Alpaca Info

Find Ms. P Contest - Win $100!

2011-04-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Ms. P is a great Llama who lives with her sister, Clara, at Pedro's Pride Alpaca Ranch in North Idaho. Ms. P, a rescued Llama, is a great guardian for the alpaca herd yet a gentle soul. Help us find her at Pedro's Online.

Ms. P is hidden in one or more images at the new storefront. Click Here to go to Pedro's Pride Alpaca Ranch and then click on "Shop Pedro's Online Here" link.

Search around on the online store's various pages and then E-mail us at Pedro@imaxmail.net the description of the image or images in which you found Ms. P. There may or may not be more than one. Be sure to include your E-mail address with your entry.

All of the correct E-mail replies will be placed in a bowl and a single winner drawn on May 1st. In time for Mothers Day (May 8th). One winner only.

Prize: $100 on any item(s) at Pedro's Online or Pedro's Store

Forward email

One-Hour Auction

2011-03-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, March 30th at 6:05 Pacific Daylight Time, two great dams from Pedro's Pride Alpaca Ranch, LLC will be featured at the online auction from Alpaca Street.

To see photo and information, go to www.alpaca-usa.com/Sales.htm and click on the package "Two Great Dams.

Alpaca Show, Fleece Show, Handcrafter Spin Off

2011-03-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

Pacific Northwest Alpaca Association annual show will be held at Pasco, Washington's fantastic venue - TRAC - April 22 and 23 (Friday and Saturday). There will be about 400 alpacas from nearly 200 of the region's greatest alpaca breeders.

The show also features a fleece show and a handcrafters spin off competition.

Pedro's Pride and Fiber Haven will have a vendor booth of interest to fiber artists. We will have roving and raw fleece for spinners and lots of great yarn for weavers, knitters and crochet artists.

Our close friend Genie will have a chair massage set up to work out those kinks and strains that come with the stress and work of a show -- $15 for 15 minutes or professional care.

Mostly, we are there to have fun and we hope you all join us.

Pedro's Pride Alpaca Ranch, LLC and Pedro's store in Sandpoint, Idaho have joined to create a new website with store front selling natural fiber fashions (mostly alpaca), great gifts, jewelry and yarn. Link to this new store at www.pedrospride.com or at www.alpaca-usa.com/Sales.htm. You can get there directly at www.rugyarn.co

New Products for Pedro's are shown at the new store front website, but we also are working on a new design of rug loom, which may be introduced at the Pasco show. Watch for it.

Take care. Enjoy Spring where ever you are.

Ken Larson
Pedro@imaxmail.net

AMG Members -- Links and events

2010-03-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

The Alpaca Marketing Group

Foothills Suri Alpacas

Hangman Creek Ranch Alpacas

Snowline Alpacas

Hilltop Alpacas

SuperSuris Alpacas

Pedro's Pride Alpaca Ranch, LLC

Up Coming Alpaca Events:

April 10 & 11, Alpaca Western Extravaganza, Vancouver, Washington

April 24 & 25, Northwest Alpaca Showcase, Pasco, Washington

May 14, 15, & 16, International Alpaca Odyssey, Redmond, Oregon

The Alpaca Marketing Group

2010-03-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

Six alpaca ranches in eastern Washington and North Idaho have joined efforts as The Alpaca Marketing Group - AMG - www.alpacamg.com

Our members include breeders of both huacaya and suri alpacas, which provides prospective buyers with an unprecedented choice. Prices range from pet quality to championship quality, making it likely that there is an alpaca available from AMG for every need and desire.

We will be adding more information and more detail, and I promise, I will do better at keeping up on this blog.

All my best,

Ken Larson
pedro@imaxmail.net
Pedro's at the Panida Theatre -- for natural fashions, exotic yarn, fine jewelry and great gifts.

Back

2009-10-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

My last post here was almost exactly one year ago. How slovenly of me to let this go.

The Alpaca Info blog is back and will be updated weekly. I ask other like-minded small farm people to join in posting stories, photos and information.

Our male, Kenai of Pend Oreille has some outstanding crias of every color. You can see more photos of them at www.alpaca-usa.com/kenai.htm.

We are offering free breedings with several of our young males, just to help them get "proven" status. They are all fine quality and are for sale -- buy or breed.

KL

2008-10-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

At his insistence, we are offering the first breeding for your ranch to Pedro for FREE. We are starting our alpaca economic stimulus program and Pedro thought I said "stimulation" and insisted on free breedings. He shears 12 lbs per year and when bred with a female with strong crimp, it works well. Great chance for a fiber farm to get his density and coverage.

Kenai of Pend Oreille, below, didn't want to be left out, so we are offering a special. Would a $500 breeding with Premier's Absolute's son help you? Kenai has several fine crias from his first year as a herdsire. See them at www.alpaca-usa.com/kenai.htm.

We have a gal, Paloma, who is pregnant with twins. Here is a photo of her first ultrasound.
We will do another in a few weeks and post the photo here.
This week, our vet ultrasounded her and while he was doing
so, he said, "Yep, two heartbeats and eight legs." The twins
are close together in the left horn. CL is very large, so that's
a good sign. Odds are still against us, but we will let nature
decide the outcome.

All my best,

Ken Larson

Winners

2007-12-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

Sagle, Idaho, December 2007: Pedro's Pride Alpaca Ranch announces that three of its alpacas took honors at the Alpaca Mania show in Central Point, Oregon, held in October 2007.

Pepper & Paloma

Paloma of Pend Oreille, a white yearling female took third in the Bred and Owned Yearling Female class of nine alpacas. The two alpacas placing above her took first in their color classes.

Paloma of Pend Oreille also placed third in the Yearling White Female class of 13 alpacas. She should have placed second, but was moved down because of a showmanship error by her handler. The judge stated this at the end of the class. The alpaca placing above her was Reserve Color Champion. These awards combine with Paloma's First Place at the Pacific Northwest Alpaca Showcae and her first plane in conformation class at Alpaca Affaire.

Paloma

Pepper of Pend Oreille, whose grandsire is Patagonia's Neruda who sold for $205,000 this year, placed third in the true black juvenile female class. The judge stated that her fleece was as fine as the first place winner. This was Pepper's first show.

Pepper

Kodiak is owned by Pedro's Pride Alpaca Ranch and Alpacas of Briarwood Farm (Anne & Merl Foss). Merl showed Kodiak at the Alpaca Mania show, taking second in a very competitive class. Kodiak also took second in his class in the Fleece Show. Congratulations. These awards join Kodiak's record of also taking second at the Alpaca Affaire this fall.

Kodiak

For great shopping, be sure to check Pedro's on the Bridge at www.pedrospride.com. There are plenty of excellent deals on new items. Natural fiber fashions, exotic yarns and gifts are available for Christmas.

Arkady

2007-11-22T09:29:00.000-08:00

Right now in Colorado there is small alpaca fighting for his life. His name is Arkady. He is suffering from a blocked urethra, which is normally fatal for male alpacas. But, Arkady is lucky, you see, because he has some humans who are willing to fight right along side him. His owners are committed to helping the little guy and their vet is willing to take a chance and try something new. She showed empathy for the alpaca and was there to go beyond the boundaries of current thought.

Here is Arkady's photo from a few months ago taken shortly after he was born:

The good news for this Thanksgiving Day is that after 60 hours of painful straining and trying and suffering and tireless effort by his people, he pee'd. We can give thanks for that and we sure hope that his recovery continues.

Thanksgiving evening I got an update and the Colorado Kid is peeing frequently now and seems to be thriving. Yipppeeee!!!!

In North Idaho, three alpacas survived this ordeal, each using a similar protocol of drugs. And, each survived because their owners and their vet were willing to go beyond the normal limits and try something different. None of us was willing to quit. Like Arkady's owners, the Idaho alpaca breeders cared and refused to give up. When told to euthanize her cria, one owner said, "He'll have to die. I'm not going to kill him." Today, he is a strong, active male alpaca.

Each of us in Idaho had the same experience: The university vet school people said to euthanize them. Our vet (at first) said, "I will give him a shot to make him comfortable then come back tomorrow and put him down. You will be asking me to do it tomorrow."

Arkady is a cria, weighing only 35 lbs, or so. Two of the alpacas in Idaho were youngsters, as well, weighing 50 and 80 lbs. The only adult, is Pedro Armendariz, a big herdsire tipping the scale at near 200 lbs. As far as we can find out, Pedro is the only adult male to survive a completely blocked urethra. Here is a photo--

Pedro shears 12 lbs of fleece yearly--

So, for any of you out there who encounters this problem, don't give up. Call me and we can talk about what we did that worked for the three in Idaho and looks like is working for the Colorado Kid. The key, however, is that you must catch the problem early and take immediate, aggressive action. To wait or to be timid will most likely be fatal for your alpaca.

In a future blog, we'll get into the details and name the drugs and offer our unscientific advice on what to do. For now, let's all send our positive vibes out to Colorado and wish for Arkady's continued and full recovery. What a trooper. I can't imagine the pain of suffering with a blockage like that for 60 hours.

All my best,

Ken

Captain Jack Sparrow

2007-11-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

We call him Captain Jack because he needed a strong name, a name that reflected his mental strength and will to live. You see, Captain Jack came into our lives in a very unusual and disarming way. Here is his story.

If you know Anne and Merl Foss, then you know two people who genuinely care about and care for animals. They have a long history of helping, including Llama rescues and taking in strays of various species. Fosses have Emus, dogs, cats, Llamas, alpacas and parrots at their place near Athol, Idaho. The tranquility is evident by the way all of those animals and their humans live together.

Anne saw a little alpaca one day and just couldn't get him out of her mind. He was small and very sad looking with a badly damaged right eye. Anne contacted me and we talked about it, looking for ways to get this poor creature away from his situation. We finally decided to just offer to buy him, knowing we were not spending money for a valuable male alpaca; rather, this was just the starting cost of the rescue. We offered and we got the little bugger.

I was a little nervous driving out to pick up the injured boy. After all, I had never seen him, but knew from Anne's and Merl's descriptions that it would difficult to see him and control my emotions. When I first laid eyes on him, it was worse than I imagined, but in one way I was insulated a bit from reality because I didn't know anything about him.

When I first saw the alpaca stand, I thought he was a cria, maybe about seven months old. He was so weak, he couldn't hold his neck and head up straight and he had no spirit at all. There was no sparkle in his eye. He didn't fight, he didn't try to run and he didn't seem to have enough strength to even walk very well. And, he was 14-month old. He was not a cria at all. He was a yearling and when I got him home and weighed him, he was only 57 lbs. We had a small male cria at the time who weighed more.

The little guy had been kicked in the side of the head, just behind his right ear and it caused facial paralysis. He could not blink his right eye, move his right ear or use the upper and lower lips on the right side of his face. His right eye was a distressing color of red with yellow puss and mucus. The right side of his badly damaged face was caked and matted with what appeared to be old fluids that had leaked out.

Here is a photo of the boy on the third day we had him. We were simply too busy keeping

him alive before that to take photos.

Note his right nostril is collapsed from paralysis.

We started calling him Captain Jack because we figured he would lose his right eye (bringing to mind pirates) and we could see that even having been nearly starved to death, he was willing to fight. So, Captain Jack went to the vet. Bob Stoll is our local vet and we are lucky to have him for three reasons, among others: First, he has tons of camelid experience; second, he's not a quitter and genuinely cares about the animals; and third (probably most important), Bob's wife Heidi who is his scheduler, assistant, x-ray tech, vet tech, bookkeeper and a very caring woman.

Bob's first question was whether we had called the Sheriff: "This alpaca," he said, "is starving to death." Bob examined him and spent a great deal of time with the right eye. He drew blood for a blood test and I had provided a fecal sample. We put Captain Jack on a strict diet to get him used to good food of grass, grass hay and 1 lb of Equine Senior per day, fed in small increments. And, we did a triple-antibiotic treatment to his right eye three times daily, plus I had given him vitamin A, D and E injections the first day.

Our friend Renee came over and we examined the Captain together. He was so starved that we could feel where his ribs attached to his spine. His shoulders and thighs had so little muscle that we could feel the curve of the bone. And, poor Captain Jack, just couldn't fight us or run away. He could barely hold his head up.

Our friend Genie is a massage therapist and she came over (she even cancelled a human, paying patient to see Captain Jack) and did therapuetic massages on his face, neck and spine. Then, she taught Anne and me how to keep this going. The theory, which we had seen work before, is to keep stimulating the damages nerves in his face, hoping that they will repair themselves and allow him to gain use of his eyelids, ear and facial muscles. Anne and Merl do these massages daily.

We stuck with the feeding plan and treatment. On a return visit to the vet, Bob said he was amazed at how well the alpaca was recovering. He ended up suturing the right eye closed to allow it heal better and gave us a new regime for applying eye ointment. Then, Jack (that's Captain Jack) moved to Anne and Merl's place where he would get more consistent daily care and someone would be there to watch him during the day.

I stopped by their place to visit the Captain on the 21st day after we got him. He had been getting good food, some medication, massage stimulation and lots of personal care for only three weeks. He pronked around his pasture. Then, he ran from us and when we tricked him with an offer of food, he put up a good fight trying to break away and run. He was a different animal.

I was amazed at the difference and I offer you photos to show the change. The first photo below is him on the third day. The other two photos are Captain Jack on Day 21.

Below: at Day 3: Weak and stressed

And, so, this is really the beginning of Captain Jack's story. More will follow.

Anne with Captain Jack, day 21--

One of the biggest differences in Captain Jack is his spirit has returned, with a sparkle in his good eye. He will not only make it, he will thrive. I will probably never get him back to my place. Anne has fallen in love again.

All my best,

Ken

Cria Video--First 48 hours of life, 2 min 29 sec

2007-08-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here is our first video. Click below on "VIDEO."

It is of the first 48 hours of our cria's life. Pepper of Pend Oreille. Her dam is Patagonia's Cilantro and her sire is Patagonia's Guevara, a stately all black herdsire. See more videos as we learn how to do this at our ranch site.

VIDEO

Aspen Alpaca Company

2007-08-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Stan and Mary Miller sent us some cria photos (baby pictures). They operate a very up-scale, positive alpaca ranch in North Idaho, north of Sandpoint a bit. One cannot find more concern or better care for alpacas. And, they have a really cool watch dog. Call and visit Aspen Alpaca Company, where they have some gorgeous animals for sale.

Here is short blurb on the Aspen Alpaca Company. Please visit their website at:

http://www.aspenalpacas.com/lpacas.com/ 208-255-4935

Welcome to Aspen Alpaca Company. Our goal is to provide high quality stock to breeders, both new and experienced, as we selectively breed for soundness and softness. We work to achieve the ideal balance of exceptional fineness, abundant density and first-rate conformation.

Mary Miller
208-610-1841 cell
mmiller@thecreek.com

Here are some photos of this season's crias. What a wonderful sight:

Morning Glory

New Moon's Cria

Rodeo

Trillium with Morning Glory

***

Baby Photos / Store / And Another Ribbon

2007-08-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

We have neglected the blog for the summer. Sorry, but the time just got away and the summer was really busy at the ranch.

Lisa opened a store in downtown Sandpoint, Idaho--Pedro's on the Bridge-- featuring natural fiber fashions, gifts, home furnishings (like alpaca comforters and pillows) and antiques. Her gorgeous store is in the historic, unique Cedar Street Bridge Public Market at 334 N. 1st Avenue, Sandpoint, ID 83864. Telephone (208) 263-6200.

Here is a photo of the store window. We are changing her website from an online store to a catalogue from which one can order by e-mail, phone or fax. That will take awhile, but here is the web address: http://www.pedrospride.com/ or http://www.pedrosonthebridge.com/ .

[notice the wooden "rocking alpaca" out front]

Below are some baby photos from this summer's crias and a photo of award-winner, Paloma:

Savannah of Pend Oreille:

Sire, multiple-champion Kaspa. Dam, Patagonia's Sage. Savannah's fleece is so rich and soft, that in sunlight it looks like thick velvet, inviting you to touch it. She is a sweetheart with fantastic conformation and a personality bringing together curiosity and confidence. All of this in a beautiful package.

Our latest cria is spectacular. He is ten days old in this photo from Aug 23rd and already has a herdsire's confident attitude. We call him Striker for now (we need a permanent name) because he has a pattern on his left front leg which is the shape of a lightning bolt (look carefully and you can see it here).

Striker represents a major step in the breeding plan at Pedro's Pride Ranch, combining the dense, crimpy fleece of Pedro Armendariz's award-winning daughter Lilly and Alpacas de la Pagagonia's famous rose gray herdsire, Kaspa. The results are wonderful and we are thrilled with the outcome of our planning.

Many thanks to Karen and Hugo at Alpacas de la Patagonia in Washington for all of their help and counsel.

Leila's Mischief of Pend Oreille is a fantastic, rowdy boy with dense fleece and crimp so tight it is ringlets. We call him Corky because he is so friendly, active and energetic it is as if he is wound up like a corkscrew. His sire, Pedro Armendariz is well-known for density and his dam, Leila has won several fleece shows with tight crimpy, briliant white fleece. Corky got both traits, plus a brown spot on his right shoulder and a wonderful, fun personality. He, like Striker, was born with "attitude."

Pepper of Pend Oreille is a gorgeous true black cria. She is perfect size and has the softest fleece we have ever felt. This soft fleece is a trait passed on from her dam, Patagonia's Cilantro. Her rich, dense fleece is so black that in direct sunlight it looks navy blue. Her sire, Patagonia's Guevara is a stately, tall, true black male. Watch a short video of Pepper's first 48 hours.

Pepper's grandsire is the famous herdsire from Alpacas de la Patagonia, Neruda who recently sold at auction for $205,000. Pepper shares those fine traits.

Paloma of Pend Oreille took first in her class at the Pacific Northwest Alpaca Showcase in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho at the end of April 2007. Paloma was the youngest yearling in a big class. She also took second behind a much older, larger brown female in the Bred and Owned Yearling Female class. Here is a photo of Paloma at that show. Her next show will be Alpaca Affaire in September.

Sire: Pedro Armendariz, well-known for brilliant white, extremely dense fleece. He shears 12 lbs per year.

Dam: Leila, who has won several awards for her crimpy fleece.

SPECIAL BREEDING OPPORTUNITY: We still have four slots available to breed your female with Kena i of Pend Oreille for only $900. His normal fee is $2500. He has now bred with Cilantro, Sage, Lois and some outside females. All have been confirmed pregnant by ultrasound. Call or e-mail pedrospride@hughes.net for details and to make an appointment. Pregnancy guaranteed.

Kenai is the son of Premier's Absolute, who sold in 2006 auction for $150,000.00. His dam is Dark Silver Gray and his sire, Absolute, is Medium Silver Gray and White.

***

We are asking for some baby pictures from other alpaca ranches to post on the blog. Send yours to pedrospride@hughes.net and we will put them up a soon as we can. Watch for them soon on this blog. And, we will do better keeping this current. Promise........

Another Winter baby

2007-03-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

Our girl, Patagonia's Cilantro had her first cria on March 9th. The girl is tall, strong and full of fun. She is a solid true black (at this point), with one white sock and a white patch on her apron. I was hoping the white mark would be the shape of the Virgin Mary so I could get her on CNN, but the patch is kind of a crescent shape. She is a doll. I posted a 2 min 39 sec video of her on our website. Take a look and let me know if it worked okay. It will take several seconds to load the first time you view it. Click on the video "Cria's First 48 Hours" at http://www.alpaca-usa.com/Videos.htm

I will post a photo of her in next few days.

We have three males here who are for sale.

All our best. See you at Alpacapalooza and the Pacific Northwest Showcase.

Lisa is working hard to get ready to open her store at Cedar Street Bridge Public Market, in Sandpoint, ID. Meanwhile, we will be changing the website at http://www.pedrospride.com to work as a catalog for her store, which will be called Pedro's on the Bridge.

Winter Baby / New Store

2007-02-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

We had a winter cria born two weeks ago when the weather in North Idaho was extremely cold. Our thorough preparation and the dam's good timing (sunny day) made it work out okay and the baby made it through extremely well.

Lisa, whose website has been very successful, is opening a reatil store in Sandpoint, Idaho. The opening is scheduled for May. Her store will be in the Cedar Street Bridge Public Market, a high-end, fully remodeled facility where Coldwater Creek was formerly located.

Lisa's store, Pedro's on the Bridge, will specialize in natural fiber fashions, including those made from Alpaca, Llama, wool, Pima cotton, yak, muskox (Qiviut), cashmere, angora and other exotic fibers. She will have a very elegant selection of exotic yarns and she is making a serious effort to include products from local area ranches and fiber artists. Watch for announcements for the grand opening. If you have products you sell or make which you might want to offer for sale, contact Lisa about including them in her store.

Here's wishing you all the best,

Ken

Holiday Alpaca Bazaar a Great Success!

2006-11-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

This years annual Alpaca Bazaar was a great success! Thank you to everyone who participated! We held this years event at our farm, Enchanted Acres Ranch Alpacas in Benton City, Washington.
We couldn't have done it without the help of several surrounding ranches, and Ken & Lisa Larson who drove all the way down from their ranch in Sandpoint, Idaho! Ken & Lisa of Pedros Pride Alpacas have a wide variety of beautiful alpaca products. They make our bazaar special every year!
Thanks Ken & Lisa!!
Here is a great picture of some of the fun we had. Join us next year!
Brenda

Congratulations Myles--Your New Llama

2006-10-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

We just brought home Princess Pumpernickle. She is a Llama who is now trying to figure out what an alpaca is as she and the 17 alpacas have a stare down from opposite sides of their pasture.

This fine-looking girl is a gift to our college-student son, Myles, who plans to re-name her. Good idea, I think.

Ms. P is from Susan Sasher's Llama Rescue in North Idaho. Susan has some other really nice females up for adoption. Send us an e-mail at pedrospride@hughes.net and we will put you in touch with her.

I was all nervous about this move since I have no Llama experience and they are so big compared to an Alpaca. Don and Renee' Bluhm, Spitting in the Wind Llama Ranch near us, gave us a pep talk and some sound advice and the delivery of Ms. P went flawlessly. I walked up to her in the pasture at Susan's, offered a small treat and put my arm around her neck. Simple as that.

Incidentally, Lisa bought some gorgeous gray and also black rovings from Renee'. We had no idea Llama fleece could be so fine and so lustrous. If you are interested in some, send Lisa an e-mail at pedrospride@hughes.net and she can put you in touch.

We are hoping that this Llama will provide herd protection from coyotes and dogs. Not long ago we saw a "coyote" who looked so big and healthy our thought was Wolf! Maybe it was. Fortunately, we have not had a problem, but decided to take some more precautions before we do. We have good fencing, motion-dector lights and on one side we have two strands of electric fence. The entire pasture area also has a strand of barbed wire hard against the ground on the outside of the fence posts to prevent digging under.

We are getting close to the holidays and Lisa just got a new shipment of fabulous products in from Peru. She now has a neat small blanket made of baby alpaca and silk which is a perfect doggie blanket for that special small pet (doesn't have to be a dog) who deserves the finest. Seriously, these are neat little pet blankets and our Chihuahua loves his.

Sweaters! Lisa just received some 10 0 % Alpaca sweaters, hand-made in Peru. Some are crew neck, some are hooded with zipper and pockets. All are fantastic and she is running a great sale price. You also can e-mail pedrospride@hughes.net or fax (208) 263-0326.

Check out the New Cria

2006-09-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

Pedro's Pride Ranch, September 10, 2006:

Newborn cria and he is a doll. This little boy does not have a name yet, but he deserves a magnificant one. His dam is a mom for the first time and she is taking on the role extremely well. She is a silver gray. The little one's sire is also a gray and the baby is a spectacular rose gray with very unusal and distinctive markings.

His ears are so light colored, they appear white. His legs are a light gray at feet, blending beautifully into an almost pink color, then darker rose gray along his sides and topline. His tail is a lighter shade of gray than his back, making it stand out in a very attractive way.

He weighed in at 14 lbs and was born on day 322. The sire, dam and this cria are owned by 007 Ranch, Roland and Dianne Carlill who reside in Fairbanks, Alaska. They report that the leaves there have changed to brilliant colors, but that snow can't be far behind. They are both very happy about the birth of this healthy little boy.

Getting ready for the holidays? Buy early and get quality alpaca products at Pedro's Pride Fashions on line.

All our best to all of you out here. Time to submit your entries for the Fiber Odyssey.

Ken & Lisa

Llama Rescue -- New Cria born

2006-09-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

Athol, Idaho. August 2006: Sue Sasher, who operates a wonderful Llama rescue at her Idaho ranch, sent me this photo of a fantastic Llama Cria. If you look closely at the little one's nose and face, it looks like it was hand painted.

Sue's Llama rescue has achieved fabulous results and her professional attitude is helping animals who otherwise would be under a great deal of stress or risk. We should all thank Sue for her tireless efforts in making this a better world.

If you are looking for a Llama for your alpaca ranch, this is an excellent place to start. Sue will provide you an honest evaluation of any Llama she has and I am confident that she will direct you toward an animal that will be compatible and meet your needs.

Contact Sue at susansasher@yahoo.com.

Sue tells us that she can use help purchasing hay to get them through the winter. If you want to help, send her an e-mail. Sue has the following Llamas available now:

2 year old female who is an excellent guard, but easy to work with
4 year old female (mother of the one above), who is a sweetie
Three male crias
Sue has more available. For information, e-mail susan.

All our best from North Idaho. It is not too early to start shopping for Christmas at Pedro's Pride Fashions.

Ken Larson

Enchanted Acres New Cria

2006-08-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Benton City, WA: Pictured here are Jeff and Brenda Trammell with a new-born alpaca cria who was born at their ranch.

Around the Pacific Northwest there are some outstanding small alpaca ranches whose owners have a keen understanding of the industry, the animals and who are wonderful in dealing with other people. Jeff and Brenda Trammell's ranch, Enchanted Acres Ranch, is such a place.

I first met Brenda at the Alpaca Showcase Northwest alpaca show. I had no idea how to show an alpaca in the ring because I had never done this before. Even though we were in the same class, Brenda took me aside and demonstrated what I needed to know so that I wouldn't make a total fool of myself. She was patient, friendly and obviously quite experienced. Her alpaca, Star Lily, with Brenda's lead, did extremely well in the show ring. Our girl, Lilly, placed fourth and I don't think I did too badly, either -- thanks to Brenda's coaching.

Since then, Lisa and I have visited Enchanted Acres Ranch, which is a very impressive alpaca operation. We have communicated often with the Trammells and we have heard many people speaking highly of them. So, our congratulations go out to Jeff and Brenda and we highly recommend that anyone who is interested in alpacas get in touch with Enchanted Acres Ranch. You will find some high-quality animals there, as well as some very positive, friendly and knowledgeable people. You can't go wrong working with this ranch.

Enchanted Acres Ranch also brokers the sale of alpacas for other owners, provides herdsire services, boarding and agisting alpacas and sales of their own beautiful stock.

All our best to Jeff and Brenda

Feed Back from Clients

2006-08-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

Periodically, we ask our clients for comments on "how we can make things work better for them." Here is a letter we just got from a client (and friends) in Alaska for whom we care for their alpacas. It feels good to hear that our hard work is making a difference. And, remember to visit us and other quality ranches who support this blog--Enchanted Acres Ranch --Yakima River Alpacas --Pedro's Pride Ranch --Pedro's Pride Fashions --Alpaca Products (Wholesale to Ranch Stores).

"We really do not have anything more to suggest—you have a very tidy operation. It is obvious by how you have done your barn and your pastures and your fan system, that you are meeting the needs of the animals, whether it has to do with their comfort, ie heat issues in the summer, or their proper separation, in terms of separating males from females, aggressive animals from those who are less aggressive, etc. You have done a nice job of expanding your pastures to meet those needs.

The animals themselves are well cared for—you can just tell by looking at them, their demeanor, etc. One way that I could always tell how much alpaca owners cared for their animals was the nail situation. It was amazing to me how many did not pay attention to this detail!! You folks are now to the point where you can walk out into the pasture and pick up on stuff that just does not look right, and that means that you can really read the animals.

We are very appreciative of how you take care of the animals—we often say, Ken and Lisa take care of them as we would take care of them—we are very pleased that our animals are in such good hands. "

Keep in touch and start thinking about next year's breedings. There are some great herdsires out there whom you have never heard about. More on that topic later.

All my best, Ken

Fiber facts, Fiber testing, Fiber evaluations

2006-08-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Most of you ranchers probably have such a program going, but we at Pedro's Pride Ranch have finally gotten our act a bit better together and we are now engaged in testing fleeces and getting professional advice on developing our breeding program further. Let me explain:

Our breeding program is simple--
1. Strong, healthy alpacas with a guaranteed genetic diversity
2. Fineness and handle in fleeces
3. Added staple length and density for more weight
4. Brightness and color
5. Crimp, crinkle and character as defined by the textile industry (as opposed to AOBA show judges)

To further these goals, we have bred Pedro Armendariz, whose fleeces have won several ribbons and produces about 12 pounds of brilliant fiber per year, with award-winning 007's Leila and Lois Maxwell, both white with fine fleece characteristics. The resulting four crias (3 girls, one boy) have carried forward the best qualities of each parent. They all exhibit Pedro's brilliant fleece and extreme density. All four also show exquisite fleece character with high curvature numbers and wonderful scores on "spin fineness" and "comfort factor."

Pedro and Leila's 2006 cria, Paloma of Pend Oreille was born April 20th. We tipped her entire fleece two weeks later. Today (August 12th) her fleece is a solid four inches long and formed in gorgeous locks with crimp evident from skin to tip. This fleece was evaluated as exceptionally fine, silky fleece with a fantastic commercial value. We will show her in the Spring 2007.

Lilly (Pedro and Leila) and Lola (Pedro and Lois) were tested at 18 months of age. These recent histograms prove what we suspected--they have incredible fleeces. Not only are these girls' fleeces "brilliant throughout" (as the judge at Alpacapalooza noted for Lilly), but they are dense, fine and have unheard-of curvature and comfort factor scores.

Here is Lilly's histogram, with key factors to note being, mean diameter at 18.98, comfort factor 98.2% and curve at 69 deg/mm.

Lola scores even higher with mean of 17.19, comfort factor at an outstanding 98.7 % and curve at a remarkable 82.8 deg/mm.

Pedro's histogram (I can't scan it because I don't have a scanner) shows the traits we are seeking, with mean diameter below the national average at 25.87 microns, confort factor of 84.5 % and an excellent curve of 51.3 deg/mm. His fleece quality shows excellent uniformity with a low CV and with 5 % of fibers= 9.0 microns above mean. These traits, combined with 12 pounds per year production and several judges' evaluations of the fineness and handle of his fleece, make Pedro an excellent choice for us to continue our program and for other ranchers looking for fineness, handle and weight.

Pedro would be happly cooperate with a breeding for you and we will be happy to provide 100 % financing and free care of your dam (and her cria) while visiting with Pedro.

Enough commericalization. Back to my point. As the next step in our breeding program we will put Kenai of Pend Oreille in service in 2007. He carries some wonderful genetics and his fleece shows definate signs of throwing gray. Kenai is the son of Premier's Absolute, whose record speaks for itself-- Oh, yeah, and he recently sold at auction for $150,000!

Also, adding to this breeding program is the introduction of the award-winning qualities of Alpacas de la Patagonia. While at that website, look at herdsires, Guevara, Lennox and Kaspa. We have purchased two pregnant females from them and our two girls -- Lilly and Lola -- are now bred to two of Patagonia's most famous herdsires.

Lilly is bred to Patagonia's Kaspa, the 2003 AOBA Gray Male Champion. He is a rose gray and looks almost pink. He is a striking-looking male with fine fiber and wonderful fleece characteristics in addition to his gorgeous color.

Lola is now bred to Patagonia's reknown herdsire, Patagonia's Lennox. He sports a rich, brown fleece with fabulous, high amplitude, tight crimp. Like Kaspa, he has a remarkable show record and a string of offspring that have carried on the winning tradition, including the fineness, handle and low-micron fiber diameters we all expect from this professional ranch.

Finally, to the point I wanted to make-- I am thinking that part of any fleece development program or breeding program for that matter, should include the consultation of experts. Thus, we have been relying heavily on the advice and positive approach of Carrie Hull at Timber_Basin Ranch. timber_basin@hotmail.com. [there is an underscore _ between timber and basin]. Carrie is vastly experienced and has formal training in analyzing fleeces. Her approch is very valuable because she understands both alpaca breeding and the textile industries' needs. Carrie will take your fleece and for a very reasonable fee, provide you with a written analysis. The last one she did for us including the following components, each of which is useful and dependable:

Fleece stats--weight, average staple length, grade (our last one was Grade 2, which is not too shabby) and crimps per inch.

She then gives a written explanation of her findings in the following categories:

Crimp style and character

Density

Handle

Color (including uniformity and variations)

Other -- which might include things like health or conditioning issues (Carrie was herd health person for Snowmass, after all)

Strengths -- those qualities that make the fleece more valuable or usable in the textile industry, for example

Improvement Areas -- here is where you get Carrie's expertise and recommendation for future breedings

DID YOU KNOW-- Angus McColl from Yokum-McColl fiber testing labs averaged all of the alpaca fleece histograms done for a full year and found that the AVERAGE MICRON WAS 28. And, did you know that the benchmark (according to Carrie Hull) for uniformity of a fleece is 20 microns, 4.4 SD, 20 CV. [Carrie told me these things, so it is not my research].

That's it for now. Please join us in this blog. Write comments by clicking below, or add your posting by letting us know you want to post and we will give you access.

And, here's a good idea. Before school starts and you all get busy with other things, take a family outing and visit an Alpaca Ranch near you. Pedro's Pride Ranch is in north Idaho, a short, scenic drive from Spokane and CdA. Yakima River Alpacas and Enchanted Acres Ranch are located in the Tri-Cities area of eastern Washington and would make a wonderful day trip.

If you want to visit an Alpaca Ranch, but are not close to those I listed, please e-mail me at pedrospride@hughes.net and we can find one near you.

All our best,

Ken & Lisa Larson

New Girls on the Ranch

2006-08-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

Pedro's Pride Ranch has two new girls in residence. Patagonia's Sage, a dark brown pregnant female and Patagonia's Cilantro, a true black girl (also pregnant) are now here and settled in with the other alpacas.

Cilantro is bred to a handsomely built true black herdsire from Alpacas de la Patagonia, named Guevara. He is a stately guy with fine, rich black fleece and superb conformation. Cilantro's sire is Patagonia's Neruda, whose 10-month-old female cria recently sold at auction for $80,000. Cilantro is two years old and will deliver her first cria in the Spring of 2007

Sage is a beautiful red-brown with white markings on her face. She is a two-year-old who is bred to Patagonia's Kaspa, who sports a long, distinguished list of regional and national awards, including 2003 AOBA grey male champion. Sage's sire is Jericho who also sired the 2005 AWE and AOBA black champion male. Sage's first cria will hit the ground at Pedro's Pride Ranch in late Spring 2007.

We are quite excited about how these two girls will add to our breeding program.

Be sure to look at Pedro's Pride Fashions for those special gifts and please visit our AlpacaNation.com website.

All our best,
Ken Larson

Pedro's Pride Alpacas Win More Ribbons

2006-08-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Chehalis, WA. July 23, 2006: For Immediate Release--

Pedro's Pride Ranch took two of the top honors in the fleece show at Alpaca Affaire Northwest 2006. Kenai of Pend Oreille (son of Premier's Absolute) took second place in the juvenile fawn colored division. The judge commented on the staple length and crimp of this gorgeous fleece.

Kenai of Pend Oreille the day after shearing

Leila, a consistent ribbon winner, took third in the white division that included all age groups 2 years and older. Leila is six.

Leila and Pedro (also a six year old) had the highest scores of any of the white alpacas for Fineness and Handle. To us, these scores are noteworthy because our breeding program is focused toward developing fine fiber with density. Recall that Pedro's annual production of fleece is 12 pounds, yet it retains it brightness throughout and is quite fine and soft to the touch even at this age.

We are proud of of these three animals. Pedro is available now at introductory prices for breeding and we hope Kenai will be available for the 2007 season. We will finance and all prices are negotiable.

Pedro Armendariz, standing stud in North Idaho

Pedro and Leila have a 2006 cria that we think will be a show-stopper. Paloma of Pend Oreille has long, silky fleece and is conformationally correct. We will show her starting at the 2007 fall season. Her brother, Pablo, (also a Pedro cria) whose fleece is quite dense and cimpy is for sale now. He is weaned and we may bring him to Fiber Odessy in October as an alpaca for sale or trade.

Remember, for alpaca products and wholesale for your ranch store, check out Pedro's Pride Fashions.

All my best,
Ken

Pedro's Pride Ranch Takes Honors

2006-06-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

Estes Park, CO, June 18, 2006:

007's Leila, owned by Pedro's Pride Ranch took top honors in her color and age class at the Estes Park Wool Market Fleece Show. Judges commented on the brilliance, tight crimp and uniformity of Leila's rich, white fleece.

Photo:
Leila displaying her 1st and 2nd place ribbons from 2003 and 2004 Alpacapalooza Fleece Shows. She will add another Blue from the Estes Park Wool Market show.

Pedro Armendariz, also owned by Pedro's Pride Ranch, took third in the same class for his fleece. Pedro's fleece exhibits unusual density, bright white color with brilliant reflective qualities. His staple length is greater than Leila's (who is a producing dam), but it lacks some definition compared with her fleece.

Because the class was based on age and color, Leila and Pedro competed againt one another; thus, Pedro's Pride Ranch took two out of the top three awards in this class.

Photo:
Pedro's fleece sample from the 2006 shearing where he produced 12 lbs of wonderful white fiber. His shearing and the weighing of Pedro's fleece were witnessed by an independent fleece sorter.

Pedro and Leila have produced two crias: Lilly, who took ribbons in the only two shows she entered and Paloma, who is two months old and already showing the presence and conformation that should take her to the show ring next Spring. Both crias display exceptionally dense, brilliant fleece with strong crimp.

Yarn spun from Pedro's fleece has been an excellent seller at Pedro's Pride Fashions. Yarn from both Leila's and Pedro's 2005 fleeces is on sale at the Alpaca Market in Eugene, Oregon this weekend. One excellent feature of the yarn from these two wonderful animals is the way it holds dye and stays true to a full range of colors.

All my best to you all
Ken Larson

More Baby Pictures--Crias!!!

2006-06-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

I have received more cria photos from around the country. I tried to post them all, but a few were too small or I was too lame to figure out how to make them work. I'll keep trying. I think it is really fun to see these little Alpacas and to get comments from their owners. Thanks, for sending them. [Please note that no matter how hard I try to get these all formatted and lined up so they look good and make sense, it all changes when I post it to the blog. I just hope you can match the photos with the names. If not, enjoy the photos and contact the owners.]

To the right are listed links to useful and interesting websites. A new one has been added that you should visit. It is Gateway Alpacas. In addition to a nice ranch site, this site offers a Directory of other ranches. John was kind enough to add a link to our site at www.pedrospride.com and we have placed a link to his site here and will add on at our ranch site at www.alpaca-usa.com. Please take a look at Gateway Alpacas.

Also, to the right, you will see a new link to Cabin Cria-Tions, www.soggybottomranchalpacas.com. Geri sent in a cria photo and also information that should interest all of us. Her company manufactures and sells cria coats. We use cria coats on almost every newborn and we even have a set of medium sized ones for youngsters who might need some extra help in cold weather. Cria coats are one of those things you need to have on hand BEFORE you need them, so I would advise stocking up, even in the hot summer months. Take a look at Geri's products at her very nice website.

Introducing SBRA Coppertone Kid, a wonderful cria with credentials to match. His photo here is at the Soggy Bottom Ranch at Gresham, Wisconsin. Go to Geri's website for details and contact information.

Shown here having fun with a dust bath at her ranch in Blairville, Georgia, is Lady Co Co.

Lee and Joanne Mansfield sent a few photos of their crias. What a wonderful bunch of little ones they have. Below are some more cria photos from the Mansfields:

No wonder their ranch motto is: "Our alpacas are not our whole lives, they just make our lives whole." You can find their ranch under Alpacas 4U2C at www.alpacanation.com.

Here is Sir Wilson running at only five days of age:

Showing off the amazing variety of colors at their Georgia ranch are Night's Jewel and mom:

LeeAnna Wunder Jorgenson, on Whidbey Island, Washington, said she is relatively new to the alpaca business. These two photos of her first cria, Phobos Gold Nugget, at only four hours of age, show that Lee Anna is already having fantastic success. When her website is up, we will post a link on the blog. Thanks, for sharing these cria photos, which prove once again that there is not much cuter than an Alpaca cria. Send some more photos when you can.

Alpaca Products and Crias

2006-06-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a reminder:

Herdsires, alpacas and ranch tour-- Enchanted Acres Ranch, Benton City, WA
Alpacas, Ranch Tour, Agisting-- Yakima River Alpacas, Richland, WA
Herdsires, Agisting, Ranch Tour in North Idaho-- Pedro's Pride Ranch, Sagle, ID
Ruanas, Scarves, The Rocking Alpaca-- Pedro's Pride Fashions, Sagle, ID

Pedro's Pride Fashions will be at Eugene, OR show this month, then at Alpaca Affaire, Chehalis, WA in July, Alpaca Mania, Central Point, OR in October. Come visit Lisa at her vendor booth at these events.

Pedro's Pride Fashions and Pedro's Pride Ranch also have sites at http://www.alpacanation.com/pedrospride.asp and Pedro's Pride Fashions has an ebay store, which is now being stocked.

We have some more cria photos to post later this week, coming from the eastern USA. This is spreading.

Hope late Srping is treating everyone well. This is a great time of year for a ranch tour. I love watching the crias running and pronking in the early evening. Not much cuter than that.

I can't resist!

2006-06-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!
I can't resist posting this new cria photo. This is a 2 week old male suri, who has a real attitude!
Hope you enjoy this cute picture!
Our pastures are just jumping with 8 crias right now. We are expecting 3 more very soon, so the joy continues!
All The Best,
Brenda
Enchanted Acres Ranch
Benton City, Wa

Premier's Absolute Sold!

2006-06-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

Premier's Absolute, one of the currently most famous herdsires, was sold at the 2006 Futurity for $150,000.00. According to the former owners, the average selling price for Absolute's 2005 female offspring was over $40,000.00.

Pedro's Pride Ranch is proud to introduce you to 007's Kenai, the son of Premier's Absolute.

Kenai's photo at 10-months of age----

Kenai's Sire:
Absolute is Medium Rose Gray

Kenai's Dam: Mocha Caramella, from the Bolivian Mocha line. She is Dark Rose Gray and placed First at both Alpacapalooza 2002 and 2003 fleece shows, the only two times her fleece was entered in any show.

Our plan is to place Kenai in Service in 2007. He first will be bred to Patagonia's Lucky Charm, owned by Pedro's Pride Ranch, who is current pregnant from Kaspa, the 2003 AOBA grey champion. Her sire, Rickson G. is a rosegrey.

Then, he will be bred with Pedro's Pride Ranch's Patagonia's Cilantro. Then, his services will be available to other ranches. Cilantro is black with a white face and white socks.

Her sire, Neruda, is a Gray and one of his offspring sold at auction recently at 10-months of age for $80,000.00.

The offspring of these breedings will be for sale in 2007-2008.

As an introduction, we offer Absolute's son, Kenai, at $1500.00 breeding fee for the first five breedings. After that, the stud fee will be going up. Make reservations early for this great opportunity to profit from the Premier's Absolute bloodline. This offers unbelievable opportunities and we want it to benefit the smaller Alpaca ranches in our area.

How's that for crass commercialization? We wish you all the best and remind you that Lisa has some great deals on Alpaca Products.

Please note also that Pedro's Pride Ranch and Pedro's Pride Fashions storefront are now at Alpaca Nation. URL www.alpacanation.com/pedrospride.asp

Cria Photos

2006-06-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have been receiving some Emailed cria photos. Everybody likes baby pictures, so here are some. What a great time of year.

Susan Sasher sent another Llama cria photo. She also wants to pass on to all that she has some friendly Llamas available who are rescued animals she said are excellent guards. She said they will keep dogs out of your pasture. If you are interested, send an email to pedrospride@hughes.net and I'll get you together with Susan.

This youngster's name is Prince Twig N' Berry.

Kathy and Rick Tinkham sent this photo of Mandalay, a sweet-looking black cria. Tinkham's ranch is Red Roof Ranch Alpacas at Cadiz, Kentucky. Mandalay had a similar problem as our girl Paloma with her mom not allowing her to nurse as long as she needed. Kathy and Rick worked through it and Kathy emailed today that the cria is doing great.

Kathy, thanks for sharing the baby picture.

Here's one that is a bit different for our AlpacaInfo blog-- A Llama cria. Susan Sasher or Athol, Idaho has been rescuing Llamas and this Spring she is getting a bonus with some beautiful crias. We owe Susan and people like her a lot of gratitude for the selfless work they do in rescuing animals and giving them the care and nurturing they need. Thanks, Susan. He's a gorgeous little guy.

Robyn Kuhl at Fro m the Heart Ranch, Sandpoint, ID, sent this one. She was really busy with shearing and fleece sorting for other ranches, that I was not able to learn this little one's name or gender.

By the way, Pedro's Pride Ranch females, Lola and Lilly, will be bred with Robyn's outstanding male, Bianco Massimo, in a month or so. Our belief is that the two girls' near-perfect conformation, dense fleece and fine crimp will be a great match for Blanco's crimp and long staple. We'll keep you posted on that.

Sandy Sanders, owner of Yakima River Alpacas, is in the birthing season and she sent this photo of Margaritaville and her 2006 cria. What a cutie! congratulations Sandy. [I couldn't get the image any bigger, sorry].

Yakima River Alpacas has some award-winning animals and this ranch in eastern Washington is a delight to visit. The Sanders are great people to chat with and always seem positive and interesting.

Brenda Trammel at Enchanted Acres Ranch sent this photo of her newborn, Suri Alpaca cria. His name is Kodiak. In one day, 45 alpacas were sheared at Brenda's place last month. Wow! If you are interested in seeing Alpacas, or learning more about them, a stop at Enchanted Acres Ranch in Benton City, Washington is a must. And, you could combine that with a visit to Yakima River Alpacas, which is near by.

Brenda just e-mailed two more photos. This is the new bottle baby, Tootsie, a suri Alpaca.

Here is Britt with Tootsie:

Jeff Bottle Feeding Tootsie

From Pedro's Pride Ranch, Sagle, Idaho, comes this photo of 2006 crias, Paloma and Pablo. Note that they are standing in almost exactly the same position.

Their sire, Pedro Armanderiz, runs the place and keeps everyone in line. This shearing, he produced 12 pounds or gorgeous white fleece, nearly the same weight as his 2005 fleece, which took First Place in the 2006 AWE Spin Off and Third at Alpacapalooza 2006 Spin Off. These two crias are further proof that Pedro passes on his unusually dense, lustrous fleece to his offspring.

Pablo and Paloma's mother are sisters and they have the same dad. Does that mean they are sisters and cousins at the same time? They are almost twins genetically.

And, for those of you who support this blog--especially Pedro's Pride Fashions (Alpaca Products), Yakima River Alpacas, Enchanted Acres Ranch and Pedro's Pride Ranch--I wanted to pass on that I got an Email today from a man in Moorehead, Minnesota. He commented on our cria Paloma and how well she seemed to be doing. I asked him how he knew about that and he said he reads this blog. Interesting, huh? Thanks, for your support.

Please contact your Senator and Congressal Representative to fight against the new Internet bills that will place all of us small businesses at a disadvantage. Our freedom to use the Internet is under attack. Congress is being bombarded with millions of dollars worth of lobbying, allowing the big telecom companies to write a new bill that protects their profits at our expense. Thanks.

Enjoy this wonderful Spring.

Ken & Lisa Larson

Ruanas and Fleeces

2006-06-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

Lisa has changed her website a bit at www.pedrospride.com . For one thing, they have added another color to the fabulous ruanas. The ruana is a fantastic wrap, similar to a shawl, but shaped to fit your neck and stay on more comfortably. Here is the new color chart. And, remember that Pedro's Pride Fashions sells alpaca products, including the ruanas, wholesale to ranch stores.

Thirty-four great colors. Ruanas are made from 70 % Baby Alpaca and 30 % natural Silk. Imported from Peru.

And, speaking of fiber, our male Pedro's sheared fleece weighed in at 12 pounds. Carrie Hull said she wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it. In fact, she did his shearing. And, she did a great job. A little Rescue Remedy helped the big boy calm a bit, as well. His fleece is dense and this trait has been passed on to his four offspring. He had a good week, too. He bred twice. Next week, he will be doing the same. What a guy!

Pedro tells me to be very lenient on negotiating his stud fees--I'm sure he would offer himself for free. His employees (Lisa and me), however, need to pay for his feed, so we need some money for his services, but we are quite willing to trade or negotiate some great deals.

All our best,

Ken Larson,

Pedro's Pride Ranch

The Best Things--

2006-05-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

The best things about this time of year for the Alpaca person are crias (babies) and shearing. I love both.

At Pedro's Pride Ranch, we started shearing by taking just a few per day, starting with the easy ones. We did the two new crias. The boy, Pablo, we actually sheared. His sister, Paloma, we just tipped her fleece--cut off just the tips which are undesirable as amneotic fleece. Then, we went to yearlings. We wanted three show-quality fleeces, so we brought in the expert--Carrie Hull from Timber Basin Ranch near Sagle, Idaho. She is an expert on fleeces and fiber issues and does a wonderful, patient, cautious job with the shears. She prepared three wonderful fleeces: one each from Pedro, Leila and Kenai. Here is a photo of Carrie, my wife, Lisa, and their friend Leila. Carrie is just putting the finishing touches on the "do."

Keep in mind, that Carrie also is a certified Fleece Sorter who can be very valuable to you even if you have someone else (or yourself) doing the shearing. Carrie is a wealth of information and a pleasant companion with whom to spend some time. I also enjoyed very much listening to her talk to the Alpacas as she worked on them. What a nice experience for me. And, special thanks to Carrie. To reach Carrie, use email at timber_basin@hotmail.com (there is an underline _ between timber and basin)

If I had not been there for a few of these shearings, I would not have recognized our own Alpacas. For example, here are a "before" and "after" photo of Kenai, standing pretty close to exactly the same postion for each photo. Dr. Seuss would be proud of the "after" photo, don't you think?

I received some photos of great crias from Sandy at Yakima River Alpacas and Brenda at Enchanted Acres Ranch. In a day or so, I will put those together with a couple of mine and write a bit about crias. Not much in the world cuter that a baby Alpaca.

I just thought about something else that's great about this time of year--you can get your Christmas shopping done early with alpaca products. You will score some big points if you do because fashions and accessories (and stuffed animals, of course) made from the "Fiber of the Gods" shows you care and that you know luxury.

Alpacas, breeding, herdsires, boarding at
www.alpaca-usa.com
www.enchantedacresranch.com
www.yakimariveralpacas.com

Shearing, Fleece Sorting and Fiber Expertise-- timber_basin@hotmail.com

And, boy did it rain last night! More lightning and thunder than I have heard in a very long time. Our pastures sure needed the moisture and hopefully the new seeds will not grow. And, quickly, I hope.

All my best,
Ken Larson

Thanks to Our Supporters

2006-05-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

Let's take a moment and thank the search engine operators, blog directories and ranches who are making this blog work. Thanks, for all of your support.

Enchanted Acres Ranch, Benton City, WA
Yakima River Alpacas, Richland, WA
Pedro's Pride Ranch, Sagle, ID
Pedro's Pride Fashions, Sagle, ID -- Alpaca Products

Search Engines Who Have Found Us:

www.google.com
www.yahoo.com

Blog Directories and Search Engines Who Link To Our Blog--Thanks!

www.bloghub.com
www.blogcatalog.com
ww w.bloggernity.com

And, to cap it off, here is a recent photo of our two new Alpaca Crias. Paloma is on the right, Pablo on the left of the photo. The mark on Paloma's forehead is "green stuff" where someone spit on her. We washed it off.

Any prospective Alpaca buyers or anyone just interested in these amazing animals is welcome to post a comment or send emails -- pedrospride@hughes.net . If you will be in eastern Washington or North Idaho, we can arrange a ranch tour at any or all of these three ranches. Enchanted Acres Ranch, Yakima River Alpacas and Pedro's Pride Ranch.

If you have a ranch store and are looking for great products at wholesale, please contact Lisa at Pedro's Pride Fashions. She has wonderful Alpaca Products.

Thanks, all. Ken Larson

Pablo & Paloma, plus Lilly gets a haircut

2006-05-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

Eastern Washington Alpaca Ranches:
Enchanted Acres Ranch, Benton City, WA
Yakima River Alpacas, Richland, WA

North Idaho Alpaca Ranch, Sagle, ID

Mens and Womens Fashions from natural fibers, Alpaca Products at Pedro's Pride Fashions

This is your update on our two crias-- Pablo and Paloma (which means pidgeon in Spanish, by the way).

As I wrote in an earlier blog posting, we were quite worried about Paloma because she was not eating and her mom seemed to not be cooperating. It does take two to make nursing work. We separated the herd so that Paloma and Pablo were not together. That worked. When Lisa put them all back together, she said the whole herd ran and jumped around the pasture, obviously glad to be with friends again.

And, Pablo tried to bully little Paloma who was about half his weight. She kicked him squarely in the chest. From that moment on, they are getting along quite well. Both are thriving. Paloma is still gaining weight at a rate averaging 0.7 lbs per day. Pablo hit fifty pounds yesterday (and he got sheared, to boot).

Here is a photo of the two. Pablo is on the left and Paloma is on the right. If it looks like she has a hole in her forehead, it is actually the "green stuff" from having someone spit on her.

We started shearing yesterday, doing only two animals. One of them is Lilly. She was great, but afterwards seems a bit put out. She looks totally different. I am sure that if I had not seen it happen (I was, afterall, the one weilding the shears), I would not believe it is the same girl. And, if you look at the photo to the right, you can tell what color our soil is. Lilly is white with a brown spot on her right side (visible in the photo). She immediately rolled and rubbed in the dirt and now looks almost light brown. We put a blanket on her last night and she hated that. But, it was down to near freezing, so it seemed prudent.

I would sure like to see other cria photos and hear the tales of the Alpaca Ranches out there. And, of course, if you are considering buying Alpacas, please ask any questions you want here.

All my best,
Ken Larson

New Alpacas Coming to Pedro's Pride Ranch

2006-05-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that two new Alpacas will be joining the herd at Pedro's Pride Ranch in Sagle, ID.

Through a recent purchase, Pedro's Pride Ranch has acquired two wonderful, pregnant females from Alpacas de la Patagonia, of Camano Island, WA.

Patagonia's Lucky Charm is fawn colored, with very fine fleece. She will be two years old this August. Her dam is fawn, her sire is rosegray. Lucky Charm is bred to the famous Kapsa, a thickly-fibered rosegray who was the 2003 AOBA Gray Champion. Here is a photo of the Charmer after last shearing.

Patagonia's Cilantro will be two years old in September. She is a dynamic black with a white face and socks. Her dam is Jazz, a black. Cilantro's sire is champion Patagonia's Neruda, whose 10-month-old cria recently sold at auction for $80,000. Here is a photo our new girl, Cilantro:

Cilantro is bred to a statuesque black Alpaca named Guevara. Her cria is due in the spring of 2007.

As a continuing part of our breeding program, we will look at combining the championship qualities of these Patagonia girls with our future herdsire who is the son of Premier's Absolute, a champion for sure. We believe these two bloodlines will produce some incredible crias.

As always, our main goal in our breeding program is to guarantee genetic diversity and strong, healthy, conformationally-correct Alpacas.

I sure hope the Spring is as nice where you are as it is here in North Idaho.

Remember, if you have a ranch store, Lisa has some wonderful alpaca products from Peru at wholesale prices. Click here for Alpaca Products.

If you are going to be in the Tri-Cities area of Washington, contact these two ranches to meet some really nice people and visit some great alpacas.

Enchanted Acres Ranch, Benton City, WA

Yakima River Alpacas, Richland, WA

Cria Update--The MisAdventures of Paloma & Pablo

2006-04-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

For agisting, alpaca sales, herdsires, sound advice and to meet good people contact these two ranches:
www.enchantedacresranch.com
www.yakimariveralpacas.com

For Alpaca Products, like lush sweaters, great sox and baby-proof teddy bears, contact www.pedrospride.com

For herdsire services, agsiting and sales, contact
www.alpaca-usa.com

I worte a few days ago that we were having a bit of a problem with our new girl nursing. She is now thriving and gaining weight at a rate greater than a pound per day--some days it is 1 1/2 lbs.

Lisa noticed it and came up with the solution to why our little Paloma was not nursing. And, her observations were quite interesting. It turns out that Paloma (who was only a day or so old) was kind of weak and her "brother" Pablo was a hard-bodied five weeks old and very eager to play. This little boy was pestering Paloma and her mom, making mom so nervous she wouldn't allow her cria to nurse long enough. We separated the mom and Paloma, but that made her mom nervous, too (being separated from the herd), and she would not nurse long enough. So, we separated the herd into two groups, putting Pablo and his mom in one pasture with some animals and Paloma and her mom in another pasture with some females. Immediately, they worked it out and Paloma started nursing. Her mom, Leila, held perfectly still until Paloma had her fill and walked away. They have been doing it ever since and Paloma now is a strapping little cria who runs, jumps and does all of those crazy cria things. We plan to give them another week apart to let Paloma gain some more weight and strength, then put them all back together again.

For photos of these two, scroll down to previous posts on this blog.

Please visit the websites of ranches who support this blog-- www.enchantedacresranch.com , www.yakimariveralpacas.com , www.predropsride.com and www.alpaca-usa.com

Thanks.

All my best
Ken Larson

Paloma--New girl in the county

2006-04-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

We are planning to name her Paloma. She is Pablo's sister, sired by Pedro Armendariz who is standing stud in North Idaho. Here are a couple of photos taken when she was two hours old this morning (4/20/2006).

Her mom took 363 days for gestation and we had quite a day figuring out what to do. The cria didn't know how to suckle, so we hand milked Leila, the mom, then fed the cria with a dropper. This wasn't getting it, but we were trying to teach the baby how to suck, rather than chew. The chewing, understandably, was a bit irritating to mom. This whole thing was frustrating because baby and mom seemed to be bonded and concerned about one another.

We needed colostrum supplementation and we were concerned. So, late in the day, we bought some goat colostrum from Carrie Hull. Working slowly, we fed Paloma about 2 ozs of colostrum, working with a lamb nipple baby bottle. She kind of got it that when she sucked, she got more milk.

About an hour later, we saw her nursing, with her tail straight up in the air. She nursed from the left, then the right and finally, she worked her way in between her mom's back legs and nursed that way. I was amazed at the increase in energy and was delighted to see her start running and playing. A good end to day 1.

I don't know what it means--maybe just that it took a long time before she was ready to come out--but her fiber is about 2" long and shaggy all over her body. Even her face has long fleece and her eyelashes are really something.

So, I guess the message is to keep trying and don't expect to have a bottle baby just because she started that way. I hope this nursing frenzy continues.

Here are two photos of Paloma taken when she was only two hours old. She is settling down for her first night at Pedro's Pride Ranch.

Our Emails are changing: Email: Alpaca Products from Pedro's Pride Fashions and alpacas at Pedro's Pride Ranch at pedrospride@hughes.net

All our best,
Ken & Lisa Larson

Alpaca Info

2006-04-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Alpaca Info: Brenda and some others may have noticed that your links (all of the links) moved to the bottom of the post page. This occurred because we have been picked up by several blog directories and search engines. They have placed their banner ads and links on our blog in exchange for listing us in the directories. I'll try to see if we can get those moved back to the top, right side of the blog page. I'll let you know what I learn.

www.enchantedacresranch.com Breeding, Agisting, Sales
www.yakimariveralpacas.com Prize Winning Alpacas Sales
www.pedrospride.com Alpaca Products
www.alpaca-usa.com Herdsires, Agisting, Short-Term Boarding of Alpacas in North Idaho

Pedro Wins Blue

2006-04-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

Alpaca Info

Pedro Armendariz won First Place in his class at the AWE Spin Off. As a Blue-Ribbon Winner, his fleece will be on display next weekend at this competitive alpaca show. Show officials notified the winners today, indicating that there were 116 entries from 14 states in the spin off. Five judges evaluated the fleeces entered. The three other top winners in Pedro's class (second, third and fourth places) may also be on display at the Portland, Oregon show.

The Alpaca Western Extravaganza (AWE) is one of the nation's most highly competitive alpaca shows and is being held in Hall E at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, 2060 N. Marine Drive, Portland, Oregon April 15 and 16. For more information, see their website at http://www.awe-alpacas.org.

Earlier this month, Pedro took third place in his class at the Alpacapalooza event. Judge's comments on his fleece for that spin off event are described on this blog earlier in the week.

Pedro is available for herdsire services at his home in North Idaho.

Some natural-colored yarn and some hand-dyed yarn spun from Pedro's wonderful fleece is for sale along with other Alpaca Proudcts at Pedro's Pride Fashions-- http://www.pedrospride.com. Pedro's Pride Fashions will have a vendor booth at the Portland show, selling Alpaca Products, fashions and accessories. Come by and say hello to Lisa at the booth.

Star Lily Takes Red Ribbon!

2006-04-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Dan and Sandy Sanders of Yakima River Alpacas on Peruvian Star Lily's Red Ribbon at Alpacapalooza!
We sure are proud of you!

Alpacapalooza Show Results

2006-04-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

We would like to announce that our Sir Charlemagne took a Second place ribbon in his halter class and a First place in the fiber competition! Sir Charlemagne will be standing stud at our ranch, Enchanted Acres Ranch, by mid year 2006! You can read more about him on our Alpaca Nation Site at AlpacaNation.com!

Show Results & Alpaca Products

2006-04-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

For Alpaca Products, take a close look at www.pedrospride.com. We also are stocking our ebay store which will be open in a week or so.

If you are looking for Alpaca Sales, agisting or a ranch visit, contact three ranches who support this blog: Pedro's Pride Ranch, Enchanted Acres Ranch and Yakima River Alpacas.

Alpacapalooza, an AOBA-Certified show, was held last weekend in Puyallup, Washington. Alpacapalooza set a show record with over 600 alpacas entered.

The vendor area was excellent for sales of Alpaca Products from the Pedro's Pride Fashions store. The hand-crafted, hardwood "Rocking Alpaca" sold early in the show, the first day of its introduction. Another one is ordered and will be at the vendor booth for Pedro's Pride Fashions at the AWE show in Portland, Oregon this month.

Pedro's Pride Ranch earned two awards at Alpacapalooza, a major Alpaca event:

Lilly, won third place in a highly-competitive class of yearling white females. Princess Lily of Yakima River Alpacas nosed her out, taking second place. Congratulations to Dan and Sandy for that win.

In her comments, the judge stated that (Pedro's Pride Ranch) Lilly's conformation was excellent and that her fleece showed "brilliance throughout." Lilly had also taken fourth place for white juvenile females at the Northwest Alpaca Showcase in 2005. Lilly will be bred this Spring and we are excited about her passing on her wonderful fiber traits and gentle personality.

Lilly is the daughter of Pedro Armendariz and 007's Leila, both owned by Pedro's Pride Ranch. Leila's fleece had been entered in two previous Alpacapalooza shows and she took First Place and Second Place in the two consecutive years for white adult females. Leila's fleece shows remarkable qualities of crimp, lustre and hand. She produces a thick, soft and easy-to-work fleece. She has passed these qualities to her offspring and we know she throws color when bred with a colored male. Leila's first cria is Spoiler, a fawn proven male who is at From the Heart Ranch in North Idaho.

Pedro is the son of the famous Bolivian Mocha, who resides in New York State.

Mocha and his offspring are nationally known for rich, dense fiber and brilliant color. Pedro is one of a few white progeny of Mocha, but he carries the density which has become the trade mark of this line.

Bolivian Mocha

Last shearing, Pedro produced twelve pounds of fleece, not including his legs and neck (which were not included in weighing). We estimate the total production for that year was about fifteen pounds. Here are two photos taken the day of that shearing:

Pedro's fleece was awarded 98 out of a possible 100 points at the 2006 Alpacapalooza Spin Off.

The judges' comments reflect those excellent qualities that Pedro passes to his offspring--density, brilliance and handle.

Here are a few of the the written comments from the Alpacapalooza Spin Off judges:

First Impression: "feels soft & fluffy, loose but organized locks"
Crimp: "moderate & consistent"
Staple or architcture: "strong, well formed"
Uniformity: "consistent in length and texture"
Fineness: "medium fine"
Hand: "soft"
Ease of preparation: "very easy"
Ease of spinning: "very easy--glided smoothly thru fingers"
Brightness: "good clarity of color--mod. sheen"

Pedro has three crias on the ground and another just ready for delivery at any moment. All three--Lilly, Lola (yearling females) and Pablo (three weeks old male)--are conformationally excellent and carry Pedro's rich, brilliant and extremely dense fleece, proving that Pedro's wonderful fleece is passed to his offspring. We plan to sell Pablo when he is old enough.

A final comment about Pedro that I consider relevant is that he shows remarkable traits as a true herdsire. He is protective of "his girls" and will stand between them and danger when called to do so. A German Shepard charged the pasture where Pedro and two females were grazing. Rather than run, Pedro stepped forward and stood his ground, making sure his herd was behind him. He is alwasy alert and sounds the alarm call as needed, yet he is a gentle soul and easy to work with--except he hates to be sheared. He is controllable around females, yet will defend his herdsire status from other males.

Pedro will add positive fleece and conformation traits to nearly any herd. We are having a discount on his herdsire services.

Our plans call for adding some purchased females this Spring or Summer. We are quite willing to include a herdsire service or even a trade as partial payment for the right females. Let us know if you have an idea at pedrospride@direcway.com (which soon will change to pedrospride@hughes.net).

And, congratulations go out to Jeff and Brenda Trammel at Enchanted Acres Ranch.
They scored victories at Alpacapalooza in both the halter shows and the fleece competition.

All our best for a great Spring and Summer, everyone.

FREE STUD SERVICE DRAWING!

2006-03-29T09:15:00.000-08:00

Hello Alpaca Folks,
We want to announce that we are holding a FREE DRAWING for stud service from our beautiful Stud PHAR Traveler! The drawing will be held at Alpacapalooza this weekend. Don't miss out on the chance to get your girls a date with this Full Peruvian, Half Accoyo, Half Alianza, Proven Male!
To read more about PHAR Traveler, and to see some of his award winning cria, visit our Alpaca Nation site at: http://www.alpacanation.com/herdsires/03_viewherdsire.asp?name=14174

If you have questions, feel free to email me at enchantedacresranch@hotmail.com

PHAR Traveler is co-owned by Enchanted Acres Ranch in Benton City, Wa and Yakima River Alpacas in Richland, Wa.

Heart of The Valley Show

2006-03-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

Lisa has her vendor booth going to Albany, Oregon for the Heart of the Valley Alpaca Show. If you are there, stop by and see her for Alpaca Products from Pedro's Pride Fashions.

We are taking stock of our males and find that we have two very handsome youngsters who are related to almost all of our females. We would be interested in a trade or using a male in payment of a pregnant female. Our websites are Pedro's Pride Ranch and Pedro's Pride Fashions where you can find Alpaca Products. And, one of the juvenile males we are agisting will be for sale after Alpacapalooza. Contact us at pedrospride@direcway.com

Rocking Alpaca from Pedro's Pride Fashions

2006-03-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a new product from Pedro's Pride Fashions. We will be introducing it at the Heart of the Valley Show in Albany, Oregon this March.

The Rocking Alpaca is hand-crafted of hard wood. The topknot, "blanket" and tail are real 100 % Alpaca fur. It is strong enough to support a 215 lb man (the craftsman who builds these for us tried it out--he's a big guy).

We are taking orders for these one-of-a-kind Alpacas. Great gifts or decoration for your ranch store. Allow two weeks to three weeks for delivery. We will ship anywhere in continental USA.

The Rocking Alpaca will be available online in a few days. Or, you can email Lisa Larson with questions at pedrospride@direcway.com and be sure to see her other fashions and accessories online at http://www.pedrospride.com. Our ranch site for Alpaca lovers is http://www.alpaca-usa.com.

Baby Pictures

2006-03-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems appropriate to show off baby pictures, doesn't it? Two days ago, at 1:15 PM (an afternoon birth), we had a baby Alpaca born at our ranch. It was a cold, but sunny afternoon and we first saw him standing among a crowd of his herd mates. We had watched closely all morning, then went on to other things about noon.

We scooped him up and put him in a stall and dried him with a hair dryer and towels. Lois, his mom, was right there with us making sure we didn't mess things up.

Here are some photos of him at two days old. We need a name. His sire is Pedro, so we are thinking about Pablo. What do you think?

Anyway, all is well. Strong, big baby boy--20 lbs at birth, and mostly legs.

All our best, Ken & Lisa Larson Pedro's Pride Ranch, Sagle, Idaho.

We have room for three or four more adult females for agisting. Let us know how we can help. pedrospride@direcway.com

Alpaca Info

2006-03-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

Alpaca Info

www.alpaca-usa.com -- Alpacas, agisting, herdsires in North Idaho
www.pedrospride.com -- Natural fiber fashions for men and women
www.enchantedacresranch.com --Alpaca Ranch in eastern Washington, sales, agsiting, herdsires.

Alpaca Info

2006-03-11T06:55:00.000-08:00

Alpaca Info

Rochelle Fairfield, Carrie Hull and Robyn Kuhl have just returned from >an intensive fiber sorter course in Alberta, Canada and have started work >on their in depth apprenticeships. They are the first Americans to >complete the course work and to start apprentiships and as such, would like >to offer a special deal to our fellow alpaca breeders. To complete the >course, we need to evaluate and sort 200 huacaya and 25 suri fleeces (per >person). We are offering to sort and evluate your fleeces during the 2006 >shearing season for free! Read on to find out how this process will >benefit you as an alpaca fiber producer or breeder.What does a sorter do during my shearing?As the fleece is removed from the animal, it is divided into sections and taken to a skirting table. Each section is weighed, skirted and graded. A sample is also taken for fiber analysis, if the producer chooses to do so. This information is recorded for you with any notes about that area or the fleece as a whole. The sections are then bagged, with the blanket in the bottom, leg & neck on the top. This is accomplished while the shearer is completing the next animal. It doesn't usually slow the process down, and as a benefit to you, all the sorting, skirting, and sampling is done for the year, during the shearing process! The sorter is happy to give suggestions for your fiber use and processing.> Here is how this would benefit you:>> 1. If you process your fiber, your end product will have a dramatic >improvementin handle and wear of the finished product. Ask to see our samples of graded and ungraded products to better understand and see the difference - you won't believe your eyes!> 2. If you do not process your fiber you will know what range of grade >each alpaca has and their total shearing weight. This is information you >have to present and share with potential buyers.> 3. Knowing the uniformity of grade in your alpacas will help you to make >breeding decisions and helps you to set goals for improvement on each >animal.> 4. Your shearing session can be more efficient, sorters can help you >improve the flow of your shearing process. We are happy to help you in a >friendly and supportive way!> 5. You will have an analysis of what you are producing. Something you >cannot get in the showring or from a histogram.Sorting your fleece can also help you understand your fiber analysis and the stengths and weakness of each animal. You will find that you appreciate the animals you have more as you see just what they can add to the fiber pool, and to your profits as a producer.>> Here is how the process works:>> The fiber sorter will> 1. Coordinate with the shearer to ensure proper shearing proceedure to >accomplish the results required by the processor.
2. Confer with the >producer to determine the expected end result of the producers fiber >harvest.> 3. Discuss options to maximize the net profit from the harvest.> 4. Sort the fiber according to color, grade, length.> 5. Ensure record keeping.> 6. Supervise the shearing and sorting operation.>> There will be no charge to you for this service during the 2006 >shearing! If you are happy with what we have done for you, we would be >most appreciative of a donation of grades 5 & 6 fiber.(29 microns or higher) If we have to travel some distance we would really appreciate it if you could supply a warm bed or even a sofa, and keep us fed. ( well Robyn anyway) If airfare is required, assistance would be appreciated.>Schedule your free alpaca fiber sorting now, so that we can accomadate you. If you have questions, or just want to know more about this process, please feel free to visit with any one of us. We will also have information at the Alpaca Perusal booth at Alpacapalooza. You will be amazed at the information this process gives you, and be suprised and delighted with products that can be produced in the current market place using graded fibers!Here's to happy shearing and bundles of beautiful fiber!>>> Rochelle Fairfield micaglen@verizon.net 208-664-6183> Carrie Hull, timber_basin@hotmail.com 208-265-2625> Robyn Kuhl alpaca@fromtheheartranch.com 208-265-2788>>
Why swim with a dolphin when you can hum with an alpaca!!!

Investing and Taxes

2006-01-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

I thought I would start us out on this subject. Alpacas can give many folks "sticker shock" I know that's how we felt when we first started investigating these animals. Here is some very general info on the investment and taxes.
Investing in alpacas is a great way to improve your portfolio and add a joyful experience to your life. We have found the investment of time, money, and commitment has been well spent since we became involved in the world of alpacas. The alpacas and the lifestyle they afford, pays us back many times over.
You can enjoy alpacas every day, and participate in the tax benefits they provide. These exotic looking animals are rare in the US, and can be raised anywhere livestock can be owned. They can also be depreciated over a five year period. The sale of breeding animals and their offspring can provide capital gains benefits, and expenses incurred (including the cost of animals) are deductible. The cost of each alpaca can be depreciated against your personal income over a five or twenty year period. And your investment is safe because alpacas are 100% insurable! I'm not an accountant, so consult your tax advisor for specifics as they relate to you! You may find that alpacas are the perfect fit for your lifestyle, and portfolio!

Search Alpaca Info

2006-01-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

Alpaca Info I just did a search on google.com for "Alpaca Info" and our blog came up on page one. We are getting picked up by the search engines and we are slowly growing.

We need some bloggers, though, to post. And, I think, we need some substantives issues, don't you? How about something related to tax breaks for small ranches, Alpaca genetics, Alpaca showing tips, breeding, etc.??

All my best. Ken Larson

2006-01-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here is an important message from Dale and Leslee Miller at Premier Alpacas in Washington State.

PNAA members: [ & Alpaca Lovers/Bloggers]

Unfortunately one of us loses a cria at birth or very early in life from time to time. It is sad, but goes with owning livestock.

We each have an opportunity to have a positive outcome by shipping the cadaver to WSU for teaching purposes. Please make a note of the following contact information in case you have a loss and would like to make a donation. They will be very appreciative, and you will be helping the next generation of vets to become better educated – a plus for the entire Camelid industry.

Shirley Sandoval, RVT
WSU
509-335-0741
sis@vetmed.wsu.edu

Thank you,

Leslee Miller
**********************************************************************************************************
Visit our web site at http://www.premieralpacas.com/.

Shall I Show This Boy?

2006-01-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

In a previous blog posting, I asked your opinion about showing Kenai, the Alpaca who lost an eye to an injury. I said in that posting that I would add a photo of him. Here it is:

Ken Larson

2006-01-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

Alpaca Info

2006-01-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

I am asking your opinions on something.

At our place, we have a gorgeous young Alpaca male whom we had planned to show this spring as a juvenile. He is from Premier's Absolute, has a nice fawn color, excellent composition and his fiber is thick, soft and quite crimpy.

Here is the problem: He had an accident and cut his eye. We have not been able to determine the cause, but the vets at WSU said since the lens was gone and based on the shape of the cut, it looked like it was caused by trauma, such as being kicked. His left eye was removed.

The question is, shall we still show him? According to AOBA Show Division, it is quite within the rules as long as his entry registration is accompanied by a vet's statement that the cause was from trauma and not something hereditary.

I plan to enter him this week for the Albany, Oregon show in March and Alpacapalooza. I am a bit nervous about the reaction he will receive, but I also feel that he is the same guy he was before losing his eye and he should be able to show what he has. His value as a potential herdsire has not been diminished in my opinion. Yet, I have heard from a few people that I should prepare for a great deal of resistance, especially from some of the judges and the larger Alpaca breeders. What do you all think?

I am out of town now, but will add a photo of him when I get home. Alpaca Info

Second Wind Alpacas Joins Alpaca Info!

2006-01-04T11:21:00.000-08:00

Greetings and Happy New Year!

I'm Ruthi Moore and my ranch is Second Wind Alpacas. We are located in Solvang, CA, in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, just north of Santa Barbara, home to many wineries and where the movie "Sideways" was filmed.

My husband John, and I have a small ranch with about 14 alpacas, and 1 Llama. We are currently beginning our 2006 birthing season and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first 2006 cria, a Patagonia's Drake baby with one of our true black girls, Melissa. Since Melissa has produced 2 1st Place ribbon winners for us already, we are pretty excited about this first cria of the New Year!

I also wanted to let everyone know how great AlpacaNation is and how it helped contribute to our ranch's success in 2005 - I signed up for AlpacaNation (AN) last May and have been simply delighted with this service! Combined with some targeted direct marketing campaigns, AN helped Second Wind Alpacas gain 'brand awareness', gave us a forum in which to market and sell our alpacas, and provided a concise, compelling web presence for our ranch. It is easy to navigate, and has a far-reaching base of consumers to showcase your animals to.

Take a look at Second Wind Alpacas' website at: http://www.alpacanation.com/secondwindalpacas.asp

Here are some interesting facts I have ascertained from marketing and selling my alpacas in 2005: Most purchasers perform Internet research prior to ranch visits. Most of my purchasers in 2005 found my ranch through AlpacaNation and through my targeted marketing efforts. Most purchasers will visit a minimum of 2 ranches prior to making a purchasing decision. A large percentage of purchasers will purchase 'sight unseen': 3 of my alpacas sold were purchased 'sight unseen' (although I provided additional photos, fiber samples, and other information).

AlpacaNation offers small breeders, like me, the opportunity to market my ranch and alpacas in a captive forum. It is the best low-cost, intelligent web presence investment you'll ever make! Doesn't your ranch deserve the professional image, profile, and presence that a great website provides?

I have been so pleased with AlpacaNation that I decided to help others get off to the 'right start' by offering a valuable service which gets you up and running on AlpacaNation. I realize that many people just don't have the time or technical saavy, or are just intimidated to get started, or already have a website and don't want to have to maintain 2 listings, or for those who just can't seem to get started ... why not take advantage of my marketing expertise to get off to the right start? And, if you already have an AlpacaNation website and need updates or some editing to keep you current, I can help with that as well. I'll work closely with you to ensure that you make the most of your investment.

Customized Services offered can include:

Creation of Farm Page and About Us pages
Placement of Ranch Logo
Creation of Contact Information
Creation of Sales Listings
Photo Placements
Creation of Herdsire Listings
Creation of Package Listings
Special Offerings, Featured Alpaca Listings
Updates, Maintenance, and Support
Existing Website Synchronization with AN

If anyone is interested in hearing more about this and how you can immediately begin reaping the benefits of this valuable service, please contact me. And take a look at our AlpacaNation website for more information about Second Wind Alpacas and about this special service offering. Go to our site and click on "Services":http://www.alpacanation.com/secondwindalpacas.asp

In the meantime, I am pleased to be a part of the Alpaca Info blog and look forward to seeing some great information!

Best regards,

Ruthi Moore - Second Wind Alpacas - Phone: 805-686-5850 - Email:secondwindalpacas@yahoo.com

Alpaca Info

2006-01-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

Alpaca Info: We have several more people who are joining the blog. This is actually growing. When you members post a blog be sure to put in links to your site or other locations. The more links, the better. For example, here is a link to our ranch site. Or, how about a link to the Pacific Northwest Alpaca Association. You also can enter e-mail addresses. Just use the tool bar at the top of the page where you write your blog.

If you want us to add a link to the side bar on the blog page, send your site address and a short description of what we should write: for example, ranch (or business) name and location, then a few words to describe your specialty. e-mail that to pedrospride@direcway.com or enchantedacresranch@hotmail.com

I hope this is not too basic, but here are the ways to post a blog:
1. At top of the blog page, click on "Blog This" and sign in with username and password you created at signup.
Write your message and then click "Publish Post" at the bottom of the page. There is a tool bar there to allow you to create a link by highlighting the words, then clicking on the link icon and entering the address. You also can use bold and other features with that tool bar.

2. You can go to www.blogger.com. In the upper right corner, sign in with your username and password. Then, click on the "+New Post" icon and words. There, you can write your blog. If you want to edit a blog you already wrote, click on the link "Edit Posts" on that page and then click on "Edit" at the blog you want to change. Notice, that at this location when writing a new post, you can add photos by clicking on the photo icon at the tool bar.

And, please, if you know more about this than I, please let me know.

I am hoping we can get some more substantive blogs posted as the population of members grows. Also, we are having people who are not members visiting the blog. So, maybe it will grow into an effective information exchange and potentially a useful marketing tool.

Hope all of you are doing well. "Books"

Alpaca Info

2006-01-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

Alpaca Info: I have noticed in some literature that the word cria is used as plural for cria. In other instances the plural is crias. So, I asked a friend in Peru what is the proper useage. She said, "cria" is singlular and "crias" is plural.

Five new people have joined our blog and we are seeing more visitors who have not joined, but have opened the blog to check it out. Invite your friends.

I am hoping to line up someone to blog about taxes and accounting for farms here quite soon. The more Alpaca Information we can summon, the better. If you have some animals for sale, why not post a blog about it? People on this blog Love Alpacas and who knows, you might find a match for a sale or a trade. This alpaca info is always of interest anyway.

Much more rain up here in North Idaho and our driveway will wash out totally. The Jetstream needs to move and stop funneling that wet, warm air up from northern California.

If you have a special event or a class starting, let us all know here at AlpacaInfo--the blog.

I see two herdsires in a dual to the finish out in the pasture. I think I will trudge out through the mud and give the boys a "time out." Take care, everyone.

So long. Ken

Ruanas from Peru

2006-01-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

I just joined the blog and I am going to introduce you to a product I am now importing from Peru. It is a ruana, which is a wonderfully-designed wrap. The ruana is much more comfortable and versitile than a shawl because it is shaped around the shoulders and neck so it won't slip off. People are reporting that they find these ruanas fantastic for travel because they are light enough for warm evenings, yet provide warmth on the plane, can be folded into a pillow and are fashionable enough for a night out. And, because they are made from Alpaca yarn and pure silk, wrinkles fall out and they hang nicely.

How's that for being commercial? Anyway, I am getting these for a good price and will gladly pass that on to any Ranch Stores who want to buy wholesale. Here's a photo of our model wearing a ruana. Check it out at our website which is now (finally) fully functional. For Wholesale Pricing, you will need to e-mail me at pedrospride@direcway.com

Happy 2006, all.

Lisa

2006-01-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

We have some new members to the blog and I sure hope you all post some. This little posting here is just a test to see if we can insert an image (like a logo) into a blog posting. If so, why not add yours along with a link to your site every time you post.

Here is one of our logos. I wanted to make it a link to our sites, but when you click on it, you just see a larger image because it links to the place the images are stored. So, if you post your logo, you can add a link to your site right next to it. Or, you might be smarter about this than I and make it work better. The logo is original artwork by Lisa Larson, inspried by our herdsire Pedro Armendariz:

I'll just add the links here to Lisa's fashions site and to our ranch site

I hope you all start posting some interesting blogs about alpacas, alpaca products, ranch life or any other issue that interests you. Blatant commercialism is welcome. We are getting some attention to this blog and I think it might turn into a marketing tool (albeit a small one). Anyone who wants to join as a member so you can post blogs at will, let us know. And, please let us know if you want to have a link to your site posted on the side bar of the blog page. You can contact Ken at pedrospride@direcway.com or Brenda at enchantedacresranch@hotmail.com

I hope to see some logos here at the blog. It looks to me like a small-sized jpg file works just fine.

all my best,
Paca Rancher

Alpaca Info

2005-12-31T13:15:00.000-08:00

Alpaca Info Happy New Year, all. I am excited about 2006 and its promise. I sincerely hope all of you and your Alpacas are well and propsering.

Ken Larson www.pedrospride.com

Merry Christmas

2005-12-24T17:42:00.000-08:00

Have a Merry Alpaca Christmas, or what ever Holiday You Celebrate.

Our blog is starting to get some attention out on the Internet. Google and Yahoo are starting to catch it. So, hopefully, we can keep it going a bit longer and add some more links for your businesses, ranches, sites.

All our Best for 2006. I hope AlapcaInfo -- The Blog -- can grow and be of interest to those who love alpacas.

Thanks to Alpaca Owners

2005-12-24T17:04:00.000-08:00

We have some blogs and comments here about Alpaca People. I am taking the liberty to mention three owners who are members of PNAA, who have provided me with assistance along the way. I hope they don't mind, but I am sure that anyone new to our area or to Alpacas can click on the links to these people that I will put in this blog.

We moved to North Idaho from Washington last June. In preparation for the move, with animals, I had a ton of questions and concerns. I had met Robyn Kuhl at her ranch near Sandpoint. I should mention also that Robyn has a great vacation rental unit at her place and she is very active in promotion and public projects. I asked her so many questions about things like temperatures, sources for hay and showing animals that I am sure she dreaded seeing my Email address appear on her computer. But, she had answers and gracefully provided them.

I had never shown animals before, but I found myself at the Pacific Northwest Showcase in CdA last September. Brenda Tremmel appeared, leading a young male Alpaca. She asked if I was ready for our class, since we were to be together. I indicated how little I knew--or maybe it was obvious--and you know what she did? Brenda talked me through how to handle the show ring and gave me pointers right there on the spot. What a great person and what nice Alpacas she has. Her little girl, Star Lily, took second in our class. Our girl, Lilly, took fourth. So, Brenda, thanks again for the help and the continued support.

I work as a pilot and have to be gone several days in a row. One Saturday morning, while my wife was out of town, one of our young Alpacas was coughing and obviously in need of some attention. The vet--Jenni Scott--came by promptly and left us with two injections, each to be given twice per day for several days. Our neighbor graceously offered to do it since she was feeding, but she was pretty uncomfortable giving the shots. Carrie Hull, Timber Basin Ranch (timber_basin@hotmail.com), came to the rescue. I know for a fact that nothing could have been more of an inconvenience in Carrie's busy life at that time, but she drove to our place, took care of the little Alpaca for two days (four trips). Carrie didn't once complain or grumble about resucing us when we were not home.

I think, Carrie, Robyn, Brenda and Jenni Scott portray the true spirit that I have found among Alapca people. They are full of Alpaca Information, they obviously Love Alpacas. To each of you, thanks. And, for those of you getting involved with Alpacas, know that there are lots of people out here ready to help and eager to make your alpaca lifestyle a positive one.

Alpaca pics and agisting

2005-12-16T16:37:00.000-08:00

I would like to make a suggestion to those of you alpaca folks who provide agisting services on your ranch or farm. Providing occasional pictures of your client's animals (digital, regular photos, or CD/DVD photos) provide a great service those those clients who cannot be with their animals, for whatever reason. I have decided not to move my animals to Fairbanks, AK, where I now live (mostly because of the extremes in weather). The owner of the ranch where I agist my animals provides digital pictures, videos, and most recently a DVD with music, no less, of the animals and their activities!! For those of us who rarely get to see our animals in person, these photos are the next best thing!!

Alpaca Info

2005-12-10T06:29:00.000-08:00

A few recent events have led me to believe that Alpaca Fashions are coming into their own. People are starting to recognize the quality and benefits of Alpaca clothing, I think. My wife, Lisa, is operating Pedro's Pride Fashions which sells Alpaca Products, including wholesale to stores and ranch stores. Her website http://www.pedrospride.com is going live today for the first time and we are excited about that. When the site was just a draft mode, we had a few people look at it and almost all of them bought things. In fact, some sweaters that were to go on the site were sold before we could do so.

Back to the events: First, in November, Lisa was invited down to Benton City, WA and the Tri-Cities for a ranch Christmas sale. I tagged along to help carry boxes and do stuff like that. I am really glad I went. The event was hosted by five area ranchesand held at Yakima River Alpacas. Dan and Sandy Sanders were the hosts and opened their fantastic home to us. Every single person I met that day, without exception, was fabulous. Lisa and I had a great time and I was amazed at the number of customers who came and their reception of Alpaca Products. A special part of the day was the appearance of and antics by Starbuck, a four-month old Alpaca from Enchanted Acres Ranch--www.enchantedacresranch.com. Thanks, to all of you who made us feel so welcome and made the long drive well worth it.

Second, the Bonner County (Idaho) Fairgrounds Association held their Third Annual Christmas Fair. What a gas! There were local artisans and crafters displaying their unique products and the hosts served food and beverages all day. This was a great place to sell and the exposure of Alpaca Fashions and Alpaca Products (like Teddy Bears) to the general public was a positive. Sales for Lisa were brisk and there was a huge number of people from the local community. In addition to selling lots of things, a benefit of this event for us was that a lot of people had been hearing about Alpacas and Alpaca Fashions and actually were familiar with the unique qualities of the "Fiber of the Gods."

For all of the Alpaca organizations and groups of ranches and ranch stores, these types of events seem to be doable and a really fun way to work together to raise awareness. Spreading Alpaca Info to those who Love Alpacas is always a positive in my book.

Let us hear from you if you have ideas for events.

What did you do today?

2005-12-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

Today I invited my good friend Sandy to go with me and my little 4 month old alpaca boy, Starbuck, out to a nursing home to visit.
We had set up an appointment and went to visit and cheer up the residents. We all had a wonderful time! At least I think Starbuck had a good time. He was very cooperative and sweet. He seemed to know when he needed to get close to the folks who couldn't move in to touch him. He really was calm and so cute! Very sweet to the old folks!
Starbuck was, and is, my bottle baby. He has now been to two nursing homes, and plans to visit another on Friday. He has been the life of two different party's, and seems to have a great time. He sure hums a lot!
Let me know what the rest of you did today. Alpacas are fun!!!

Alpaca Christmas

2005-12-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

'Twas the night before Christmas and out on the farm
The 'pacas were dozing, no cause for alarm.
Their stockings were hung on the side of the shed
And their two legged friends were all tucked up in bed.

They smiled as they kushed and chewed on their cud
Remembering happily rolls in the mud.
They dreamed of lush pasture and pretty spring flowers
Of leaping and pronking and eating for hours.

When up in the sky there arose such a clatter,
They sprang to their feet to see what was the matter.
The tinkle of sleigh bells the sound of deep laughter
What could it be, was it them it was after?

The moon it was full and away to the North
A small speck approached the sound billowing forth
As it grew nearer they saw 'twas a sleigh
Pulled by eight tiny 'pacas and loaded with hay.

With a little old driver, so lively and round
It was he who was laughing, a curious sound,
More rapid than reindeer his 'pacas they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name

"Now, Lilly! Now, Cheyene! Now, Flo Joe, and Roxy!
On, Ivory! On Butters! On, Midas and Millie!
To the top of the paddock! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the 'pacas they flew,
With the sleigh full of hay, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, they heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
The 'pacas all stared, how could THOSE 'pacas fly?
And where did they come from, up there in the sky?

The hay looked quite luscious, but was it for them?
Or was some for the goat, and some for the hens?
Would all get a share, or had some misbehaved ?
It must be okay, Santa smiled, and then waved.

He slid from the roof landing right at their feet
He spread out the hay and told them to eat.
You've been excellent 'pacas, he said with a smile
And sat himself down for a rest for a while.

You've brought lots of smiles to the two legged team,
Who feed and caress you and keep your yards clean.
You've taunted and teased and kept them on their toeses
You've waggled your ears and you've whiffled your noses.

You've come when they've called and sometimes you've not,
You've shivered to worry them, groaned when too hot.
You've delivered your cria when it's suited you to,
You've oft made them anxious and oft made them stew.

You've brought magic and peace to their boring routines.
You've coaxed and cajoled them and given them beans.
You've done all the things that alpaca should do
And I'm here to thank you for just being you.

He rose then and stretched, said he must carry on,
His team were now rested, his twinkly eyes shone
As he smiled at the 'pacas and wished them adieu
And he climbed to the roof while admiring the view.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But they heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT"

What's an Alpaca?

2005-12-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

What's an Alpaca, you ask! Well, here is a short history and description.
Alpacas are members of the Camelid family. This group also includes llamas, vicuna, guanacos and camels.
Alpacas were domesticated from the vicuna by the Incas over 5000 years ago and are some of the most ancient of the world's domestic livestock. Alpacas come from the South American countries of Chili, Bolivia, and Peru. They inhabit the high plains regions of these countries, and are well adapted to the cold due to their dense fleeces.
Alpacas were imported into the United States in the 1980's and '90's. Today importation has basically stopped.
Adult alpacas stand about 3 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh 100-175 pounds. The average life span is 20-25 years
A baby alpaca is called a "cria". A female is called a "hembra" or dam, and the males are "machos" or sire, or gelding, depending on their status.
Alpacas are very social animals and do not do well alone. They need to be with at least one other alpaca, and are most happy and satisfied in a herd. Alpacas tend to be docile and easy-going creatures that get along great with children. They are basically fiber animals (more on this later) and make wonderful pets as well. They are also a great livestock business opportunity.
Hope this intro will help those who are just starting to look at alpacas. We still hear this daily: "What's an Alpaca?"

Alpaca People

2005-12-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

I would like to begin my first ever blog talking not about alpacas, but about alpaca people.
Alpacas have indeed enriched my life, but not just in the ways that others may think. Yes, they are wonderful, magical animals who give me joy every day, but I am talking about the alpaca people that I have had a chance to meet. I never would have met, and gotten to know some of my very best friends, if not for alpacas! Alpacas seem to bring out the best in people, and the best people seem to come out to see alpacas!
I just wanted to say "Thank You" to all the wonderful people who I have come to know and love, thru the mutual admiration and love of alpacas. You all know who you are, folks near and far, who have given Jeff and I some of the best years of our lives.
So, with that said, welcome to our new blog forum. Please feel free to add posts and to let us know what is going on in your "alpaca life"
Here's to you, and to all the great times yet to come!

New Member of Blog

2005-12-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

Two days of steady snow, but the wind has stopped. Forecast is for snow through the weekend. It is hard to imagine a scene more beautiful than our little ranch here in North Idaho blanketed in soft, dry snow.

Enchanted Acres Ranch, Benton City, WA. has joined the blog and Brenda has agreed to be an administrator. Thanks. Her website is www.enchantedacresranch.com where you can find out about some gorgeous Alpacas.

KL

About This Blog

2005-12-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

This blog has the single purpose of exchanging information, comments, opinions and ideas related to any aspect of selecting, buying, breeding, raising, selling and showing Alpacas. There is no limit (other than descency and politeness) to the topics and discussions we hope to have through this blog. And, we hope that prospective buyers, new comers and veteran ranchers alike will fully participate. No question is too simple and no issue is too remote for this blog. Alpacas, ranching issues, products for sale or wanted and advice (solicited or not) all are topics of interest.

To start us off:

I am looking out the window at howling wind, pushing snow into drifts. The temperature is headed for the teens and I am interested if some of you will pass on your experience with Alpaca ranching in the cold weather. I built a stable barn, have it fenced off into sections --one for the trouble-maker big boys, one for Pedro and his two girlfriends (pregnant) and one for everyone else--and the 'pacas are all in there tonight with all of the doors wide open. I went in and spent a few minutes and even though the thermometer on the wall said it was cold, it actually seemed really cozy and peaceful.

Before we moved to North Idaho, I had a lot of concerns about these cold temperatures, especially with some crias to care for. I also was not prepared for the water barrels freezing solid in a short time. And, of course, it seems a couple of the girls decided it was easier to make a dung pile inside the barn rather than go out in the snow. I wish they had not done that because I don't know how to make them stop once it begins.

Any ideas or experiences, or things to watch out for in this climate would be interesting to me.

Please visit often and add your comments. Also, add a link to your ranch or business. To add a link, you can Email it to pedrospride@direcway.com and we will put it up there.

Best of luck to you all.
Ken Larson, Pedro's Pride Alpaca Ranch