Thursday, October 4, 2012
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Sunday, September 9, 2012
Well we're finally able to do breeding here at Carrageen. What with the breedings, field tests and ultrasounds we are pretty busy. But what an exciting time it is.
We have Bred our herdsire Roth to our Tyra, JackeeO, Jasmine, Ciara, Jungle Rose, Lily Rose, Chipeta and Domino.
Roth was sired by the great Sweetbriar Farm's Crown Royale. Crown Royale was one of the great show winners, a stunning alpaca with great presence and personality. These traits have certainly come through in Roth. What a read more...
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Thursday, August 16, 2012
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Monday, August 13, 2012
It is with sadness that I write about the passing of a friend. To those of you who knew Jim, you know what kind of person he was. For those of you who didn't you should try to learn more. You can go to www.Brown-Forward.com and read a wonderful obituary about him.
Our foundation herd here at Carrageen Alpacas is built on Jim's animals. We have purchased 6 animals from Sweetbriar Farm and have had 5 offspring from them. The Crown Royale line that he produced is one of the finest in the country. read more...
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Friday, July 27, 2012
Sanitation around and in the barn is very important. Regular cleaning of animal waste and dirt not only helps keep the alpacas healthy, but it also shows visitors that you care and take pride in your operation.
At Carrageen Alpacas we do a complete poop cleaning ( barn and pasture) at least 3 times a day.
For in barn clean up (which we hope does not happen, but inclement weather can force the animals into the barn and....well...accidents happen) we pick up the poop, sweep the floor and use "S read more...
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Thursday, July 26, 2012
After the morning chores are completed, we at Carrageen Alpacas spend the next hour or so just watching our herd. We study each animal to make sure that there are no problems. We watch to make sure that their gait is normal, that there are no wounds or abcesses, and that they are eating as they should.
Crias are checked to make sure that they are nursing well and that they are in good spirits.
Sometimes all the above are ok but there is something about a particular animal that doesn't seem rig read more...
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Thursday, July 12, 2012
Alpacas are naturally flight animals. Some of your alpacas will be less likely to move away when you approach them while others will run if you make even the slightest movement toward them.
If you want to be able to handle your alpacas well you need to touch them every day.This can be a stroke on the neck, a pat on the butt or simply putting out a hand and have them approach you.
Developing trust of humans can be difficult for some alpacas. Patience and regular attention on your part read more...
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Thursday, July 5, 2012
Alpacas need to be evaluated on a regular basis. Because they have such wonderful fleece, health problems can be masked.
Here at Carrageen Suri Alpacas in Maine, we designate the first weekend of every month to herd health. Each animal is weighed and body scored. For those of you not familiar with body scoring, the thumb and index finger are placed against the animal about 6 inches behind the withers. We use a 1 to 5 system, 1 being too thin, 5 being too fat. Our goal is a score o read more...
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