam. This video captures that experiment: Alpacas are incredibly smart animals and are very trainable if you take the time to teach them. It doesn't take much time -- less than one minute a day -- but it takes practice and dedication. I like to think of it as similar to Pavlov's method of classic conditioning with his dog and using a stimulus (treat) to create a response. The best scenario for this kind of enrichment is a one-on-one opportunity. For example, if other alpacas are in the immediate vicinity, it can easily turn into chaos as many furry faces reach for the snack in your hand, and your training buddy becomes upset or distracted and breaks that 1:1 connection you made with them. So finding that uninterruptible opportunity is key. It doesn't matter where it happens, but as long as your alpaca (or other animal) can focus on the exercise without the other pacas (or pets) causing disruption. Below is a good example of ongoing training that I developed with one of my first alpacas, Fiona. It was early in her enrichment training days, so it wasn't a perfect session but it is clear that she was having a good time. What was unique about the situation was that Fiona was more interested in playing with me and eating carrots than having her breakfast (like the other alpacas are) so it was a convenient opportunity that I could take advantage of for that one-on-one time without having to separate ourselves into a pen. When we got our first two alpacas, there was no information on the internet about enrichment training and there still isn't. I found a couple of videos with talented llamas performing tricks for their owners, but no guidance on how to get started.
Then one day I found Nina Faust. An alpaca owner in Alaska who had two males she taught many enrichment activities, and I was inspired. Her calm and patient method with a clicker and a target objective was the starting point that I was looking for. This training technique is not unique and can be taught to any animal, not just alpacas, and to any age. They just need to be interested in you. Here's what you do to get started: All you need is a target objective: a ball, a frisbee, or whatever is at hand. (I drew a target on a piece of white cardboard) and a favorite treat for a reward. The reward should be something that you will always give them when doing this exercise so they know what they'll earn (down the road, once they are conditioned, you can change the treat with other treats). Get your animal's attention (a/k/a your training buddy). Take your target object and slowly and gently tap their nose with it and say your training word that they will associate with the action, then feed them the reward and affirm with positive reinforcement: "good job" or whatever positive phrase you choose. The word you use to associate with the action can be anything, a single word or phrase that will eventually be associated with touching the object. I always say "target" and down the road, I would use it in sentences like in the video above. Repeat the action several times: target + treat + positive reinforcement. In the beginning, this should take no more than 30 seconds. Your training buddy may seem confused at first with what you're doing, but will happily accept the treat. Just repeat it a few times and then stop. You always want to end the exercise early before they get bored or lose interest. You can use words that tell them the training session is over like "all done" or "no more" or whatever phrase -- as long as you're consistent, they will learn. The next time you do this enrichment exercise, your training buddy will remember the treat they received and should be interested in playing again. Within a few sessions, your training buddy will associate whatever action word you chose with the reward and will reach for the target on their own so they will receive the treat and associated positive reinforcement (because that is what they're after). If you make this "game" a regular daily habit, it will become second nature for them and part of your language with them. Then you can build on what they've learned and teach them new words and actions to keep being rewarded. It will be equally rewarding for you too as they play this game with you. I invite you to try it. Indie is ten weeks old......It's been 2 months, & two weeks since she was born on July 4, and my goodness has she grown!   While her development and growth occur slowly over time, looking at the snapshots of her physical appearance over these ten weeks is astounding. Her coat has gone from tight curls to long and crimpy. It's fun to watch her explore her world, test her boundaries with her mom and aunties, and run laps whenever her spirit moves her. When you have a happy and healthy cria, raising them is easy since their mom does most of the work. Indie just follows her mom's lead. When Indie was first born, she stuck to her mother, Stormy, like glue - where mom goes, Indie goes - but as Indie has gotten older, the more independent she becomes. Indie now spends more time with her aunties and explores/grazes on her own, but when she's hungry, scared, or just wants to check in, she seeks out her mother with inquiring vocalizations that sound like "Mom?"............" Mom?" until either mom lifts her head or responds vocally to which Indie will run right up to her. There are times when I can see Indie and her mom, Stormy, are far apart doing their own things, and I'll ask, "Stormy, where's your kid??" and she looks up at me as if to say, "Who? Oh! I don't know. She's around here somewhere." But at feeding time or when it's time to settle in for the night, we'll always find Stormy and Indie together. Their bond and affection for each other is a sight to see.  Stormy & Indie
Before Indie's arrival on July 4, we sent two of the girls to a farm in Maine (Olympia & Amity) and two others to another farm in New Hampshire (Pepper & Lady) for breeding. Our plans are to have a few cria running around our pasture again next summer. We plan this far ahead because alpacas gestate for 11.5 months, and we try to time it so the girls give birth while the weather is warm - unlike our first farm-born alpaca, Baxter, who was born on a 46-degree day in April - brrrr Why aren't we breeding here on our own farm with Baxter or Ace? Great question! While they are technically old enough to sire offspring, the boys are still immature and the girls know it. They're close, but not quite ready yet. So, while we are breeding outside of our own farm, we want to make good choices in planning for future generations. As we consider sires, we look at temperament, body composition, genetic history, and fiber quality (consistent staple length, crimp, fineness, and color). Color is not always a priority because sometimes we're hoping for a specific color and sometimes not. For example: Amity is bay black and Olympia is medium brown. We paired them with two different white males this year who are comparable in size to the girls (Amity and Olympia are very tall) and are known (or 'proven') to pass on particular traits to their offspring that appealed to us. When we bred Amity two years ago, we paired her with a male who was the same color as her, since we wanted another dark alpaca. Little did we know that we would hit the jackpot and her offspring, Ace, would turn out to be Amity's "mini me". This tells us that she has strong traits that will transfer to her offspring. So, this time around, we're hoping the best traits of both Amity and the sire we chose for her (his name is Templar) will pass on to their cria. This is our second attempt to breed Olympia (we were unsuccessful last year), so we have yet to learn what traits she will pass along to her offspring. We selected a male (his name is Katsumoto) who has a great track record for producing offspring with long, crimpy fiber, and floofy ears (we LOVE floofy ears!). Ultimately, we want happy, healthy, pronking crias, but for now, we just wait for Amity and Olympia to start showing signs that confirm they are pregnant.  But wait - there's more! On Sunday, we brought Pepper and Lady home from their breeding sessions.  This is our first breeding with both of them. Neither has had a cria before, so we have yet to learn from Pepper & Lady how they will inform us that they are pregnant (personality change) and what traits they will pass along to their offspring. We chose a handsome light silver-gray male named Kodachrome for Pepper because a) we'd love a gray alpaca, and b) Pepper has a LOT of gray genetics in her bloodlines -- so our prospects of achieving this color are high. Both Pepper and Kodachrome have fiber with a beautiful staple length and crimp that we hope will be passed on to their cria. For Lady, we chose a young light fawn male with a beautifully dense and crimpy coat that compliments Lady's own dense, crimpy, dark fawn coat in hopes they both pass on their fiber qualities to the next generation. Again, we wait for them to tell us if they're pregnant. Anyway, the girls were away for six long weeks, and boy, did we miss them -- and not just us, the herd missed them too. If you love our alpaca socks, you're going to love our insoles.  Why alpaca insoles?
 If Monica from Friends added alpaca insoles into those uncomfortable boots, they might not have hurt as much - LOL!
New Hampshire is in the midst of summer, and it's been a mixture of typical New England weather:
Weather is very important when it comes to the animals we care for. The alpacas respond to it similar to how we do, but they can't escape into air conditioning. We've been running the fans in the barn to move air and help the alpacas feel more comfortable. On a hot day, it's not unusual to find them camped out in front of the fans all day long.  But now that milder weather is here, we're seeing more sunbathing.  Speaking of Indie, she is doing wonderful. While very clingy to her mom the first few weeks, she is now five weeks old and is becoming more independent and bravely ventures farther from her mom but always runs back to check-in or when Stormy calls her.
Indie loves to run and play and most recently has been teasing her auntie Summer by provoking her to nip at her while Indie jumps away with a "can't catch me!" attitude. This little girl has spunk! |
Concerns / Returns / Exchanges / Refund policy
Concerns
Please contact us by email regarding any concerns. We appreciate the opportunity to correct any errors we made.
Granite State Alpacas is not responsible for any manufacturer's defects.
Exchanges
If you wish to exchange an item, the item must be in its original condition as it was at the time of purchase. Alpaca socks & insoles are not eligible for exchanges if they have been worn or tried on.
Returns & Refunds
You may return a purchased item to us with proof of purchase within 14 days. The item must be in the same condition as when purchased (i.e., new & unused) to qualify for a refund.
Socks & insoles are not eligible for a return/exchange if they have been worn or tried on.
You are responsible for the return shipping costs of the returned item. Once the returned item is received and confirmed to be in its original condition, you will be refunded the purchase price of the item.
Returns after 14 days are not accepted.
Concerns
Please contact us by email regarding any concerns. We appreciate the opportunity to correct any errors we made.
Granite State Alpacas is not responsible for any manufacturer's defects.
Exchanges
If you wish to exchange an item, the item must be in its original condition as it was at the time of purchase. Alpaca socks & insoles are not eligible for exchanges if they have been worn or tried on.
Returns & Refunds
You may return a purchased item to us with proof of purchase within 14 days. The item must be in the same condition as when purchased (i.e., new & unused) to qualify for a refund.
Socks & insoles are not eligible for a return/exchange if they have been worn or tried on.
You are responsible for the return shipping costs of the returned item. Once the returned item is received and confirmed to be in its original condition, you will be refunded the purchase price of the item.
Returns after 14 days are not accepted.
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