To make sure your alpacas farming adventure is successful, you need to place great importance and invest time in choosing the right animals as your starting herd. Because alpacas are herd animals, you will need at least 2 alpacas when you start your farm. Companion animals, such as goats or horses, have not been shown to be effective. Choosing which two or more alpacas to buy should be based first on what you want your farm to produce and then on your personal preferences.
Alpaca farms fall mainly into two categories: fleece (wool) production and breeding farms. If you have enough time and/or space; you may be able to achieve both categories; However, when you start out, you really should choose one of these areas as you plan to expand as you grow. Too many goals early on, while you’re on the learning curve of working with these animals, will make all your efforts weaker and more prone to failure.
If you’re buying animals for fleece, the texture and color of the fleece may be the most important traits you’ll look for in your starter alpacas. There are two types of alpaca wool; Suri, which is straight, long and silky (and very rare) and Huacaya, which is dense, curly (or wavy) and has a more woolly feel. Accoyo is a type of huacaya fleece, from animals raised in Peru.
If you are going to buy animals to start your own breeding program to sell alpacas, then you will look at the animals’ health, their physical conformation, and their personality characteristics (tame and friendly). You should also be careful to buy females and males that are not related to each other, this will give you healthier babies, called pups, as well as the ability to strengthen the best traits and eliminate weaknesses.
Now that you have basic guidelines, you can start your animal search right on the internet. Do a search for alpaca breeders in your region and schedule visits with as many as you can. Knowing that you have another date can prevent you from making an impulse purchase of an alpaca, and realizing that this will be tempting, as these are very tame animals, very cute animals, and you will be tempted to make your purchase quickly. Remember that you have several appointments and you must keep your decisions until you have completed all your visits. This will also allow you to see all available colors and, if you are starting a breeding program, choose animals that are not closely related.
You can have your alpaca shipped to you, but do your homework! A bad carrier can seriously stress your new animal and while it may have left the breeder healthy, you may be dealing with diarrhea and weight loss for the first few weeks. So make sure your transporter takes frequent breaks, doesn’t crowd the trailer too many animals, and provides fresh water and feed at every stop. Be sure to write a very specific contract if you are buying long distance.
If you’re inspecting an animal for breeding purposes, then you’ll want to note if the female has given birth before, making sure she’s fertile. Same for any male if he plans to buy a herd bull. You must draw up a purchase contract that includes promises from the seller that the animal will meet the health and reproductive criteria. You can also buy a female that is already pregnant.
These gentle animals can live on one acre for up to 5 alpacas, making them a perfect choice for small hobby farms. They are full of personality and are light eaters. They adapt to most weather conditions and provide you with a luxurious fleece. His alpacas breeding It should be fun, and if you choose your first animals well, you can turn a profit within a few years of starting your new alpaca farm.