ORIGIN

Of the various Camelid species, the Alpaca and Vicuña are the most valuable fiber-bearing animals: the alpaca because of the quality and quantity of its fiber, and the vicuña because of the softness, fineness and quality of its coat. Alpacas are too small to be used as pack animals. Instead, they were bred exclusively for their fiber and meat.
Alpaca meat was once considered a delicacy by Andean inhabitants. A recent resurgence in Alpaca meat was curtailed by a recent change to Peruvian law granting the Alpaca protected status. Today, it is illegal to slaughter or trade in Alpaca meat.

There are two recognized alpaca fleece types: that of the huacaya (wa-kye-ya) which has a fine, dense, crimpy wool-like structure with excellent insulating qualities and the suri (sir-ee) which has a longer, straighter, silky textured fiber with no crimp. Both are distinct and have excellent value. 90% of the alpacas in the world are huacayas and 10% are suris.

BEHAVIOR/INTELLIGENCE
Alpacas are very social and intelligent creatures. Alpacas do spit, but normally just at each other. Rarely do alpacas spit at people. A female will spit off a male, refusing his advances if she is pregnant. Alpacas tend to be docile and easy-going creatures that get along with people and other livestock. Young alpacas are readily halter trained. Alpacas are easily herded without a dog.They are gentle, elegant, inquisitive, intelligent and observant. As they are a prey animal, they are cautious and nervous if they feel threatened. They like having their own space and may not like an unfamiliar alpaca or human getting close, especially from behind. They warn the herd about intruders by making sharp, noisy inhalations that sound like a high pitch burro bray. The herd may attack smaller predators with their front feet, and can spit and kick. Due to the soft pads on their feet, the impact of a kick is not as dangerous as that of a hoofed animal, yet it still can give quite a bruise, and the pointed nails can inflict cuts.

REPRODUCTION
Females are "induced" ovulators and therefore are ready to breed at most any time of the year, and will ovulate in response to mating. A female will normally spit off an advancing male if she is pregnant. Female alpacas can be bred back as early as 2 weeks after partrition and can start breeding as early as 12 months of age, though the recommendation for age is around 15-18 months or so depending on the weight and body score of the female. Male alpacas normally can begin to breed between 2-3 years of age, though some can begin much earlier.

A male in the act of mating, or hoping for a chance to mate, "orgles"(sings). This orgling helps to put the female in the mood, and it is believed to also help her to ovulate after mating. A male is usually ready to mate for the first time between one and three years of age. A female alpaca may fully mature (physically and mentally) between 12-24 months. It is not advisable to allow a young female to be bred until she is mature, as over breeding a young female before conception is possible is a common cause of uterine infections. As the age of maturation varies greatly between individuals, it is usually recommended that novice breeders wait until females are 18 months of age or older before initiating breeding.

The young male's penis is attached to the prepuce, and generally does not detach until one to two years of age. The penis is a very long, thin, prehensile organ that is perfectly adapted for the task of finding the vaginal opening despite a fluffy tail, penetrating the hymen (if present,) navigating the vaginal canal and entering the cervical opening, where deposit of the semen occurs.

Crias may be weaned through human intervention at approximately 6 months and 60 pounds. However, many breeders prefer to allow the female to decide when to wean her offspring. Offspring can be weaned earlier or later depending on their size and emotional maturity.

It is believed that alpacas generally live for up to 20 years and occasionally longer. Conditions and nutrition are better in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Europe than in South America, so animals live longer and are healthier.

GESTATION & BIRTHING
The gestation period is approximately 335 days or about 11 1/2 months though it's not uncommon for a female to give birth either earlier or later than her due date and can range from 320-376 days.

Alpacas normally give birth during the day and do not usually require human intervention. Out of hundreds of births that we have attended, we have yet to see a night birth. Alpacas almost always have single births, as twins are extremely rare. Shortly following birth, the mother will hum to her baby which is her way of communicating with her offspring. The average weight of a newborn alpaca is 15-19 pounds. Babies stand and usually begin nursing within 30 minutes after delivery.

ALPACAS IN NORTH AMERICA
Most alpaca herds in North America are very small, housing less than 20 animals. These hardy animals are very adaptive and at present can be found on small acreage farms from Alaska and Hawaii to Maine and througout Canada.

CARE
Alpacas are simple to care for. They require the occasional trimming of their nails and teeth. They should be shorn annually, which is normally done in the spring before temperatures get too warm. They have communal dung piles, that is they defecate in fixed areas and avoid grazing these areas thus keep parasite infestation low. They are on strict deworming programs and require annual boosters of certain vaccinations.

Once they know their owners and feel confident around them, they may allow their backs and necks to be touched. They do not like being grabbed. Once socialized well, some alpacas tolerate being stroked or petted anywhere on their bodies, although many do not like their feet, lower legs, and especially their abdomen touched or handled. If an owner needs to catch an alpaca, the neck offers a good handle - holding the neck firmly between the arms is the best way to restrain the animal. Holding the neck from the rear with the animal's head under one's arm is also very effective.

FEED
Alpacas are modified ruminants. For thousands of years, alpacas have lived where grass grows sparsely. They require low amounts of protein in their feed to produce a high quality and healthy fleece. A good quality grass hay and/or pasture are optimum. Because 6-8 alpacas require only 1 acre of pasture, they are ideal for small acreage farms. Alpacas will not normally overeat. Unlike hoofed animals, their softly padded feet are extremely easy on pastures unlike other livestock like cattle.

SHELTER
Alpacas originate in the high mountain areas of South America where they do not have any sort of protection from the harsh weather conditions. They are most content when they are outside. However some form of protection from the elements should be provided such as a 3-sided building. Alpacas will not normally challenge a fence.

MANURE
Conveniently, alpacas deposit their pellet-like manure in communal dung piles, allowing for easier clean-up and natural protection against the spread of parasites than other livestock. This low nitrogen fertilizer is a must for the garden.

LIFESPAN
Average lifespan is approximately 15-25 years. Unlike most other types of livestock, alpacas are profitable without going to the slaughterhouse.

SIZE
Adult alpacas stand approximately 3 feet tall at the shoulders or withers and weigh 100 - 180 pounds.

TERMINOLOGY
A baby alpaca is called a "cria". A female is called a "hembra" and a male is called a "macho".

TRANSPORTATION
In our experience, alpacas travel and transport very well. Upon sensing motion, they usually "kush" or lie down. Many farms have had a positive experience in transporting alpacas. In parts of South America, particularly Chile, alpacas have been known to be transported over 4500 miles via truck and boat without any problems. Many have been moved from South to North America, Australia and Japan, as well as across the United States successfully.

ALPACA TERMINOLOGY
Since alpacas are relatively new to North America, it is helpful to review some common terminology used surrounding this camelid breed:

ALTIPLANO - The high plateau in southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia located around Lake Titicaca.

BLANKET - The highest quality fleece which begins at the shoulder, runs the full length of the back and down each side until it meets the more medulated fiber on the belly. Excludes neck, leg, chest, belly, and britch. The term originated from the image of a horse's saddle blanket.

BLOODLINE - Breeder's term that alludes to pedigree.

BUNDLED STAPLES - A grouping of micro-staples that together form a larger staple. The formation of the micro-staples is determined by the arrangement and density of the follicles in the skin. Bundling is said to be an indicator of a dense fleece, due to the evenness of follicle size and consistency of shape in the skin.

OPEN FEMALE - A female that could be bred, but is not yet bred

CARDING - The final cleaning process, accomplished by either hand or machine, through which alpaca fiber goes before spinning.

CHARACTERISTIC - A specific phenotypic trait, such as crimp or fineness.

CORRECTIVE MATING - The mating of alpacas that is intended to correct faults. For example; mating a dam with a bad bite to a stud with a good bite.

CRIA - A camelid less than one year old.

CRIMP - The regular undulation along the length of an individual fiber or lock of fiber. A higher number of crimps per inch can indicate a finer fiber.

CULLING - The process that determines which animals in a herd will not be bred.

DAM - An alpaca’s mother.

DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that forms the genetic code.

DYSTOCIA - Difficulty in giving birth or being born.

FIBER - The fleece of an alpaca.

HUACAYA - (wa-kye-ya) A type of alpaca with fine fiber and a woolly appearance.

FERTILITY - The ability of a female to conceive or of a male to impregnate.

FIBER-QUALITY MALE - A male alpaca whose genetic characteristics are not worthy of breeding.

FINENESS - A measure, in microns, of the diameter of individual fibers. Most often expressed as an average for a representative sample of fiber.

GUANACO - A wild member of the New World camelidae family, Lama gunaimicoe.

GUARD HAIR - : Also kemp. Coarse medulated fiber. A second coat of fiber found in llamas, vicuna, guanacos, and, to a lesser degree, alpacas.

HEMBRA - Female alpaca or animal.

HERITABILITY - A measure of the strength of the relationship between performance (phenotypic values) and breeding values for a trait in a population. Heritability in the broad sense.

HISTOGRAM - (1) The most common graphical presentation of quantitative data. The variable of interest, such as fiber diameter measured in microns, is placed on the horizontal axis and the frequency values, such as the percentage of fibers per micron, are placed on the vertical axis. (2) A micron test report that includes administrative information provided by the identification sent in with the individual sample. The histogram on such a report depicts the measurement of 2000 fibers in scale.

HUACAYA - A breed of alpaca characterized by a well-crimped fleece that grows perpendicular to the skin.

HUARIZO - A crossbred animal. A term most often used to describe a llama-alpaca cross. Characterized by weak, medulated fiber and poor breed type.

JUVENILE - An alpaca between the age of 6 months and one year.

LLAMA - Scientific name for the genus containing llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicunas; vicunas are sometimes separated into their own genus.

LINE BREEDING - The mating of individuals within a particular line. A mating system designed to maintain a substantial degree of relationship to a highly regarded ancestor or group of ancestors without causing high levels of inbreeding.

PACO VICUNA - A crossbred or hybrid vicuna and alpaca.

PHENOTYPE - An observed category or measured level of performance for a trait in an individual.

STANDARD DEVIATION - A mathematical measure of variation that can be thought of as an average deviation from the mean. The square root of the variance.

STAPLE LENGTH - The length of a lock or length of sheared alpaca fleece.

STAPLE - An organized independent group or cluster of individual fibers. A large number of staples constitute a fleece.

SURI - A breed of alpaca characterized by lustrous locks of fleece that lay close to the body, twisting vertically toward the ground.

PUNA - The high barren tundra zone of the Andes Mountains.

QUECHUA - A group of Indian peoples of Central Peru. Original founders of the Incan civilization. Today, the Quechuan people are the primary shepherds of alpaca in the Altiplano.

PINTO - A two-colored animal characterized by large patches of color.

MICRON - the fiber diameter of the hair follicle. Used industry wide to measure the Service sire - The male that is used to breed to the female alpaca

SIRE/HERD SIRE - An alpaca’s father, or a male alpaca with the genetic characteristics desirable for breeding.

SURI - (sur-ry) a type of alpaca with tightly-wound fiber that looks like dreadlocks.

TUI FLEECE - The first fleece that is sheared from an alpaca, always the finest fleece

WEANLING - A weaned alpaca, younger than 1 year.

YEARLING - An alpaca between 1 and 2 years old.