Alpaca Facts

How long do Alpacas live ?
Alpacas live for 15 - 20 years.

How big do Alpacas grow ?
Alpacas typically reach 40-50 kg at 12 months. Some females never grow much beyond 50 kg, but some reach 70-80 kg (which is a typical weight for a stud male). Alpaca cria should be 7-8 kilos at birth: they can weigh as much as 12-13 kg; if below 7 kg, they might be premature.

How often should you shear an Alpaca ?
Alpaca fibre grows 4-5" per year and are usually shown once a year. Suri alpaca fibre grows 6-8" in a year. Because alpacas are very clean, it is possible to miss shearing to create a longer staple (for hand spinning or worsted). Cria born early in the year should be shorn their first summer: otherwise their fleeces grow too long and, because the baby fleece is very fine, can get full of debris and almost useless.

What diseases do Alpacas get ?
Alpacas are pretty hardy but they need to be injected against the same things as sheep: worms (Dectomax/Ivomec) and chlostrydial diseases (Heptovac). They can get Foot & Mouth and TB; but they are less prone to these diseases than sheep, and their symptoms are less severe.

Do Alpacas need a shelter ?
The usual answer is yes, but they are very hardy (on the South American Altiplano, the temperature can vary 40 degrees C in 24 hours !). My alpacas do not mind the rain and very rarely use their shelter; but a shelter can be very useful in emergencies, to keep a weak cria warm, etc.. They do not at all like wind: if there is no natural shelter from wind (hedges, walls, trees) an artificial wind break is essential.

How many Alpacas should I have ?
Alpacas like to be part of a gang, so you should never have a single alpaca - or a single female, even with two male companions. Two boys together is OK, or two mums with at least one cria or a gelded male.

How many Alpacas per acre ?
People will quote you 6-8-10 per acre, but I believe this could be completely unrealistic. Do not exceed 3-4 per acre for the first year. Depending on whether you are breeding, how many paddocks you divide your acreage into, etc. etc., you will see over your first year how the pattern of your grass growth fits your alpacas' needs. Because they have padded feet, alpacas do not poach ground like sheep or cattle.

What feed do alpacas need ?
Alpacas are very efficient converters of forage, and in South America their diet is much poorer than the worst grazing the UK can offer them. They need hay (or haylage) at least during the winter, and some low protein concentrate nuts. They are used to a highly mineralised diet (copper, magnesium, selenium etc.) and there are several specialist camelid feeds available.

How easy are alpacas to transport ?
Alpacas travel very well, in the back of a trailer or van: they usually sit down very soon after departure. For longer journeys (say, over 2 hours), they should be given a comfort break (just a short stop in a layby for 5-10 minutes) ! When stressed they retain pee/pooh (not just when travelling), and retaining for too long can cause kidney failure.

Are alpacas easy to halter train ?
Yes. Some are much easier than others, and there are various different ways of approaching it. Once trained, they remember. Training your alpacas is both immensely good fun but also makes them much easier to treat/transport and, most importantly, sell.

When can Alpacas be mated ?
Some alpacas will get pregnant when less than 12 months old, but the trend in the UK is not to mate them until 18-24 months. If you are hoping your female will stay healthy and keep breeding regularly in her teens, why not allow her to grow a good strong frame before she is mated ?

Alpacas are induced ovulators so are able to get pregnant at any time of year. But breeders in the UK are moving away from year round breeding: I would ideally like (fat chance) all my mums to give birth in the three months from mid-March.