Review of the Year at Beck Brow Alpacas

  Posted on 27/12/2016  by Barbara  No comments

It has been such a busy year here at Beck Brow. I am not sure where to start?

We have had a very successful show season, attending 6 halter shows and 3 fleece shows. We have amassed in 2016; 29 Championships, 10 Reserve Championships, 2 Judges Choice (fleece shows), and to top it all Beck Brow Explorer was awarded Champion Light Sire’s Progeny at the BAS National Show 2016. Just some of the winners below:

We have also given up numerous sashes and awards, having sold a number of our show team this year (sashes go with the winners). All together we have sold 25 alpacas belonging to Beck Brow (excluding agisted alpacas) including 5 championship winning stud males, and females from our very top performing lines, many of whom are champions and/or have produced champions. We have been very fortunate to meet some lovely people along the way. It is great to see so many relatively new breeders starting at this level.

One of the biggest changes for us has been our venture in to Suri ownership. The grace and elegance of the Suri had been slowly reeling me in for some time, so when the opportunity arose to purchase some of the fabulous Lignum herd, we jumped at the chance. So it was that 4 adults females and a female cria arrived at Beck Brow in July. Of course Volare (brown) Moloko (brown) Mojito (mid fawn) Marizion (brown) and Angie’s Tribute (mid fawn) needed some more female company and a male friend. Thus it didn’t take us long to purchase Josephine (fawn) and Mystique (dark fawn) from Spring Farm Alpacas and Eclipse (brown) from Bozedown Alpacas. We have also been fortunate to purchase Kurrawa Hell Raiser, the brown male champion Suri at the Australian National Show 2016. Joining them in the new year will be Qtaz (brown) and Opal (light fawn) from West Wight Alpacas.

We have had some lovely cria born this year and have 31 Beck Brow cria surviving (we have now got to the point where 45% of the alpacas on farm are agisted. I have not included them in the numbers). Doing the maths; we have sold 25. Bought 11 and had 31 born. That leaves us will a net surplus of 17. However 9 of those are reserved (cria at foot). My New Year’s resolution has to be to release more or buy less.

Apart from Hell Raiser (who is currently in New Zealand) we imported two new Huacaya stud males; Kurrawa Legend’s Crusader of BBW (white) and Gilt Edge Samurai of BBW (dark fawn). Both have approximately 11 Beck Brow females spitting off to them. The Boys made an appearance on TV the day after arrival…

 

We are looking forward to Craig (our son in law) starting work on the farm in the New Year. We have had a lovely family Christmas (the first for grandson Theodore) and enjoyed one of Craig’s leaving presents with our cheese.

We have weaned the oldest of our cria this morning, having postponed the plan on Christmas eve due to Storm Barbara and then Storm Connor. We have also been moving the groups around, so that we can feed according to need. Five of those not pregnant and without cria at foot were moved to the young maiden group (these included Elvira and Halle who both lost their cria this year – as they had been spitting off, I do wonder if the pregnancy loss was due to stress). The other three were maidens who had been in isolation.

Five females (four of whom are maidens) were moved into the group with those due to birth first (they will be two separate groups of girls due this year, and a third group of females due to be mated). A very exciting five they are too:

Bozedown Celestrial (sire: Bozedown Comet 11) who is a championship winning female and dam to numerous champions. She is pregnant to Beck Brow Explorer.

Beck Brow Trendsetter (sire: Beck Brow Explorer) daughter of Celestrial. Pregnant to Kurrawa Legend’s Crusader of Beck Brow.

Beck Brow Seventh Heaven (sire: Waradene St Patrick) who is pregnant to Bozedown Bourbon.

Beck Brow Dixie Chick (sire: Waradene St Patrick) pregnant to Bozedown Achilles. Dixie is a multi-championship winning female who doesn’t appear to have had her photo taken.

Last of the five is Beck Brow Bottom’s up (sire: Beck Brow Explorer) a Supreme Championship winning female who is full sister to Multi-Supreme Champion Beck Brow First Edition and Champion White Female Beck Brow Bedazzle. Bottom’s Up is pregnant to Kurrawa Legend’s Crusader of Beck Brow (again no photo).

Lots to look forward to in 2017, with many of our home grown females due to give birth, and our first Suris to be born on farm. Our birthing season will be shorter in 2017. Although some of our best cria have been born in August this year (great fleeces and excellent weight gains) we are planning to go to Australia and New Zealand next year, and don’t wish to leave Craig with births as well as lots of young cria.

Wishing Everyone a happy, healthy and successful 2017!!