Alpacas are by far, the easiest farm animal to care for. Their needs are very enjoyable and also very minimal. A quote that will go along way with alpacas,
Daily Care
- Observation - look at your alpacas everyday. Are they eating? Does one seem to stay back from the herd? Are there some that tend to eat all the grain before the others get any? Do they have runny noses or eyes?
- Fresh Water - clean water is extremely important - do not put the water buckets on the ground, the alpacas will use it for a footbath
- Hay/Forage - this is the primary diet for alpacas, make sure they have hay and/or green pastures to graze. Make sure your hay is free of mold.
- Grain/Minerals - Grain is a great supplement to hay that the alpacas love. Some farms may need to supplement with minerals depending on their grain ingredients
- Clean pastures and paddocks - just remember that clean pastures do not mean you are rid of worm/parasite issues.
Weekly Care
- Wash and Sanitize all water buckets, feed bins
- Check your pastures
Monthly Care
- Worming - use a wormer that is recommended for your area by your vet
Yearly Care
- Rabies Vaccination
- Shearing
As with any livestock or animal, you always want to make sure there are no poisonous plants that they can get in to.
General Management
Alpacas are herd animals and prefer to be with other alpacas.
Alpacas communicate with each other by ear, body, and tail positions, shrill alarms calls, or a humming sound. Spitting among themselves is used to divert annoying suitors, protect themselves from a threat, or to help establish dominance over other animals. Occasionally, they may spit at humans but only if they feel threatened.
Alpacas have a habit of sharing a communal dung pile. This makes cleanup much easier and helps reduce the spread of internal parasites. Alpaca dung can be used fresh without "burning" garden plants. The dung is usually composted then applied as fertilizer. Alpacas will not eat dung-contaminated grass, so it is not advisable to spread the dung in the areas the alpacas graze in.
Health Conditions
Alpacas in full fleece can look quite healthy and it's hard to tell if they are maintaining their weight. Therefore, it is important for you to touch these animals and feel of their actual body because the fleece can fool you.
By doing hands on exam, you can catch problems before they get out of control. The alpacas need to be at optimum weight for reproduction, breeding, fiber production and able to ward off illnesses.
Body Scoring is a way to determine your alpacas general body weight. Using a 1 - 5 scale, you can become an expert on your alpacas condition.
Here's an easy way to remember your alpacas condition:
Rounded hand - just right
Flat hand - fat
Triangular hand - thin
TO DO BODY SCORING
Step 1 - Lay the V of your hand (thumb on one side of spine, all other fingers on the other side) on your alpacas back just behind the base of his neck.
Step 2 - Assess the angle of the V your hand is forming and how much of the bony structures you can feel.
Step 3 - Score your animal using the body scoring system below.
HOW TO RAISE ALPACAS AND CAMELID BODY SCORING
1. UNDERNOURISHED - You can feel the ribs and backbone easily. No muscle or fat. IN DANGER! Quickly figure out why. Do they need worming, are they sick, poor pasture grass, etc. Fix the problem now or this alpaca might not survive. Get your vet involved.
2. THIN - You can still feel the ribs and backbone but there is muscle, too. HEADING FOR DANGER! Assess the problem and fix before they become a number one body score. Check for worms, poor feed, teeth trouble. Correct and supplement.
3. IDEAL - Your hand will fit nicely without being stretched too far or at a steep angle. There's the right amount of muscle and fat. Keep doing what you are doing, it's working great. Assess again soon to make sure they are maintaining their weight.
4. OVERWEIGHT - The angle of your hand is getting wider. It's now becoming hard to feel the boney structures. Cut back on the feed, move to another pasture with another overweight alpaca and cut back on feed. HEADING FOR DANGER!
5. OBESE - Your hand is flattening out. You can't feel any bony structures. This alpaca waddles and thighs might rub together. IN DANGER! Being this overweight is bad. Get this alpaca on a diet now.
Health Concerns
An alpaca is stoic and may not seem sick to you when they are actually
extremely ill. Write down your observations and call your vet if you are
not sure. Hesitating may be fatal to your alpaca.
This
information is a good start to learning how to raise alpacas but the
best way is hands on experience. We hope this helps you spot trouble
early and keep your alpacas in tip top healthy shape.
Preventive health is crucial in alpacas. When they are not doing well, it's very hard to determine until it's too late. It's advisable to seek veterinarian's advice for preventive health suggestions, specific nutritional requirements, or other special problems.
A regular schedule for deworming are recommended to maintain animal health, and also yearly vaccinations.
Alpacas raised where white-tailed deer are found, have the possibility of becoming infected with meningeal worm. The white-tailed deer is a natural host for this parasite. Health problems occur when the parasite is ingested and then it migrates to the central nervous system and can cause paralysis to the alpaca
Due to the climate that alpacas originated from, thin, dry air in the mountains, heat stress is a concern during hot, humid weather. A small wade pool or sprinkler systems may be needed to help keep them cool. Also, your barn should have fans for air movement.
If during these humid days, an alpaca is breathing with an open mouth, is drooling, walks with stiffness due to muscle soreness, or is unwilling to get up, assume that it is in heat stress and cool it down immediately. To cool the animal, hose the alpaca all over, immerse it in a pond or wade pool, or place ice packs under the belly, armpits, and thighs. CALL THE VET
Preventive health is crucial in alpacas. When they are not doing well, it's very hard to determine until it's too late. A regular schedule for deworming and herd maintenance are recommended.
Preventive health is crucial in alpacas. When they are not doing well, it's very hard to determine until it's too late. A regular schedule for deworming and herd maintenance are recommended.
Shearing
Shearing the Huacaya alpaca is done yearly, usually in the spring in the NorthEast regions. The Suri alpacas is shorn every other year.
It is very important that the Huacaya alpacas get shorn yearly to prevent heat stress.
The Huacaya fleece is soft and crimpy.
In shearing one alpaca, you should yield approximately 5 - 8 lbs of fiber. This fiber can be used for hand spinning right off the animal. The 22 natural colors of alpaca fiber can be made into a variety natural garments. The Fiber can also successfully be dyed.
Alpaca Fiber/Fleece
The fiber and/or fleece from the Huacaya Alpacas is one of the finest, brightest, and softest fleeces there is. It is softer and more durable than cashmere, stronger and warmer than wool, environmentally friendly, and hypo-allergenic.
The fleece from an alpaca does not contain lanolin, like wool, and this is what makes the wool itchy to a lot of consumers. Alpaca fleece is very warm, the fleece breathes and is water resistant. This gives you a nice lightweight garment that will still keep you warm.
The future for the alpaca fleece is very promising.
The ideal Huacaya's fleece should be: fine, dense, uniform, and grow perpendicular to the skin. The fleece, which grows from individual follicles in the skin, should be made up of defined staples of crimpy "bundled" fleece. These bundles should organize themselves into staples which create a dense presentation across the animal. The huacaya alpaca should be well covered with a soft, uniform fleece, except on the ears and the bridge of the nose of mature animals. The muzzle and ears should be soft to the touch. The elite alpaca has a well-defined crimp in their top knot, which continues down the neck, into the blanket the belly, and on to the tail. There should be very little medullation (coarse guard hair). The fleece should be well-nourished, exhibit a brightness or sheen, and be void of dull, dry, chalky fiber. The ideal huacaya will produce fleece as soft and as fine as cashmere.
Positive Huacaya Traits in Order of Importance:
Fineness 30%
Density 30%
Crimp 15%
Uniformity 10%
Luster or brightness 10%
Staple length 5%
Faults:
A high proportion of medulated fibre through the saddle or blanket of the fleece
Tender breaks
Muffled face on adults
Lack of density
Lack of overall coverage
Chalkiness or lack of luster/sheen/brightness
Coarse handle
Short staple length for age of fleece
Lack of Crimp