Brief history of alpacas
Alpacas are members of the camel family, specifically South American Camelids, which includes alpaca, vicuna, llama and guanaco. Indigenous to Peru, Boliva and Chile, alpacas were domesticated over six thousand years ago.
The arrival of the Spanish in South America resulted in wholesale slaughter of these animals and the introduction of sheep and cattle. The Aymara and Quechua people are considered the traditional owners of alpacas, who fled from the Spanish to the altiplano (highlands) with their alpaca herds. Today, some four million alpacas are farmed in South America.
Considering owning alpacas?
As members of the Alpaca Association of New Zealand, we highly recommend anyone interested in owning alpacas join the association.
Alpacas as a hobby
If you have a few acres and are considering livestock, alpacas may be the choice for you. Stocking rate is dependent on your land. We recommend 5 alpacas per acre. Wethers are ideal for lifestyle owners – easy to handle and if you intend to use the fleece, we suggest you purchase good quality boys that have fine, dense fleeces.
Alpacas as a business
As with any business venture, you get out of it what you put into it. A business plan is a must. Alpacas have one cria a year, so returns on investment do take time.
Breeding Goals
If you’re new to the industry, we suggest that you visit a number of breeders, attend alpaca shows and put your hands on animals to learn about the differences in fleece quality. Establishing breeding goals will assist in purchasing decisions such as breeding for certain qualities – white, colours, black etc. You may decide to breed alpacas for the pet market, targeting small block owners.
A few tips on caring for alpacas
Alpacas are generally easy care livestock. There are routine tasks that need to be done, as with all livestock.
Clean water supply
Sufficient pasture—don’t overstock
Hay available at all times
Offer shade in summer and shelter from wind and rain in colder months
Check condition of alpacas at least monthly—body score
Trim toenails as needed—more regularly for white alpacas
Do faecal egg testing or send samples to your vet to keep on top of internal parasites. Drench if required and not as a routine procedure to avoid resistance
5 in 1 is the most common vaccine used for alpacas, typically administered to cria at 4 to 8 weeks old and a booster a month later. Adults can be vaccinated annually.
Give Vitamin D in winter
Shear annually—before summer heat
Monitor pregnant females close to birthing
Enjoy your alpacas!
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