Once a cherished treasure of the ancient Inca civilization, alpacas have now become a cherished livestock investment in North America and have earned the title of being The World's Finest Livestock Investment. Today, the fruits of owning alpacas can be seen not only in the financial gains they bring, but also in the exciting and rewarding lifestyle your whole family will enjoy.
There are two types of breeds of alpacas: the huacaya, whose fleece has a crimp or wavy quality to it; and, the suri, which has a lustrous fine fiber with no crimp. The fleece, which is comparable to cashmere, is known for its fineness, light weight and luster, and due to its lack of lanolin, or grease, alpaca fiber is easier and less expensive to process than sheep's wool.
Alpacas have been domesticated for more than 5,000 years and are a part of the camelid family. Alpacas are ruminants, like their cousin the llama, and they survive quite well on different kinds of low protein hay or pasture grass. Alpacas are relatively easy to maintain and care for and are inexpensive to raise, costing about as much to feed per month as a dog.
Alpacas were first imported into the United States in 1984 and their value provides an excellent investment opportunity for people who own one or two acres, or a hundred acres. They require no special barn or fencing, actually just a three-sided shed, and five to eight alpacas can be quite comfortable on just an acre.
Alpacas do not bite or have hooves. Their feet are padded and their gentle nature makes them wonderful companion animals to both children and adults.
With the small number of alpacas currently available in the United States, roughly 40,000, there will be a steady demand for breeding stock to continue meeting the needs of our thriving industry for many years to come. Alpacas are in strong demand, and are still selling for high prices. Due to the size of the existing herds in North America, the difficulty in importing alpacas, and their slow reproduction rate, alpacas offer high investment returns and attractive tax advantages such as expense deductions, depreciation, and the deferred recognition of accumulating wealth.
Alpacas are also fully insurable against loss, providing you with the added security you might be looking for when making an investment of this kind.
You don't have to be a farmer to raise alpacas. Alpaca breeders come from all walks of life, ranging from those who invest in alpacas as a source of income and tax shelter, and others as a source of pleasure. Some alpaca owners don't actually raise their animals on a day-to-day basis and are working toward the time when they will be able to enjoy the tranquility that comes from raising alpacas at their own place.
The alpaca industry is based on the sale of quality breeding stock. Female alpacas can begin breeding between 13 months and two years. Male alpacas begin breeding between two to three and a half years. The females produce one baby, or cria, a year during their reproductive life, which is about 20 years. Females sell for more money than males, but herdsire-quality males command the highest prices. Other factors that influence individual alpaca prices are color, conformation, fleece quality, and age.
Females are currently valued between $12,500 and $30,000. Young, unproven, high quality potential studs routinely will sell for somewhere between $7,500 and $25,000. Quality males, with unique characteristics or outstanding offspring on the ground, have sold in excess of $50,000. Alpacas are much like any other commodity; the market pays a premium for flawless examples of the breed.
Lifespan - 15 to 25 years
Average Height - 36' at the withers
Average Weight - 100 to 175 pounds, or about one-half to one-third the size of a llama
Average Gestation - 335 days
Birth - Birth weight is usually around 15 to 19 pounds. Babies can often stand within 30 minutes to one hour. Infant mortality is very low.