Day 5: Magnolia Blossom Ranch

Written by: Khloe

Today we visited an alpaca farm called Magnolia Blossom Ranch. In addition to the alpacas, they also had a llama there called Milly.  You can tell by their height and the way their ears curve. Alpacas are herd animals which means they always need at least one other partner near them at all times. Mr. Kerry, the owner. and his friend Al have been breeding alpacas and also letting students show them for about 14 years. They also have a shop that you can purchase things made from the alpacas like a stuffed animal made with the fiber from the alpacas. They have two different breeds called Huacaya and the other called Suri. Each of these produce different types of fiber.

They allowed some of the local students to be able to show some of their animals. They also offer free mentoring to people that are newer to showing or raising alpacas. When it comes to purchasing an alpaca the price range varies with age and sex of the animal. For example a male animal that is 6+ years age usually run about $500 while if they are younger they run about $1000. The females that are 6+ years of age run about $1500 and the younger ones run about $2500, with the highest being sold at $40,000. A baby alpaca is called a Cria.

When it comes to breeding an alpaca they usually have only one baby. If they have twins, most of the time you can loose all three so it is better off to always make sure they only have one baby at a time. About 2 weeks after an alpaca gives birth they are then re-bred so that way they are ready for the next year. Mr. Kerry said that alpacas love to be pregnant, and when they go to confirm if they are they put them with a male. You can tell that they are pregnant because they will not want anything to do with the male and will kind of run away from them.

We really enjoyed our stop to learn about Alpacas.