| Alpaca Husbandry |
Facts
- 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.
History
- Alpacas were first found in Peru over 6000 years ago.
- They evolved from the wild guanaco and vicuna and for thousands of years have co-existed with humans as a domesticated livestock providing food, fuel and clothing.
- Alpacas played an integral part in the culture and lifestyle of the Incas and other Indian tribes and were selectively bred for their fibre density and range of colour.
- Garments made from alpaca fibre were reserved for Incan royalty.
- With the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 17th century, the Incan civilization and the alpaca were almost wiped out.
- All available grazing land were taken over by merino sheep that had been introduced by the Spanish and the poor alpaca was forced to higher altitudes above 4000 metres.
- Although lower in numbers, these hardy alpacas adapted to the harsh climate and terrain and developed the ability to live on low protein vegetation where only the strongest survived.
- Today alpacas can be found in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England and various parts of Europe.
- The South American alpaca population has now grown to several million, the population in the rest of the world is less than 10% of this total.