Have You Met...Rose Moffett?

Everyone is all smiles at the Thunder River Alpaca Farm. In just four short years, Rose Moffett has made a home for a whole herd of inquisitive, beautiful alpacas.

"Our alpacas are known as Suri alpacas and they feature long, shiny, wavy locks. Huacaya (pronounced wuh-kai-ya) alpacas have a puffy appearance with shorter hair," explains Moffett whose alpacas have taken first and second place prizes for their soft fur which must be trimmed regularly.

Hailing from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile, alpacas have adapted to life in America very successfully, even choosing to give birth in the morning to early afternoon hours just as they prefer to do in their homelands. The birthing ritual derives from the climate in the alpaca's native setting where it's warmer and more comfortable in the morning.

"I have never seen an alpaca give birth outside their normal time frame," says Moffet. Baby alpacas, (Crias) require optimal temperatures to begin the immediate business of living life and nursing. Most will "find their feet" and attempt to master standing and walking within a few hours of birth.

Knowing this information will come in handy at Thunder River farms as they prepare to welcome a baby alpaca within the next few days. The timing is just right as the farm will soon participate in the National Alpaca Farm Days event held on Sept. 24-25.  

From 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25, Thunder River Alpacas will welcome guests to join them for a day of fun including farm tours, refreshments, children’s alpaca coloring books, alpaca manure for your garden, felting demonstrations--all free. You'll meet all the Thunder River Suri Alpacas and come to understand why each one is different. They have all been named to suit their personalities, and it is without a doubt that alpacas are just as curious about us as we are about them.

Visitors can also visit the Farm Store and browse the luxurious alpaca products such as throws, socks, hats, scarves, gloves, shawls, yarn, roving, raw fleece, stuffed animals and much more. 

Thunder River Alpacas is located at 7830 Thunder River Way here in Cumming.

Call Rose at 717-994-4055 for more information. See you on the farm!