WHY ALPACAS?
Alpacas are a much smaller size then most livestock and of course, less difficult to attend to such as giving immunizations, deworming, nail clipping, health checks or in any emergencies they might encounter.
An adult alpaca will weigh between 50 and 100 kg while a newborn cria (baby alpaca) will weigh 6 to 10 kg.
Our grand children can easily help us move them from pen to pen, restrain them and vaccinate them. A simple "hug" over both the shoulders and the hips is quite often enough to check an alpaca. Try that with a cow? No need for a squeeze chute although we now have an alpaca chute.
Even a greater advantage of size is a cria in a difficult location. One person can very easily carry a cria to safety. We like to separate our moms and crias from the rest of the herd for a few days after birthing to aid in bonding. Of course, separation is only a light fence between them and the herd. It is important the mom will not feel isolated. Herd instincts and the feeling of protection and safety are important.
BIRTHING is usually during the day and is usually easy. We have had about 100 crias born here and all have been born during the day and needing little or no help. We do like to be close in case of complications. This is a little different then our cows where a heifer may need some help. Pulling a calf is quite an ordeal.
Alpacas do not lick their crias dry. They usually dry in the sun but we assist with a towel or hair dryer if the weather is cold or windy. These babes do well with little help and are up staggering around within a half hour and will nurse fairly quickly.
Alpacas are people animals which means they easily become PETS. They are very smart, alert and easy to halter break. Alpacas are a clean animal and have little or no odor. Although these animals startle easy and are a flight animal, they are very inquisitive, charming and loveable. They have exquisite soft warm fleece, intriguing temperaments and beautiful big innocent eyes. Like other animals and humans each one of our animals has their own distinct personality. One of the reasons we picked alpacas was the animal is not slaughtered for meat but sheared every year for its fine dense warm fibre.
Due to the smaller size of the alpaca we, of course, need LESS FEED. On alpace needs about 2 small square bales of hay a month. Hay is the major staple and should be at least 10% protein for adults unless lactating +/or pregnant. In this case it is ideal to up the protein levels 3-5%. We had a field of wild grasses with no alfalfa or clover, a feed we felt had little nutritional value. We cleared the field for seeding by cutting and baleing the grass for bedding. With winter approaching quickly we moved the alpacas to the winter pens, bedded the barns with these bales and put good hay in the feeders. They quite promptly ate all the bedding then went outside to sleep leaving all that good quality hay in the feeders untouched?
Because alpacas will overgraze a pasture we rotate pasture to maintain healthy grass. We do not grow timothy grass because it easily gets caught in the fleece damaging it. Because of our bitterly cold winters we supplement our animals with grain especially pregnant and lactating females. Mineral and vitamin supplements are set out free choice and of course constant water supply.
Another very intriguing characteristic of alpacas is the "DUNG PILE". What a great alpaca invention. These animals have a communal area where they all pass their urine and feces in one spot and will not lie in this area nor will they eat the immediate grass around it. This makes it much easier for us to clean it up. Of course, if the pile gets to big and to well used and it doesn't get hauled away, they will have a new surprise for you - a new dung pile - 10-20 feet away.
Female alpacas do not go into heat. They come around (ovulate) when introduced to a male. Some breeders use field breeding where they put a male out with a few select females until they are bred. We prefer to put the selected male and female in a paddock just for the breeding. If receptive the female will "cush" for the male to mount her. Don't be surprised if your male gets very vocal and sometimes quite loud. This was an eye-opening experience for our neighbors who happen to drop in for a visit at this unusual time. When it is over we return the female back to her own group. If when the female is introduced to the male and she runs, kicks and spits she is unreceptive and most likely pregnant. This is a "SPITOFF" and the easiest way to check for pregnancy. Ultra-sounds or progesterone levels are a more accurate. Females mature at about one year but we wait until they have some height and weight at about 18-24 months. Males may mature as early as 18 months but possibly not until they are three years old.
Fencing was one of the problems we ran into. You fence to keep the predators out. Alpacas soon learn and recognize the fence as protection. We had one male alpaca who, during a scuffle with a few other males ended outside the paddock on the open field side. He was absolutely frantic until we opened a gate and he could scurry back into his pen.
We put up field fencing which has graduated openings with the larger openings on the top. We found these openings were just big enough for an alpaca to push their head through for the grass on the other side. There is always one alpaca that can't get free and believe me when I say "alpacas have no back up when your pulling them back". One hundred fifty pound animal and who wins? Any new fencing going up now will have 2"x4" openings all the way to the top. Chain link fencing is super but much more expensive.
Sagging is another problem of field fencing. It sags with age and some of our males soon found out they could help the sagging and -- out they went -- down the alley and 'lo and behold - a beautiful site - a whole pen of beautiful girls (alpacas). Sure kept our collie busy until we got there to help. Quite a rodeo. They were downright put off with us. They very reluctantly had to return to their own pen. - now with rails along the top. Another measure we will incorporate into future fencing.
Alpacas will sound an alarm (like a high pitched chirp) when they feel threatened. This alerts the other alpacas, our dog and eventually us. In our area we have moose, bears, coyotes, stray dogs and occassionally a cougar. We just haven't found a solution to fence out the ravens which can be quite a threat to a newborn cria. We had a female and a newborn cria in a 10x30 foot paddock by a little barn. Seven ravens were skattered around on the fence, on the barn and all squawking at the mother who was standing over her baby until help arrived. The ravens now stay off quite a distance after we gave them quite a scare.
Alpacas don't seem to mind deer grazing with them. However, our collie sometimes is a little bit mystified about what to do with them. One day he insisted on me going with him. I had no idea what the problems was because he didn't seem threatened or upset. I found a half grown fawn in the males pen that was unable to jump the five foot fence to follow the doe. (The doe was in the trees out of sight.) Nemo (the collie) was fine once I let him know the fawn was OK with us but now I had a new problem. Garry was several hundred miles away so enter 3 young grandsons and one wildlife officer. One young, very upset fawn was promptly caught (upside down) and returned to the mother.
