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What do you do with an alpaca? Alpacas, which produce one of the world’s finest and must luxurious natural fibers, provide an excellent investment opportunity. The fleece, comparable to cashmere, is known for its fineness, light weight and luster. Alpacas also can make excellent companion animals. They are clean, safe, quiet, intelligent and relatively disease resistant. Their soft padded feet are gentle on the land and they can be easily transported in the family van.
Are alpacas smart? Yes, they are amazingly alert animals who quickly learn to halter and lead. They constantly communicate with each other through body posture, tail and ear movements, and a variety of sounds. The sound heard most often is a soft humming, a mild expression befitting a gentle animal.
Are alpacas easy to care for? They are small and easy livestock to maintain. They need basic shelter for protection from heat and bad weather and because they are livestock, they require certain vaccinations, an anti-parasitic control program and their toenails must be trimmed about every two months. They also are sheared each spring.
What do alpacas eat? Alpacas are modified ruminants, which means they chew cud like a cow or a goat. They do well on good quality, low protein forage and hays with some occasional supplemental feeds, vitamins and minerals provided when needed. An alpaca typically costs far less to care for than a dog. One alpaca will eat about one bale of hay a week.
Are alpacas dangerous? No. Alpacas are very safe and a pleasure to be around. They all have different personalities, but are known for their gentle nature. They won’t bite or butt and they don’t have the teeth, horns, hooves or claws to do serious injury.
What do you do with the alpaca fiber? Alpaca fiber is stronger and more resilient than even the finest sheep’s wool. Unlike sheep’s wool, alpaca contains no lanolin and can be spun right off the animal. Prized for its unique, silky feel and superb handle, alpaca fiber is highly sought after by spinners, knitters and fiber artists as well as the commercial fashion industry. There are some 22 distinguishable colors of alpaca fiber. The great variety of natural colors include pure white, several shades of fawn and brown, gray and true black. It is easily dyed and can be combined with other fibers like wool, cashmere, mohair, silk and angora to create interesting and unique blends. Alpaca fiber--especially baby alpaca--is considered hypoallergenic.
Currently, alpaca breeders have several options in marketing their end product. The Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America (AFCNA) was established in 1998 to process large quantities of fiber. There are mills in both the U.S. and Canada that process the fiber and there are regional co-ops that pool fleeces and collectively manufacture yarn, socks and other items for wholesale and retail distribution.
Unlike most other forms of livestock that must be slaughtered for the end product, alpacas are livestock that produce a continuous cash crop of superior fiber, without killing the animal.