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What sort of fencing do alpacas need?
Any fencing that keeps sheep contained is satisfactory. Barbed wire is
not recommended, as alpacas do not tend to jump fences or push on fences.
They are, however, quite capable of clearing a standard fence if sufficiently
stressed.
If you live in an area known to have problem dogs the height of perimeter
fencing can be increased to reduce the risk of rogue dogs entering your
property. Dog attacks are not common but when they occur they can have disastrous
consequences.
A small yard or catch pen is extremely useful in the ease of handling
your alpacas, and also reduces stress on the animals. (2 gates at right
angles to each other in the corner of a paddock is sufficient.) Shade trees
or shelters need to be supplied in every paddock to reduce any heat stress
on the animals during summer. ^Top
What do alpacas eat?
Alpacas are principally grazers but sometimes they enjoy casual browsing.
Alpacas do best on good quality pasture and benefit from having access to
plant material with long fibres : eg. Hay.
It is important to remember to introduce any changes to the diet gradually,
over a period of a couple of weeks. This way, the microbes in the gut have
time to adjust to any feed changes.
Some gardens contain a number of plants that are toxic to most livestock
(oleander, rhododendron, laburnum etc). Care should be taken when fencing
off gardens that such plants do not overhang into alpaca areas. Likewise,
there is a long history of disasters with other livestock that have inadvertently
been fed prunings from such plants.
Alpacas need to have ready access to good quality, fresh drinking water. ^Top
How many alpacas can I run on my property?
As a general rule, one alpaca wether is equivalent to one DSE (Dry Sheep
Equivalent). If you are prepared to supplementary feed with extra hay, you
should be able to increase your stocking rate. Irrigated properties are
capable of carrying a higher DSE where it should be kept in mind that you
need to include dry feed into the alpacas diet. A pregnant alpaca is approximately
1.5 DSE and a lactating pregnant alpaca is about 2 DSE. Your local Agricultural
office should be able to help with this information. If not, ask the local
farmers, they will know. ^Top
What sort of diseases do alpacas get?
Compared with other livestock, alpacas are relatively disease free. Alpacas
do not, as a rule, suffer from fly strike as they have dry wool. They do
not require mulesing or crutching. A ‘5 in 1’ vaccine, as used
for sheep and goats, is used twice a year to protect your alpacas against
tetanus, pulpy kidney, black leg, black disease and malignant oedema.
When buying alpacas for breeding purposes it is advisable to arrange a
veterinary check to ensure you are buying a healthy animal. ^Top
Do they make good pets?
Alpacas make very good pets if they are treated well and the owners are
realistic in their expectations. The more handling they receive
as youngsters, the quieter they are as adults. Given time, most alpacas
will eat out of your hand and they are easily halter trained. Alpacas look
cute and cuddly but they generally don’t like being held, and are
particularly sensitive to being touched on or about the head. The best thing
to remember is that they are alpacas, and not dogs or cats, and should be
allowed to be alpacas. If you are planning to keep alpacas as pets, we would
advise that 2 or more alpacas is far preferable to 1, as they naturally
live in groups. ^Top
Do alpacas spit?
Spitting is a defence mechanism that an alpaca uses as quite an effective
deterrent. The material they spit is basically regurgitated or recently
chewed grass and it brushes off when dry. It does have a distinctive and
somewhat offensive odour and it is best to avoid being a target. It is,
however, quite rare that alpacas spit at people. It is normally used in
the pecking order between other alpacas. If a human hit occurs, it is usually
because the person has not read the signs properly when stepping between
two squabbling alpacas. ^Top
How often are alpacas shorn?
Alpacas are shorn once a year, usually in spring. Shearing usually takes
around five to ten minutes per animal for an experienced alpaca shearer
. If you are purchasing your first alpacas, speak to us about our recommendations
regarding shearers, or we can arrange to bring the alpacas back to the property
on shearing day at a reasonable rate. ^Top
How do you transport alpacas?
We use a horse float, but, they will travel in a covered trailer and some
breeders use small vans. Most alpacas will sit, (cush) during the journey
and travel best in the company of another alpaca. On long trips, over two
or three hours, it is advisable to stop so the alpacas can have a toilet
break. Clean hay on the floor of the vehicle will help to absorb jarring
on rough roads and also provides feed for the journey. ^Top
Can I run alpacas with other animals?
Alpacas can generally bond well with other types of animals. Naturally,
alpacas and aggressive dogs are not a good combination, but there are many
cases of quiet dogs mixing well with alpacas. Individual alpacas have been
very successfully run with sheep and goats to act as fox guards. The alpacas
tend to bond with the foster herd and they are naturally aggressive towards
foxes. If running with different livestock, alpacas will pick up the internal
parasites associated with the other animals and should be put on the same
drenching regime. Because of the risk of the alpacas being kicked, it is
not advisable to run them with cattle or horses. ^Top
When is an alpacas of breeding age?
Females become sexually mature at around 12 to 18 months of age and once
they reach 45-50kg in weight. Males become sexually active or fertile between
18 months and 3 years of age. Alpacas do not have a ”breeding season” as
such, and, providing they are receptive, females can be mated at any time
of the year. Female alpacas are ‘induced ovulators’ which means
it is the act of mating that causes them to ovulate. It is preferable, though
not essential, to avoid mid-late summer mating. Given the 11 to 12 month
gestation, this reduces the incidence of heavily pregnant females and new
cria (alpaca babies) in very hot weather.
Alpacas mate in the ‘cush’ position and if a female is not
receptive (e.g. already pregnant) she will refuse to sit down and probably
spit at the male. This rejection response, known as a ‘spit-off’,
is used in the management of the female to regularly monitor the progress
of her pregnancy. ^Top
How long is the gestation?
The average gestation period is 11 1/ 2 months or 342 days, but pregnancies
that run between 330 days or go for over a year are not uncommon. Births
are generally trouble-free and most occur before the middle of the day.
Cria should be 6-8kg at birth and most will be on their feet and drinking
within 2 to 3 hours. The mothers are often very protective and the cria
will stay with its mum until weaning at 5 to 6 months of age. Females are
usually able to be re-mated 2 to 6 weeks after giving birth. ^Top
Are they really expensive?
A number of examples may help here:
A wether (castrated male) has no breeding potential and is therefore the
cheapest alpaca to buy (around $500).
On the other hand, a high quality male with many good progeny on the ground
has a very high breeding potential and can be worth many thousands of dollars.
He can also command a high income from the stud services he provides.
Female prices are a reflection of quality, age, breeding history and to
which stud male she is mated. Females can be worth anything from a few thousand
dollars to a few tens of thousands of dollars.
Further information is available on the Alpaca Association web site or
simply contact us. ^Top
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