Alpacas are native to South America and are found at high altitudes especially in the Andes of Chile, Peru and Bolivia. This said they have adapted very well to living conditions found here in the UK. When you first set eyes on an alpaca it’s difficult to imagine that they belong to the same family as the humped camels you see in africa, but they are in fact all part of the camelid family. The camelid family has four species, llama, guanico, alpaca, and vicuna. There are two types of alpaca – Suri and Huacaya.

The Huacaya alpaca is the one most often seen in the UK. The Huacaya’s have fleece that stands out from the body giving a fluffy appearance it has a crimp or wave similar to sheep wool.

The Suri’s long fiber grows down along the body, hanging in long, separate, distinctive locks. These individual locks are made up of lustrous fibers which drape down the side of the body in a twisted or flat structure of different proportions called “penciling”. The gentle draping of the fiber gives the suri a graceful appearance.

· Lifespan:          15 – 20+ years
· Height:              32″- 39” (81 – 100 cm) at the shoulder
· Birth Weight:    6 – 8 kg (13 – 18 lbs)
· Adult Weight:   60 – 90 kg (132 – 198 lbs)

Alpacas come in lots of colours there are 22 internationally recognised natural shades and in Peru they say as many as 52, but in the UK our breed registry only recognises 12. The fibre is warm, lightweight and incredibly soft. Surprisingly tough and hardwearing it is ideal for processing. The structure of alpaca fibre gives products made from pure alpaca amazing thermal and water-resistant properties. It’s superb handle, lustre and silky feel ensures it is much sought after in Europe, Asia and the USA for use in high quality knitwear and textiles. Interestingly many people who are allergic to sheep’s wool are not allergic to the fleece from an alpaca.

• Females are sexually mature from between 12 – 18 months of age, but this will depend on the individual female and how well grown she is.
• Males are sexually interested from an early age but not usually fertile until they are between 18 months and 3 years.
• Female alpacas are “induced ovulators” (like cats) so do not produce an egg until stimulated by mating, meaning they can be bred at any time of the year.
• Alpacas mate in the “cush” position and if a female is not receptive (already pregnant) she will refuse to sit down and will probably spit at the male. This spitting response is known as a “spit-off” and used to monitor the progress of the pregnancy.
• Gestation is usually between 11 – 12 months but many females have been known to go for over a year!
• Alpacas usually give birth during daylight hours and seldom need assistance. Within 2 – 3 hours the cria (baby) should be up and walking about, looking to mum for it’s first feed.
• Twins are extremely rare and rarely compatible with life.
• Females are usually re-mated around 14 days after giving birth.
• The cria are weaned at between 5 – 6 months old.

Not all alpacas spit, but all are capable of doing so!. Spitting is their natural defence mechanism and seems to have proven very effective over the years.  Quite often the projectile contains only air and a little saliva, although alpacas commonly bring up acidic stomach contents (generally a green grassy mix) and project it onto their chosen target. Spitting is mostly reserved for other alpacas, but an alpaca will occasionally spit at a human if they feel under pressure.

For alpacas, spitting results in what is called “sour mouth”.  Sour mouth is characterized by a loose-hanging lower lip and a gaping mouth. This is caused by the stomach acids and unpleasant taste of the contents as they pass out of the mouth.

Alpacas are normally shorn once a year and usually in spring, but depending on the growth rate of their fleece they can be left for 2 years. Shearing is the biggest maintenance required and usually takes around five to ten minutes per animal for an experienced alpaca shearer.

Most alpacas are shorn by lying them down on the shearing board / shearing table and restraining them in a rope harness. This ensures that the animal is kept as still as possible, to be shorn with the minimum of fuss and without undue stress.  A very small percentage of alpacas are shorn standing up.

Shearing is also an ideal time to have your alpaca’s teeth and toenails checked and trimmed if necessary.

Alpacas have a stocking rate of about 5 per acre, obvious consideration has to be taken in regard to land rotation. A four foot sheep fence is ideal although they do not seem to challenge fencing, its more a case of keeping others out than keeping alpacas in. They are curious animals so make sure that the fencing can not tear or catch their fleece (barbed wire is not a good choice) and that they can not get their heads stuck in it! More than one paddock is ideal, this allows you to alternate their pasture areas and separate them if needed.

As alpacas have cloven hooves (soft padded feet) they do not damage the land in the way horses and cattle do. Alpacas live outside all year round but a field shelter is useful for pregnant females and young stock in areas that are exposed to extreme weather.

No, they are herd animals and do not like to be kept on their own.  It is best to have at least 3 and remember that females always need at least one other female with them.

Yes, it is becoming much more common to see alpacas out with other breeds including horses, sheep, chickens and goats.

In fact alpacas make excellent guard animals and will help to protect lambs and chickens from fox attacks.

Alpacas are ruminants and they have a 3 chambered stomach (the first stomach is a big “fermentation vat” for all the hay and grass that they eat. The second and third stomachs extract the nutritional components from their food intake) and they chew cud in the same way a cow does. They are grazers and they love to graze. Grass is their main staple but they must also have access to hay at all times.  We would also recommend a feed supplement once a day which gives them a correct balance of minerals and vitamins.  One important rule to remember is to introduce any changes to the diet gradually over a period of a couple of weeks.This way the microbes in the gut have time to adjust to any feed changes.

Alpacas are excellent travelers once loaded, horseboxes or trailers are ideal, they will lie down and relax, only getting up to wee if you stop at traffic lights etc!