The act of naming the alpacas is a unique feature of Meadowview Alpaca Farm. In trying to use the alpaca’s birth mother’s name in the naming process, we are better able to remember who the mother is without constantly having to refer to the detailed breeding records.
It is also a good way to communicate with the alpacas who genuinely seem to respond to their names.
The focus of Meadowview Alpaca Farm is quality fibre so breeding practices are strictly controlled to take into account genetics and fibre information. In doing so, we are able to enhance the overall micron count (fibre quality) of the herd.
Meet Charlie Brown AKA “The Miracle”
Registered Name – MDV Charlemagne
Charlie Brown is a unique alpaca stud who will be four years old this summer. His birth was a blessing as he was the first C-Section delivery for Meadowview Alpaca Farm’s veterinarian. He was born from the famous lineage of CPeruvian Daniel 111 who is known in eastern Canada for the many champion offspring he produced. Charlie Brown’s mother, Daniel’s Promise (a Daniel daughter), was in distress as a ring had formed around her birthing canal, not allowing it to expand. Following her surgery, complications developed and Promise was treated intravenously. During this time, it was also necessary to bottle feed Charlie Brown. By the next evening, Daniel’s Promise had passed on.
Meet Isabelle AKA the “Alpaca’s Surrogate Mom”
Isabelle is very special as she will willingly stand in as a surrogate mother to orphaned alpacas. Normally, alpacas bond strongly to their own young. For Isabelle, meeting and nurturing Charlie Brown was as natural as giving birth to him herself.
Meet Macarthur AKA “The Hidden Gem”
Registered name – RFA MACARTHUR
Macarthur is a rare alpaca stud who is almost fourteen years old. He was purchased in a group of five males who were being unloaded and he was regarded as a “big disappointment” due to the quality of his fibre count. He had a micron count of approximately 26 which is considered too high for a quality male stud. We recognized it as being the result of his diet. When an alpaca is fed a high-protein diet it can “blow out” the fibre, which means elevating the micron count. Recognizing this we set out to provide Macarthur with an improved protein diet which allowed his micron count to drop below 25. Our expertise in creating diet plans for the herd at Meadowview Alpaca Farm helps the alpacas maintain a fibre micron count of quality while keeping the herd healthy.
Meet Lucas AKA “The Gentleman”
Registered name – DPO Lucas
Lucas has often been described as “perfect”. His perfect fibre, soft and dense, with perfect structure is uniquely combined with his charming personality. He will be thirteen this summer and is of a full-bodied Peruvian Champion stock. He produced quality herdsires and terrific dams for ten years so his genetics are strong within the herd. He won reserve champion in 2010 at the Navan Alpaca Show. Wade Gease, an Alpaca Owners Association certified senior alpaca judge and training instructor, commented that “Lucas maintained great fineness, character, and density for a four-year-old male.” This long-term maintenance of quality fibre characteristics, high-frequency crimp, and fineness are his signature traits as a herdsire. His friendly demeanor and mild temperament make him an enjoyable alpaca to visit with.
Meet Rosalie
Bobby Lee was born to a long list of alpacas with the same “Lee” sound in their name. Rosalie is the daughter of Allie who came from a farm with a well-known reputation in Alberta known as “Adventure Alpacas”.
On a cool, overcast, windy day in May, the alpacas were out in the field after having been shorn the previous weekend. Two or three girls were about to give birth so I was prepared with a towel in hand. Allie began to give birth. I went over to Allie to observe quietly. Newborn alpacas are susceptible to hypothermia, so I used the towel on Allie’s newborn Rosalie. While I was focused on Allie and her baby, I was not paying attention to Micah. Micah came right up beside Allie and dropped her cria in close proximity to Rosalie. Caught off guard, I started to rub this new cria with the towel but quickly stopped, as this would transfer the scent of one cria to the other. But it was too late as the scent was already transferred. Micah’s newborn male, who was named Prince Valiant, was up and running within fifteen minutes of birth, while Rosalie remained laying down in her birth spot, trembling. Allie was not concerned with her newborn daughter and instead was distracted by Prince Valiant who was running leaps and bounds. Much to Micah’s consternation, Allie chased after Prince Valiant as if he were her own.
I acted fast and put a halter on Allie so that she could be isolated to bond with her newborn, Rosalie. Regardless of this attempt at forming a bond between mother and daughter, Allie refused to tend to her young and Rosalie became hypothermic. I brought Rosalie into the house to run her a hot bath and feed her. She slept under a heat lamp to keep her warm. The veterinarian came by the next day to see if he had any magic solutions to convince Allie to care for her own cria. He decided to extract a solution from Allie’s uterus and slather it onto Rosalie to convince her that her daughter was her own. However, by this time, Allie was convinced Prince Valiant was hers and refused to tend to Rosalie. It was necessary to separate Allie from Micah and her cria for the summer, so the girls were divided into two groups. Interestingly, nine weeks later, when the groups were reunited, Allie still recognized Prince Valiant and managed to convince him to nurse from her as well as his mom. Since then, I have been referred to as Rosalie’s true mother. Rosalie has no fear of humans. She went on to birth her own daughter, Annalie, who will be four this summer. Annalie’s friendly disposition is beyond affectionate. She mimics her mother and is very welcoming to human visitors. Other cria born the same summer watched Annalie with great interest. As it turned out, Annalie had much influence on the young females and now they all love to have visitors.