Alpacas are members of the camelid family. They are a mild-tempered,
docile animal that are sure to bring a smile to your face.
Alpacas are native to Bolivia, Peru and Chile. They were domesticated by
the Incas for the use of their soft fiber. In fact, a person's social position in the
Incan Empire was marked by the type of clothing they wore; with alpaca
clothing rated among the highest; most often worn by royalty only.
There are two different breed-types: the huacaya (wah-KI-ya) and suri (surrey).
They are differentiated only by their fleece characteristics. The huacaya
have fleece with a wavy or "crimp" style fleece giving them a fluffy, teddy-bear
look. Suris, on the other hand, have no crimp, but instead have elegant
draping locks that hang down the body, parting at the spine. Their fiber forms
beautiful "pencil locks" that fall in gentle, silky cascades
Alpacas stand approximately 36" tall at the withers and weigh between 100
and 200 pounds. They require only modest amounts of grass hay for food
plus plenty of fresh water and free-choice minerals. Some owners also
supplement their diets with additional grains and nutritionally formulated
pellets. Great for small acreages, 5-8 alpacas can pasture on only one acre of
good grass and due to their padded feet, will not compact or tear up the soil.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
Alpacas are a herd animal and need to be raised with at least one other
alpacas and/or llama. They seem to do best with 5 or more "paca pals".
Alpacas need to be sheared in the spring. Summer temps can cause heat
stress and is often more of a health factor than cold temperatures. In fact,
alpacas do quite well in cold weather providing they have enough shelter to
get out of freezing rain, snow and biting wind. Alpaca facilities are as varied as
Alpaca owners themselves; some have elaborate, heated barns with all the
conveniences for the animals and others have only 3 sided sheds; enough to
keep the animals shaded in the summer and out of the elements in severe
weather. Some have acres of pasture to romp in and others are dry lotted.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
Alpacas are relatively easy to maintain but do have husbandry issues
that need to be addressed regularly. Shearing, toe nail clipping, worming,
injections for immunizations, tooth care, and weighing each animal
regularly are all important factors in sustaining their good health and
well-being.
Living 15-20 years, alpacas begin breeding at bout 2 years of age, giving
them many years for reproduction. Their gestation period is 11-12 months
and a baby alpaca (cria) will weigh between 12-20 lbs. Nothing can describe
the joy of seeing your cria "pronking" (ask us what that is-or better yet- see for
yourself). Now--that will bring a smile to your face!!
IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
The alpaca fiber industry is the reason for these beautiful animals to be
in this country. To make the market competitive with South America and
Europe, there is a need of more than one million alpacas in the U.S. In
mid 2006, the 100,00th alpacas was registered with ARI and with the
borders closed to new imports--WHAT AN INVESTMENT POTENTIAL!!
Besides, how awesome it is to have alpacas in your pasture!!
Continue to educate yourself on the history, husbandry, breeding, and
potential of these beautiful animals. Take some time to visit with alpaca
owners and breeders, check out a show near you, give us a call. We love to
"talk alpacas"
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| CONTACT INFO: B4 Alpacas LLC Ace & Robin Buettenback 3742 S Locust Grand Island NE 68801 308-395-8307 jardbuet74@yahoo.com |
meet the ALPACA
