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Alpacas belong to the Camelid family, which includes camels, vicuna, guanaco and llamas.

Alpacas live at high altitude where the air is very thin. Nights are cold followed by hot days, with high levels of UV rays.

Alpacas were domesticated around 6000 years ago when the Incas used them as a superior fibre producer.

Alpacas have a life span of 20 - 25 years and come in 22 natural colours.

They give birth to one cria (alpaca baby) at a time and are pregnant for an average of 11 1/2 months (350 days) they are ready to be re-mated within 2 to 3 weeks of birthing. Cria are normally born during daylight hours (usually between 7am and 2pm)

Alpaca have communal (dung piles) in their paddock which makes for easy cleaning and because of this they have less problems with worm burdens.

Alpacas are shorn once a year, although the Suri is generally shorn every other year.

The alpaca is shorn on it's side and tied by it's feet at each end. This is not hard on the alpaca. When securely tied, they are less likely to become stressed and struggle. One person holds the alpaca's head while the shearer works.

We shear at the beginning of November each year. That way our alpacas with their dense fleeces don't over heat in the hot summer months we have in Fairlie. We have a shearer who comes to us at shearing time.

Alpacas may be shorn with blade shears or electric shears.

On average, alpacas can grow around 3 to 5 kilograms of fleece a year, depending on the animal genetics. Lactating and pregnant females will generally only grow about 2 to 3 kilograms a year.

Camelids are a modified ruminant, with three stomachs unlike the true ruminant which has four. They eat less grass than most other animals and convert to energy much more efficiently. It is for these reasons that camelids can survive in areas that would otherwise be unsuitable for other domesticated animals.

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17th  July 2010