About our Alpaca Farm
Our Goals
To breed for high quality alpaca fleece while maintaining healthy alpacas. To educate the public on the role of fiber producing animals in our economy and provide opportunities for our community to experience alpacas. To market our alpacas in a manner that ensures anyone that acquires one of our alpacas is a qualified owner. To donate a portion of the farm proceeds to charitable organizations.
We support the goals of the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association and believe that we must play an active role in the national and regional alpaca groups that support the alpaca industry.
To Achieve Our Goals
Here at Abenaki Acres we breed for the highest quality alpacas with a focus on creating an array of colors. We believe our work as breeders is never done, and as each cria season comes and goes we look to what can be done better. We breed our alpacas for the highest quality fleece, temperament and impeccable conformation.
Have a look at our alpaca sales list page to see for yourself! This effort must also ensure that the health of each animal is considered and maintained for the quality of life of the alpaca as they age and bear cria. We also focus on the diversity of bloodlines to draw the best aspects into our alpaca breeding program.
We continually invite various groups to our farm to learn about alpacas, their heritage and the related heritage of our farm history. This educational effort continues to grow as we learn more about the gracious and elegant alpaca. Boy scout troops, high school classes, special educational groups, are among the groups that have visited our farm. We also make ourselves available to other community organizations when they need a speaker for their programs We have joined Heifer International’s Village Builder program to contribute to their programs in South America that involve alpacas. Visit the Heifer International site www.heifer.org to see more information on this excellent program that helps families and villages throughout the USA and the world. We are Farm Members of AOBA, MAPACA, NEOABA, Empire, NJAC and other regional groups that support the alpaca industry. See our Resource Page for the full list of our affiliations.
Our Facility and Alpaca Care Program
Our alpacas graze on almost twenty acres of lush pasture divided into multiple sections for easy rotation. Most of the pastures roll down the substantial hill that runs through our property behind the barn and house. Alpacas are native to the Alto Plano in the Andes Mountains of South America and therefore love having the opportunity to run, play, rest and graze in hilly areas. We believe these hills provide an excellent source of behavioral enrichment for our alpacas. The view from the house of them on the hillside gives us great pleasure. The psychological health of our alpacas is of the utmost importance to us. Our facility was designed from scratch with the animal as the focus. The custom built, two story barn is centralized so that each alpaca can be observed at any point during feeding or medical procedures. We built the barn on the top of our hill in order to provide an ample breeze during the hot summer months. During the winter, it can easily be closed into an cozy place to sleep.
Our pens were put in place with flexibility in mind and can be reconfigured to accommodate anywhere from seven separate groups of alpacas to two, very large groups to anything in-between! Automatic waterers, an ample supply of hay (and occasional alfalfa!), free choice minerals and twice daily feed supplements make up our nutritional program. We also practice quarantine policies for any animals that are new to our farm. Even the bio-security welcome mats are part of our herd health program. We weigh each animal at least monthly, examine and clean up the “poop” piles daily, disinfect the barn monthly,and use a computerized data base to keep detailed records on the health and well-being of each alpaca recording everything from changes in behavior to routine health procedures. This aids us in having a comprehensive understanding of each individual alpaca’s norms. It also allows us to convey a comprehensive history of an alpaca to their new owners.
Our “tack room” is the nerve center of the daily activity on the farm; chore lists, alpaca information, and a comprehensive supply of maintenance tools and medical supplies for our herd. You will also see the extensive number of erasable white boards throughout the barn that allow us to record observations instantly for later recording into each alpaca’s history.
Training and Temperament
We love each of our alpacas dearly and view them as individuals. The herd management philosophy, organization of the pens, pastures and training work is geared to the well being of each alpaca. Abenaki Acres Farm is committed to maintaining a well-trained alpaca herd. We employ a number of training techniques focusing specifically on the Cameldynamics - Marty McGee Method. We have worked with many species of animals throughout our lives and feel that establishing trust and security is of the utmost importance when it comes to having happy, healthy companions! To that end, we view each day as an opportunity to reinforce a common language with our alpacas. With a rotating training schedule, we ensure that each animalon our farm receives focused, personal attention at least once each week. This might mean a walk down the driveway, work in a small training pen or simply a quiet moment of trust. This sort of interaction builds confidence in both the handler and the alpaca. Training is the art of building a language with our alpacas so as to be able to communicate with them. We think it is the most important part of our job as caretakers of these beautiful creatures.
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The Alpaca Store at Abenaki Acres Farm
Herdsires of Abenaki Acres
Warm in Winter, Cool in Summer - Our Barn
Abenaki Acres namesake Abby II
Yearlings and Curious
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