Baarrooka Alpacas, Stud Male, Suri, Alpacas, Alpaca Farm, Baby Alpaca, Alpaca Stud, Strathbogie, Australia

On an extremely hot day, our show team put in a sterling effort.  Despite the very hot weather over the past two weeks,  resulting in dry, dusty fleeces with a lot of hay and seeds in them, the animals cleaned up well and behaved perfectly.

There was a big turnup to Alexandra, which, despite the hot weather, is a nice relaxing show, with plenty of shady trees where breeders congregated to chat and gossip.

Eight animals were taken and First place was awarded to Uluru, Black Beauty,  D’Angelo,  Kim Wilde and Encore, with seconds to Magazine Madonna, Violent Storm and Awestriker.  D’Angelo was Champion Adult, Encore was Champion Senior, with Kim Wilde Reserve Champion Senior, and D’Angelo went on to be awarded Supreme Champion Suri.  A fitting end to the showing career of a spectacular coloured male who will now be shorn and begin stud duties for us and co-owners and breeders, Chersam Alpacas. [Although if Cheryl has her way, he will probably be back in the show ring as a senior.]

Three fleeces were entered, resulting in two 1sts and a 3rd, with Dire Strait’s fleece being awarded Reserve Champion Fleece.

Congratulations to Belinda Bayer of Narr-Maen Creek Alpacas, who has only recently purchased her first alpacas and, at her very first show performed like an old hand, resulting in a second ribbon with her new brown suri female, Baarrooka Violent Storm.

By Julie Filed under: Our Animals, Show Results

The Strathbogie Ranges Suri Breeders, of which Baarrooka is a founding member, again took part in the Wool Week parade, celebrating the role alpaca has in the future of an area built on it’s reputation for producing fine merino fleece.  The same characteristics that make this a great wool growing area apply to growing alpaca fleece.

The parade, down the main street of Euroa, followed by street entertainment and stalls is always a fun event and the inclusion of the alpacas thrills the many spectators.  Each year there is an increase in the number of enthusiastic young handlers begging for a chance to lead a beautiful coloured suri in the parade.  And, dressed in the group’s colours of red and purple, it is a fantastic spectacle and a good promotion for how easy alpacas are to handle.

By Julie Filed under: Events, Strathbogie

Bendigo Agricultural Show was on 24th October. Hadn’t been to this one before, but it was in the magnificent facility where we have  Colourbration. We were sharing the building with goats and cattle, but it was well set out and a nicely run show. There were a good number of entries as well, in most colours.

Baarrooka’s show team did well, with Baarrooka Uluru a junior fawn female awarded Reserve Champion, Baarrooka XXXX, also fawn awarded Junior Male Champion, Chersam D’Angelo, another fawn awarded Reserve Champion Adult Male, Baarrooka Kim Wilde, a white female awarded Champion Senior Female and ILR Lafite’s Peruvian Encore, our white US boy awarded Champion Senior Male.  We were also awarded Supreme Champion and Reserve Champion Fleeces with fleeces from Baarrooka Ultravox and Baarrooka Dire Straits.

By Julie Filed under: Events, Show Results

Shearing 2009

After 4 days of shearing, we are almost finished.  Only one more day after the last show to do the show team, juniors and some stud males.  We used Graham Moore, our neighbour and a sheep farmer, shearer and wool classer, who did an excellent job.  We were also ably assisted by farm workers Andrew and Ben (who gets time off from managing the vineyard so he can participate in the annual shearing!), as well as friends from Sydney Jan and Graham Funch who arranged their schedule specifically so they could help with the shearing – and they did an excellent job.

Once the final fleeces are off, I will select my show fleeces and then bundle up the bales to send to AAFL.  I am keeping back some overlength fleeces to card for the enthusiastic spinners and weavers in our area. Then it’s time to get out the spreadsheet and analyse what my animals have produced this year to assist in my upcoming breeding decisions.

By Julie Filed under: Fleece

We are exhausted, but quietly pleased.  The trip across to Adelaide for the National was a big undertaking.  The whole tribe went, to provide assistance with the driving and preparation of animals. Brioude also entered two black animals and two photographs and Jayson entered three craft entries.

The judging, by well-respected US Judge Amanda Vandenbosch and Wendy Billington, was, IMO excellent and reflected the quality of the animals currently in Australia – also showing us how far we need to go in improving our coloured animals.

Our results were very pleasing, with 7 out of 9 animals entered receiving ribbons in their class (and one who missed out was pulled forward to the front line, but was pipped for 4th place!).  Full results are on our Show Results page, but the stand outs were 3rd for Brioude’s Baarrooka Breeze Black Beauty in a large junior black class,  first for Baarrooka Violent Storm in the junior brown class, a Highly Commended for Baarrooka Mr Mister, who was the only shorn animal in the White Adult Male class, up against males on their first fleece with up to two years of growth (and beating animals from the big 2 white breeders!) and a Champion Senior female award for Baarrooka Kim Wilde who is a gorgeous, dense, white female with outstanding regrowth and a calm and gentle temperament (despite being 4 months pregnant to the Supreme winner, Kurrawa Tariq).

The downside of the show was that Mr Mister fell ill with a high temperature and depression.  We had difficulty getting access to a vet, but eventually did so and started treatment.  After 3 very concerning days and nights (late nights) when we really were worried that we would lose him, he began to respond to the second course of antibiotics and we decided to bring him home with us. After a further week at the vet here and a third course of antibiotics, he seems to have made a full recovery.  However, he will not be going to any more shows, even though we had planned to show him in the Senior class all next year.  We would like to thank all those breeders who helped us and provided support during the show (and there were many who helped in a myriad of ways).

Oh, and Jayson won 1st 2nd and 3rd for his craft entries and was awarded Champion and Reserve Champion exhibit.  Pity he was the only entrant, but that didn’t stop him basking in the glory and displaying his ribbons and trophies to all when he got home.  I know of at least one junior planning her exhibits to give him some competition next year!

By Julie Filed under: Events, Show Results