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By FRANK SHANLY
Motorists on County Road 300W may have noticed animals of a very different kind on a farm just south of Liberty Center over the past year.
Kim and Deborah Hatch moved to the area from Louisiana just over a year ago, and began raising alpacas on their new farm. The farm has a real “united nations” feel to it, as although Kim’s family originally hails from Indiana (Dunkirk to be precise), Deborah grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the animals themselves come from South America.
Looking for a new start after cleaning up in the aftermath of “Hurricane Katrina”, the Hatches returned to Indiana to be nearer Kim’s family. Deborah had already taken a shine to alpacas, and the new farm provided an opportunity for them to invest in the fledgling industry.
As a result, Silver Fern Alpacas came into being.
The Hatches are operating Silver Fern Alpacas on their farm on 300W, just north of Ind.218, on the west side of the road. They are breeding suri, which is one of two breeds of alpacas being farmed in the United States. Currently huacaya alpacas are the more common, but there are also some 25,000 suri on farms around the country, representing three-to-five per cent of the total alpaca population in the United States.
The alpaca industry is not a meat industry in the United States. The value is in the fleece, which the Inca regarded as more valuable than gold, or in the actual breeding and/or showing of the animals.
The Hatches are quick to point out their is no “typical” cost to starting an alpaca farm, as so much depends on your ultimate goal, the quality of the animals you are able to purchase and what special “deals” you may be able to make with established farms. Geographical location can also be a major factor, as indeed are a host of other elements.
The Hatches themselves made their initial investment in two pregnant female alpacas, at a cost of $18,000 each, purchased from Ravada Hills Alpaca Farm in Portland.
Ravada Hills help provided some of the early knowledge that the Hatches needed to start their operation. And they have done a lot of additional research via the internet and through reading books. Also, just talking with other alpaca owners has been a big help.
The Hatches pay stud fees to pair their females with males, and again there is a wide variance in fees. In California for example, it is not unheard of for stud fees to reach $7,500.
Again though, it may be possible to “do a deal”.
For the Hatches, their goal is to breed their females to the highest quality male available, to improve the quality of livestock.
Breeding can be a tricky business though if you aren’t careful, as the pedigrees of some of the animals originally imported aren’t known, and there can be a risk of inbreeding. In an industry where so much depends on the quality of an animal, the genetic abnormalities that are more likely to result from inbreeding can have a serious impact on a farm’s financial viability.
A national registry has therefore been established to help breeders determine the background of the animals here, and it is no longer permissible to import new animals from overseas.
Through another friend she had made within the alpaca community, Deborah was able to link up with another former New Zealander now also living in the United States. Ruth Affleck, originally from Dunedin, has been involved with alpacas for five years now, and runs Alpaca Heaven in Michigan.
Affleck has a slightly different goal.
An avid spinner, she initially began with two geldings, intending primarily to use their fleece for her spinning and weaving.
“I got suckered from there!” laughed Affleck.
Affleck now has 13 alpacas at her farm. She noted that alpacas were only used by Inca royalty, and for an Inca spinner to be allowed to use alpaca fleece was a major honor.
Affleck also pointed out that the fibre of alpaca fleece is eight times warmer than wool and four times stronger. However, clothes made from alpaca fleece are very light.
The Hatches and Affleck speak very highly of their alpacas, comparing their personalities to cats. They are very easy to maintain, eating only one-tenth as much as a horse.
And, of course, the people involved in the industry are all very friendly!
Alpacas are herd animals though, so you can never have just one animal on its own. Also, it takes about 15 minutes to shear an alpaca, whereas a sheep can be comfortably done in one-to-three minutes.
The Hatches held their annual shearing last month (May), and in keeping with the international flavor of their operation, hosted an Australian shearer, Paul Blair.
Originally from Perth, on the west coast of Australia, Blair has sheared animals all over the world. He has worked in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, France, Italy and also the United Kingdom, where he had the opportunity to shear sheep owned by Prince Charles.
Blair noted that the fleeces on the two “North American” breeds are very different. Huacaya fleece sticks out like a sheep, and is ideal for knitting. Suri fleece however, drops down and is better for weaving.
Perhaps it was just the cold nip that was still in the air in May, but not all of the Hatch’s flock appreciated losing their fleece.
Like their llama “cousins”, when an alpaca is “aggravated” it will spit. Llamas can spit accurately for some 40 feet, but alpacas don’t have quite that range. Alpacas spit a “green goo”, with a nasty smell, and an unpleasant taste that upsets the animal even more if they don’t get it all out of their mouth.
Fortunately only one of the Hatch’s alpacas was so upset by the shearing experience that a bag had to be placed over her mouth to help minimize the mess.
The Hatches currently have a flock of six alpacas, including one male. In just one year of business, the Hatch’s herd has tripled in size!
Not a bad start for any business!
More information relating to the Hatch’s alpacas can be found at http://silverfernalpacas.com
frank@news-banner.com