Alpacas. In Michigan.

[Matt]

"She'll bite your face off"

A soft side for alpacas Ortonville
Couple raise cute, cuddly critters for fun and profit

April 9, 2007
BY L.L. BRASIER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

When Phil Maybee retired from his GM engineering job more than 10 years ago, he and his wife, Judy, sold their Waterford home and bought land in Ortonville where they could "relax and enjoy nature."

"I was thinking I might plant a few trees," he said.

Then his wife came across a story on raising alpacas.

Today, the Maybees own nearly 70 of the sweet-faced South American camelids -- think llamas, only smaller and cuter -- so there's not much relaxing that goes on at Pebble Brook Farm, their 15-acre spread. The Maybees are one of the largest alpaca breeders in the state, so they're busy seven days a week.

This month they're getting ready to sponsor the Michigan Alpaca Breeders Show and Fiber Fair, which will be held May 5-6 at Springfield Oaks County Park in Davisburg.

They are expecting as many as 200 alpacas from 60 breeders from Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan.

"It's really turned into this kind of niche market, and a ton of people are into it," Phil Maybee said.

The alpacas are valued for their thick, soft fleece, which is used to spin high-quality cashmere-like cloth and sold to high-end designers. The alpacas themselves are expensive, with a show-quality alpaca selling for as much as $20,000.

Alpacas were introduced to the United States in 1984, and today there are about 100,000 of them in the United States -- and 3,641 of them in Michigan -- according to the Alpaca Registry, an international record-keeping system akin to the American Kennel Association.

Many owners run hobby farms and keep two or three alpacas as pets, with an eye on making some money should an alpaca baby, known as a cria, be born. But raising alpacas can be hard work. The animals at Pebble Brook Farm are fed twice a day, and in the spring, they must be sheared because they can't tolerate heat well.

Because they are so expensive, their health must be closely monitored. Not long ago, one of the Maybees' alpacas developed a fast-spreading hoof infection that required long-term veterinarian care to save it.

"You've got to stay on top of it, and it's not the easiest thing in the world to manage," Maybee said.

The Maybees held the Michigan alpaca show on their Ortonville farm for the first few years, but in 2005, after hosting 128 alpacas and their owners, "it got to be a mess," Maybee said, so they moved the event to Springfield Oaks.

This year's show will include shearing and spinning demonstrations and an alpaca parade. Some of the alpacas will be for sale. Nonbreeding animals sell for $800 to $1,500.

Maybee recommends that those considering buying an alpaca as a pet, or starting a breeding business, spend some time reading about the animals.

"Research all you can," he said. "It can be a big financial commitment."

Springfield Oaks County Park is at 12451 Andersonville Road, Davisburg. Alpaca show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 5 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 6. Parking and admission are free. Contact L.L. BRASIER at 248-858-2262 or brasier@freepress.com.

[DennyMcLain]