So, what is an Alpaca?
The alpaca is a member of the camelid family and closely related to the llama. They are found predominately in Peru and Chile, where they are considered a valuable natural resource to those countries economy. The first imports to America came from Peru in the 1980’s. Alpacas are smaller than llamas, more docile and come in a myriad of colors. The average alpaca weighs 150 pounds and stands approximately 3 feet at the shoulders. Their average lifespan is 15-20 years with some living as long as 24 plus years. I personally know of an alpaca having her last “cria” (baby alpaca) at the age of 21! The female alpaca spends most of her life gestating with the breeding years beginning between 18 months and 2 years of age. An alpaca pregnancy lasts an average of eleven and a half months. Males begin their breeding careers between 2 to 3 years of age. An interesting phenomenon of alpaca reproduction is that most dams birth their cria without any human intervention during the daylight hours.
Why raise alpacas?
There are many good reasons to raise alpacas, but for the American breeder of alpacas today, it is to grow the industry in numbers of animals so a viable, commercial textile industry of alpaca fiber can be established. Presently there are under 200,000 alpacas in the United States with a need for a minimum of 1,000,000 to establish the commercial textile industry In other words, FLEECE, luxurious FLEECE is the reason we raise alpacas! Other reasons that provide great incentive for being a part of this growing industry are:
- working with an animal that is easy to care for and “green” environmentally
- great tax advantages/deductions for breeding alpacas on your own land or simply for owning and boarding your animals at another’s farm (See information on our site about “agisting”)
- provides an avenue for youth and community organizations, like 4-H, FFA, to learn and appreciate this relatively “unknown” member of the livestock world
- the bright future for this industry as the numbers of animals are slow to increase, providing a breeders market for years to come
Alpaca fiber facts:
Alpaca fleece is also referred to as fiber since yarn and other weaving/knitting commodities are its end result. Alpacas are sheared once a year, usually in the spring for southern farms and late spring/early summer for northern farms. Alpaca fleece is very fine and soft. It is warmer, stronger than wool, lacks the lanolin contained in wool making it hypoallergenic for sensitive skins. Though it is warmer than wool, it is lighter in weight and comes in at least 22 natural colors. The fiber can be dyed then handspun, knitted, woven or felted. In the world of high fashion, alpaca fiber is compared to cashmere.
How do you care of an alpaca?
Alpacas are relatively easy to care for and a small herd is manageable by one person. Alpacas require fresh water (available at all times) and shelter from extreme elements. Southern farms have to be concerned with heat stress so lots of shade, fans to cool, and daily cool-downs with sprayed water for the animals are needed. Alpacas are forage animals, eating grass, hay, some grain and a mineral supplement. An acre of pasture can handle 7-9 animals easily as the alpaca eats only 1% of their body weight a day. These animals are quite hearty and disease resistant, however, they do require a simple protocol of de-worming and vaccinating much like a dog. Alpacas are referred to as the world’s finest livestock mainly because of the ease of care.