Offbeat Husbandry: The Pleasures and Pains of Breeding and Raising Unusual Animals

Written By Patricia Bianca

Carroll County has long been a bastion of two major farming enterprises: corn and cows. Even though urbanization is eating away our countryside, one can still see plenty of traditional farms. But take a few side roads and you are likely to see an odd assortment of animals grazing on our rolling hillsides. Alternative livestock – llamas, alpacas, miniature donkeys and the like – has emerged as a minor trend in Maryland’s agriculture.

According to a report released by the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Maryland, the movement is primarily driven by limited capital and a lack of suitable farmland for more traditional farming endeavors.

It is apparent, however, that many of those in the alternative livestock business had other, more profound, reasons for taking on the challenges of raising animals outside the norm.

For Charlene Johns, Sandy Fiore and Cindy Barcklow, who were looking for something to help fund their retirement years, when they saw their first alpaca at a local fair it was love at first sight. Charlene had spent the last 35 years running a fleet of school buses and Sandy and Cindy were two of her drivers. The quiet, gentle alpaca seemed a blissful alternative to the hectic, stress-filled days to which the ladies had become accustomed. In October 2005, they joined forces and formed Alpacatopia, LLC, of Uniontown.

Alpaca are indeed quiet and fairly easy to maintain, but the business is not without its hurdles: expenses are number one. Although it doesn’t take much land to raise the domesticated vicunas successfully, and Charlene already owned a farm, the South American animals are a hefty investment. The ladies were fortunate to acquire a herd of 19 alpacas for what they said is a bargain price of $130,000. But in a business that is based on bloodlines, they have had to pay as much as $13,000 for individual alpacas with the pedigree necessary to establish their reputation. It hasn’t been easy.

“We’ve tried everything,” said Charlene. “You just have to keep pounding away.”

Charlene estimates that it takes about $1.50 per day to raise alpacas, and their herd is currently up to 36 animals, not including the two guard llamas and two dogs that help herd the skittish beasts. Each animal produces about 7 to 10 pounds of fiber per year, which sells for about $4.50 an ounce. The ladies also breed and sell alpacas. But, as you can see when Charlene and Sandy sit watching their wares with pride and occasional cooing, it is easy to see that profit is not the driving force at Alpacatopia.

Each can expound in great detail about the various personalities in the herd. Sandy particularly enjoys watching the babies, or crias, cavort, but both Charlene and Sandy concede that bringing them into the world is a bit stressful.

“The first time,” said Charlene, “I just went around screaming. I was by myself and didn’t know what to do.”

Fortunately, all turned out well, and their herd flourishes. The enterprising ladies continue to work on establishing their business and are currently learning how to process their own fiber and seek new markets. They also enjoy the company of these charming, lovable creatures. “They’re hard to part with,” said Sandy.
Eden View Farm in Hampstead is another enterprise where profits take a back-seat. For owners Marsharee Wilcox and Wellington Cleaver, Jr., the biggest challenge of raising llamas, alpacas larger cousins, is “not being able to spend your whole day with them.”

Marsharee and her husband, Wellington, each have established careers off the farm and employ a farm manager to keep things running smoothly; not an easy task considering the menagerie housed at Eden View. There are approximately 27 llamas, 50 cats, 30 chickens, several miniature donkeys, an assortment of goats and sheep and a sweet pot bellied pig named Hammibal who loves to play with baby goats.

The herd at Eden View easily dispels the rumor that llamas are cranky. They exhibit the curiosity and loving nature of properly raised llamas.

“The most beautiful animal in the world, if I can’t touch it, doesn’t do me any good,” said Marsharee. “That’s why we’ve specialized over the years in our llamas being very friendly, because you get in the program if you live here.”

“The program” includes lots of affection, the best in nutrients and individualized, daily care. Marsharee, who actively participates in a number of educational associations and task forces, is a widely recognized name on the camelid circuit, which includes llamas and alpacas. She routinely conducts seminars on nutrition, shearing and other healthcare issues affecting her beloved beasts.

To help defray costs, Eden View sells llama fiber, sheep wool, fertilizer and shearing services. The farm also boards, breeds and sells llamas and miniature donkeys. But getting your hands on one of Marsharee’s babies is not easy, however.

“We’re very picky about where our animals go, and it’s a fairly strenuous adoption process,” she said. She and Wellington conduct intensive training for prospective owners.

Marsharee is, in fact, ferociously protective of her huge “family.” Fortunately, her neighbors appreciate the farm’s assets and even helped Marsharee save her beloved early 19th century farm when it caught fire a few years ago. She does worry, however, about the efforts of some animal rights groups and how that may affect the future of her farm.

“We’ve been in love with these critters for 15 years,” she said, “and we’re not getting over it anytime soon.”
Marty Hill Jr., owner of Twin Springs Farm in Lineboro, is no stranger to the criticism of animal rights advocates,. Marty is another animal lover with an odd menagerie to boast about – his main herd consisting of anywhere from 132 to 187 buffalo.

That’s right, buffalo, or more correctly, bison. Buffalo, Marty explains, are extinct. Bison are close cousins, but from a marketing perspective, the term “buffalo” is more recognizable, and so that’s what he calls them.

Although the general public knows little about these impressive beasts, it doesn’t always stop them from instructing Marty on their care, particularly their lack of shelter. He has been reported twice for the supposed infraction. Although he argued that these animals developed on the prairie, and therefore, actually require no shelter, he caved in and built them a wooden structure.

“That lasted about a month and they tore it all to hell,” he said.

As one tours the custom-built gating systems erected to handle the huge critters, hears about the careful measuring of grains and supplements given the animals and sees the fans and heating systems in the barns, it is difficult to think of the bison or the many other creatures at Twin Springs Farm as neglected.

In addition to the many bison roaming the 146 plus acre farm, each weighing anywhere from 750 to 2,700 pounds, Twin Springs features a petting zoo with miniature donkeys, llamas, goats, sheep, pot-bellied pigs, hogs, ducklings, a Polish fighting chicken that was abandoned at the farm and three stately long-horned cattle.

Still, the place is surprisingly immaculate and free of odor. Marty jokes that is because he is a bit compulsive, as his wife, Michelle, categorizes him, but he also credits his father, children, farm manager, caretaker and other helpers, for the pleasant conditions on the farm. Even the men at nearby Kopp’s Company lumber mill help him keep an eye on things.

It was one of the mill workers who came to Marty’s aid one harrowing day three years ago, when Marty was gored and very nearly killed by an angry momma bison while trying to rescue her calf from a well. Marty endured a grueling attack that required a 30 day stay in a shock trauma unit and nearly cost him his leg.

But the incident did not deter Marty from his love of bison or his farm. Although he owns a successful construction company, he enjoys the farm and the people it attracts too much to let something like near-death get in the way of his dreams.

His dreams have been as profitable as they are enjoyable. The Twin Springs Market stocks a large assortment of bison meat and assorted products. Customers travel hundreds of miles to purchase their meats, which are naturally low in cholesterol, fat and calories, while being high in protein.

“Anybody can go out and be a hog farmer or a cattle farmer, but then you’re competing with a lot of other people,” said Marty. “With buffalo, it’s a niche, and niche farming is the only way to do farming on a smaller scale and make a profit.”