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Is it me or has February been a strange month of weather? In our part of New Hampshire, most of the month has been dry with mild temperatures in the 40's, and a couple of times we reached the mid 50's. The alpacas, now in their thick winter coats, take the warmer days in stride and seek the shade of the barn and their outdoor shelter -- they especially enjoy the latter since we've lifted the wind panel to allow the breeze to pass through. Lifting the wind panel also allows more light to the shelter, and (amusingly) the alpacas immediately took advantage of having another way to access their hayracks.  Thea and Ace enjoying the brighter space, shade, and cool breeze blowing through the shelter But as I write this, Old Man Winter seems to have realized that Spring is coming soon and has decided that he's been delinquent in dumping snow on us this season. Next week's weather report shows a lot of snow activity.  Hopefully, this will be winter's last hurrah this season! (fingers crossed) The herd won't be bothered at all by the change in weather or the snow because, heck, they are dressed for it.  Since the alpacas have the freedom to go in and out of the barn and shelter at will, some prefer to be inside and some prefer to be outside and coated in a blanket of white. If you are wondering why they would choose to be outside in the snow and cold, it's because alpacas' coats are made of individual hollow fibers that trap and hold heat that becomes a warm and protective layer to their bodies. So just because you see a layer of snow on their backs doesn't mean that the cold is penetrating through their coats and down to their skin; in fact, much like a house with snow on the roof is an indicator that the home is well insulated, the same is true for an alpaca with snow on their backs. This feature is just one of the primary reasons why people love wearing alpaca. Works in progressThese cold winter days are the only time I don't feel guilty for spending my time indoors. Is this true for you too? It gives me a great opportunity to work on a handful of projects. Currently, I have tufts of Stormy's fiber waiting to be hand-felted into dryer balls. There is a scarf on my weaving loom that I am designing. I have three hats that I just completed that are in the final stages of blocking. I also have several bags of raw fiber in the barn that still need to be skirted, graded, and sorted for processing for the fiber mill to make into yarn and batting. These projects are so therapeutic, enjoyable, beautiful, and satisfying to make -- especially when I know which individual alpaca(s) contributed to the construction of each finished piece. And I love seeing a person's face light up when they discover that the hat they just bought came from Summer, Raspberry, Thea or one of the other alpacas' yarn. farm tours are back!It's finally here! Opening day for 2023 farm tours begins on March 11. Come alone or bring a friend or two or three or eight.
See for yourself how big Baxter and Ace are growing. Feed our pregnant girls, Stormy and Thea, treats (they're eating for two!) Feel their soft mouths as the alpacas eat from your hands Plan ahead and schedule a visit this summer when you, friends, and/or family are vacationing in the area; we're very convenient to area attractions or a great place to take a break while on a long road trip to your final destination 5 minutes from Applecrest Orchards & The Orchard Grille 7 minutes from Smuttynose Brewery's Hayseed Restaurant 10 minutes from downtown Exeter 15 minutes from Cider Hill Farm & downtown Amesbury 15 minutes from Hampton Beach & Salisbury Beach 20 minutes from Portsmouth 60 minutes from Portland & Boston
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Pepper lost a tooth - yes, a tooth! Pepper's two front teeth are one of her most distinguishing features. How could this have happened? We have not experienced this on our farm before, so it took us by surprise. She was fine yesterday, with her toothy smile, but today, one of those big pearly whites is now missing. Yesterday todayI tried to recall if I had overlooked something that might have happened but nothing came to mind. Did she get into a fight with another alpaca? Not likely - she gets along with everyone. Did she eat something that broke the tooth? Possibly, but what? A twig? A rock? Where is the tooth? It could be buried in the hay, embedded in the ground, etc.; I looked around but of course, like a needle in a haystack... it could be anywhere. I am a little sad because her big teeth are part of what makes this little alpaca endearing. But is Pepper okay? Is she going to grow a new tooth? The answer to both is "yes." First of all, Pepper is fine. She is not in pain and actually seemed unbothered by the whole thing. (always a good sign). Next (because we had not experienced tooth loss on our farm before), I did some research on the matter to learn 'how?' and 'why?'. Diving into the books, I found: Caring for Llamas and Alpacas, A Health Management Guide, by Clare Hoffman, DVM and on the Internet: Farm Animal Report's: Alpaca Teeth, the Exhaustive Guide, by Gregory Gaines - with my commentary.
Here is where it gets interesting:
With this new information, I wanted a closer look at Pepper's mouth so that I could familiarize myself with this situation and understand what a healthy, normal baby tooth gap looks like. Pardon the green grass in her mouth, but there is a new tooth coming in where her baby tooth used to be.This was a learning opportunity for us because before 1-year-old Pepper arrived in 2021, we had not had an alpaca on our farm that was under the age of 3 and never noticed any of our alpacas missing teeth before.
Pepper's new tooth will probably fill the space before we know it, and it will be less of a shock when it happens again with her or the other alpacas. |
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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