Alpaca Information

Where do alpacas come from?
Alpaca Facts
Alpaca Fiber
What do alpacas eat?
Shelter
Care and Maintenance
Transporting

Where do alpacas come from? (back to top)

• Alpacas are members of the camelid family.
• They are native to South American Andes Mountains – Chile, Peru and Bolivia.
• Llamas, Viciunas and Guanacos are the other three camelid family members that originated from South America.
• Alpacas were imported into the United States from 1984 – 1998.
• With just over 110,000 Alpacas in this country, they are still an uncommon livestock breed with growing popularity.
• It’s official! The Federal Government has officially designated alpacas as farm livestock! This is great news for alpaca breeders.

Alpaca Facts (back to top)

• Alpacas are fiber-producing animals.
• Llamas were raised as beasts of burden and used for carrying loads.
• One might consider alpacas to be “South American” sheep.
• There are two types of alpacas:
  • The Huacaya (wah-KI-ah): soft, crimpy fiber – teddy bear look!
  • The Suri (sir-e’): little or no crimp that hangs down in beautiful pencil locks with luster and shine.
• Alpacas are a very intelligent, gentle, docile, curious, yet timid animal.
• They can easily be trained to lead and do obstacles.
• An Alpaca averages 150 lb. and stands about 36” at the withers,  making them easy to handle.
• They live an average of 20 years of age.
• Alpacas are herd-oriented animals and can get stressed or despondent and lonely if alone.
• Since the Alpacas are environmentally-friendly, you can put 5-10 on one acre, contingent on fencing, layout, terrain, etc…
• They make a humming noise which is very relaxing to their owners.
• Do they spit?
  • In defense – they can also stomp with their front feet as a way of defense as well.
  • Also, when eating at the feed trough they will spit at one another as they consider it “their food.”
• Do they bite?
  • No! They only have bottom teeth.
• Do they kick?
  • Sometimes! They will when approached or touched from behind – but the soft, padded feet usually don’t hurt, but it will get your attention!
• Clean up is very easy, as they are very clean animals in that they all go in one spot – a “poop pile.”
• Alpaca manure makes a great fertilizer for gardens!
• A baby Alpaca is called a cria (cre-a), which means creation in Spanish.
• The father is called a sire; the mother is called a dam.
• The female can be bred at 18 months of age and will carry the baby for 11-12 months.
• Females are induced ovulators and will have 12-14 cria in a lifetime giving birth to a single cria – twins are rare, only 1 in 10,000.
• Delivery occurs almost always during daylight hours.
• A cria weighs between 15-20 lbs. and is standing within the first hour, and nursing within the second hour.
• At about three weeks after giving birth, the female is re-bred;  therefore, she basically spends her whole life pregnant.
• A cria is with their mother for 4-6 months before it is weaned.
• Alpacas are fully insurable for theft and mortality “a safety net for your investment.”
• All our alpacas are registered with the Alpaca Registry, so therefore they are all named, and yes we know all their names!
• Each alpaca has a microchip as a means of identification.

Alpaca Fiber (back to top)

• Alpaca fiber is one of the world’s very finest and natural materials.
• Baby Alpaca is the finest classification of Alpaca fiber.
• Thousands of years ago, Alpaca fiber was reserved for Inca royalty.
• There are 22 natural color variations of Alpaca fiber, including white, several shades of fawn, brown and gray, and true black.
• Alpacas do not shed their fiber, but does get shorn once a year.
• Shearing is done in the spring so they can keep cool in the summer.
• They can grow fiber at a rate of up to 6” per year and yields between 5-10 lb per year.
• Compared to wool, it is many times warmer, softer and lightweight.
• Alpaca is as fine as cashmere and is similar to mohair in strength.
• People who have wool based allergies will not be allergic to Alpaca.
• Unlike sheep’s wool, Alpaca fiber does not contain lanolin (oil); therefore, it can be spun right off the animal.
• Since Alpaca does not contain lanolin found in wool it allows for the hypoallergenic nature of the fiber.  Lanolin holds dust and microscopic allergens that create allergies to wool.
• A strand of fiber, if looked at under a microscope, has a hollow core which gives it powerful insulating value.
• Since Alpaca fiber is hollow, it can breathe and is comfortable for any season.
• Alpaca fiber is smooth, unlike wool, and therefore feels less prickly or itchy next to the skin.
• Unlike Llama fiber, pure Alpaca fiber is free from coarse guard hairs.
• We are members of the Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America.
• Each year we send a portion of our fleece to the co-op. We send it to New Mexico where it is scoured (cleaned) and sorted. It is then sent to Nazareth, PA to be spun into yarn, a DK and Bulky weight.
• We (the co-op) also have our best selling product – the Extreme Socks. They come in a regular length and a boot length as well as a slipper sock. Ohhhhh… what a warm sock – the warmest you will find!
• As a member of the co-op we can purchase the yarn and socks made from the member fiber to be sold in our on-site farm store. We sell the remainder of our fleece at our farm as raw fleece, roving or yarn.

What do alpacas eat? (back to top)

• Alpacas are ruminants.
• They have one stomach with three chambers.
• Alpacas graze in pastures and are supplemented with hay  - orchard grass.
• Rather than pulling grass out by the roots when grazing, Alpacas bite off the tops and leave the roots to grow back again.
• Alfalfa is discouraged, as it has a high protein content that can be unhealthy for the alpacas.
• We use a pellet form of food supplement to help them get vitamins and protein.  The pellets are great since there is no molasses in it to coat the trough and attract flies!
• We also have a free-choice mineral mix they can choose at anytime.
• Fresh, clean water is always important.
• Automatic water bowls are great – they always have fresh water and can be heated in the cold winter months to eliminate freezing.

Shelter (back to top)

• Alpacas are native to the Andes Mountains at 10,000 – 12,000 feet.
• Winter:  Shelter is needed for winter winds.
• Summer:  Shelter is needed for shade.
• Fans are also used to keep them cool.
• Alpacas do not challenge fences.

Care and Maintenance (back to top)

• Each Month – deworming
• Every 4-6 Months – trim toenails
• Once a Year
  • immunization and rabies
  • shearing
• As Needed – Trim teeth and take out fighting teeth

Transporting (back to top)

• Alpacas can be transported in a mini van for short distances.
• For longer distances, a trailer is nice to have.
• When in transit, the alpaca will “cush” (lay down) when they feel movement.

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