Alpaca Information

Part 3

Managing Alpacas

The following attributes make alpacas easy to manage:

  • The alpaca's feet are padded and they leave even the most delicate terrain undamaged as they browse on native grasses.

  • Alpacas don't have incisors, horns, hooves or claws.

  • They require minimal fencing and can be pastured at 5 to 10 per acre.

  • The alpaca does not usually eat or destroy trees, preferring tender grasses, which it does not pull up by the roots.

  • The alpaca is a modified ruminant with a three-compartment stomach. It converts grass and hay to energy very efficiently, eating less than other farm animals.

  • They get most of their nutrients from the grass and require minimal supplements.

  • Its camelid ancestry allows the alpaca to thrive without consuming very much water, although an abundant, fresh water supply is necessary.

  • A herd of alpacas consolidates its feces in one or two spots in the pasture, thereby controlling the spread of parasites, and making it easy to collect and compost for fertilizer.

  • Gardeners find the alpaca's rich fertilizer perfect for growing fruits and vegetables.

  • They are sheared only once per year, and produce a very fine fleece.

  • Alpacas are gentle toward humans and are safe around children.

  • They do not challenge or test fences.

  • Breeding is fairly easy, and can be done any time of the year. The female will tell you quickly if she is pregnant by spitting at the male.

  • Females generally give birth in the daytime, and usually in the morning.

Dealing with Texas Heat

The most important thing an alpaca rancher in Texas needs to learn is how to prevent heat stress in the alpacas.

" Prevention of Heat Stress" is a document produced by a rancher in Louisiana and is very good.

Two article from the Camelid Quarterly are also helpful: "Are You Ready For Summer",  "Heat Stress: Texas Style"

 

The Birth process

A wonderful article on how Alpacas are born with lots of pictures.  (from Americana Alpacas)

Shearing your Alpaca

The most comprehensive collection of information we have seen on shearing your own animal. (from Gateway Farms Alpacas)

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