I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Birch Knoll Alpacas farm on Anneewakee Road.  Birch Knoll Alpacas is a 14 acre farm owned by Bari and Andy Horisberger. 

The Horisbergers began their alpaca farm in 2002 with three female alpacas and have grown the farm to a small herd of 17 alpacas (11 females & 6 males).  Eight of the females are currently pregnant.

The day I stopped by, most of the girls were inside the barn catching a breeze from a large cooling fan. 

Alpacas are gentle creatures that do not bite (they don’t have any upper teeth), but may spit when they are upset or angry.  On this day, the alpacas were just a little curious! 

Female alpacas have one baby a year after an eleven month pregnancy.  Most of these females have a baby in the oven.

The male alpacas hang out in an open air barn in a separate corral away from the females.

The alpaca greeting party – isn’t he a handsome boy!

What I learned about Alpacas

Alpacas are the smallest member of the camelid family and are close cousins to the llama, vicuna, and camel.  Alpacas are originally from the Andes in South America, but have been in the United States since the 1980s.  There are approximately 120,000 Alpacas in the United States.

The alpaca is not a pack animal.  Unlike the camel and llama, the alpaca is bred exclusively for fiber.  Alpaca fiber is silky soft and warm like cashmere but is hypoallergenic and won’t scratch like wool.  The hair is hollow which makes it excellent insulation on a cold day.

Birch Knoll alpacas are sheared once a year in April.  The alpaca fiber is then sent to Georgia Mountain Fiber in Blue Ridge, GA to be processed.

There are two different alpaca breeds: 

• Huacaya (pronounced wah-KI’-ya): The huacaya is the most common alpaca and produces a wavy or crimped fleece.  Birch Knoll alpacas are hacayas.
• Suri (pronounced surrey):  The suri is quite rare and produces a silky fleece that clings to itself in a way that resembles dreadlocks.

Loose huacaya alpaca fiber that was sheared last April from Birch Knoll alpacas.

Before processing

The alpaca fleece is processed into roving to be spun into yarn. 

Alpaca yarn can be knitted, crocheted or woven into luxurious socks, scarves, gloves, hats, sweaters, blankets, rugs, etc.  You can even get an alpaca teddy bear!

Alpacas come in a variety of colors, but all but one Birch Knolls alpacas are white, beige, and light fawn (Birch Knolls has one black alpaca).  The light colored alpaca fleece is beautiful as is, but it can also be dyed into just about any color.

National Alpaca Farm Day

On September 27, 2008, from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Birch Knoll Alpacas will participate in National Alpaca Farm Day by opening up its farm to the public.  Mark your calendar and plan to visit the farm to meet the alpacas and learn more about these delightful creatures!

You’ll also get to see a local artist spin alpaca roving into yarn, and you can start your Christmas shopping early by browsing through the farm store for alpaca roving, batting, yarn and other alpaca gift items for yourself and others on your gift list.  Birch Knoll Alpacas will be raffling off a 12” alpaca teddy bear for $1.00 a ticket.  Raffle proceeds will be donated to the Quechua Benefit, a charitable organization dedicated to providing relief to the Quechua Indians who live in the the alpaca farming regions of South America.

For more information

Bari & Andy Horisberger
Birch Knoll Alpacas
3634 Anneewakee Rd.
Douglasville, Georgia 30135
770.577.2250
birchknollalpacas@hotmail.com
www.birchknollalpacas.com

Did you enjoy this Post? Subscribe to Fun Food Life