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Rockin A Alpacas |
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Generally, alpaca owners find that land that permits horses will permit alpacas. They are not generally considered a barnyard animal such as pigs or goats. But to be on the safe side check your local zoning laws to see if you need a land use permit. How much space do they need? Generally speaking , 7~10 alpacas per acre is a comfortable concentration, depending on your pasture conditions. If you can't keep your alpacas at 'home' for what ever reason ,or just aren't ready, you can always board, or agist, them with another owner/breeder. Costs for this range from $2-5/day for each animal and usually include routine shots, worming and toenail trimming.
Alpacas, do not tend to challenge fencing, thus a very simple and inexpensive fence, such as non-climb strung on T-posts, will do to keep them in. However, most breeders find they need a higher-quality perimeter fence to keep predators out. You would think that mountain lions or coyotes would be the most dangerous predators to alpacas; but actually, it is the neighborhood dogs that are the most dangerous. So if you build your fencing to keep out dogs, that is generally sufficient in most cases.
Except where the weather is extremely cold or extremely hot, alpacas actually prefer out side. As long as they have shade and a wind-break, if necessary, they do quite well. In extremes of hot and cold, you would want them to be able to come in, you do not want them to get heat stressed.
It will vary depending on whether or not your alpacas can graze, what quality of forage they have available and for how much of the year. But even if you dry lot your alpacas (if you have nothing upon which they can graze at least part of the time), you can generally expect to spend about $150 per animal, per year.
Most breeders give shots for vaccinations once or twice a year, and most treat for parasites several times a year; but these are not major costs, and are often done by the breeder. In general less than 5% of alpaca births require a veterinarian's assistance; so unless an animal gets injured, your vet may not be visiting you much. However it's advantageous to find the vet with the most camelid experience.
Most breeders have found it is best to shear alpacas annually rather than every two years. The fleece stays cleaner, so more of it can be turned into end-product. Also, studies have shown that two annual sheerings of alpacas yield more fleece than one shearing every two years. A sheep sheerer can shear an alpaca, so there is professional help available, and is relatively inexpensive if you want it. However, some breeders do their own shearing and find they do very well after just a few practice sessions. Our national breeder's association has established an Alpaca Fiber Co-op which pools sheared North American alpaca fiber for commercial processing. The Co-op collects alpaca fiber to send to South America to be turned into end product. Alpaca fiber can also be sold to hand spinners and weavers locally. Prices vary with the color and quality, but generally raw fleece sells for $20-25/lb., with washed and carded fleece selling for $2-2.50/oz. Since most alpacas will yield approximately 5-8 lbs. of fleece per shearing, a breeder can expect to get $100-200/year from each alpaca's fleece sale, without even value-adding such as turning the fleece into yarn or garments. Alpaca fiber is highly prized by spinners, knitters and weavers as a soft, lustrous material that works up into a wonderful garment that will wear beautifully for many years. Alpacas are clean, easy to care for, and amusing animals. We think you'll love them but you may want prove this to yourself by spending some time working with alpacas (many ranches offer workshops and ranch days where you can actually help with shearing, breeding and other tasks). Also spend some time with your accountants - as you probably know by now, alpacas are expensive! Before you get into alpacas, be sure you know what your goals are. Do you want a couple of pet-quality or fleece animals for spinning, animals for 4-H, alpacas you own but board elsewhere, or do you want the wonderful country life style that goes along with running your own alpaca ranch?
E-Mail: HollyB@Garlic.com
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