Janet Otterness holds out her hands filled with pellets for “the girls” to snack on, addressing each of them by name. Their lips and bottom teeth nibble at her palms, but it doesn’t hurt. She strokes their long, soft necks and tells them they’re all “good girls” as a brood of hens cluck happily in the background.
This is part of a daily routine for Otterness who, along with her husband Clark, owns, breeds and boards alpacas — called Alta Mist Alpacas — on their farm in Pine Canyon. With 24 alpacas of their own, eight they board and two babies due this month, the Otternesses have loved the curious South American animals since they purchased their first one, Athena, in 2000 after Clark read about alpaca breeding in an airline magazine.
The couple uses the fiber collected after a yearly shearing of the alpacas — which costs $25 for each animal by a professional who comes to their home — to use in making warm socks, ponchos or hats. The alpaca’s fiber, which is much finer and softer than both sheep’s wool and human hair, sells for $2 to $5 an ounce.
“They provide us with luxury fiber that [in the past] was only for royalty in South America,” Janet said. “People aren’t allergic to it, so it doesn’t have that prickle factor. I haven’t found anyone who can’t wear alpaca. It’s three to four times as warm as wool. I makes socks for my husband and he wears them everyday through the winter.”
They don’t just own the alpacas for their fleece, but they enjoy the company and the relaxed lifestyle of taking care of the animals.
The Otternesses are both retired, Janet from a 26-year high school teaching career and Clark from a career in mining.
Having a total of 32 alpacas on the property is the perfect size for the couple who moved to Pine Canyon from Herriman nearly two years ago.
“We’re retired and if you get many more than this, it gets to be work and ruins the whole retiring thing,” Clark said.
They say they’re the only alpaca owners and breeders in Tooele Valley, but there are some in Bluffdale, Draper and their son who owns some in Wanship in Summit County, among others in the state. Breeders in places such as Washington, Oregon, Ohio or Pennsylvania have farms with as many as 200 alpacas, Clark said.
The alpacas on the Otterness’ farm are separated into three corrals with the females, males and five young males who aren’t quite a year old yet, but are already weaned from their mothers. The females can roam out into the pasture that borders Droubay Road and Janet says people stop to look at the animals while others have to come the house asking if they can pet the alpacas.
“People want to bring their kids out as like a petting zoo,” Janet said. “It happens a lot and I say ‘no’ a lot. We don’t allow more than three kids at a time. The parents get fascinated and don’t watch their kids. If they get kicked, we can’t have that kind of liability.”
She added that they’re prey animals, not predators. They’re most comfortable when everything’s the same. Janet and Clark feed them at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily and that kind of routine helps keep them calm.
While alpacas may seem skittish, it’s because they have no defense mechanism other than running away. With two pads and two nails on their feet and only bottom teeth, very little damage can be done to a human.
“They’re not quite what they’re presented like on TV,” she said.
However, they’re still curious animals she said, putting her face up to one while it sniffed at her.
“They’re really peaceful and quiet animals,” Clark said. “They do have an alarm call if they’re startled or scared. But the only time you hear that is if a stray dog comes running along the fence, then a few would squeal.”
The alpacas get along well with the flock of 13 chickens that are kept in the barn and surrounding areas as parasite control. The chickens watch where they are so they don’t get stepped on.
“They work in the manure pile as fly control,” Janet said. “We have flies up at the house, but not down here. It’s better for the alpacas because the flies carry diseases. We get these beautiful eggs, too. It’s a side benefit.”
The alpacas’ diet is watched closely and are fed 1 1/2 percent of their body weight a day.
“We weigh out a certain amount of hay. If they get overweight their fiber gets coarse,” Janet said as she spread the fleece on an alpaca to see the soft, cobweb-like fiber next to its skin.
Pointing out one of the young males named Demetri, whose light brown hair fluffs around his face, she said, “He has the best face you can get. Look how much fiber he’s got on him. He’ll look different next week.”
The Otternesses have their alpacas sheared usually the second week of June, which is later in the year than sheep shearing because of the climate they’re used to.
“When the temperatures are up, it’s the hardest time of year,” Clark said. “They’re native to the Andes [Mountains] at 1,200 to 1,400 feet. They don’t see 95- to 100-degree weather.”
After the alpacas are sheared, the fiber is sent to be prepared for use. Then the fibers are spun on a spinning wheel and Janet can make a pair of socks in about three weeks.
“Usually what I spin I use myself,” she said. “I do have a lot of yarn of the processed fiber and others that are dyed other colors.”
Janet and Clark also sell the alpaca fiber, roving — a narrow bundle of fiber — and yarn along with sock patterns and knitting looms from their website altamistalpacas.com. This is also where the Otternesses can be contacted if someone wants to see the alpacas or make purchases.
The Otternesses sell alpacas too, though sales have been down with the economy. A female typically sells for $12,000 to $15,000 with proper DNA registration.
Alpacas are herd animals so when they’re left alone they pine for company.
“We would never sell a single alpaca,” Janet said. “Some will buy a pair of boys. You can take them for walks. It’s fun to take them around the neighborhood. [Those who purchase them] can learn how to take care of them and then use the fiber.”
Two females are pregnant now and though they typically breed each female once a year — they have an 11 1/2 month gestation period — with not many selling they haven’t been breeding them as often.
“We breed all of ours so they’re born at the same time and so they’re weaned together,” Janet said.
She added they have a four-generation family of females. Their first alpaca, Athena, has three daughters — Calliope, Cassiopeia and Andromeda — and her granddaughter Elena is one of the two pregnant females.
“We like the lifestyle,” Janet said. “It enables us to live a very relaxed lifestyle. The alpacas give us a reason to get up every morning.”
Missy Thompson: missy@tooeletranscript.com
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