History of Alpacas

HISTORY

They were originally domesticated by the ancient Incans in the Andes Mountians of South America.

LIFE CYCLE

Here are some interesting alpaca facts about their life cycle.

Their lifespan is about 15 – 25 years, but probably on the higher end here in the United States. American alpaca owners take good care of their alpaca investments.

They weigh about 150 pounds. They are about 36 inches at the withers where the neck meets the back and about 54 inches at the head.

Females are ready to breed around 18 – 24 months whereas males do not reach breeding maturity until 2 – 3 years. But, there are exceptions, so beware!

Alpacas can be bred year round since they are induced-ovulators, but most alpaca owners breed in the spring for spring crias.

After a gestation of about 340 - 350 days, the baby cria is born weighing about 14 – 20 pounds. Single births are generally the rule as twins are rare. Fortunately, most deliveries easily occur during the day unassisted. Crias are standing and nursing within the first hour. Crias are usually weaned about 6 months.

Alpacas hang out in herds. They should never live alone. The average herd size in the United States is about 10 - 20 alpacas.

FLEECE AND FIBER

Alpacas are shorn for their awesome fleece producing about 5 – 10 pounds of fiber annually. The textile industry loves alpaca fiber!

And alpaca fiber arts are highly desirable, too.

The natural colors are amazingly beautiful: white, beige, fawns, browns, blacks, rose grays, and silver grays. What variety!

BEHAVIOR

What about alpaca spit ? Well, they do spit, but mostly at each other. You will learn good ducking reflexes!
Alpaca sounds are distinctive – hum, orgle, and alarm. And their movements are interesting, too – kush and pronk.

Alpacas are so docile that you can usually trust them around your kids. You can even transport them in your mini-van!

And alpacas are so intelligent! You can just see their minds working! Because they are smart, they can be well-trained. They can even participate in animal assisted therapy .

If you need a good laugh, just watch your alpacas! They can be ornery one moment, but then look at you with that cute smile on their face the next moment!

HUSBANDRY

Alpaca care is relatively easy because they are hardy. In addition, there are generally few alpaca health concerns.

This makes alpaca farming much easier than other livestock. Alpaca supplies are much simpler, too.

Alpacas are herbivores eating mostly grass, hay and grain. They are also pseudoruminants . Fortunately, they are considered unclean animals for ritual purposes meaning that we should not eat them. Those alpaca burgers would be way too expensive anyway!

Alpacas can easily experience heat stress . Thus, alpaca owners shear their alpacas annually.

Their manure even makes an excellent fertilizer. It is easy to collect since alpacas use community dung piles.

Alpacas rarely challenge a fence, but fences are needed to keep out predators.

Their most common enemies in the United States are the neighborhood dogs. However, other predators such as wolves, coyotes, and bears also pose threats. Most alpaca owners use livestock guardian dogs or guardian llamas to protect their alpaca investment.