Getting started with alpacas
By Linda Blake of Southern Alpacas Stud
So you've fallen for the curious alpaca, with their big dewy eyes and friendly nature. Whether they are Huacaya with soft fluffy coats, or Suri with their dread lock ringlet curtains - alpacas are appealing.
Alpacas are great animals, fun to have, and easy to keep. Even if you have not had stock before, you can soon learn how to manage them, and they require less work than many farm animals.
Given the high value of these animals and their relatively high stocking rate, alpacas can be a fine lifestyle investment. They provide a huge amount of enjoyment for even the smallest of lifestyle blocks.
Alpacas come in many colours, qualities and price ranges.
Alpaca herds
Alpacas are herd animals. You will need to have a minimum of two alpacas so that they can provide company for each other. People often start with two wether alpacas - these are young boys who are not going to be used for breeding. Do make sure that they are physically wethered(desexed), as otherwise when they get older their testosterone levels will rise and they will act as males and start fighting.
If you buy a mum and her baby (called a cria). Mum will still need another adult alpaca to keep her company and together they will protect the cria. Most females are sold pregnant, so you do not need to buy a male alpaca. When the female has had her next cria, a stud male can come visiting to get her pregnant again.
Male and female alpacas are kept in separate paddocks. Although wethered alpacas can be kept with females. You can paddock alpacas with horses, cattle, sheep, and kune kunes. Donkeys have been known to attack alpacas. Dogs will also attack alpacas so ensure your fences will keep out dogs - especially wandering ones. Alpaca regard a dog as a predator, but if you have your own dog, with careful introductions they will come to accept it.
Paddocks
You need at least half an acre to keep two alpacas. They are 0.6 of a stock unit - a stock unit is, in feed terms, a ewe with lamb. Although alpacas are bigger in size than sheep, they are more efficient processors of food. They are quasi-ruminants, with three stomachs. So if you have room for a few sheep, then you will have room for a few alpacas.
Alpacas are kept in normal farm paddocks, with usual height seven strand wire fences. Avoid electric fencing as their long fleece can catch on the electric wires. Alpacas are at home on rough hilly ground, as well as flat pasture. They like to have room to roam around and are not happy in small paddocks or pens.
Grass paddocks provide adequate feed for alpacas. You may need some hay in winter, or in summer droughts. A supplementary "alpaca nut" or pellet gives added vitamins and minerals. You can also get an alpaca muesli mix, which is helpful for pregnant females.
If run with sheep, be aware sheep can crop the grass too low for alpacas to be able to graze it. Toxic plants are the same as for sheep and cattle, but alpacas are inquisitive and will try most things, so be careful.
Alpacas are hardy, coming from Peru and Chile, where the temperature goes below zero. However they are not used to constant cold rain, so do provide shelter - trees, a hedge, or a shed. They will decide when they want to use it!
Selecting your alpaca
Where you start your selecting depends upon what you want your alpacas for:
- Pets - get wethers, preferably friendly and trained to walk on a halter and lead. These can be anywhere from $500 to $1,200.
- Breeding Pets - buy cheap females from $3,000 to $6,000.
- Commercial Breeding, Stud or Show Stock - get quality females. These will be more costly.
- Fibre Producers - these can be either breeding females or non-breeding wethers.
Health
The "box" shape of a
well conformed alpaca.
Health is important - your alpaca can live for over 15 years as long as s/he remains healthy. Feel along the backbone of the alpaca and ensure there is good muscle tone there. For a breeding alpaca, make your purchase conditional on a vet check or certificate of health. Also ask the owners vet to comment on the general herd health, herd disease (such as parasites) and to confirm the TB status of the herd.
Good reproductive health is essential in females. For young maiden alpacas, get a fertility guarantee. In a proven breeding female, ask to see her progeny on the farm. You can see her history of regular and successful births on the International Alpaca Registry (IAR) pedigree records. Ask about any gaps of over 18 months and about her ease of birthing. Check if there is a pregnancy and live birth guarantee.
Look and assess
A fleeced Huacaya alpaca
exhibiting good conformation.
Look at the structure or phenotype of the alpaca. The ideal alpaca has a "squared-off" appearance with a straight back and strong legs. The neck should be two thirds the length of the back, and the legs match the length of the neck. Teeth must meet the top jaw pad. Ears are straight and spear like. (Suri ears marginally longer) Suri's differ from Huacaya in their fleece, their more rounded nose tip, and more toning on the backline.
Assess the temperament of the alpaca, and others in the herd, as this will tell you how sociable your new alpaca will be. Some alpacas come close when you call them, some can be over friendly and pushy, and some avoid human contact. Be comfortable with the nature of those you are buying.
Breeding goals
Decide upon your alpaca farming goals if you are going to breed, as this will dictate what alpacas you buy, and what males you put your females to. Choose if Suri or Huacaya is your style. Think about colour preferences, and what you want to do with the fleece.
Ask for the statistics on how much the alpaca shears (shear weight) and the fineness. (A lower micron is finer) Consider lustre and the character of the fleece, whether it has a fine crimp (many crimps per length) or a broader crimp style.
Most breeders price finer micron alpacas and ones that are denser (have more shearweight) at a higher price than those that are not as fine or dense. Top genetics (especially from USA or Australia) can lift an alpaca's price. Certainly a top pedigree as seen on the IAR records, can be an indication of a quality animal. If showing and ribbons is part of your breeding plan, then review show results for prominent sires.
Support
A fully fleeced Suri
showing good conformation.
Consider the support aspects offered with and after the sale. A farm visit to your place by the breeder to give tips on fencing, shelter and trees, and checking for poisonous plants would be nice. They may offer some assistance in the paperwork for joining the Alpaca Association and the Alpaca Registry, and contacting the nearest alpaca breeders cluster group. They can advise you of the local alpaca shearer, feed suppliers, and other breeders in the area.
Some breedersoffer education about fibre, nutrition, pregnancy and birthing. Larger breeders offer a re-mating service with a choice of stud males when your females have their cria (babies).
Visit alpaca breeders to see and ask questions first, then select where to buy. Make sure the breeder is someone you can call when you need to discuss anything, or have a concern. As in most things, do business with the breeders you get to know, like and trust.
So your new alpacas have been delivered, paid for, and are ensconced in your back paddock. Now you can start with the real business of getting to know them, spending lots of time leaning on the fences talking to them and spoiling them with treats!
Welcome to the lovely world of alpacas.
About the author
Linda Blake is from the Southern Alpacas Stud, which runs over 200 alpacas on a lifestyle block in West Melton, on the outskirts of Christchurch. Linda enjoys the challenge of keeping alpacas (and llamas) healthy, and their owners happy. She shares her knowledge through writing articles, tutoring practical camelid courses, facilitating web courses, and working with camelids and their owners.
