After having mostly boys last year, it was a pleasure to see two very nice females born on the ranch! The white girl is almost pure Accoyo from Rosita, the most expensive Alpaca we bought when we started…
2 new female Cria’s born in December
The End Product of all that beautiful Fiber
We had 2 years worth of sheared Fiber processed into yarn at A Simpler Time Mill in El Cajon…So beautiful!
Welcome!
Sonja Lisenby and her Llama friend
Thank you for visiting our website. We are one of the newest alpaca ranches in Southern California and are enjoying the growth of our starter herd. We welcome visitors and would be glad to give you a “live tour” if you are living in or visiting North County San Diego.
We chose the name Old Castle Alpacas because our ranch is located just 15 minutes up Old Castle Road from the 15 Freeway above Escondido. While driving up scenic Old Castle Road if you look to your right in the Valley below the curve, you can see the old Castle Turet.
We currently have 3o alpacas, 4 Llamas, 2 horses, an Alpine Dairy goat, 6 chickens, 5 dogs, 3 cats, 2 Russian Tortoises and a Canary to share with you and we have been told by former guests that they truly enjoyed their visit with us!
My son Joel created our website to be a blog so check back often for updates on “what’s happenen on the ranch!” Click on the links to the left for directions and information on the alpacas we have for sale, and thanks again for stopping in.
Sincerely,
Sonja and Robert Lisenby
Old Castle Alpacas Starter Herd and Boarders
AlpacaFest West in the City of Industry, CA
Hans, Robert, Heinz and I went to the City of Industry in Los Angeles today to visit the Alpaca Fest West show.
We enjoyed visiting the other alpaca ranchers and seeing their best alpacas and beautiful products made from one of the most luxurious fibers in the world. Our alpacas were not entered in the show because they are either too young or are already pregnant, so we have to wait until the Phoenix, Arizona show in March 2010.
Alpaca Giving Birth to a Beautiful Female Cria
Querida and her Cria one hour after being born!
I was lucky I had my camera when I spotted a nose coming out of Querida’s back end! I have had the pleasure of watching 9 crias born here since we took on this Alpaca adventure, and an adventure it always is! (Sorry about the poor quality filming! It was a little nerve wrecking trying to film and be ready to help if I was needed…Luckily my Dad Heinz was there to take over the filming for me 
Click “read the rest of this entry” to watch. Parental supervision is strongly advised.
Camelids of California (COC) Meeting at Old Castle Alpacas
We had a Camelids of California Club meeting at our house on September 13th with Dr. Anita Dennison from Los Caballos Veterinary Hospital as the guest speaker. Since Camels, LLamas, Alpacas and Vicunas are a special type of breed, it’s nice to know there are vets such as Dr. Anita and Dr. Linda Byer who are nearby and are taking a special interest in these animals.
Special thanks to our club founder Robin who shared the tragic story of a “birth gone bad” with one of her Llamas…Dr. Anita had slides and explained what happened so we would know what to look for when things go wrong.
Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting so we could share our ranch with everyone!
COC Meeting at Old Castle Alpacas
Maizy’s Cria “Princess Ann” Born!
The day after Kaiana had King Kamehameha, Dr. Byer was here to check on them when Maizy (Also a Kahuna daughter) went into labor and Dr. Byer helped deliver her female cria “Princess Ann.” She is true black with a white chin just like her granddam “Twinkle.”
Maizy and her true black cria girl born October 29, 2008
Kaiana gave birth to King Kamehameha
Kaiana and her Cria
Kaiana is an Accoyo Alpaca, known for their very fine but dense fiber. Her Sire is the famous “Kahuna” owned by Dennis & Bea Miller at Alpaca Palms ranch in Riverside County. Kaiana was bred to the famous accoyo alpaca “Achilles”, so we have high hopes for this little Cria “King Kamehameha!”
Andrea Natally’s “Princess Diana” Born!
You just never know what color you’re going to get! Natally is true black and had a white/beige female cria! We named her Princess Diana since she doesn’t quite fit the elite crowd, and yet she is so sweet and beautiful she “stands out in the crowd.” Natally has “thick ears” which I guess is not a good trait for alpacas and Princess Diana inherited those ears, but to me it doesn’t matter at all because she is the official “Alpaca Greeter” for the herd and is the least shy of all of them. She is a total love!
Natalie and her baby born October 23, 2008