As featured in BackHome

Alpacas
PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY AUTHOR
Getting Started With
It’s a serious commitment
with many benefits.
By Anj Shaw
W
e fell in love with alpacas on a
hiking trip in the Adirondack
Mountains in New York State. It was
a cold, rainy fall day, not suitable for
being out and about in higher elevations, so we decided to take a drive in
the country. We noticed a sign that said
Alpacas—Open Farm Day!
Neither of us knew at the time, but
it was that sign that would change
our lives. We pulled up to the barn,
walked in, and saw the owner of the
farm, who stood with a young female
alpaca by his side. It was love at first
sight! We spent the afternoon looking
at the animals and developing a plan
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to learn more. Since that day, we have
been reading about, learning about,
and acquiring our herd of beautiful
huacaya alpacas.
Alpacas are an excellent investment
opportunity for the small-acreage
farmer and also a source of luxurious
and soft fiber that is sheared once a
year. They are hearty, healthy animals
with peaceful dispositions; they represent a new livestock choice for the
modern farmer who does not wish to
end an animal’s life for its product.
Alpacas are a species of camelid,
closely related to llamas, vicuñas,
and guanacos. Unlike llamas, alpacas
are raised in herds and are not used
for domestic work; they have been
bred for 5,000 years in Peru, Chile,
and Bolivia, in the high altitude of the
Andes’ Altiplano, specifically for their
fine, lightweight fiber. They are smaller
than llamas, with finer fiber. The huacaya alpaca tends to have dense, fluffy
fleeces, while the less common suri
type has long, twirling, and lustrous
dreadlock-style fiber.
While you may fall in love with
an alpaca for its cute face and sweet
nature, the end product—the fiber—is
what really makes these animals
special. Alpaca textile products are
hypoallergenic because they contain
no lanolin, and they tend to be less
scratchy than other wool fibers. South
Americans have been using alpaca
fiber for thousands of years to produce
garments and textiles, but it was only
recently, in the late 1980s, that the
first alpaca was imported to the United
States. Since that time, the market
for alpaca textiles and garments has
steadily grown, as has the industry as
a whole.
Our friends and family all ask us,
“Aren’t alpacas expensive?” The answer is, yes and no. Alpacas meant
for pets can be had at relatively low
prices; for $500 to $5,000 dollars, one
can buy a nonbreeding fiber-quality
male and produce beautiful end products from his fiber. But for breeding
stock, alpacas can be expensive, with
the average price of a bred female the
same as for a new car. Their price is directly related to the stage of the alpaca
industry as a whole: while the industry
grows, the price of a breeding female
alpaca is going to be higher or lower
depending on her breeding potential
and the potential quality of her cria,
or baby alpaca.
If you are planning to get into the
breeding aspect of the alpaca industry,
keep in mind that it is similar to any
other business endeavor and requires
initial capital to buy a herd and start
breeding. The end goal of the industry is to have a large enough U.S.
herd to compete with the sheep-wool
industry. At this point, that’s a long
way off. There are roughly one million registered sheep in this country,
and only 60,000 registered alpacas.
And while the number of farms entering the market grows each year, it
will take some time before the U.S.
herd can be competitive with other
fiber-animal markets. Alpacas are a
slow-growth livestock industry; with
an 11-month gestation, and multiple
births being extremely rare, alpaca
herds grow at about the same rate as
human families do. Moreover, because
of U.S. restrictions, it is not presently
practical to import alpacas directly
from South America. The future of the
alpaca industry in the U.S. is therefore
dependent on breeding within our own
borders.
Our Stock Choices
We decided to acquire both pet-quality and breeding-quality alpacas, and
both sides of the equation have paid
off. Our pet-quality gelding male has
made himself an excellent companion
animal to our other alpacas and a nice
pet for us. He also produces gorgeous
black, lustrous fiber, some of which we
sold for two dollars per ounce to a local
craftsperson. If he is never resold, he
is still worth the small investment we
paid for him in terms of the fiber he
produces, the companionship he gives
the other males, and the pleasure to us
of watching him romp about in the paddocks. Pet-quality males can also be
useful as educational animals for 4-H
groups and for performance showing.
They are gentle by nature and, because
of that, even young children can handle
them and lead them with a halter.
We also purchased breeding stock,
taking care to check lineages and genetic characteristics and histories of
the animals that would be breeding,
since this was our biggest investment.
Many alpaca farms breed animals with
this in mind and are able to help buyers make a smart choice in what kinds
of bloodlines to look for. In addition,
many farms are willing to assist new
farms in terms of financing their ani-
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Getting Started With Alpacas
mals—some at 0 percent interest! This
is reflective of the supportive nature of
the industry: to succeed, a farm needs
to help others to succeed.
One way to become educated in
what to look for in an alpaca is to visit
alpaca farms. Every farm that we have
ever visited has always given us plenty
of time to ask questions and to look at
barn and paddock setups. They have
shown interest in our farm and our
business plan. We have learned much
from visiting alpaca farms near us
and by doing research on the Internet.
There are two good resources listed in
the sidebar that will give new breeders access to the plentiful information
available about the animals and the
industry.
Care and Feeding
Alpacas are, in general, very easy
to care for and to feed. In some ways,
they are easier to care for than the
family dog! Alpacas are ruminants,
with three stomachs, and good pasture
grass for grazing is their best source
of the vitamins and minerals needed
to live healthy lives and reproduce.
They generally like fescue and orchard
grass mixes, but they can have adverse
reactions to certain clovers. Alpacas
bite rather than tear the grass, so the
pasture does not tend to get torn up as
with other grazing livestock. In winter,
or in dry-lot conditions, alpacas
eat grass hay (generally preferring
second-cut orchard grass with
a small percentage of timothy
and/or alfalfa) supplemented by
a specially formulated feed grain
that is just as available as goat or
sheep grain feed. They may also
need minerals in powder form as
a nutritional supplement.
Alpacas are, in general, healthy
and disease-resistant, living into
their late teens or early twenties.
This may be due in part to the
extreme nature of their climate
of origin, having in their genetic
makeup the ability to acclimate
themselves to varying weather
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conditions, temperature extremes, and
lack of natural pasture in the Andes.
The alpacas in the U.S. sometimes
have trouble with the high protein content in our hay and grain; they are used
to extracting the most nutrient benefit
out of the sparsest of pasture.
For shelter, alpacas need a simple
three-sided structure with an overhang
so they are able to get away from the
rain and wind. For protection from
predators, it is important to provide
proper fencing around the perimeter of
their paddock area. One does not need
a huge horse barn for these animals;
the best shelters are those that are open
and well ventilated.
Alpacas like to be with other alpacas. An open barn with open panels
instead of walls separating males from
females makes a nice arrangement, as
the alpacas are able to “socialize” and
see and hear one another. Even during
the worst snowstorms, we have seen
our alpacas cuddled up along the fence
line separating males from females,
sometimes with an inch or two of snow
on their heads!
Alpacas tend to be very clean animals, as well, and prefer to defecate in
one or two communal piles rather than
all over the paddock. This is a definite
benefit, as the “beans” (alpaca poop)
are fairly easy to scoop up with a rake
and shovel. The manure is compostable, but do keep in mind that because
of the deworming medication given to
alpacas, it is not advisable to use alpaca
manure on vegetable gardens.
A veterinarian who is willing to
work with and learn about camelids
is worth finding. We went without vet
care for two months while we looked
for someone who was interested in
caring for our animals. We were fortunate enough to find someone within an
hour’s drive of our farm. While alpacas
are generally disease-resistant, there
is the occasional emergency or illness
requiring the care of an experienced
vet. Other farms in your area will be
able to help advise you on vet care.
Alpacas are susceptible to meningeal worm, a parasite carried by deer.
It is important to follow a monthly
deworming regimen. This is something
that you or your vet can do. We have
found it is easy for us to give vaccinations and deworming medication
ourselves.
Once every few months, alpacas
need to have their nails clipped. They
are similar to dogs in that they have
footpads and nails rather than hooves.
With practice, this can be a chore that
is done with ease once your herd begins to know and trust you.
Alpacas give birth unassisted and
with few problems about 95 percent
of the time. They tend to give birth
between the hours of 10 A.M. and 2 P.M.
A newborn alpaca, or cria, is usually
up and nursing within the first hour.
Crias wean themselves from four to
six months and generally require little
intervention at any stage of birth or
growth. Breeding takes place naturally,
in a separate pen or breeding area, with
no intervention necessary.
Finally, once a year, the big day
comes when the alpacas are
shorn. Shearing can be done
by a professional shearer or by
the farmer. This is usually
done in late spring or early
summer, before the temperatures make living with several pounds of fleece on their
backs uncomfortable or dangerous for the animals. Once the
alpacas are shorn, their fleece is
then cleaned and prepared for
processing.
Tax and Business Benefits
There are significant tax benefits available to alpaca farmers.
For one thing, the initial investment
in breeding stock, and any capital
improvements made to your farm to
house your herd, can potentially be
100 percent deductible owing to the
2003 Jobs and Growth Reconciliation
Tax Act. This benefit, called a “179
benefit,” is for animals placed in
service after 2003. If your alpacas are
raised for profit, many if not most of
your related expenses can be written
off against your income. The animals
and the buildings and farm supplies
are fully depreciable over a period of
five to seven years. A good accountant
and a little research can help you save
a huge portion of your startup costs in
the form of tax benefits.
How does one go about making a
profit with alpacas? Besides the obvious benefit of breeding and selling
breeding stock, alpacas also produce
fiber, or wool. This fiber is produced
in limited quantities and is much finer
and of a higher quality than even the
finest merino. Therefore, it is currently
commanding very high prices. A farm
can sell the raw fiber, carded rovings,
or cottage-spun yarns. Or, some farms
may choose to produce their own
hand-spun, handcrafted products. Another option is to contribute fiber to an
organized cooperative (there are many
small mills processing only alpaca fiber in bulk in the U.S. that have been
hired by co-ops to make products).
Contributing fiber to a co-op is a good
option because it helps build the fiber
industry as a whole. While the goods
made by the co-op may not be from
your animal, they are still of a high
quality and can be resold in the farm
shop, in a farmer’s market setting, or
through an online store.
What to Look for When Buying
Alpacas are bred for fineness and
density of fiber. Therefore, a good alpaca will have a very fine fleece. Ask to
see a fiber analysis and, by all means,
make sure you touch the animal’s fiber
or fleece sample. Because there are two
types of alpaca—huacaya (fluffy) and
suri (long staple length, limp)—fineness will vary between 16 and 28
microns (the human hair is about 100
microns; sheep’s wool, about 30 mi-
crons.) Density is important because
the denser the animal, the more fiber it
will produce. Crimp, or a wave to the
staple, shows a denser fiber that will
fill less space. A good fleece will open
like a book when separated.
When purchasing breeding stock,
look for females with good conformation; from the side, an alpaca will
appear square and proportionate.
From the front and rear, legs will appear straight and sturdy. Phenotypical
traits to look for in show stock are a
good bite (makes for better grazing),
a short muzzle, clear eyes, and shorter
ears. While some of the most beautiful
alpacas might come from the ugliest
of mothers, it does not hurt to look for
traits that would be desirable if passed
on to the cria. A “herdsire” quality
male will be large, with a sturdy chest
area and strong build. Always, if possible, check registered information
such as lineage, color background
(because certain colors might not
be desirable but might pass through
genetically), and, if possible, feel the
animals before you buy.
The Lovable-Huggable Myth
The first thing most people want
to do when they see an alpaca is to
snuggle in for a kiss and a hug. No
doubt they have seen the television
commercials promoting alpacas as
“the huggable investment.” The fact
is, most alpacas are quite independent
and resist human interaction. The
reason for this is survival. Alpacas are
nearly defenseless in their native Peru
and have learned over thousands of
years of domestication that the faster
an animal flees a predator, the more
likely it will live to produce offspring.
RESOURCES
The Alpaca Owners
and Breeders Association
http://www.alpacainfo.com/
I Love Alpacas
(the huggable investment)
http://www.ilovealpacas.com/
We personally like this independent
spirit in the alpaca.
Alpacas do, however, form relationships with their caregivers and can
be especially affectionate at feeding
time. During farm visits, we often let
the kid visitors greet our llama first,
as he is more of a PR guy than our
alpacas. With a little patience and a
calm demeanor, you will find alpacas
genuinely curious about people and
especially children. Do not be disappointed when, upon visiting your first
alpaca, he or she eyes you warily from
the far side of a large paddock. This is
what makes the alpaca so interesting
and hardy; it is not as dependent on us
as the family dog or other livestock.
We limit our handling to some brief
halter-training sessions, once-a-month
weigh-ins and health checks, and a
quick meeting of noses during feeding
time. A fellow farmer once joked with
us that to enjoy our herd all we really
needed was a lawn chair and a pair of
binoculars.
If you are considering livestock
that will reward you with a renewable
product and a gentle, earth-friendly
disposition, as well as a built-in lawnmower, then the alpaca might just be
the right choice for your farm. There
are so many facets to alpaca ownership
that can be enjoyed; from showing
your alpacas at fairs and festivals to
wearing beautiful and hypoallergenic
fiber from your own animals—it is
truly an endeavor that will pay off for
many years to come. Alpacas are compact and easy to handle and transport
and, for that reason, make great farm
animals for retirees or families with
small children. Alpacas are intelligent
and interesting, and an easy livestock
for farms both large and small.
Anj and her husband, Tom, own
Paradise Farm Alpacas in West
Kingston, Rhode Island.
www.paradisefarmalpacas.com
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