So ... What's an Alpaca?

Alpacas are members of the camelid family which is made up of llamas, camels, guanacos and vicunas. They come from the Andes Mountains in South America which includes parts of Chile, Bolivia and Peru.

There are two types of Alpacas: the huacaya (wah-kai-ya) and the suri (surry). Huacayas have thick, crimpy fleece that is fluffy and almost gives them a stuffed animal appearance. The Suri has long, straight, lustrous fleece with little or no crimp at all.

Alpacas measure around 3 feet tall at the back. They have long necks and big beautiful eyes! The adult alpaca weighs anywhere from 120 to 200 lbs for an adult male. They travel and live in herds and can not thrive and may actually die without the companionship of other alpacas.

They do not require large amounts of land - 1 acre is sufficient to hold 5 - 10 animals depending on the quality and quantity of the pasture.

Alpacas are shorn once a year with an average yield of fleece between 4 - 10 lbs. After different degrees of milling, the fleece is ready for spinning into yarn which is ideal for weaving, knitting, crocheting or felting.

The gentle and curious nature of these amazing animals makes them the perfect livestock for the entire family to enjoy.

The "Alpaca Lifestyle"

You hear a lot of people talk about the “Alpaca Lifestyle” and we have found that to be an accurate description. The actual day-to-day care of these animals is minimal - feed and water daily, scoop the poop on a regular basis, herd maintenance once per month, etc. Generally not very involved or time consuming unless you have a very large herd. But the bigger picture is so much more than that. From the Shows to visiting other farms and associating with the many wonderful people involved, Alpacas have become a huge part of our lives.

In the Beginning ...

We were fortunate to find wonderful breeders for our first purchase who really took us under their wing and helped Blue Note Alpacas get off to a great start! I can’t overstate the importance of finding someone you feel comfortable with and trust. Especially someone you know will still be there for you after the purchase. After all, we’re talking about the welfare of your animals, not to mention an awful lot of money!

Just as important is Research, Research, Research! You’ve got the Internet ... Use It! And if you don’t ... Get It! I spent countless hours at the library and on the Internet reading webpage after webpage. I still do. You literally have the world of alpaca breeders at your fingertips. AOBA has an extensive library for members and the Forum on Alpaca Nation is also a wealth of information.

The “Huggable” Investment?

Not to burst anybody’s bubble but let’s dispel one big myth in our alpaca world ... alpacas, as a general rule, do not like to be hugged! It’s fun to think that they love us and want to be with us and yes, some are more affectionate than others but as a general rule, they prefer not to be touched.

Alpacas are very gentle and sweet animals that don’t bite but they can and will spit and kick! I have not been spit on (yet) but sometimes get caught in the crossfire. I have been kicked - not on purpose but it definitely hurt and bruised! It’s like some kind of a jujitsu move. And don’t underestimate the power of those toenails! Lesson learned ... always wear jeans!

Small Stuff You Need To Include In Your Beginning Budget

Beyond the basics of shed, fence, etc. here are some things you will need at the beginning. This is not a complete list and I will continue to add things as I think of them.

Very Important ... INSURANCE!

Food, vitamins, dewormers (check with your vet for appropriate deworming in your area), syringes and needles, toe nail clippers, weight tape or scale, feed buckets, water buckets, heated water buckets for winter, large metal garbage cans to store feed (we were told the plastic ones leach chemicals), halters, leads, herding wands (don’t spend a lot of money on “official” herding wands - we went to our local farm supply store and in the fence section found 3-4’ flexible white wands for about $6.00 which do the job just fine).

A cria kit is very, very important. Since our first cria was due in July, we figured we didn’t need a cria coat but decided at the last minute to go ahead and order one. Good thing we did ... he was born at 7:00 pm during a cool snap and the temp dropped to the mid 50s. Your kit should include thermometer, lubricant, surgical gloves & sleeve, clean towels, umbilical clamp, colostrum, bottle & nipple, feeding tube, aspirator, electrolytes. Complete kits can be ordered.

One of the best things I did was take a Neonatal Class before our first cria was born. Fortunately, he didn't need me but I felt much more at ease knowing that I could help if necessary.

And let's not forget the administrative costs. I certainly don't want to discourage anybody from this business but newcomers need to be aware that it is just that, a Business and as such you have a lot of little costs attached to it. Sometimes we feel like we are being nickel & dimed to death! So, don't forget your showing fees, membership fees, registration fees, logo, banners, business cards, accounting fees, website, etc.

The First Show

Although we had visited many shows, we weren't quite prepared for participating on one. So here is the perspective from a show newbie. Volunteering for several different positions gave us invaluable experience. From Color Checker to Gate Keeper to Ring Master, I now have a new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into a show. And don't forget the kids - they love to give out ribbons.

The Color Checker does just that ... check the color of the animals (blanket fleece closest to the skin) to make sure each animal is entered in the appropriate class. It's not quite as easy as it sounds. You'd be surprised how many different shades of fawn there are! I probably learned more from this position than any other.

The Gate Keeper signs in the animals for each class and keeps track of 1st and 2nd place winners for the color championship. This is a fun position as you get to meet lots of people and view many alpacas.

The Ring Stewart assists the judge by directing the traffic, delivering notes to/from the judge, handing out ribbons, etc.

Here's a general list of what you need for the show:
Feed & feed buckets
Hay & hay container (we used a "Rubbermaid" tub and it worked well)
Water & water buckets (we chose to bring water from home to help reduce stress on the animals)
Vitamins/Minerals
Probiotics & Electrolytes
Poop Scoop equipment
Fan
Halters & Leads
Banner
Marketing materials s.a. flyers, business cards, shirts
Items for sale s.a. yarn or clothing (careful, though, someone stole 3 skeins of my yarn!)
Chair
Cooler
Extension cord
Registration
Health check papers

Our Fuzzy Pals - An Essay by Christine Browning (March 2005)

You look out the car window and say “Look everybody! Llamas.” and don’t realize one thing, they aren’t llamas they’re alpacas. Not many people know what alpacas are. Most people, whenever you mention alpacas say, “What’s an alpaca?” So here’s my answer for all you wondering people…

Alpacas in general.

Alpacas are in the camelid family, as well as camels, llamas, guanacos (wan-u-koes), and vicunas (vi-koon-yas). So yes, alpacas do spit just like all camelids do. Many people mistake alpacas for llamas because they are so closely related. In my opinion, alpacas are closer to vicunas than any other camelid because of their similar size and shape, although, they descended from guanacos.
Alpacas are grazing animals with gentle natures. They come from the Andes Mountains in South America, mainly from parts of Peru, Chile, and Bolivia. Alpacas migrated to South America 2.5 million years ago and they were first brought to the U.S. in the 1980’s.
A baby alpaca is called a cria (cree-u). Newborn cria weigh from 15-20 pounds. It is very rare for an alpaca to have twins but it does happen-and normally one or both of the babies die.
Female alpacas mature at 15-20 months while males mature at 3 years! Full-grown alpacas are 30-40 inches high from the ground to their rump, and they are 4-5 feet high from the ground to the top of their head. Adult alpacas can weigh from 85-180 pounds. Alpacas’ lifespan is about 15-20 years long.

Alpacas Fleece

Alpacas have longer wool with better quality than llamas, and alpaca’s wool is straighter and finer than sheep’s wool.
There are two types of alpacas, Huacayas (wah-kai-yas) and Suris (surrys). Suris are not as common as Huacayas are in the U.S, but are just as common in their native home. The Huacaya’s fleece is very soft, thick, crimpy and fluffy-sort of like a teddy bear-, and the Suri’s fleece is very long, straight, and has little or no crimp at all-their fleece reminds me of dreadlocks. Alpacas are normally raised for their fine wool.
Alpacas come in 22 natural colors in various shades of black, white, brown, and gray. Alpacas’ fleece grows from 8-24 inches a year. You sheer alpacas once a year around the summer.

Taking Care of Alpacas

As well as being one of the oldest livestock animals, alpacas are the easiest to take care of. Alpacas don’t really need lots of land; you can keep 5-10 alpacas per acre.
One thing every one loves about alpacas is that they don’t bite; they don’t even have top teeth, they have a soft pallet instead.
Alpacas only eat one flake of hay a day when they aren’t grazing.
Some things you need to take care of your alpacas …

Feed, feed buckets, hay, hay container, water, water buckets, good amount of land, shed, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, electrolytes, poop-scoop equipment, fan and an extension cord.
Some things you need if you are going to show your alpacas…

All of the items listed above (except for the land and the shed) plus…A banner, materials for other people (flyers, business cards, etc.), items to sell (yarn, clothing, etc.), chairs, table (to set materials and items to sell), coolers (for any food or drinks you want to bring), registration, and, health papers.

I’ve told you now what alpacas are, so are you still wondering-I didn’t think so. Now, next time you look out the car window maybe instead of saying “Look everybody! Llamas” you’ll say “Look everybody! Alpacas.”

Christine Browning


Sources:
www.alpacabreeders.org
www.gateway-alpacas.com
www.alpaca-idaho.com/images/alpacas-love-children
www.bluenotealpacas.com
www.wod.com/alpacas/fiber.htm
www.premieralpacas.com/images/omnicriam.jpg
www.alpaca1.com/service/about.asp
World book encyclopedia

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