Who are these adorable, gentle, soft and playful creatures? We met these gentle friends at Breezy…read moreHill Farm in Woodbine, MD which was about an hour's drive from DC. Alpacas, a member of the camelid family, are smaller and nicer than llamas, a relative. Mainly, they don't spit, at least not intentionally. We found these alpacas to be sweet, soft and silly.
It was a little difficult to find the farm. The entrance is not clearly marked and we made at least two wrong forays onto adjacent properties before finding the farm. Once there we were welcomed by Heather, one of the owners, who gave us a brief rundown before introducing us to some of their goats, sheep, turkeys, donkey.
She led us to the paddocks where the alpacas were, giving us instructions on how to approach them, how to feed them, how to pet them. Most had been recently shorn and Heather provided us with feed and the alpacas eagerly ate from our outstretched palms. They were soft and plush, the females more delicate eaters and the males (separated in a different area) were gobblers. These are animals, not pets, so while they are gentle, they do have wills of their own.
It was a warm day and the alpacas enjoyed a spray from the hose. It was funny to see how excited they were to feed (reminds me of my dogs) and they ran after Heather when she got the food.
Afterwards, we went to the barn where Heather, a fiber artist, demonstrated how the alpaca fur can be mixed with other fibers, how the wool is felted, and how it can be spun into yarn. There are textiles, yarn, garments for sale.
Reservations are required. Sign up for the first time slot. Our tour ran over by 30 minutes and the next group had to wait.
It is a picturesque drive to the farm but keep in mind that it turns into a two lane road through country lanes. We had left plenty of time for the drive but with our misdirected turnarounds and some road construction we ended up cutting it close.