Alpaca farming is growing in popularity in the USA. Start raising these cool-looking mammals and learn alpaca basics, like how long alpacas live and how to harvest alpaca fibers.
When alpacas were domesticated over a thousand years ago in Peru, who knew they would become a common farm animal throughout the world? It may surprise you to learn that alpacas are no longer found in the wild, unlike their cousins the Guanacos and vicuña who still roam areas of South America.
llamas are often confused with alpacas. On the Alpaca Owners Association website, they say, “While closely related, llamas and alpacas are very different animals.” Alpacas are smaller than llamas and are mostly raised for their luxurious fleece that is comfortable in various weather conditions. Llamas are much larger than alpacas and can reach over 400 pounds while alpacas are typically less than 200 pounds.
Reasons for Choosing Alpacas
Whether you want to join in alpaca farming for fun or profit or just want a pet, alpacas come with a variety of reasons to own them. Some owners seek to raise the best “show alpacas” and a top-quality alpaca can fetch well over $10,000. Another reason for buying an alpaca is they make good pets and don’t require a lot of care or land.
One common reason for alpaca farming is to supply the clothing market with their fiber. Alpaca fiber is free of lanolin making it feel softer and warmer than sheep wool and is hypoallergenic plus flame resistant. Clothing made from alpaca fleece lasts long and doesn’t retain water. Used mainly for hats, scarfs, socks, and sweaters, alpaca fiber has become quite fashionable. Note that there are two types of alpacas–suri and huacaya, with the huacaya fleece the most common of the two used for yarn.
How to Raise Alpacas
Keeping alpacas is fairly easy. You’ll need to trim their toenails nearly every month. The breeder you bought your alpaca from or your local alpaca association can provide help in learning this and other alpaca care.
Alpacas don’t need to be bathed but some owners use a leaf blower to keep their fleece clean. Brushing can harm the quality of the fleece but might be needed prior to annual spring time shearing. If you’re showing your alpacas it can be useful to brush them before the show.
Ears need to be checked for ticks and other issues. Some costs of alpaca farming are annual veterinary visits. You’ll need to keep up to date with vaccinations, deworming, and preventative medication, and most owners will rely on a vet for help with these concerns.
Alpacas do well in most climates but in hot humid weather need shelter to keep cool. In foul weather they need a way to escape the elements with a variety of three sided structures sufficient. Keep in mind alpacas are herd animals so you’ll need to have at least two of them to keep them happy.
How Much is Alpaca Fiber Worth?
Alpaca farming income can be achieved many ways. Selling the fiber can be a good money maker for some farms. Prospective alpaca owners will want to know how much is alpaca fiber worth? Some prices paid for fiber recently were as follows; prime adult (fine) $2-3 per ounce, prime baby (fine) $3-4 per ounce, and prime royal baby (superfine) $3-5 per ounce.
Alpaca yarn and clothing is not cheap. Baby alpaca fiber is even more expensive and the best quality comes from the back and neck. The U.S. has a standardized rating scale for alpaca fiber ranging from grade 0 to grade 6. Even the length of the fiber matters, with huacaya fiber required to be between 2-5.5 inches long and suri fiber between 2-7.5 inches. Alpaca fiber that’s under 22 microns is best for clothing worn next to the skin. Other rougher fiber is suitable for outerwear, carpet, or quilting batts.
There are several alpaca fiber buyers to choose from including mills, co-ops, fiber pools, spinners guilds, and fiber arts guilds. Co-ops and fiber pools tend to have collection sites that cut the cost of shipping fiber. Some alpaca owners decide to process the fiber themselves. If you want to get top dollar and have the time, you can process your alpaca fiber on site instead of sending it off to a mill. Not long ago, on-farm processing was the most common way of processing fiber. Depending on where you live, most alpaca farming owners choose to send their entire clip for processing. On the Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association website is the member Painted Sky Alpaca Farm and Fiber Mill that raises alpacas, operates as a mill, and produces creative products.
How Long do Alpacas Live?
Before engaging in alpaca farming, it’s important to know the alpaca lifespan. According to the owners I spoke with, alpacas live 15-20 years on average. If you’re considering buying your own alpaca it’s important to know what do alpacas eat? On Three Oaks Alpaca Farm Pam Purce feeds the herd hay that she grows on part of her 80 acre farm. They also eat grass and can tolerate a bit of alfalfa. Mineral and nutritional supplements might be needed, depending on your regional conditions.
Ecotourism and Alpaca Farming
Farmers need all the extra income sources they can get. It seems that ecotourism and alpaca farming provide significant income. At Three Oaks Farm Alpacas, owner Pam Purce offers seasonal events, private tours, and educational visits designed to bring the paying public to her farm.
Pam’s former career as a school teacher makes her shine as a farm-tour guide. She used to offer events on any given day but has scaled back to Monday-Friday to provide more free time without taking a cut in her farm income. Both Pam’s private and educational tours feature a show and tell about her chickens, rabbits, miniature horses, miniature donkeys, pigs, miniature goats, a friendly turkey, and of course alpacas.
Her alpacas are the star of the show and guests get to enter the paddock and hold treats in their hands for the curious critters to nibble. The gentle alpacas bring big smiles to young and old guests. Some of these visitors end up buying an alpaca; such is the allure of the gorgeous animals. Pam has found that she has enough paying visitors to her farm to cover her expenses and even turn a profit most years.
I interviewed Phil Liske, the current president of Maryland Alpaca Breeders Association who also embraces ecotourism at his Outstanding Dreams Alpaca Farm. Phil told me, “We offer group tours and charge $5 per person and also offer farm stays on HipCamp and HarvestHost.” By offering these ways to visit his farm he estimates they derive one third of their income from ecotourism visits.
