Alpacas are members of the camelid family, which includes alpacas, camels, llamas, vicuña, and guanacos.
Alpacas originate from the Andes mountains in South America, primarily in Peru, Chile, and Bolivia. This is why they have developed into hardy animals that are disease resistant and can survive on very little vegetation.
In 1984 some specially selected alpacas were brought into the United States and Canada. The importation of alpacas was stopped in 1998. Therefore, the alpacas that are here are the only breeding stock to improve the blood lines. This is why breeding them is such a good investment opportunity. The gestation in an alpaca is about 11 1/2 months, making the growth rate relatively slow. The current alpaca population in the US is around 140,000. This is small compared to 9.3 million horses and 17 million dairy cows.
Alpacas are bred primarily for their soft luxurious fleece, which is a hollow fiber, making the garments light weight but extremely warm. The fleece has no lanolin, so there is no greasy feel. You can literally use fiber right off the animals back to make a finished product! There are 22 natural colors of alpaca fleece. These colors can be blended into more colors or dyed to practically any color! Alpacas are shorn for their fleece each year, which will produce 5-10 pounds of soft, luxurious fiber per animal. Hand spinners and the commercial fiber industry eagerly seek the fleece.
Alpacas chew there cud similar to a cow, although they have three stomachs rather than four. This makes them Modified ruminants.
They graze on grasses and hay, averaging about 3% of their body weight per day. They are often fed a special mineral supplement and/or grain, especially for pregnant females during late pregnancy and lactation. Alpacas are herd animals and do not like to be kept alone. Therefore when traveling with them and when housing them you should always have at least two together.
~Easy on the land~
Alpacas are environmentally friendly having soft padded feet and only a set of bottom grazing teeth. They require just an acre of land per 5-10 animals, a simple three sided shelter for protection from the elements and are easily handled and halter trained. Transport is also easy, as alpacas usually "cush" or lie down while the vehicle or trailer is moving. Some people even transport animals in their SUV or Mini Van!
Alpacas weigh an average of 160 lbs, and the small amount of food they eat makes them economical to feed.
Clean up is made easy by their use of the communal dung pile.
All in all Alpacas make a wonderful addition to our lives. They are very smart....sometimes I think smarter than my dogs! We have thoroughly enjoyed sharing our lives with these placid creatures. And we know you will too. So give us a call to discover what alpacas are all about!
Once you hug an alpaca, its hard to stop there.
In a Nutshell...
The following is used by permission:
- Alpacas are safe, they don't bite or butt. Even if they did, without incisors, horns, hoofs or claws, little harm can he done.
· Alpacas are small and easy to handle.
· Alpacas are useful: they produce fine and valuable fleece as well as make wonderful pets.
· Alpacas are intelligent, which makes them pleasant to be around and easy to train.
· Alpacas are beautiful; they come in over 22 colors, and are clean and pleasant to be near.
· Alpacas do not require butchering in order to be profitable.
· Alpacas do not require special shelter or care.
· Alpacas are considered disease-resistant animals, which lowers insurance and veterinarian costs.
· Alpacas are adaptable to varied habitat, successfully being raised from Australia to Alaska and from 15,000 feet to sea level.
· Alpacas are rare outside of South America and cannot be mass-produced.
· Alpacas require minimal fencing.
· Alpacas can be pastured at 5-10 per acre.
· Alpacas are easy to transport, which allows them to be traded across the country or around the world.
· Alpacas have a relatively long and trouble-free reproductive life span.
· Alpacas can be insured against loss.
(from AOBA - The Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association)
