Raising Alpacas: The Seasons of Maine

by Cindy Lavan, Chase Tavern Farm Alpacas, Bowdoin, Maine

"Maine, the way life should be" is not only our state’s motto, but it holds true to how we feel about raising and breeding our Alpacas.

Back in 1993, while living in Washington, D.C., my husband Tim and I first became interested in Alpacas after reading an investment article on them in a national publication. We contacted the author who gave us information on the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA). We then contacted AOBA and within a few months time, quit our jobs in the Nation's Capitol, sold our house, purchased an old farmhouse, Tim got a new job and we purchased our first two alpacas. One could say we do things quick.

It has been over three years now and no regrets what- so- ever. We now have over seventy lovely Alpacas as well as a variety of other species: llamas, goats, sheep and the ever essential dogs and cats who now make their residence here with us on our 150 acre farm in rural Maine. We can't walk to our favorite restaurant anymore, and we certainly can't take public transportation to and from work with the convenience we were used to, but living in Maine with our Alpacas and driving 20 minutes to town, certainly has been well worth it.

We are farther North than most breeders in the United States and it can get quite cold up here and the winters can seem to drag on and on. First snows can start as early as October and can easily go into April. Each winter is different from the next. One year, we could have record lows and record snowfalls; the next, a few storms and mild temperatures, that is if you consider teens mild. It can stay below freezing for weeks and get well into the negative digits at nights.

However, the animals all fare well. The Alpacas and other fiber bearing animals have their wonderful fleeces to help keep them warm, and only on a few occasions have we actually had to "bring" anyone in. They have free choice at night of either bedding down in their straw laidened stalls or staying out in the moonlight and snow. Some mornings, when the heat of the sun is just starting to work its magic, little mists of steam can be seen coming off the alpacas backs from the frost or snow that fell on them the night before. Adding cracked corn to their feed is the norm to provide them with the extra calories to generate body heat in these cold temperatures.

Most days, you'll find the alpacas either bedded down near their outside hay feeder or out walking the fields through their well laid down paths. They love rolling in the fresh snow and seeing the babies romp through it is such a delight. I have caught those who are experiencing snow for the first time, usually the crias, look up to the sky, and then turn to Mom if saying, "Hey Mom, what's this all about ?" We usually plow out paths for them through their fields when we get over 12 inches of snow, just to make traveling easier for the babies.

Mother Nature allows Spring to show her face sometime between late March and early April. But she can tease us and just stay for a short visit. We can have snow well into April, but it usually is gone with in a day or two if that long. April is probably our trickiest time of the year. With the warm sun beating down and with temperatures still not always above freezing, the air and animals temperatures can fluctuate drastically during the day. Heat stress is not a major concern as it is in other regions, but cases have been reported up here in Maine in alpacas and llamas. The warm spring sun can easily bring the daytime temperatures up into the 60's, while it might drop into the teens and 20's that evening. The full fleeced, chemically imbalanced animal or the stud who's ready for a little springtime activity, could easily become susceptible to heat stress if not closely watched. Even though 60's might still sound cold to some, that's tee-shirt weather to folks up here, especially after a long winter.

We try to plan for birthing to begin mid-late March at the earliest. We had a little girl who decided to greet the world at around 4:30am on one of the coldest mornings in days. Ambient temperature was about 15 F. Besides her ears being frozen at the tips and her Mom's placenta being frozen stuck to the ground when we found them at 5:30am, both were fine. In fact, she weighted 20 pounds at birth and is doing wonderfully. No doubt we were in worse shape than she and Mom ever were.

We shear late April/early May depending on the temps and weather. Some alpacas we let grow two year fleeces, but the majority of the animals we shear yearly. No poodle cuts here, everything comes off!! With a longer cooler season, they quickly grow back the needed fiber to stay warm and have well-developed coats by fall.

Those who have traveled up to New England and especially Maine during the Summer months, know how wonderful and truly beautiful it can be. We are located about 20 minutes from the cool ocean's breeze, so our daytime temperatures aren't as warm as some would expect. We have a couple days in the 90's, but mostly high 70's to mid 80's. What a wonderful time of the year!

By shearing time, all straw has been removed from the alpaca's stalls and they can lay in the cool shade of their sandy or wooden floors. We run floor fans in the barn, and occasionally, we find a "Fan Hog;" one alpaca that will sit right in front of the fan, blocking its magical powers from his or her friends. They of course love their rolls in the dust bath and we hose them down on warmer days as early as 9:00am and then again around 2:00pm.

They love the hose!! In fact, they see us coming with it and get all excited and line up waiting for their shower. We spray their underbellies and legs with the hose avoiding wetting their backs. If we wet their backs, the fiber could mat and an insulating barrier would form not allowing heat to escape which could make them hotter, not cooler. We have a few that push each other out of the way to get to the hose first. The harder the spray, the better some seem to like it. But watch the face! They don't like a heavy spray near their face, just a misty one. We'll see some move their face with eyes closed back and forth through the mist as if they were telling the beads of water where exactly to fall for the most refreshing benefits. One of our girls, Dominique, will even drink from the hose like a dog!!! We also offer child size wading pools for those who don't like the hose. We try to regulate their time in the pools to avoid fleece rot on their legs. Some will even lie in the pool and expect to be hosed off as well! Anything for the babies!!

Fall has to be the alpacas favorite time of the year as well as a photographers. Photographing these colorful animals against the ever-changing backdrop of yellows, reds and oranges is exciting. Every snapshot is a postcard! The alpacas love the cool days and the even cooler nights. Rarely, will you find them bedded down in the barn. They would rather be outside, under the Harvest Moonlit sky of Fall. Fall means fair season in New England and the temperatures are just right for trailering our animals from event to event. Its also the perfect time to offer our alpaca related wares for sale. With a cool nip in the air, an alpaca sweater or throw is a wonderful wardrobe accessory.

However Fall is also hunting season, and hunting season is not always fun for a livestock breeder. Everyone at Chase Tavern Farm dons a hunter orange colored item. The alpacas and llamas wear hunter orange knit caps, cut open at the top so they fit nicely about their necks. They might look a little strange, but that's all right with us.

Then, the cycle starts all over again, sometimes as early as late October. Aah, but we wouldn't have it any other way. The daily joy we get from these wonderful animals is compensation enough for the long and hard winters. An old-timer saying up here is "If you can make it through the winter, ya deserve the Summer." Many summer nights we sit out on our deck overlooking the alpaca fields and watch sometimes till there is no more light to see, the antics and romping of our modest size herd of alpacas. If you ask me, that's "the way life should be."

Cindy along with her husband Tim, an AOBA Alpaca Judge and Judge Trainer and their two sons, Charlie & Petey have been breeding and raising Championship alpacas since 1993 on their coastal farm in Maine. They maintain a herd of over 100 alpacas and have over 15 working herdsires, 10 of whom were born on their farm producing the next generation of prize winning alpacas. Their son, Charlie, also runs his herd of suri alpacas under the name, Chickadee Ridge Alpacas.

To learn more about the Lavan’s, visit their websites at www.chasetavernfarm.com and www.chickadeeridgealpacas.com.