|
Frequently Asked Questions:
Where do Alpacas originate?
How often does a female Alpaca reproduce?
Are Alpacas Friendly?
Are alpacas hard to maintain?
(Shearing)
Who Raises Alpacas?
How do you transport Alpacas?
Do you have to have a lot of land to raise alpacas?
I live in Florida where it's often hot and humid. Can I raise
Alpacas?
What type of facilities do I need to raise alpacas?
How much to Alpacas Cost?
Are there any associations that I can join to learn more?
Alpacas are unique animals. Being members
of the Camelid family, there are two kinds of Alpacas: Huacaya (pronounced
wah-KI-ya) and Suri (pronounced surrey). The Hyacaya alpaca
fiber is short, dense, crimpy, and gives a wooly appearance.
The Suri alpaca fiber is very silky and resembles pencil-like locks.
Both types of alpacas have a short and low set tail. Neither types of alpaca
have horns, hooves, or claws, incisors, or upper teeth, but do have soft padded
feet with two toes. Alpacas are adaptable to any climate
eating grass and chewing cud. Like other animals in the
Camelid family, they have three stomachs. Average adult
alpacas generally weigh between 150 to 200 lbs. and the average height is 36
inches at the withers.
Where do Alpacas
originate?
Back to Top
Alpacas are native to the
Andean
Mountain
range of South America and are primarily found in
Peru,
Bolivia, and
Chile
. The Incas used the Alpaca fleece for clothing
and also the alpaca provided them transportation. Alpacas
have been domesticated for over 5,000 years, but only came to the
United
States
in 1984. Only about 50,000 are now
registered in the
U.S.
How
often does a female Alpaca reproduce? Back to Top
One of the traits of an Alpaca is their gestation cycle is
approximately 11 months, just like a horse. The female
Alpaca normally gives birth during the early morning hours to mid-afternoon.
If the female has not had her baby (called a cria) during the daytime
hours, most likely the cria will wait until the day. Twins
are extremely rare and most Alpacas have only single births.
The Alpaca average lifespan is about 20 years.
Are Alpacas friendly? Back to Top
Alpacas are alert, intelligent, curious, and predictable.
They communicate by softly humming, with neck posturing, ear and tail
positioning. A relaxed Alpaca’s ears are straight and turned
forward. An aggrevated or anxious Alpaca’s ears are straight
back. Beware of this stance as they will “spit”.
Normally, Alpacas are social animals that seek companionship.
Are Alpacas hard to maintain and care for? Back to
Top
No, they deposit their odorless bean-like pellets in
concentrated areas. Alpacas require minimal fencing and can
be pastured at 5-10 Alpacas per acre. They are virtually
disease-resistant animals, but do require annual vaccinations with tetanus.
Routinely, they need parasite control, nail and/or teeth trimming.
Approximately every 12 to 18 months, Alpacas are sheared without any
harm.
Shearing for the fiber is the main end-product.
Alpaca fiber comes in 22 natural colors, but can also be dyed.
It is soft as cashmere, lighter and warmer than wool, is hypo-allergenic, and
contains no lanolin.
Who raises Alpacas and why? Back to Top
The types of people that are Alpaca breeders vary from
doctors, lawyers, business people, and cattle farmers, to name a few.
(We moved to the country four years ago, from a gated-water front 55 home
community. We started with a goat given to us by our best
friend as a “house-warming” gift. Our lab dog and the goat
became friends immediately. One night while our family was
away, the dog, who learned the open the front door, and the goat entered our
home and had a “party” of their own. Needless to say, we
almost had barbequed goat for dinner after having to burn all of our bedding.
Then, we decided to buy a $10,000 steer for our daughter to raise for
FFA. After many trials and tribulations, the steer was sold
for hamburger. We couldn’t do that very often!)
Some Alpaca owners and breeders raise Alpacas as a full-time business while
others only commit part-time. Alpaca breeders cover an array
of people from young families to empty-nesters, people looking forward to
retirement to full-time retirees. No matter where you live,
you too can become an Alpaca breeder. Urban dwellers can
board (ir “agist”) at nearby farms/ranches so they can enjoy the benefits of
ownership. Even though being an Alpaca owner and breeder offers a very
attractive business and farming opportunity, people also raise these animals
for companionship and to better their lifestyle.
How can you transport an Alpaca? Back to Top
Alpacas are virtually easy to transport. Even
though you can hire professionals to transport your animals, Alpacas can be
taken for short distances inside vans or cars. If you
decide to transport this way, most people put down a piece of old carpet or an
inexpensive rug to protect the vehicle’s carpeting in case of an “accident”
The most common transportation is a livestock trailer for long
distances, since the animals will ”cush” or lay down during transportation.
Do you have to have a lot of land to raise Alpacas? Back
to Top
No, you can usually have 5-10 Alpacas per acre of land,
depending on terrain, rain/snowfall amounts, available lush grasses, etc.
Of course, Alpacas can also be raised on a dry lot and be grass fed.
What if you live in a hot-humid climate? Back to Top
You can successfully raise Alpacas in a hot-humid climate.
Arizona,,
Texas,
Louisanna,
Mississippi, and even
Florida
have successful Alpaca breeders. But since
Alpacas are resilient, they can also be raised in
Alaska
and in many Canadian provinces. Of course, in
hot and humid climates, Alpaca breeders need to take precautions, i.e.,
shearing fleeces off early in the year (April-May), providing plenty of water
to dip their bellies into, and areas of shade.
Do Alpaca owners need a barn and/or special fencing? Back
to Top
Alpacas do need at least a three-sided, open shelter where
they can go during inclement weather. This will also keep
food and hay dry. If you have predators (i.e., coyotes, foxes, etc.) a no-climb
fence is necessary. A five to six foot high fence is
recommended to keep out predators.
What is the average price range for an Alpaca? Back
to Top
Just like many other products on the market, price is a
reflection of supply and demand. Interest in the Alpaca
business is increasing and with only 90,000 Alpacas in the
United States
, the price for non-breeding males start around $1,000 and ranges
to over $400,000 plus for registered herdsires. Most people
start their herd with bred females ranging in price from $15,000 to $30,000.
Since the gestation period for a female is 11 plus months, the supply is
unlikely to exceed demand in the foreseeable future.
How many ounces of fiber will one Alpaca produce and how much
is it worth? Back to Top
An adult Alpaca will produce between 3-10 lbs. of fleece per
shearing. In the raw state, an ounce of fiber is worth $2.00-$5.00.
As a finished garment, it can sell for $10.00 per ounce. Some
hand-knitted items have sold for as much as $1,000.00.
Are there associations you can join
to learn more? Back to Top
Yes. The Alpaca Owners and Breeders
Association (AOBA) began in 1988 and received non-profit status in 1991.
The association was formed to serve the following purposes:
(1) To promote public awareness and membership appreciation
of the Alpaca’s unique qualifications; (2) To educate the membership on the
care and breeding of the Alpaca; (3) To promote the growth of the Alpaca
industry; and (4) To foster the establishment of the breed outside its native
land by encouraging husbandry and breeding practices based upon, but not
limited to, herd-health, overall soundness, and Alpaca fiber production and
products.
The Alpaca Registry, Inc. (ARI) was established in 1988, and
has just moved to Nebraska
. This is a corporation that mandates blood
typing for registered Alpacas. In order to register a cria,
both parents must be qualified and registered by ARI.
Back to Top
|