Brandon Twp.-Judy and Phil Maybee have a 20-acre farm. It has a pond, lots of trees, and buildings including their house, a workshop and a large barn. They have animals, too, but maybe not what would be expected in a barnyard.
It’s a beautiful day and 20 fluffy heads turn in the sunshine toward approaching visitors. The heads vary in color, white and various shades of brown. The animals have pointy ears, long necks and thin legs that support sturdy bodies. They are not hooved, they have toenails. They stand about 5 feet tall and weight about 100-175 pounds. They are covered not in fur, but in fiber that is soft to the touch. This covering is known as ‘the fiber of the gods? and belongs to these animals.
The Maybees don’t have horses, cows, pigs, sheeps or chickens. Instead, they have a herd of alpacas at Pebble Brook Farm.
After buying the farm eight years ago, the Maybees were looking for something to do with the property after retirement. In a newspaper article, they saw alpacas referred to as the ‘lovable, huggable investment.? They were sold, even though they’d never owned an animal larger than a dog.
‘They are trainable? it’s a matter of how much time you want to spend on doing it,? said Judy Maybee. ‘They’re also affectionate, some more so than others especially when they have a halter and leash on.?
Alpacas, a smaller cousin of the llama, make a great investment because of their fiber, Maybee says.
Members of the community can see free demonstrations of the shearing, spinning, weaving and felting of that fiber at a Michigan Alpaca Breeders Show and Fiber Fair set for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April 30 and May 1 at the farm, 100 Sumac Drive.
The public can also see a certified halter and performance show and learn about alpaca ownership.
There are more than 50,000 alpacas in the United States, in two variations? Huacaya and Suri. Huacaya alpacas have perpendicular fiber that gives them a woolly, fluffy appearance. Suri alpacas have fiber that is parallell and looks similar to dreadlocks. They are the rarer of the two.
Less than 1 percent of the world’s population is allergic to alpacas. The cost of feeding and maintaining the animal is minimal, says Maybee. Alpacas can be kept in a three-sided shed and eat only about a half-pound of feed per day? they eat hay, pasture grass, and pellets that contain special nutrients.
Maybee compares the cost of feeding an alpaca to the cost of feeding a dog, but the cost of buying an alpaca is a lot more than a canine. Alpacas are sold for anywhere from $8,000 to $50,000 each and it is recommended that owners keep at least two, preferably three since they are a pack animal.
Female alpacas are induced ovulators, meaning they can be bred at any time and bear young throughout the year. A single baby is born after nearly a year’s gestation.
‘They’re unusual animals,? Maybee said. ‘There’s something very relaxing about taking care of them. You can have a stressful day and come home and go to the barn and the stress melts away.?
For more information on alpacas or the breeders? show and fiber fair, call (248) 627-7066.