WHAT’S AN ALPACA AND WHAT ARE THEY USED FOR?

Alpacas are members of the camel family, along with llamas, vicunas, and guanacos, and come from the high plains of the Andes Mountains in South America. Alpacas have been used for centuries for their fine luxurious fibre. The fleece is renowned for its fineness and durability. There are two breeds of alpacas: huacaya and suri. Their fibre type is the distinguishing factor. The huacaya is much more common, having a very crimpy fleece that gives them a fluffy appearance. The rare suri has a silky hair like fibre, which drapes down in tight spirals and locks. About 90% of the world’s alpaca population is Huacaya and 10% is Suri.Adult alpacas stand approximately 3 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh 100 – 175 pounds.

WHY ARE ALPACAS BECOMING SO POPULAR?

Alpacas are considered to be the aristocrat of all farm animals. Although, we here in North America are still in a breeder’s market, the Alpaca fibre is very high in demand by the textile industry worldwide and therefore will remain very valuable in the long-term market. Alpacas are shorn once a year yielding 5 – 10 pounds of exquisite fleece. The fibre, virtually grease-free, can be hand spun directly off of the animal. Alpacas are one of the easiest, gentle, intelligent, clean, earth friendly, and profitable animals to raise.

HOW MANY ALPACAS CAN I RAISE ON A FEW ACRES?

Depending of course on your pasture, you can generally raise 7 – 10 alpacas on 1 acre of land. You can keep a lot of alpacas on a small acreage if you want to supplement with hay and grain.

WHAT’S AN ALPACA DIET CONSIST OF?

Alpacas prefer to eat simply fresh grass. In the summer, if you have pasture you will just need to supplement them with pellets from a feed store. During the winter you will be feeding them good grass hay and increasing slightly their supplement of pellets to ensure that they receive adequate vitamins and minerals. For thousands of years, alpacas have lived where grass grows sparsely. They require low amounts of protein in their feed to produce a high quality and healthy fleece. Alpacas will not normally overeat. And unlike hoofed animals, their softly padded feet are extremely easy on pasture. They have two toes and a split upper lip, which allows them to cut grass as they graze. They browse pastures, and utilize community dung piles, making pasture and manure management easy.

WHAT DO I NEED FOR SHELTER?

Alpacas prefer to be outside, but do require shade from the hot sun and enough cover and a windbreak to protect them from the cold and wind. We prefer to provide an enclosed barn for our moms and crias (babies) in the wintertime.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN THE CARE OF AN ALPACA?

Alpacas are simple to care for. They require little beyond regular worming and vaccinations, in addition to occasional trimming of their nails and teeth. The alpacas should be shorn annually.

WHAT IS AN ALPACAS LIFESPAN AND REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE?

An alpaca’s lifespan is 15 – 20 years. Females are induced ovulaters and therefore are ready to breed at most any time of the year. She will ovulate in response to mating and will normally spit off an advancing male if she is pregnant. Gestation is approximately 11 ½ months. They give birth to a single cria, weighing between 12 to 20 pounds. Females are bred again 18 to 20 days after giving birth. You can usually begin to breed females 14 to 16 months of age, and their pregnancy can be confirmed with an ultrasound test. Alpacas normally give birth during daylight hours (lucky for us!) and do not usually require human intervention. It is rare for an alpaca to give birth at night or to have twins.

CAN I START OUT WITH JUST ONE ANIMAL?

Alpacas are very social animals and therefore you should really plan on starting off with two or more animals. Two or three females are a great way to start because it gets your herd growing quicker. The problem with buying a breeding pair to start off with is that you would still have to keep them separated therefore not eliminating the problem of them having company. Most breeders are willing to work with you to put together some sort of package that gets you up and running with an assortment of animals and at a price that suits your needs.

DO I HAVE TO HAVE A FARM TO BE INVOLVED WITH ALPACAS?

Absolutely not! Lots of people who live in the city or don’t want to raise the animals themselves are involved with Alpacas. Lots of people are involved with Alpacas strictly as an investment. These people keep their animals at an established farm where they are looked after and managed for them.

HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE?

We are available to talk to you either by phone or e-mail and would also love the opportunity to introduce you to these incredible animals right here on our farm.