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Personality:
Alpacas are delightful, curious, friendly and playful with enough quirks and whimsy to make each unique. They need the company of other alpacas and thrive on routine. The herd share one or two communal dung piles, so daily clean-up is easy. They communicate through soft humming and occasional spitting. One or two alpacas usually serve as leaders and will sound an alarm call, very much like a car alarm, when they sense danger.
Conformation:
Alpacas average 36" at the shoulder and weigh 130 to 200 pounds. They have padded feet with toenails rather than hooves, so they do not compact the ground. They gently clip grass with lower front teeth against a hard upper palate and they chew cud. Males mature at 24-36 months; females are ready to breed at 15-24 months. Gestation is 11½ months with single births. Ovulation is induced at breeding and females are ready to be re-bred about 18 days after delivery.
Fiber:
Alpaca fiber is luxuriously soft, warmer and stronger than wool, and hypo-allergenic. It comes in 22 natural colors and can easily be dyed. The fleece is shorn once a year, yielding 5 to 10 pounds per animal.
Care:
Alpacas need little space (5 -10 per acre) and minimal shelter from wind and rain. Small feedings of grain one or twice a day, access to pasture and/or hay and minerals, and fresh water satisfy their nutritional needs. Occasional nail trimming and parasite control complete their basic routine care.
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