Arris

Hi,

I'm very interested to hear from anyone who keeps Alpacas (a smaller relation of the Llama).

We have purchased 4 acres of land in Southern Alberta to build on (a while to go yet before we move out), but I like to research things & I have plenty of time.

I have always dreamed of having a small holding with a few chickens, a couple of goats a donkey or 2,........ but I have read up on alpacas & they sound perfect - hardy, friendly, easy to maintain, but i'd like to hear from anyone who actually owns some (I understand they are best kept in pairs or more as they don't like being kept on their own).

Thanks in advance,

Arris

Butch Cassidy

Where in Sthn Alberta?
I have a feeling there is a farm with Alpacas just Nth of Lethbridge.

Arris

Hey Cheers,

Fort Macleod which is 30 mins west of Lethbridge

Have looked on Google & there is one at Vauxhall, between Brooks & Lethridge, guess this is the one.

We're over later in the year, i'll see if I can persuade Hubby to take a well earned break from foundations, ceptic tanks etc. & take a look

Thanks Arris

dbd33

I don't have any but I see them all the time. When they're shorn and in the snow they're possibly the strangest looking creatures on the planet.

Arris

Yeah, they are a bit strange looking.

We would like them purely as pets, but I understand that good money can be made from their coats when they are clipped.

pennyhp

Hi Arris

I too am a fan of the Alpaca.
We are going to NB and are looking into raising some Alpacas.
Here are some lnks (if I have done them right).

www.alpacainfo.ca
www.claacanada.com
www.alpacaseller.ca

Have you kept any livestock before?
They are apparently easy to keep and you can have up to 6 per acre.
Personally I prefer Llamas as they are not so shy and are more attractive to me, but there can be profit in breeding Alpacas. I hope to have both.

Let me know how you get on.

Penny

pennyhp

Hello again.

The money to be made from Alpacas is not really from the fibre (at the moment), but from breeding animals with better and better quality fibre to sell on as breeding stock.

Have a look on Alpacaseller and see some of the prices that they can go for.

We are hoping to raise them for fun and to sell a few for a bit of extra cash.

Penny

Arris

Hi Penny,

Thanks for the links, i'll take a good look.

I've never kept livestock before, but have dreamed of doing so for years, what contentment - wellies & a pocket full of chicken feed etc.

We have a dobermann & 3 cats who will be moving over with us, I love having animals around, have grown up with animals always being around.

So you fancy Llamas aswell, how many would you like to have?

If I find anything out i'll PM you.

Cheers,

Arris

hughe

We currently own 6 alpacas but are in the process of selling them with a view to moving to Alberta in October. I can thoroughly recommend them, they are lovely creatures. They are quite shy but its possibile to build up a rapport with certain ones and then they can be quite friendly. I find them much prettier ( apart from when first shorn!) than lamas and and unlike lamas they hardly ever spit! You can take them for walks on a harness which always gets some funny looks!

They really don't take much upkeep, far less than other forms of livestock and they are very hardy. We got into it through a friend and had a couple as 'pets' at first before we began breeding. As mentioned above, the money really isn't in the fibre but in breeding - its a bit like pedigree dogs. Breeding females can be expensive though, several thousand pounds as opposed to a few hundred for a castrated male. They are social animals though and should be kept in pairs (minimum).

Good Luck!

pennyhp

Hi Hughe

Will you breed Alpacas again in Canada? They are very big in Alberta.
I know what you mean about breeding femails and the price. We intend to buy reasonable femails and breed to god machos to improve the quality of stock over time.
Mainly we want enjoy them.

Penny

Rich_007

I'm sure they are very nice and all but I wouldn't eat a whole one.

Rich.

Arris

Hi Hughe,

Cheers for the info.

We are over in Alberta this summer, so will try to visit an alpaca farm to show hubby what there like - don't know how easy that'll be as they haven't got 2 wheels & an engine

I would like them them purely as pets, so I should think going for geldings is probably the best option - 2..... possibly more

Thanks again, I may be picking your brains in the future if that's alright

Piff Poff

We went to a Exotic animal auction - expecting to see tortoises, birds, snakes and other odd stuff what we saw was mini horses, llamas and Alpacas as well as pot bellied pigs and normal horses...

Butch Cassidy

I'm getting worried about you.

Steve_P

...and you give me h*ll for editing your posts.