- General
information on alpacas
- Alpaca behaviour
- Alpaca fibre
- Alpaca care
- Alpaca breeding
General information: (<<
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Are
alpacas expensive?
At this stage of the industry’s
development, price is directly related to the individual
breeding potential and the potential quality of the offspring.
For example, a gelding (castrated male) has no breeding
potential and is therefore the cheapest alpaca to buy (about
a few hundred pounds). On the other hand, a high quality
male with many good progeny on the ground has a very high
breeding potential and can be worth many thousands of pounds.
He can also command a high income from the stud services
he provides.
Female prices are a reflection of quality, age, breeding
history and to which stud male she is mated. Females can
be worth anything from a few thousand pounds to ten thousand
pounds.
Income from females is derived from selling the offspring.
However, breeding plans should be made so that long term
depreciation of the older breeders and increases in quality
of offspring are taken into account. See our complete sales
list now!
What do you do with an alpaca?
They provide an excellent investment opportunity and are
the source of luxurious fibre. The fleece, comparable to
cashmere, is known for its fineness, light weight, and lustre.
Alpaca textile products are recognized world-wide. Everyone
should own a soft, warm alpaca sweater.
What do alpacas do besides grow fibre?
They make excellent companion animals and are also show
animals with high aesthetic appeal. They have lovable dispositions.
Alpacas are easily trained to lead and are gentle enough
to be handled by children. They are always a hit in a parade.
What do you call a baby alpaca?
A baby is known as a cria. Weaned crias are known as weanlings
or tuis. In Spanish, the adult males are known as machos
and the females are hembras.
Are alpacas related to llamas?
Alpacas are very closely related to llamas. They are both
from a group of four species known as South American Camelids.
The llama is approximately twice the size of an alpaca with
banana shaped ears and is principally used as a pack animal.
Alpacas are exclusively bred as fleece animals.
Can i have an alpaca as a pet?
Most alpacas make very good pets if they are treated well
and the owners are realistic in their expectations. Like
any livestock, the more handling they receive as youngsters,
the quieter they are as adults. Given time, most alpacas
will eat out of your hand and training them to lead by a
halter is a straightforward process.
Alpacas generally don’t like
being held and are particularly sensitive to being touched
on the head. They are naturally curious and intelligent
and if you let them approach you, rather than rush at them
and expect an affectionate response, the interactions can
be very rewarding.
It is possible to have a single alpaca, but it is not a
pleasant existence for the animal. Alpacas are herd animals
and are instinctively gregarious, as are other domestic livestock.
They obtain security and contentment from having at least
one other alpaca for company.
For this reason, it is usually recommended that two alpacas
is the desirable minimum.
Alpaca
behaviour: (<<
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Are alpacas dangerous?
Absolutely not! They are safe and pleasant to be around.
They do not bite or butt, and they do not have the teeth,
horns, hooves, or claws to do serious injury.
Are alpacas intelligent?
Yes, they are amazingly alert animals who quickly learn
to halter and lead. They constantly communicate with each
other through body posture, tail and ear movements, and a
variety of sounds. The sound heard most often is a soft humming,
a mild expression befitting a gentle animal.
Do alpacas spit?
Spitting is perhaps the least endearing feature of alpacas.
It is one of the few defence mechanisms an alpaca has and
is quite an effective deterrent. The material is basically
regurgitated or recently chewed grass and it brushes off
when dry. It does have a distinctive and somewhat offensive
odour and it is best to avoid being a target.
However, it is quite rare that alpacas spit at people. It
is normally used as a pecking order mechanism with other
alpacas. If a human hit occurs, it is usually because the
person has not read the signs properly when stepping between
two squabbling alpacas.
Do alpacas kick and bite?
When interacting with humans, kicking and biting is highly
individualistic. Alpacas are usually sensitive around the
hind legs and will instinctively kick backwards if they sense
a threat from the rear.
Most alpacas do not kick at humans, but there are individuals
that can be quickly identified as being prone to kicking.
This is more evident in a pregnant female that wants to deter
the advances of an amorous male.
Fortunately, because the foot is a soft pad, injuries to
humans are minimal. Most alpacas respond very well to desensitisation
of the hind legs if they receive good handling as youngsters.
Alpacas that bite people are extremely rare and it is not
a general problem. If it does occur it tends to be an attention
seeking behaviour by spoilt pets rather than an attack. It
is more like a nibble as alpacas, like most ruminants, have
only one set of teeth and a hard pad.
Can i run alpacas with other livestock?
Alpacas can bond well with other types of animals. Naturally,
alpacas and large aggressive dogs are not a good combination,
but there are many cases of quiet dogs mixing well with alpacas.
Small numbers of alpacas have been very successfully run
with sheep and goats to act as fox guards. The alpacas tend
to bond with the foster herd and they are naturally aggressive
toward foxes.
If running with different livestock, alpacas will pick up
the internal parasites associated with the other animals
and should be put on the same worming regime.
Because of the risk of the alpacas being kicked, caution
should be used if running them with cattle or horses.
How often do you shear alpacas?
Alpacas are shorn once a year, usually in spring. Shearing
is the biggest maintenance required and usually takes around
five to ten minutes per animal for an experienced alpaca
shearer.
If you are purchasing your first alpacas, ask the vendors
for the name of a recommended shearer, or ask if you can
bring the alpacas back to the property on their shearing
day.
A very small percentage of alpacas are shorn standing up,
the preferred method of shearing is to lay the animals on
their side and restrain their legs with a tether at each
end. This protects the shearer and the alpaca from being
accidentally cut. One side of the animal is shorn and it
is then rolled over and shorn on the other side. Depending
on the density of the fleece, alpacas cut anywhere between
3 and 10 pounds of fleece. Some of the high quality stud
males will cut higher weights.
What do you do with their fleece?
Alpaca fibre is highly prized for its very soft feel (handle),
its high thermal properties, its durability and its variety
of natural colours.
It is processed into high quality fashion garments such
as suits, jackets, skirts, and coats. Sweaters knitted from
alpaca fleece are soft, light and warm. Because of its natural
warmth, it is also used as a continental quilt filling. Coarser
fibre can be used to make car seat covers.
The international market for alpaca product is enormous
with demand always exceeding supply.
A few alpaca owners prefer to hand spin their fibre. Commercial
prices depend on quality with a premium paid for finer micron
fibre. Sales to home spinners can be considerably higher.
Are alpacas easy to care for?
They are small and easy to maintain, rarely overeat and
require no extraordinary care. They should have basic shelter
for protection against heat and foul weather. They do not
challenge fences. They simply need shearing, worming, and
vaccinations.
What do alpacas eat?
They are ruminants, which means they chew cud like a cow
or deer. They survive well on different kinds of low protein
hay or pasture grass, providing it has a balanced mineral
content. Because alpacas evolved in harsh conditions, they
utilize their food more efficiently than other ruminants.
Although they can survive very harsh conditions, alpacas
do best on good quality pasture and benefit from having access
to plant material with long fibres such as hay.
There are a number of commercial alpaca mixes available,
but these are best thought of as supplying vitamins and minerals
rather than the bulk feed which is obtained through grazing.
One important rule to remember is to introduce any changes
to the diet gradually over a period of a couple of weeks.
This way the microbes in the gut have time to adjust to any
feed changes.
What sort of diseases do alpacas get?
Compared with other livestock, alpacas
are relatively disease free. Because of their dry fleece
and naturally clean breech, fly strike is not an issue
with alpacas. Vaccination programs vary by geography on
veterinarian’s advice.
When buying alpacas for breeding purposes it is advisable
to arrange a veterinary check to ensure you are buying a
healthy animal.
Some gardens contain a number of plants that are toxic to
most livestock (oleander, rhododendron, laburnum, etc). Care
should be taken when fencing off gardens that such plants
do not overhang into alpaca areas. There is a history of
calamities with other livestock that have inadvertently been
fed prunings from such plants. Local nurseries can provide
good advice on poisonous plants.
Although some people think alpacas
don’t drink huge
amounts, they do need to have ready access to good quality,
fresh drinking water.
How much acreage is needed to keep
alpacas?
They are an ideal small acreage livestock. You can comfortably
stock between five and ten animals per acre. This makes the
alpaca ideal for people who have only a few acres and who
want the pleasure of a small herd and a healthy investment
return.
How do you transport alpacas?
They are stress resistant, load and travel calmly and can
be transported in the family mini van, station wagon, utility
vehicle, or horse trailer. Some breeders have been known
to transport their alpacas in small planes. Once enroute,
the alpaca lies down and enjoys the ride.
What shelters or barns do alpacas
require?
Alpacas are native to the altiplano (highlands) of Peru
and are used to a harsh environment found at 12,000 to 17,500
feet above sea level. The snow, freezing wind and bone chilling
cold are familiar to these hardy animals.
There are no barns for alpacas in Peru. They are put in
corrals at night for protection from predators and to keep
them from wandering away. Most alpaca breeders in the United
Kingdom construct open shelters as opposed to closed barns
for their animals. Alpacas simply need to get out of the
wind and have a dry place to eat or lay down during a storm.
These shelters allow the alpacas to come and go as they
please! Gravel as opposed to cement is the best flooring
material. The feed troughs should allow about 18 inches per
alpaca to eat. This means that 12 alpacas need about 18 feet
of feed troughs. I like to see about 16 feet of roof over
their heads from the back wall to the eaves.
What type of fence is most suitable
for alpacas?
The most important thing about fencing for alpacas is safety
against predators. Any fence will confine alpacas since they
do not challenge fences. The important thing is to keep dogs
and foxes out of the pasture.
Standard 2″ x 4″ farm
fence, four feet high is adequate.
The terrain is a consideration. The woven wire fences work
better on flat ground and the electric wire does better on
steep or uneven terrain. One tip that works well on all fences:
lay a strand of barbed wire on the ground, attached to the
posts, on the outside perimeter of the fence. This keeps
dogs from digging their way under the fence.
At what age do alpacas start breeding?
Females become sexually mature at
around 12 to 18 months of age and once they reach 90–100
pounds in weight. Males can display sexual interest from
a few weeks of age but are not sexually active or fertile
until 18 months to 3 years of age. (There will be individuals
that fall outside this age range.)
Alpacas do not have a breeding season
and provided they are receptive, females can be mated at
any time of the year. Like rabbits and cats, female alpacas
are “induced
ovulators” which means it is the act of mating that
causes them to ovulate.
Alpacas mate in the “cush” (prone) position
and if a female is not receptive (already pregnant) she will
refuse to sit down and will probably spit at the male. This
rejection response, known as a “spit-off” is
used in the management of the female to regularly monitor
the progress of her pregnancy.
How long is gestation?
The average gestation period is 11½ months,
but pregnancies that go for over a year are not uncommon.
Births are generally trouble-free
and most occur before the middle of the day. Cria should
be 12–20 pounds
at birth and most will be on their feet and nursing within
2 to 3 hours. The mothers are often very protective and the
cria will stay with its mother until weaning at 5 to 6 months
of age.
Females are usually re-mated 2 to 6 weeks after giving birth.
Do alpacas ever have twins?
Twinning in alpacas is extremely rare (approximately 0.0001%
of births) and should not form any part of a breeding plan.
How do i get started if i want to
breed alpacas?
There are a number of things to consider before launching
into the breeding industry. It is best to talk to one of
the main experienced breeders first, wherever you intend
to buy your stock from. You will gain lots of useful information
from people who have already done the legwork.
If you are serious it is advisable to develop a business
plan (see How to Buy, Breed, and Succeed in the Alpaca Business).
To be able to register your offspring you will need to join
the British Alpaca Society (BAS) and British Camelids Association
(BCA).
Some people buy a couple of geldings to begin with and once
they feel confident that alpacas really are extremely easy
to manage, they take the next step to start a breeding herd.
For most breeders, they simply want to get going as soon
as possible and enjoy the experience as they learn along
the way.
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