• Alpacas are part of the camelid family, cousins to the llamas. They are native to the Andes mountain range of South America, where they were once reserved only for Incan royalty.

 

• Alpacas fiber has the softness of cashmere and is warmer, lighter and stronger than wool. It comes in more natural colors than any other fiber-producing animal (approximately 22 basic colors with many variations and blends), so it is no wonder that the Incas called it "The Fiber of the Gods". Today spinners and weavers all around the world enjoy the fiber.

 

• Alpacas were first imported into the United States in 1984. The registry has been closed since 1998 to any newly imported animals. There is less then 200,000 registered alpacas in the United States. It has been suggested that this industry will demand several hundred thousand alpacas in the United States to meet the needs of the growing alpaca fleece industry.

 

• Breeding females have only one cria (baby alpaca) a year. An average of 50% of those are males. The alpaca's life span is 15 to 25 years. Needless to say it is a slow growing industry.

 

• Alpacas generally have a gentle nature and are easy to care for. They do not challenge fences and although they are curious animals, if one should happen to get out of the fenced in area, you can usually find it trying to figure a way to get back in. They require small amounts of acreage (5-8 alpacas per acre). Just a short amount of time is required each day, depending on how many alpacas you have, to feed them and make sure they have fresh water (a self watering system eliminates this). Dung clean up is relatively easy since they all use the same spot. Sometimes 2 or 3 areas in a pasture. Some type of shelter is needed to keep the animals out of harsh weather. Barns are most commonly used but a 3-sided shelter is adequate. Alpaca's are hardy animals and tend to be disease free. Although alpaca owners learn to do most things themselves (shots, nail trimming, etc.) it is important to have a veterinarian that knows or is willing to learn about alpacas.

 

• There are two types of alpacas.
•  The Huacaya (pronounced wash-ky-ah) is the most common type. Huacaya's have a teddy bear like fiber. It is dense, crimpy and soft fiber. About 90% of all alpacas are huacayas. The other type of alpaca is the Suri (pronounced surrey).

• The suri is very rare and a unique animal. It has a rope like twisted lock structure that resembles dreadlocks. If not shorn these "pencil" locks can reach the ground.
• The suri's extraordinary luster and silkiness of the fleece make this animal highly sought after

 

• Alpacas have been called "the world's finest livestock investment"! Alpacas are depreciable over 5 years. Alpacas are 100% insurable. Starting with just three bred females could result in a herd size of 20 alpacas in five years. Some farms like to sell the offspring in the first few years of business and others like to create a more sizable herd before starting to sell. Starting with a business plan will help you decide your future in the Alpaca Business.

Why purchase Alpacas ?
There are many reasons why people purchase Alpacas. Some are fiber artists and want to purchase the animals for there fiber. Others want to get there children involved in 4-H, and some just enjoy having Alpacas for the enjoyment of watching them. Kind of a stress reliever at the end of a long day. If this is one of the reasons you would be interested in owning Alpacas, you can start out with 2 or 3 "pet quality" Alpacas. They can be purchase at a cost between $250. - $600. per Alpaca. That's considerably less then a lot of pure breed dogs and they are sure cheaper to feed and care for then our Newfoundland dogs!
Pet Quality or Fiber animals as they are sometimes called can be perfectly good animals with wonderful fiber. They usually are males. Remember breeders are always trying to get the best breeding quality so at least 90% of the males will be sold as pet quality. Maybe a leg is turned in just a bit or there is just a little to much guard hair, still great for fiber artists. Females may also be purchased as pet quality. In most cases with the females they are either older animals that need to quit breeding or they have had trouble conceiving and/or carrying cria's to term

Why Purchase Alpacas as a Business Investment?

* MONEY. Say you purchase a young breed female for $10,000. Over the next 10 years she gives you 10 offspring. Most likely Half of those offspring will be males and you just sell them as fiber boys for a few hundred dollars. That's IF, in the February of 2010 a Male Alpaca sold at Auction for SIX HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS! The other five cria are females. Since you are using quality sires you can expect that your cria will be equal or better the your Dam and you should expect to make at least the same on each one. Considering breeding fees and care you should still make at least $35,0000 off that one female. there are of course a lot of variations both ways. Most females will have at least 14 cria in their life time. Some may have something go wrong and only have a few. (any reputable Alpaca farm will give you a sales agreement stating that the female you purchased will have a least 1 live birth or money back or exchange for a different female)
*Retirement Many people purchase Alpacas as a way to keep going after retirement. Alpacas are easy enough to handle and they provide extra income.
*Life Style Change
*Tax deducations