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CARING
FOR YOUR LIVESTOCK - ALPACAS
Generally
alpacas are gentle, affectionate,
intellingent, clean animals and are easy
to handle and easy to train. In fact, they
are probably the easiest of all livestock
to care for. From just a few repetitions
alpacas will retain what they have been
taught eg accepting a halter, lifting a
foot, loading in or out of a vehicle,
etc.
Unless
extremely provoked, alpacas rarely kick or
spit and they tend to be calm and safe
around children. There are two main types
of alpacas:
- The
‘Huacaya’ alpaca being the
most common. Dense body wool grows from
the body and it has a soft bonnet of
fleece on the forehead.
- The less
common, ‘Suri’ alpaca is
covered in long, pencil fine locks
which hang straight down from the
body.
It is usual
for alpacas to be sheered every year and
is done with conventional sheep-shearing
equipment or hand shears.. The best alpaca
fleece comes from the blanket (back, side
shoulder and rump). The first baby clip
commands a premium because of its extra
fineness.
Half an acre
can home two alpacas. One acre can home
five alpacas. A three-sided shelter should
be made available to them. Fences should
be between 3.5 to 5 feet high and dog
proof. Alpacas like to graze on grass and
browse on weeds, leaves and
shrubs.
Alpacas are
bought for breeding stock, fiber
production (highly desirable fleece), and
companion animals (they'll look after your
sheep for you!).
Alpacas are
the easiest to care for of all livestock.
Alpacas are clean (they share a communal
dung pile), quiet, odour free, and possess
a gorgeous, highly desired
fleece.
Statistics of
an alpaca:
- Life span
of an alpaca is between 15-25
years
- Height -
32-39" at the shoulder
- Weight -
105 -155 lbs
Gestation -
on average about 340 days
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