Q.
They're really expensive, aren't they?
A. 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 by (around $500 to $1,000). 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 dollars. 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 dollars
to tens of thousands of dollars.
Income from
females is derived form 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.
Although the
average gestation is eleven and a half months, a projection of three offspring
in four years per mature female is more realistic than expectations of one
offspring every year.
Q. What
do you do with an alpaca?
A. They
provide an excellent investment opportunity and are the source of luxurious
fiber. The fleece, comparable to cashmere, is known for its fineness, light
weight, and luster. Alpaca textile products are recognized world-wide.
Everyone should own a soft, warm alpaca sweater.
Q. What
do alpacas do besides grow fiber?
A. 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 gently enough to be handled by children. They are always a hit in a
parade.
Q. What
do you call an alpaca?
A. 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.
Q. Are
alpacas related to llamas?
A. 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 animals.
Alpacas are exclusively bred as fleece animals.
Q. Can I
have an alpaca as a pet?
A. 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 touch
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.
ON THEIR
BEST BEHAVIOR
Q. Are
alpacas dangerous?
A.
Absolutely not! They are safe and pleasant to be around. They do not bite or
but and they do not have the teeth, horns, hooves, or claws to do serious
injury.
Q. Are
alpacas smart?
A. 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.
Q.
Alpacas spit, don't they?
A. Spitting
is perhaps the least endearing feature of alpacas. It is one of the few
defense 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 odor 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.
Q. Do
alpacas kick and bite?
A. 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 desensitization of the hind legs if they receive good
handling as youngsters.
Alpacas that
bite people are extremely rate and it is not a general problem. If it does
occur it tends to be an attention seeking behavior by spoilt pets rather than
an attack.
Q. Can I
run alpacas with other livestock?
A. 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.
Individual
alpacas have been very successfully run with sheep and goats to act at 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.
THE CARE AND FEEDING OF ALPACAS
Q. Are
alpacas easy to care for?
A. 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.
Q. What
do alpacas eat?
A. 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. They cost about as
much per month to feed as a dog.
Although
they can survive very harsh conditions, alpacas do best on good quality
pasture and benefit from having access to plant material with long fibers 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.
Q. What
sort of diseases to alpacas get?
A. 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, laburmum, 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 form
such plants. Local nurseries can provide good advice on poisonous plants or
check with your county extension agent.
Although
some people think alpacas don't drink huge amounts, they do need to have ready
access to good quality, fresh drinking water.
Q. How
much acreage does it take to raise alpacas?
A. They are
an ideal small acreage livestock. You can comfortable 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.
Q. How do
you transport alpacas?
A. They are
stress resistant, load and travel calmly and can be transported in the family
mini van, station wagon, utility vehicle, or horse trailer. We have found that
our mini van is very good at transporting 3-4 alpaca's pending on their size. Some breeders have
been known to transport their alpacas in small planes. Once enroute, the
alpaca lies down and enjoys the ride.
Q. What
sort of fencing do alpacas need?
A. Any
fencing the keeps sheep contained is satisfactory, preferably without barbed
wire. Alpacas do not jump fences.
Electric
fencing is not necessary, but it may be used to keep predators and dogs out. Advice on the correct height
settings of the hot wires is best sought from an alpaca breeder who has
experience with alpacas and electric fencing. If you live in an area known to
have problem dogs it can be worthwhile to increase the height of perimeter
fencing. Dog attacks are not common, but when they occur they have disastrous
consequences.
Apart from
the boundary fences, the most important structure is a small yard or pen to
catch the alpacas. Some alpacas will allow themselves to be caught in an open
paddock, but even the friendliest ones tend to step just out of reach when you
most need to catch them (eg shearing time).
The yard
need not be elaborate and often the easiest and cheapest one to construct is
to place 8 to 10 foot gates at right angles to each other inside the corner of
the paddock. If the alpacas get used to being fed in this area it also makes
it very easy to catch them.
FIBER AND
SHEARING
Q. How
often do you shear alpacas?
A. 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.
Q. What
do you do with the fleece?
A. Alpaca
fiber is highly prized for it very soft feel (handle), its high thermal
properties, its durability and its variety of natural colors.
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 fiber can be used to make car seat covers.
The
international market for alpaca product is enormous with demand always
exceeding supply.
You can join
the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association's (AOBA) fiber co-op Alpaca Fiber
Cooperative of North America (AFCNA). The co-op is made up of shareholders
that are alpaca breeders.
A few alpaca
owners prefer to home spin their fiber. Commercial prices depend on quality
with a premium paid for finer micron fiber. Sales to home spinners can be
considerably higher.
BREEDING AND BIRTHING
Q. At
what age do alpacas start breeding?
A. 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 providing 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 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.
Q. How
long is gestation?
A. The
average gestation period is 11.5 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.
Q. Do
alpacas every have twins?
A. Twinning
in alpacas is extremely rare (approximately 0.0001% of births) and should not
form any part of a breeding plan.
Q. How do
I get started if I want to breed alpacas?
A. There are
a number of things to consider before launching into the breeding industry.
It is best
to talk to as many experienced breeders as possible. 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. There are many plans
available on the Web and at the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association website
(AOBA).
To be able
to register your offspring you will need to become a member of the Alpaca
Registry, Inc and apply for herd registration. The registry office can send
you the appropriate forms. Join the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association
(AOBA).
Some people
have bought a couple of geldings to begin with and once they feel confident
that alpacas really are extremely easy to manage, they then take the next step
to start a breeding herd.
