Since its soft-opening back in April, Black Barn Alpacas has hosted educational experiences for all ages—from school children to senior living residents.
Tours at the ranch are about 30 minutes long, during which visitors meet the animals and are treated to a host of surprising facts about alpacas. Then, it’s post-tour roaming and games.
“We have some fun games to play, and it just gives families a chance to disconnect (from electronics), you know, put the phones down and just be present,” says Travis McManus.
McManus is one half of the animal-loving duo who owns the ranch. He and his wife, Yussy, moved to Finksburg, Maryland, from their former home in Texas earlier this year.
The journey was quite a feat. They left Texas with 72 alpacas in tow and arrived days later with 73.
One of the drivers of the herd had noticed a mama alpaca in labor en route. That alpaca gave birth to little Miss Sippi—named after the state she was born in—to an awestruck parking lot audience of about 20 people.
Today, the herd has grown to include more than 109 alpacas, and Miss Sippi is flourishing.
The big move was actually a homecoming for Yussy McManus, who was motivated to move back home to Maryland after the loss of her father.
And it worked out for the alpacas, too—who were eager to move where the grass is greener.
In Texas, an increasingly hot climate has made keeping animals like alpacas a more dangerous endeavor. This past year, the McManus family saw the Texas heat spike past 105 degrees Fahrenheit more than 70 times.
The Black Barn Alpacas property is large, spacious and very green. The historic piece of land is dotted with structures from the 1800s, when there was a blacksmith, a barn and a home on the property. While many of the structures were rebuilt in the 1900s, the original stone foundations remain visible and in use.
According to Travis McManus, in this space, the alpacas now enjoy better weather, greener pastures and a healthier diet—all of which he says will improve next year’s fleece.
The McManus family hopes this will provide even more educational opportunities for the community.
“We can bring in schools and teach them how to work with fleece, meaning we can make bird nesting balls, we can make felted soaps, we can do yarn dye, among other things,” Travis McManus says.
Visitors can learn about the unique qualities that make alpaca wool so desirable.
“[Alpacas] bring value beyond just being cute—the fleece itself is hypoallergenic…you won’t itch, it’s antimicrobial,” Travis McManus explains.
But he says that the most important thing that kids can learn from the alpacas
is patience.
“When you’re feeding them, I’ll teach the kids how to be calm and quiet because if you come up to an animal very fast, she’s gonna walk away,” Travis McManus demonstrates at the ranch, holding a feed bag out in front of a more timid alpaca.
The feed bags at Black Barn Alpacas are reuseable, to fit with the ranch’s mission to be as sustainable as possible. Visitors are given a complimentary bag of feed and invited to roam the pastures after the guided tour. Humans, on the other hand, can bring a lunch to eat at the ranch’s picnic area.
To plan a family visit, field trip, birthday party, yoga session or tour, visit blackbarnalpacas.com.
