|
|
|
|
|
Cynthia Fronk - John Heise |
|
|
970-635-2322
Only ARI Registered Alpacas are bred at Stargazer Ranch
|
Physical Characteristics
- Two kinds of Alpacas: Huacaya (pronounced wah-KI-ya) and Suri (pronounced sir-ree)
- Huacaya fiber is dense, crimpy and gives a woolly sheep like appearance
- Suri fiber is silky and resembles dredlocks
- Gentle and easy to train and handle.
- Have soft padded feet with two toes
- Do not have horns, hooves or claws, incisors, or upper front teeth
- Eat grass and chew cud
- Adult alpacas generally weigh between 125 and 175 lbs.
- Average height is 36 inches at the withers
- Have a three compartment stomach
- Adaptable to most any climate
- Members of the Camelid family (Vicuna, Guanco, Llama and Alpaca)
- Native to Andean Mountain range of South America
- Primarily found in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile
- Provided clothing and transportation to the Incas
- First imported in the United States in 1984
- Domesticated for over 5,000 years
- Current figures note about 50,000 registered alpacas in the U.S.
- Average lifespan of an alpaca is about 20 years
- Gestation is 11.5 months.
- Female alpaca normally gives birth, without assistance, in the daylight hours
- Baby alpacas are called crias
- Have single births. Twins are extremely rare. Most recent figures note 1 in 2000 is a twin
- Alert, intelligent, curious, and predictable
- Social animals that seek companionship
- Communicate by softly humming
- Also communicate with neck posturing, ear and tail positioning and head tilt
- Deposit their odorless bean-like pellets in concentrated areas
- Sheared without harm every 12 to 18 months
- Require minimal fencing
- Virtually disease-resistant animals
- Require annual vaccinations with tetanus and other locally appropriate vaccines
- Need routine parasite control
- Need occasional nail and/or teeth trimming
- Can be cared for by children
- 5 year old children are eligible to enter AOBA sanctioned shows
- Main end-product is fiber
- In ancient times, alpaca fiber was known as the "Fiber of Gods"
- Soft as cashmere and lighter and warmer than wool
- Hypo-allergenic and contains no lanolin
- Comes in 22 natural colors
ALPACAS
Who raises alpacas? Why do people raise alpacas? How do you transport an alpaca? How much acreage does it take to raise an alpaca? Are alpacas easy to care for? Can you raise alpacas in a hot, humid climate? What type of shelter and fencing do alpacas need? What do alpacas eat?
Alpaca owners and breeders come from all walks of life. Many are doctors,
financial advisors, educators, or cattle farmers, to name a few. Some raise
alpacas as a full-time business, others commit part-time. From young families to
empty-nesters, phased retirement to full-retirement, raising alpacas offers
countless options for everyone.
Alpacas offer a very attractive business and farming opportunity no matter where
you live: urban, suburban, or rural. Urban dwellers can board (or "agist")
their alpacas at nearby farms/ranches so that they can enjoy the benefits of
ownership while living in a large city or suburb. People also raise alpacas for
companionship and to enjoy a rural lifestyle.
If traveling for short distances, they can be transported inside vans or other
larger vehicles. Most folks put down a piece of old carpeting or inexpensive
Astro-turf to minimize the impact on the vehicle's carpeting in case an
"accident" were to occur. Most of the time, however, the animals will
"cush" (that is, sit down) for the journey. Longer distances generally
require transport in a livestock trailer.
Because the animals require so little pasture and food, you can usually raise
two to eight alpacas per acre, depending on terrain, rain/snowfall amounts,
availability of pasture, etc. They can also be raised on dry lot and be fed
grass hay, if desired. Consult with your local County Extension Officer for
specific local recommendations.
They are a small and relatively easy livestock to maintain. They stand about 36
inches tall that the withers (the point where the neck and spine come together),
weigh between 100-200 pounds, and establish communal dung piles that are easy to
manage. The alpacas need basic shelter and protection from heat and foul
weather, and being livestock, they do require certain vaccinations and
anti-parasitic medicines. Additionally, their toenails need to be trimmed every
couple of months and the fleeces sheared off once a year. Speaking of toenails,
these animals do not have hooves-they have two toes, with hard toenails on the
top of their feet and a soft pad on the bottom of their feet, much like a dog's
foot. Therefore, you don't experience compaction of the soil to same degree that
you would with other types of livestock.
The answer is generally yes. Alpacas have proven to be amazingly resilient
animals. Alpacas are being raised successfully in Arizona, Texas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Florida and also in Alaska and many Canadian provinces. Certainly,
in the hotter, more humid climates, the alpaca breeder does need to take health
and safety precautions, like shearing fleeces off early in the year, providing
plenty of fresh water to drink and dip their bellies into, and areas of shade.
This varies widely, depending on such things as weather and predators. But as a
general rule, the alpacas do need at least a three-sided, open shelter where
they can escape inclement weather. And if predators are present in your
neighborhood, then a minimum of five-foot-high, 2 foot by 4 foot no-climb
fencing is necessary to keep out the predators. Traditional horse fencing (with
4 foot by 4 foot openings) is not recommended, as curious alpacas might be
physically harmed if they put their heads through that type of fencing.
The main thing alpacas eat is just grass or hay, and not much of
it-approximately three pounds per 150 pounds of body weight per day. A single,
60-pound bale of hay can generally feed a group of about 20 alpacas for one day.
Alfalfa is discouraged or fed only sparingly, as it has high protein content
that can be unhealthy for the animals. Additionally, all alpacas require access
to free-choice mineral supplements and plenty of fresh water to drink.
BUSINESS
What does an alpaca cost (price range and average)? When do you think supply will outweigh demand?
Price, as always, is a reflection of demand. Interest in buying alpacas is high
and limited. Alpacas cost about $1000 for a non-breeding male, to over $250,000
for a top-class herdsire. Most people start their herd with good quality, bred
females, costing $12,000 to $30,000. The slow rate of reproduction means that
supply is unlikely to exceed demand in the foreseeable future.
The fiber industry continues to evolve along with the breeding industry. The
dynamics of the alpaca industry will continue to change but the potential for a
financially rewarding business opportunity will still exist.
FIBER
How many ounces of fiber will one alpaca produce? Who buys the fiber? What is an ounce of fiber worth?
An adult alpaca might produce 50 to 90 oz. of first-quality fiber as well as 50
to 100 oz. of second and third quality fiber. Some alpacas already achieve, or
exceed, these levels.
Alpaca fiber is sold several ways. Hand-spinners and fiber artists buy raw
fleece. Knitters often purchase alpaca yarn. Fiber Cooperatives Mills collect
alpaca fiber and process it on behalf of the producer.
This varies. In its raw state, an ounce of alpaca varies from $2.00-$5.00. Each
stage of the process (cleaning, carding, spinning, knitting, finishing, etc)
adds more valuable to the fiber. As a finished garment, it can sell for $10.00
per oz. Hand knit goods are more desirable and have sold for $1,000.00, in some
cases.
ASSOCIATIONS
AOBA ARI
The Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association (AOBA) began in 1988 and gained
non-profit status in 1991. It serves the following purposes: (1) To promote
public awareness and membership appreciation of the Alpaca's unique qualities;
(2) To educate the membership on the care and breeding of the Alpaca; (3) To
promote the growth of the Alpaca industry as a whole; and (4) To foster the
establishment of the breed outside of its native land by encouraging husbandry
and breeding practices based upon, but not limited to, herd health, overall
soundness, and alpaca fiber production and products.
AOBA's Board of Directors, Marketing Committee, and Education Committee are
volunteers who oversee everyday operations. Since AOBA's formation, with 87
members and a known alpaca census of 392, its membership has grown steadily to
over 3,700 members with about 50,000 alpacas.
The Alpaca Registry, Inc., established in 1988, is a Colorado-based non-profit
corporation that mandates blood typing for registered alpacas. It accepts only
offspring of registered alpacas that qualify by blood typing. ARI owns the
database that houses genealogy, blood typing and ownership records of North
American alpacas. It is governed by a five-member elected Board of Directors.
ARI membership includes all owners of living, registered alpacas. Board members
serve staggered terms and are collectively responsible for policies and
procedures governing registrations, transfers of ownership, and the screening of
unregistered, non-pedigreed alpacas.
AFCNA
Incorporated in 1998, the Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America, Inc. (AFCNA)
is an organization of nearly 700 North American alpaca producers. Most are small
farmers, who have decided to raise alpacas to enjoy the country lifestyle and
satisfaction of raising livestock. AFCNA pools their annual shearing of alpaca
fiber and benefits from processing larger volumes of fiber and market products
made from alpacas, on a national level. Click
here to visit AFCNA.
Provided with permission from Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association