Alpacas are from a group of animals called South American Camelids. They originate in South America, particularly from Peru, Chile and Bolivia.
The South American Camelids comprise four different species:
- Guanacos – the most primitive of the group, these are probably the originator species from which the others have evolved or been developed
- Llamas – these are beasts of burden, used by the Incan people to carry produce over the mountain trails to market. They have a double coat, so their fleece can feel “prickly”. They are much taller than alpacas and have the reputation of being “grumpy”.
- Vicunas – these animals are not able to be domesticated, but have a very fine fleece. The Incan people would round up the wild herds once a year to shear them, before releasing them to the wild again.
- Alpacas – these animals were developed by the Incan people to grow the “fibre of the Gods”; a soft, light and warm fleece that makes beautiful yarn and fabric, and readily takes the bright vegetable dyes used to create their national costume.
Yes, there are two types of alpaca:
- Huacaya – these alpacas have fleece that grows away from the skin, similar to merino.
- Suri – these alpacas have fleece that lays against the animal. This fleece is known for its lustre and when in full fleece, the “curtains of fleece” are very impressive
Yes, alpacas grow fleece in a range of colours, from white through, fawn, brown, grey and black. We have focused on white and fawn huacaya alpacas in our breeding program.
Yes, alpacas are both easy and enjoyable to farm. They are an intelligent herd animal, curious and cautious, they have adapted easily to Australian farming conditions. They are not inclined to suffer “fly strike” or “foot rot”, or other conditions that afflict some fleece producing animals.
As with other livestock, the number of alpacas you can run on an area depends on the quality of the pasture that is there and whether there is the capacity to rotate the grazing on the paddocks. For our property, the stocking rate is considered to be about 3 DSE per acre. (DSE = “dry sheep equivalent”, this is the term used to describe how much area a dry (non breeding) sheep would need.) As breeding alpacas are rated as 1 to 1.5 DSE, we can run two to three alpacas per acre of grazing area here, without supplement feeding.
Alpacas are very gentle on the land. They have two pads on each foot, rather than a hoof, so they are more gentle on our fragile soils. Each pad has a toe nail, that is worn down on the rocky terrain of the alti-plano of Peru, but may need to be trimmed on the softer grazing in Australia.
They also shear the grass when they eat, rather than pulling at the tuft like other grazing animals. This puts less pressure on the root mass of the grass and means the paddocks are cropped rather than pulled.
Yes, alpacas can spit. They spit when they feel threatened or have no way of escape. It is used to warn the person or animal who has cornered them that they are not happy and will protest and fuss until they feel safe.
Like all grazing animals, alpacas are a herd animal, so the welfare of the group is more important than the welfare of the individual. They are quite tall, have good distance vision and are quite alert. This combination allows them to see an intruder or threat from some distance away. Once they have seen a fox, or other threat, they will let out a “distress cry”. This high pitched squeal will alert the other animals that there is a reason to be alert, that perhaps there is a threat nearby. The “distress cry” will be repeated if the threat does not go away and the alpacas will often pursue the threat, especially if it is a lone animal like a fox. Alpacas have been known to strike out with their front feet, or kick with the hind legs to injure or even kill a fox.
Alpacas have been known to push the nearly born twins or triplet lambs towards their mum, if they have become separated. They have also been known to stand by the lamb that is stuck on the wrong side of the fence until help arrives, then they supervise the lamb back to its mum. They have been known to make sure that the sheep are camped in the open over night, rather than in the more vulnerable spot amongst the trees.
Alpacas have been used successfully to guard a wide range of animals. It is suggested that a pair of alpacas be given the task of looking after a mob of animals, rather than a single alpaca. They may seem to spend the day with their alpaca friend, but at night can be found circulating through the mob, keeping an alert eye on everyone and watchful for any unwanted visitors.
Alpacas are normally shorn once a year. Their long neck and legs, means it is not possible to contain them between the shearer’s knees like a sheep, so they are restrained on a table or on the floor. At shearing time, it is usual to trim toe nails, give annual vaccinations and check teeth and general health.
Alpaca fleece is the most insulating of all the natural fibres. It is lighter and warmer than merino, has natural lustre and shine, and a softness of handle that is not found in other fibres.
As with other natural fibres, we are aiming for consistency. This means we are looking for an animal who produces a large area of fibre that is essentially the same. This is important so that the yarn, fabric and garments made from the fibre are even.
The attributes that we use to measure the quality of the fibre are similar to those used to describe the characteristics of other fibres: fineness (measured in micron), consistency (recorded as Standard Deviation or Coefficient of Variation), brightness, crimp, staple definition, length.
When alpacas are at a show, they compete against other alpacas of the same age and gender. They are assessed on their fleece (60%), conformation (40%). The winner of these sections are then assessed against winners of other sections, to decide the Supreme Champion of the show.
Not withstanding an unexpected vet bill, alpacas are quite economical to look after. If there is sufficient feed in their paddocks, then occasional supplement feed may be needed at some times of the year. There is also the cost of vaccinations and shearing.
Alpacas have a wide variation of prices. We sell our wethered male alpacas for herd guards or pets, from $500. The range of prices for breeding females will be from $1,000 to $50,000. Stud males will range in price from $2,000 to $100,000.
Yes, in South America, alpaca meat is used extensively in their traditional diet. In Australia, we have been slower to eat alpaca, but as there are more places that have alpaca available, both on restaurant menus and at markets and shops, it will be more widely enjoyed. It is a tasty lean meat that is well suited to slow cooking with herbs – though our favorite is the back-strap, seared quickly on the barbeque in our olive oil.