Decide what your goals should be
Do you want alpacas as a hobby, retirement venture, or a full-time business? How big a herd do you want, or more importantly how big a herd can you handle?
Develop a business plan
Figure out where you want your alpaca business to be in 5 years, then plan out how you can achieve your goals. Talk to your CPA about whether you should incorporate, and how to handle your finances.
Learn what to look for in an alpaca
Alpacas are judged on 2 main characteristics, confirmation and fleece quality. Confirmation includes physical characteristics such as posture, gait, bone density, bite, attitude and more. Learning to evaluate fleece is more technical, involving things such as crimp, density, coverage, consistency, shine and bundling. Learning these traits is best done in person, at a large ranch where you can put your hands on a variety of alpacas. Click here for information about visiting our ranch.
Attend alpaca shows & events
You can learn a ton of great information at one of the many shows put on by the alpaca industry. Click here for a calendar of alpaca events.
Visit local alpaca ranches
One of the best resources for finding alpaca ranches in your area is AOBA's web site, alpacainfo.com. There you can search for ranches by state. Visit as many ranches as possible, and be a sponge, soak up as much information as possible. The great thing is that most alpaca owners just love to talk about their alpacas.
What to look for when visiting an alpaca ranch
Never buy an alpaca blind, get to know the sellers, and their ranch. Look for the following:
- Cleanliness - Is the ranch reasonably clean, inside & out? Do they clean the runs or stalls regularly? Do they have plenty of clean, fresh water available?
- Helpful - Is your host friendly, taking their time answering all your questions? Or do you feel rushed, like they have more important things to do than answer your questions?
- Informed - Is your host knowledgeable, giving good, informative answers? Or are you getting short, vague responses?
- Organization - Do they keep good records? Ask for a particular alpaca's breeding or medical history and see how comprehensive it is.
- Animal quality - Do they participate in alpaca shows, and what is their show record? What about their herds lineage, do they have many big names in their backgrounds?
- Animal well being - Do all the animals look healthy? Are they friendly, allowing you to walk among them? Or do they run and scatter in fear when you approach?
- Hard sell? - Are your questions being answered with unbiased responses, or do most answers include a reason why you should buy from them?
- Community involvement - Does the ranch belong to their regional alpaca organization, and AOBA, the national alpaca organization? Are all their alpacas registered with the Alpaca Registry?
- Reliability - Most importantly, will they be willing to help you after the sale.
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Alpaca Housing
Alpacas actually prefer to be in the open, given the choice between the pasture and barn, they will pick the pasture every time. Their amazing fleece is designed to withstand the harsh mountain climate in the Andes mountains, but they still need something for shade, and shelter from sub-zero wind-chill. A simple loafing shed will suffice for a small herd, but an actual barn is more secure and convenient for efficient herd management.
Alpaca Fencing
Alpacas do not challenge fences, your fencing is actually to stop other animals from getting in. We recommend a guard animal for pastured alpacas, either an LGD (Livestock Guard Dog), or a guard llama. Then use an inexpensive "no-climb" fence to enclose an inner area where your herd can safely feed and bed down for the night.
Alpaca Equipment & supplies
Here is a list of the basics, contact us for a more detailed list.
- Scale (for monthly weight)
- Halters, lead ropes
- Hay feeders, Grain troughs & mineral feeders
- Waterer or water bucket
- Alpaca nail clippers
- Record keeping (from notebook to computer software)
- Rake & shovel
- A cria kit (for the rare birthing complication)
Alpaca Feed & Supplement
An adult alpaca eats very little, only 1-2 bales of hay a month. Your breeding males & females will need a nutritional supplement to increase health & stamina, keeping a mineral mix available is also recommended. Click here for info about our custom DVR Alpaca Ration supplement.
Alpaca Pasture management
Before pasturing your alpacas you will need to walk your field checking for any poisonous plants, or any thistles that will damage their fleece. You should also divide your pasture into several sections, so you can rotate grazing, allowing the pasture to rebound.
Alpaca Vet care
Alpacas require little professional care, aside from the rare emergency, a yearly ultrasound to confirm pregnancy is recommended but not required. Any deworming or medicinal shots you can learn to administer yourself. Still you need to find a near-by vet you can trust to be there for you if a situation arises, you don't want to wait till you have an emergency to make such an important decision. Click here for a list of recommended Colorado vets. |
