Alpaca Farm Blog

Last week was busy and completely full of 4H fair activities for the Northwestern Michigan Fair in Traverse City. It was our first year at the fair, and I can safely say, it will not be the last.

On May 25th, Gina and Bill brought Princess, Dolly, and Reba to our farm. We were all thrilled with the new arrivals and were also excited for Princess to deliver her cria.

When she went into labor on May 15th, it was a completely different story. While she did wait for my husband to leave, she slowed her birth down and waited for assistance. She did so because her baby wasn’t positioned correctly and she knew she was in trouble.

While their primary role has been heat preservation, the sheep pajamas make the lambs look adorable and they help us quickly tell one lamb from another.

I may not be able to wear my barn boots in my house anymore, but I do still take the time to visit the sheep and see the baby lambs grow.

And then I started to interact with the sheep and my opinion shifted. To my utter surprise, the sheep were also like pets.

I didn’t know what to expect when we adopted Faith and Stormy, but I’m sure glad we took the chance and brought our adopted alpacas home. Now that they are farm residents, I simply cannot imagine what life would be without them.

And thus began our adventure as alpaca farmers. We brought home Ariana, Anastasia, Kalista, and Sienna in January. Baby Adele will arrive in late March once she is ready to leave her mama.

Looking back that magic was a bit of family magic. Nothing of this magnitude can happen on its own. It was the family that helped prep land, raise beams, and build roofs. It was the cousins and uncles who crawled high, hammered nails, and provided physical and moral support.

As soon as I arrived, I knew this was home. The wide-open space backed up against woods, a creek, and a little pond. Across the street was a friendly horse farm with a welcoming white picket fence. It was everything I was looking for and it was exactly what I wanted to call home.