Alpacas are gentle animals in the Camelid family, which means they are kin to camels and llamas. Alpacas were originally imported from South American, but the importations are now closed to preserve the North American herd! The number of alpacas in the U.S. recently reached over 100,000.
Alpacas are raised for their fleece which is sheared once per year. Their fleece is warmer than sheep's wool and has a higher comfort factor - which means it doesn't itch like wool. Because of the relatively low numbers of alpacas in the US there are no major mills that process the fiber. Instead it is processed in small specialty mills and by hand crafters.
Full grown alpacas are about 36" at the withers (where the neck meets the shoulders) and average about 150 pounds. Females have generally unassisted single births with a gestation period of 345 days (11-1/2 months!!). They live to be about 20 years old and can breed for most of that time. Breeding age is about 2-3 years old. They are induced ovulators which means you have to keep the males and females separate! They are selectively bred to improve the quality of the fleece and the conformation of the female.
Alpacas graze on grass and eat hay and are provided with about 1 cup of feed per day. They are ruminants with a 3-chambered stomach which means they chew their "cudd" and can spit!! But generally don't spit at us unless perhaps they are not excited about getting a shot! Females spit at the males when they are pregnant saying "stay away from me!" Their nails need trimming regularly and require deworming and vaccinations lilke all pets and livestock.
|
|