You look into those big dark eyes, framed with beautiful long eyelashes
and you just know that there is a gentle being in front of you. A member
of the camel family, related to llamas, these kind creatures are called
alpacas.
Originating
in Chile, Peru and Bolivia, they made their journey into the United
States, where alpaca breeding has taken off as a profitable business
enterprise for many retirees, and also for those who are tired of the
“rat race” and wish to live at a different pace in a natural
environment, a form of alternative lifestyle.
I
am visiting with Barbara Dedecker today, who co-owns Rapunzel’s
Farm with her husband Bob. I had met her at the Douglas County Library
alpaca event in Lone Tree last month. Her alpaca farm is just off Furrow
Road in Greenland, east of I-25 and south of Castle Rock.
Only
two other houses are visible from Barbara’s farm, there are plenty
of meadows and grass land. From here we have a stunning view of the
mountains and the rolling hills that precede them. This is home to several
alpacas, not only the ones that Bob and Barbara own, but their neighbors'
alpacas as well. Neighborly help is part of this lifestyle.
A
stiff wind is blowing and hiding the fact that the sun is pretty strong
for April. Barbara greets me at her house; she is holding a small metal
container filled with treats for the alpacas. The treats are also additional
nutrition to their diet of mostly grass and hay.
Barbara
had been a Paralegal before she started breeding alpacas four years
ago. She and her husband made the decision to change lifestyles when
their children left the house. She wanted to get away from the busy
city life, stay at home and make money at the same time.
Barbara
fell in love with alpacas and after doing extensive research she and
Bob decided to make this their new lifestyle. They found the perfect
surroundings on about 11 acres of grassland in Greenland, Colorado.
Barbara
and I first walk to a fenced in area where two alpaca babies are just
being weaned off; their mothers are on the other side of the fence.
One tall brown alpaca approaches the fence with interest; she is the
guard animal of the herd and mother to one of the babies. “Baby”
is her name; she was Barbara’s first one and is the leader of
the pack. Barbara’s presence lets her relax. The alpaca babies,
called crias, are alerted by the sound of the pellets in the container
and move towards us. They are eager to be fed and take the pellets very
carefully out of my hand; alpacas do not have upper teeth in the front,
only a hardened plate.
Crias are born after an 11 ½ months gestation period and weigh
between 15 and 20 lbs at birth, multiple births are rare and not desired
by breeders. Females will be ready for breeding when heavier than 100
lbs or after 18 months. Breeders want to make sure the females are strong
enough before getting pregnant. Barbara has been “midwife”
already and taken several courses to prepare herself for medical emergencies.
The life span of alpacas is on average 20 years.
Crias
being weaned off
Alpacas
have very friendly personalities and like to be stroked gently along
their long neck; they don’t like to be petted on their heads.
Males occasionally get into fights over a female, for that reason their
fighting teeth may have to be shortened slightly by a veterinarian to
prevent the animals from hurting each other. Alpacas wrestle with their
necks.
Their
“hair dos” give them a look of giant poodles with long necks
and short legs. It is a pleasure to watch these animals run and they
can develop amazing speeds.
Barbara
emphasizes that Alpacas are herd animals and should never be kept alone.
Sometimes they are grouped with llamas, which are stronger than alpacas
and serve the herd as guard animals.
Alpaca
babies, or crias, are being taught to walk on a halter and leash; this
is part of their training. Barbara and Bob take their alpacas to shows,
where good behavior is a must, even though she talks about having seen
alpacas “taking off.’ They can be skittish at times. It
takes a good amount of strength to stop them, not to mention a good
sprint.
We
walk over to the males, they are not shy and the sound of the pellets
has brought them to the fence too. Barbara keeps the males in a separately
fenced area, apart from the females. Except for breeding times males
and females are kept apart.
I
fall in love with a white one that has a slight overbite which gives
it a kind of “Bugs Bunny” look. My feelings don’t
seem to be mutual. Probably annoyed by my camera’s flash, he moves
the ears back and I hear some kind of snorting noise. Barbara very quickly
reprimands him “oh, no!” Surprised I look at her, “what’s
wrong?” “He just got ready to spit!”
Like
llamas, alpacas spit, sometimes...!
...annoyed
by my camera's flash and...ready to spit...!
Barbara
talks about a female alpaca which spits a lot when pregnant. But in
general alpacas don’t display this behavior often; they are usually
non-aggressive. But it is better not to approach them from behind since
they may kick. Barbara has received her share of bruises.
Alpacas
need to be shorn once a year. Usually this is done by a professional,
who travels from farm to farm. Alpaca fleece is warm, 8 times warmer
than wool and the animals need to be protected from extreme heat. When
the weather gets hot they love to be cooled off with the water hose.
Alpacas love water and rolling in the dirt. In winter they like to drink
warm water though.
The
fleece is either processed by the alpaca owners or sent to special mills
that return it as yarn. Barbara hopes to be able to process the fleece
herself in the near future and she has bags full of soft alpaca fibers
in different colors in her basement. Right now she sends most of it
out to one of the cottage mills.
Alpaca
fibers do not need to be dyed; there are 22 different natural colors.
Many breeders, including Barbara, like a variety of colors. Some breeders
select animals for a particular color, such as black or grey. White
fleece can be dyed and is the preferred color by many breeders. Barbara
has used commercial dyes on her lighter fleeces and plans for using
rainbow dying (using several colors to produce a variegated yarn) and
also some natural dyes from existing plants growing on her property,
for her fall projects.
Barbara
points out that the animal’s color has to be judged right next
to its skin; which can differentiate from the actual visible shade.
The fiber is also judged by crimp, which is a wavy like pattern that
has the desired quality of getting the garment back into its original
shape.
There
are two different kinds of alpacas, Huacaya and Suri. Suris are known
for their longer, silkier hair that is cool to the touch. Barbara and
Bob own both kinds.
Garments
made out of alpaca fleece are very soft, durable, much warmer than wool
and also hypoallergenic.
Barbara
has taken courses in spinning the fleece into yarn, she owns an old
fashioned spinning wheel, just like in the fairy tales. She finds it
to be a relaxing hobby. Her next step is knitting the yarn into beautiful
garments her family has already “on order”. Learning to
weave is her next goal.
Barbara
and her husband belong to the AOBA, Alpacas Owner and Breeding Association.
This organization has the objective of setting high breeding standards.
They also belong to ABR, which stands for Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies,
this is the affiliate organization. The promotion of shows, education,
charity events is accomplished through these regional organizations.
Their Fiber Arts Committee is sponsoring the Hats for Cancer Patients
and has many of their members crafting beautiful alpaca fleece felt
hats for this charitable purpose.
We
walk back to the house and Barbara shows me all the records she keeps
of her alpacas, including photographs. It is fascinating to hear her
talk about her work, she really loves what she is doing; alpacas are
her passion. She is happy about her choice, living in a rural environment
with her husband, a dog, three cats, magnificent views, friendly neighbors
and last but not least: her alpacas.
Who would complain about this way of life?
Alpaca
fibers do not need to be dyed; there are 22 different natural colors.
The crimp
is visible well in this photograph, it is a wavy like pattern in the
fleece that has the desired quality of getting the garment back into
its original shape.
Barbara
Dedecker at the Lone Tree Library Event educating about alpaca fiber.
Here she presents all her handcrafted fashions.
Angelika
Koehne
