- Quick Answers to Quick Questions
When a person sees an Alpaca for the first time, the questions come streaming out. What is it? Where does it come from? What do you use it for? What does it eat? Does it bite? Is it hard to care for? How much land do you need for them? The list never ends. As Alpaca breeders, we love to answer all these questions. Educating people about the wonders of the Alpaca is one of the most important things we do. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
WHAT IS AN ALPACA?
The alpaca is a Camelid. Camelids are animals such as the Bactrian Camel, Dromedary Camel, Llama, Vicuna, Guanaco and the Alpaca. They are modified ruminants, meaning that they have three stomachs and chew their cud similar to cows. The alpaca is descended from the wild Vicuna of Peru. There are two types of alpacas, the Huacaya or woolly alpaca and the Suri or silky alpaca. These are both the same species with the only difference being the unique qualities in their type of fiber.
WHY HAVEN’T I SEEN ALPACAS AROUND, LIKE SHEEP?
There are actually two reasons. 1. Alpacas were only introduced to this country in 1984 and 2. Alpacas reproduce very slowly. Alpacas have been the treasured livestock of the Peruvian people for centuries. They guarded that treasure for many years, not allowing any exportation of the animals from the country. Political upheaval and uncertainty in the past 40 years has disrupted many breeding programs in Peru and caused concern that the continuation of the Alpaca breeding program might be in jeopardy. The Peruvians decided that for the health of the species they needed to allow exportation so that Alpaca herds could develop and thrive in other countries. In 1984 a group of entrepeneurs from the U.S. coordinated the first importation of Alpacas into the United States. Since that first importation there have been several others and some breeders began to be concerned that the quality of the animals being imported would begin to deteriorate. It was determined that a registry would be necessary to provide a measure of basic conformational and health standards for Alpacas entering the country The Alpaca Registry was developed as an offshoot of the Llama registry where the bloodlines of each animal are documented and stored. The Alpaca registry has now been closed, meaning that only offspring of registered alpacas can be registered now. We work with the bloodlines that were originally brought in by those first intrepid investors.
WHERE DO ALPACAS COME FROM?
Alpacas come from South America. They live mostly in the Altiplano region of Peru, Bolivia and Chile at an altitude of between 14,000 and 17,000 feet above sea level. Alpacas were domesticated around 7000 years ago and used as an integral commodity in the marketplaces of the Incan culture of South America. Alpacas were a renewable resource that could support an entire family with just a small herd. Alpacas provided fiber for clothing and textiles, fuel (dung) for heating and cooking, meat and each year there were new animals for trade or sale.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DIFFERENT TYPE OF FIBER?
The Huacaya is the most common Alpaca. It has fiber that grows at a ninety degree angle to the body creating the woolly appearance. When you evaluate Huacaya fiber you look for crimp or crinkle in each strand, even length of fiber across the entire body, softness or handle and lack of coarse, longer fiber typically called "Guard" hair. The Suri is a much rarer Alpaca. It has fiber that grows at a forty-five degree angle to the body which makes it hang in ringlets or "Locks". When evaluating Suri fiber you look for luster or shine in the fiber, softness or handle that makes it feel silky or slick to the touch. This shine and silkiness is the result of the longer scale length on each fiber. The finest Suri will have even length of fiber and consistent locking of the fiber throughout the coat. This makes the best Suri look like they have a million little wet dreadlocks.
WHAT DO ALPACAS EAT?
Alpacas graze on pasture, orchard grass or grass hay. Any nutrients that they cannot find in their grazing can be easily added through a mineral supplement. To discover which elements are missing, Aurness Alpacas sends a sample of forage to a lab for testing. Then a mineral supplement, or crumble, is created with the right balance of Zinc, Selenium, Copper and other trace minerals to make their diet complete.
ARE ALPACAS DIFFICULT TO CARE FOR? DO THEY REQUIRE A GREAT DEAL OF MANAGEMENT?
Alpacas are a very hardy species of animal. They have adapted successfully from their rugged terrain in the Andes to the comfortable pastures of North America. They require food, shelter and a clean source of water. Add once yearly shearing, toenail trimming and worming and you have the basic care and management of an alpaca.
HOW MUCH LAND DO YOU NEED TO HOUSE ALPACAS?
Alpacas can be dry lot fed [limited/no pasture feeding] at the rate of 10 to 12 to an acre of land. If you choose to pasture graze them as their only source of forage then you should keep between 2-5 to an acre of pasture.
DO ALPACAS GET ALONG WITH OTHER LIVESTOCK?
Alpacas are herd animals. They will run from anything that scares them. They should be kept in a secure fenced area for safety from predators but they have very little issue with Goats, Sheep and other small livestock. It is not recommended to pasture them with cattle or horses simply because of the size difference.
DO ALPACAS BITE AND SPIT?
Alpacas have a bottom row of 6 teeth and a hard upper palate for foraging grasses. They cannot bite due to the lack of upper teeth. They do develop canine teeth or "Fighting teeth" at about 2 years of age. These can easily be trimmed by your veterinarian to avoid their use during neck wrestling bouts or other natural behaviors to test for dominance in the herd. As for the spitting, alpacas can spit but they usually reserve this special communication for other alpacas who crowd them at the feeding station or invade their space at the water trough.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL THE WASTE?
An alpaca’s digestive system makes them very efficient users of food. Because of this efficiency, Alpaca dung is an excellent fertilizer. Alpaca’s very alkaline diet creates dung which is so low in acid that you can use it immediately in your garden or on your most precious plants.
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