Category Archives: animals

posts about the animals

Marcello: defender of the ranch

Posted on December 5, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Saturday morning was…interesting at the ranch. Mom was cleaning (as always), when all of the alpacas started chirping in alarm. Normally one or two will chirp when they spot something amiss, like deer at the top of the driveway or a … Continue reading →

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Archie the suri alpaca

Posted on November 29, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

A friend of ours has a little grey suri alpaca by the name of Archie. Now, this friend of ours, Mark, is one of our best alpaca buddies. We all sheared on the same day, and we each helped out … Continue reading →

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Brittany on bunny patrol

Posted on November 28, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

My brother was warming up his car yesterday when he heard the alpaca alarm call. It’s a loud, high-pitched chirp that we’ve become as tuned to as the alpacas themselves. He investigated and found the girl alpacas lined up in … Continue reading →

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On feed, and shortages thereof

Posted on November 18, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

A month ago, our hay supplier’s storage barn burned down. Around 100 tons of hay were lost in the fiery conflagration, including everything he had set aside for us for the winter. Now we’re scrambling for feed, and not just … Continue reading →

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Alpacas don’t like the wind

Posted on November 17, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

As I wrote the title of this blog, I couldn’t help but giggle. The list of things alpacas DON’T like is quite long: snow, rain, rodents, shots (well, no one likes getting shots), people, being looked at, tax assessors, noisy power … Continue reading →

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Mom’s new barn cat

Posted on November 15, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Isn’t it precious? Mom looked up the driveway the other day to see an animal rolling around in the dust. It was clearly a cat, and just as clearly, not a house cat. Which left only one possibility: bobcat. Mom … Continue reading →

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Random alpaca word of the day: “spit”

Posted on November 14, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Not long after we got the alpacas, Dad had a uniquely alpaca ranch experience. It was early morning and he was on his way to the office, where he had a class to teach. Like a good (somewhat naive) alpaca … Continue reading →

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Snow babies

Posted on November 9, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

What do alpacas look like in the snow? They look pretty much the same as usual, adorable. Marsy isn’t really a big fan of the snow. I am so lusting after Tripoli’s fleece. I wants it, my precious.

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Bravado goes on walkabout

Posted on November 7, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Bravado had a bit of an adventure last week while Mom was cleaning. She had just taken a manure bucket full of snow out of the boys’ paddock, and dumped it in the manure wagon. She decided the wagon was pretty full, so … Continue reading →

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On low impact stock

Posted on November 4, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Seven years ago, long before the alpaca ranch was even a twinkle in Dad’s eyes, I went to Ecuador. It was part of a travel class. We studied some aspect of Ecuadorian ecology for a quarter, and then spent about … Continue reading →

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