|
Monday, January 27, 2014
Luna Rosa Ranch's lovely little Lacey got first at the Colorado Stock Show!
She has ultra-fine fiber and is from our finest dam, Lady Silver Belle.
She is just the perfect little suri - with the tight twisted lock style judges love and perfect conformation and bite. And, she's a sweetheart!
Learn More About the Suri Breed
Click pics for larger view.
Perfect Bite & Conformation
|
|
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
We like fall babies at Luna Rosa Ranch - things are more relaxed after the hectic summer rush and the weather is almost always good here then. We target September. We work with the babies all winter and they are weaned and ready for the shows or new homes when the nice spring weather arrives.
We socialize and work with our babies every day. Learn what we do: Creating Easy-To-Love Alpacas
Praline is one of my favorite alpacas and it is always exciting to see what she produces.
Click pics for larger view.
|
|
Friday, September 13, 2013
Luna Rosa Ranch's beautiful suri alpaca Chocolate Storm gave birth to an adorable little girl today.
We are calling her Vanilla Swirl - she has bits of "chocolate" coloring throughout her fleece.
That's our guard llama standing by -- he takes baby-guarding very seriously and stays near the moms with new babies.
Chocolate Storm is one of our best females and my favorite and all her babies are our Elite quality. Her babies have ranged from Dark Silver Gray to White with Black Trim.
See our article Color in Alpacas.
Click pics for larger view.
Chocolate Storm & Vanilla Swirl
|
|
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
At first we were looking for other lustrous fibers to blend with our fine suri fiber to give it more "wool-like" memory but keep the luster, and we were checking out angora goats, which produce mohair fiber, also known for its luster.
Then we saw the Nubians. Similar to alpacas, they come in a full range of patterns and colors. We were smitten.
Now Luna Rosa Ranch has three purebred, registered Nubian goats. They will join our field rotation after the alpacas and utilize our woodlands.
We are delighted with how friendly they are and how well they fit into our existing facility. They are very easy to manage and a fringe benefit is the half gallon of creamy milk we get each morning from Ripple.
Ripple is bred to Princeton for triplets at the end of January. Fancy will be bred for May. Separate breeding schedules for the girls prolongs the milk production.
Goats usually have multiple births after the first baby. Triplets and even Quads are common. Gestation is five months and almost to the day - baby watch seldom goes more than three or four days (we will like that part!).
Click pics for larger view.
Click links for more information:
Too Much Bucks Princeton
Pella's Triple C PS Ripple
ACE-Hi PF Fancy Pants
|
|
Monday, July 22, 2013
Good glorious sun - we're loving every moment! Luna Rosa Ranch is located in normally cloudy and chilly western Washington, so we're thrilled to FINALLY have some good weather.
However, our alpacas are acclimated to temperatures that seldom go higher than high 60 degrees. So whenever we get a heat wave like this one, we monitor all the animals very carefully.
We have dragged out the pools and set up sprinklers for the alpacas. They LOVE this!
See our article on Heat Stress for tips on how to keep alpacas comfortable when the temperatures rise.
Click pics for larger view.
|
|
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Magpie-Appleyard-Ancona Ducks
Luna Rosa Ranch's experiment in "green" pasture maintenance with our two Silver Appleyard ducks last year not only resulted in better pastures, but in over 400 large duck eggs since the girls started laying in mid-September! They did this during the dark of winter with no lights and out-performed our hens in a lighted hen house!
We are expanding our duck herd and trying two more heritage breeds - Magpie and Ancona Ducks.
Using heritage breeds helps save a threatened breed and we've found they are often more hearty and productive as well.
We are members of the American Livestock Breed Conservancy and believe that the work they are doing to identify and save domestic livestock species from extinction is critical to the genetic diversity that might be required in the future. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect historic livestock and poultry breeds from extinction. www.albc-usa.org
Ducks help with slugs and parasites and add a bit of fertilizer naturally....
Ancona ducks are a breed in which the female ducks are dominant. They are excellent foragers. Little Anna, our smallest duck, is in charge!
Click pics for larger view.
|
|
Monday, April 29, 2013
Our gorgeous fancy mahogany suri alpaca Tropicana won her class at the 2013 MAPACA Jubilee !!!
This is a Level 5 show and one of the biggest, most competitive alpaca shows in the country.
She is the epitome of the breeding program we've developed at Luna Rosa Ranch with lovely independent locks right to the skin, high luster, gorgeous deep rich color, and a lovely balanced pattern.
Click pics for larger view.
|
|
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
The weather is getting warmer and last year's babies are now weaned. This is when we work intensively with them in preparation for spring shows and selling them to new homes.
Here's Ed working with some of the cria from last summer and fall. Luna Rosa Ranch prides itself in how well trained all our alpacas are .... and our customers like this too!
Alpacas provide wonder and fun in your world. They're captivating, enchanting, delightful . . . silly and goofy. I cannot now image a life without alpacas.
Alpacas are Easy Keepers
Alpacas make Good Pets
Click pic for larger view.
|
|
Friday, January 11, 2013
We sent off our gorgeous suri alpaca Calypso to her new home in Colorado where she will be part of a foundation herd. She is one of the best we have ever produced!
Her sire Zanzibar is our top Herd Sire. Zan has placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd under SIX DIFFERENT JUDGES at several level 4 and level 5 shows!
It's sad to see one leave, but we know she will be well loved and cared for. . . and we're proud of the quality we can produce at Luna Rosa Ranch.
(Click photo for close up of her lovely locks!)
|
|
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Luna Rosa Ranch invites you to join us for our
Holiday Barn Sale and Openhouse
Sat Dec 15th 2012 1:00 - 3:00 pm
|