Farm News
11/10/09 - It's official, Bluff and Taz are bred to Ridge for Fall 2010 crias! It's been awhile since we've had more than one cria born on the farm at the same time, it should be fun! We tried one more time with April, but she's had her fill of motherhood. Guess it's back to the show ring for her again in 2010! Not that I'm complaining... Annie and Rainier are still growing like weeds- new pictures will be taken and posted after Thanksgiving.
10/16/09 - Our little Annie is already growing into a gorgeous girl! She's tall and stretchy just like both of her parents, and seems to have her dad's show presence. We're getting ready to breed Taz and Bluff back to Ridge, and are going to try April again, one last time. So we'll have 2, maybe 3, Ridge crias due next fall! Two of our alpaca boys, Al and Moreo, are also still looking for a new home. Make me an offer and these two could be yours!
10/1/09 - Well, Taz decided not to make us wait the full 350 days for her cria to arrive- she delivered 1.5 weeks early! Born 9/30/09, Autumn Hill's Annapurna is a gorgeous little black and white girl! She has all the wonderful traits of her outstanding parents (Autumn Hill's Catastrophie & MRLF Ridge Runner), so I know she'll be a show stopper for sure! It will definitely be fun to show her next spring, unless you would rather be on the end of the lead when she wins class after class!
9/21/09 - We're finally getting close to Taz's due date- just under 3 weeks away! Be sure to check back frequently in the next couple weeks to see pictures! Or email me and I will add you to the list of people who will receive pictures via email on the day the cria is born. In other news, we have reluctantly decided to continue downsizing our herd, so two of our fiber alpacas, Al (white) & Moreo (black), are being offered for sale. Both are sweet boys with fabulous fiber- perfect 4-H/open show boys or fiber producers. I would love for them to go to a new home together, but they are priced to sell individually as well: $350 each or $500 together. Those prices are VERY negotiable, so make me a deal and we'll work something out. (Note: the red alpaca in the background (Ralph) is NOT being offered for sale!)
8/31/09 - Well, the show season is over for 2009. The Indiana State Fair was very successful, and as always, a lot of fun! Ralph placed 1st in halter and 6th in Novice Obstacle. April placed 1st and 2nd in halter, and Bluff earned two 5th places (beating ALSA Halter Champion females!). Bluff and Rainier really cleaned up in Dam & Cria, coming away with a 1st and 3rd (again, beating ALSA Halter Champion females & their crias sired by an ALSA Halter Champion male!)!
In other news, the 2009 llama and alpaca fleeces (plus angora rabbit fiber) have all been skirted and cleaned, and are ready for you to spin or felt into a fabulous piece of art! All fleeces, plus lots of handspun yarn and finished fiber items, will be listed on our Etsy site within a few days. Check out our inventory, and purchase something to add to your stash! We also have a limited quantity of ceramic llama figurines available- please check our Web Store to see pictures of the figurines available.
And last but not least, Rainier has already found a new home! He will be joining Lorah Moore's new herd in the spring of 2010, and will definitely make her a great show llama and future breeding male!
7/14/09 - We just competed at the first show of the season, and what a show it was! Our three adult females (and Bluff's cria of course) went to the Vermilion County Fair in Danville, IL last weekend, and cleaned up! Bluff placed 1st in Medium Wool Adult Female, and Taz placed 2nd. April placed 2nd in Heavy Wool Adult Female, but received very nice comments from the judge on her amazing conformation for such an old girl! Next is the Indiana State Fair! Ralph will be joining April, Bluff, and Rainier for this show- it should be a great one!
6/24/09 - He has a name! Introducing Autumn Hill's Rainier!
6/21/09 - FINALLY, Bluff had her cria! Born Friday, June 19, 2009, sometime between 8 and 10 pm. It's a little dilute appy male! Bluff is being a great mom, and providing tons of milk for her energetic cria! We're still working on a name and pictures, check back for more information.
6/12/09 - STILL no cria from Bluff, she is now about 2.5 weeks late and driving me crazy! We had a scare with her on Monday, when our wonderful vet diagnosed and corrected a uterine torsion. Bluff is back to her usual self, and shows no signs of getting ready to deliver her cria anytime soon. I guess we'll just have to wait it out...she'll deliver when she's good and ready. Send me an email if you would like to be among the first to receive pictures of Bluff's cria when it finally arrives.
Last weekend was spent at the Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival in Franklin, IN, where we sold many of our fiber items and raw fleeces. The weather was much nicer than last year, and overall the festival was very successful. I hope to be back next year with more fiber and finished items to sell. We still have a good amount of yarn and pencil roving available (not on our Etsy site at the moment, so email for more information), and also have raw fleeces available from most of our llamas and alpacas. Please email for more information and pictures of the fiber items that we have for sale.
This Sunday is the 4-H and new llama owners workshop in Battle Ground, IN. I really hope the weather holds out, as we have over 40 participants signed up for an afternoon of learning about llamas. It should be a great weekend.
5/14/09 - No new cria yet from Bluff, but I wanted to share pictures of another 2nd generation Autumn Hill llama that was recently born. Autumn Hill's Catalina (our 2003 PPF King's Ransom x SHAG Cattera cria) just had her first cria, a little silver male. Catalina's friend and herd-mate, Autumn Hill's Faith, is due any day, so check back for pictures. Our very own Bluff is due in just under 2 weeks!
4/19/09 - Well, McKinley has left for his new home. Ralph is going to be lonely without his little buddy, but he'll have a new cria to play with in about 5 weeks! Ralph and the two other gelding alpacas, Moreo and Al, were shorn yesterday, and I have 6 beautiful bags of fleece just waiting to be skirted and processed this summer. The llamas will be shorn in late May, and all the fleece will once again be processed into yarn.
3/30/09 - Spring is finally here! The angora bunnies have been shorn, and the alpacas have a shearing date for the middle of April. The llamas have to wait until the end of May. Bluff is really starting to show- I can't wait for this cria to hit the ground! McKinley is also getting ready to leave and go to his new home.
In other news...I will be teaching a 4-H clinic at Vickie Maris's farm in Battle Ground, IN this summer. The clinic will be held on June 14, and will start at 2:00 pm. The event will be held rain or shine. We will be going over the basics of obstacle training and showing, and will also get into showmanship techniques. It is open to any youth or adult who would like to learn more about showing llamas! Take a look at Vickie's blog for more information, and contact her to register for the clinic.
3/7/09 - Need a gorgeous proven female to add to your breeding program this spring? Consider Masterlock's Splash, a beautiful paint girl with everything that you're looking for. Her price is very negotiable, so contact Debbi Boncha for more information.
3/2/09 - We have added a wide variety of pencil roving and yarn made from our llama and alpaca fleeces to our Etsy store. It is really beautiful stuff, and I am getting rave reviews from customers. Take a look, and pick some to add to your own stash.
2/28/09 - Thinking about outside breedings for this spring? For a limited time, we are cutting Ridge's breeding fee by 50%! Drive-by breedings (you bring your female to us and leave the same day) are available for only $250, but discounted on-the-farm breedings (with 2-3 months free board) are still available. Please contact us for more information.