I learned a lot about alpacas and how they differ from their llama cousins.
(Read the article below the Wrightsville Beach Magazine image.)
Alpacas Make Loveable Livestock
They warm your heart and warm your feet. You may have the instinct to reach out and pat their fluffy heads, but don’t. Alpacas are head shy.
“In reality, not many enjoy having that done. They like to be scratched where neck meets shoulder blade, but not their rear ends, and definitely not their heads,” says Cynthia Wilson, owner of Healing Hearts Alpaca Farm in Matthews, N.C., 17 miles southeast of Charlotte.
There are great reasons to own alpacas. The financial perks of sales and stud fees, soft and strong fleece, earth-friendly pasturing, they are a manageable size, three to four feet tall, can provide tax deductions, and increasingly popular, as pets. But pet owners need to arm themselves with all the facts about these fascinating creatures.
Gone are the days when the top male in the country, Legacy, fetched over 1 million dollars at auction in 2006. But with stud fees in the thousands and alpaca fiber selling around $6 per ounce, it can still be a lucrative business.
The price of an alpaca is determined by many factors. If you are looking for an animal just for fiber, you could pay as little as $300. The real money is in buying registered breeding animals which sell from $1,000 to $20,000, with award winners even higher.
It’s all about the fiber, sometimes referred to as the ‘fleece of the gods’. The name is reinforced by the legend that only Peruvian royals were permitted to wear clothing spun from alpaca fleece.
“Alpaca fiber quality is comparable to angora and cashmere. It is as warm as wool, one-third the weight and is moisture wicking. It is a high-end fiber, and that makes it more expensive. One of its features is that the fiber is hollow. It keeps moisture away from the body and is popular for hiking socks,” says Gary Peters, owner of Carolina Pride Alpacas farm in Maple Hill, 45 minutes north of Wilmington.
Peters points out that while alpacas are cute and fuzzy, the main thing to remember is they are livestock, not really designed to be pets, despite cute YouTube videos showing them in cars or surfing. “They are designed to produce really, really nice fiber, that is their purpose,” he says.
Sandra Hooper owned two alpaca farms, one in southwest Virginia and one in Wilmington, totaling a herd of nearly 100. She said the U.S. stock is becoming exceptional. Businessmen hand selected the best animals from Peru back in the 1980s, when laws were lifted allowing the import of alpacas.
Unlike thread count in sheets, where the higher the number the better, in alpaca fleece, the lower the micron count, the softer the feel.
“The United States is quite competitive in low-micron count alpaca fleece. Although lower micron is desirable, the American Breeders are breeding for fleeces that can be processed by American mills for exceptional end products for American buyers. That micron count generally runs 14-16,” Hooper says.
Hooper adds that alpaca fiber has a spring memory, it acclimates to your body temperature and aids in sleeping. She sells bedding and other products made of alpaca fleece locally through Eclipse and her on-line store. She also said that the fiber is being used in high fashion, with China buying up yarn as much as they can.
Alpacas are indigenous to South America and grouped in the camelid family. There are two types of alpacas, the most common is huacaya (wha-KI-uh) and the suri, whose fleece resembles dreadlocks, called pencil locks. “The suris seem popular in the south. As they run, those dreadlocks lift and air circulates underneath, it insulates them from the heat,” Hooper says.
Huacaya make up about 90 percent of alpacas in the world and look like a fluffy teddy bear with a smushed face, differing them from their llama cousins who have elongated muzzles and are much heavier and taller than alpacas.
Prices vary on skeins of alpaca yarn depending on color, quality and winning awards, which will up the price.
“I can get $6 per ounce for high quality alpaca fiber that has been hand dyed. If I’ve got three pounds of quality fleece, I can make $288 dollars from one fleece. It does take some time to do that, I have to shear, wash, we have North Carolina orange clay to get out… make sure there are no beans (fecal balls) stuck to their fleece. There’s a process for dying, wash again, dry… it is time consuming,” says Char Johnson, owner of Happy Tails Alpacas in China Grove, N.C.
“People will look at the skein and say, ‘this is expensive’, but I try to lovingly educate them on the process. I point out it takes me a year to grow, I pay for shearing and milling. Mostly customers get it (the price), but the kill shot is, ‘this is a local business trying to make a living, made here in North Carolina by a woman-owned business’. Using the strong ‘shop local’ movement… I’m not ashamed to go for that,” she says.
Increasingly, businesses need to generate revenue stream in unique ways. Johnson has created an alpaca-gram business by taking her daughter’s former 4-H project, Ronny, to deliver good news in the north Charlotte area.
“We show up on people’s doorstep with Ronny dressed in costume, to deliver whatever happy news they want me to say. We do birthday parties, gender reveals, marriage proposals. We have a 100 percent ‘yes’ rate in marriage proposals so far,” Johnson says.
Ronny has a USDA license for exhibitions, is insured, and has six years of experience interacting with humans. People have their photos made with him and are allowed to hug him. Johnson says he gets a special treat when work is done. “He is very treat-motivated,” she adds.
Johnson says that running an alpaca farm has made her more self-confident and independent, and she has seen the same effect with others.
“I saw a 4-H student blossom after working with the alpacas. She had been extremely shy but went on to become a vet tech and then join the army. I am so proud of that young lady. She actually helped train Ronny,” she says.
“Farming of any sort is never easy, but I absolutely love what I do… at the end of the day, I encourage people to be passionate about what they do,” she says.
Natural gifts and products
Aside from fiber for spinning and knitting, many end products such as socks, hats, bedding, dryer balls, fertilizer, and felted soaps are becoming popular. Alpaca products are hypo-allergenic because the fiber contains no lanolin.
Wilson said, “The dryer balls, help people with cancer or others who can’t have chemicals against their bodies. They draw moisture out of clothes, fluff your clothes up, and can cut drying time up to 30 percent, making them more earth friendly.”
Another product, felted soap prolongs the bar and makes it easier for children and elderly to use because the bar doesn’t slip as easily.
“I found a really good mentor who taught me how to shear and spin yarn,” says Lake Waccamaw alpaca farm owner Tanya Hiltz.
“I do a hodgepodge, I am into the spinning and have won first place for hand-spinning. I specialize in unique yarns, experimenting with small beaded crystals and artificial flowers or pearls… it’s more tedious, but it makes them(yarn) really unique,” Hiltz says.
Educate yourself before buying
Before purchasing your first alpacas, most owners stress the need for doing some research. Getting ready to raise alpacas requires a lot of information gathering. Alpacas need shelter, separation by gender, special halters and feed, yearly shearing, toenails trimmed, and more. Good sources of information can be found in contacting national and local owner groups.
Alpacas were introduced to the U.S. in the 1980s and now, according to the Alpaca Owners Association, Incorporated (AOAI) located in Nebraska, there are over 260,000 registered animals throughout the U.S. Ohio leads the states in registered animals with over 26,000. There are 5,000 registered with AOAI in North Carolina. The Carolina Alpaca Owners Association (CABO), lists nearly 40 farms with N.C. addresses. There are other mini-farms who are not affiliated with either. The CABO directory lists what each farm specializes in.
Wilson, a CABO member, says it is always good to have a mentor. She said CABO was created to be an educational source and a liaison between farmers and interested buyers. One thing she has learned is that the psychology of alpacas is delicate, and they ideally need to be with three or more of their own gender to develop a pecking order.
“This is where my passion lies, to educate people before they get into alpaca ownership. I suggest they go to events, talk to people, visit farms, do their research (before purchasing),”she says.
Two Kinds of Green
Alpacas are environment friendly and can be a great tax advantage for investors, many of whom own the animals, but they are boarded or agisted on others’ farms.
Anything alpacas eat is natural and they do not pull grass from the ground, they bite the tops. And unlike heavy cattle, which can tear up the soil, the soft-toed, relatively light weight alpacas, averaging 150-180 pounds, don’t stress the ground.
“They don’t disturb the environment. They don’t pull vegetation, they bite it off, more like lawn mowers. They also have a PH balanced manure. People love it for their gardens. It doesn’t have to be composted,” said Peters, who hopes to package fertilizer in the future. For now, he like other farmers will sell the manure by the bucket, or whatever container a buyer brings along in a “serve-yourself” manner.
The national owners’ group, AOA, Inc. website, is full of helpful information, listing tax publications to explore and stating some of the benefits of farm ownership, citing expenses that can be deducted or cash sheltered.
“Most importantly, you can depreciate your alpacas each year, many people are not familiar with that… There are alpacas for everyone and their business plan,” Hooper says.
To pet or not to pet
There are differing opinions on having alpacas as pets. Many ranchers love their animals but respect the fact that while they are domesticated to some degree, they are still livestock. Each animal is unique. Some like petting and human companions, others can become aggressive and go berserk.
“I agree there is a major controversy. If you ask 10 farmers you will get 20 different answers,” laughs Triple H alpaca farm owner Tanya Hiltz.
“They are not like a horse, where there is more of a bonding. Each one has its own personality… you see a kid on TV with a solo alpaca and they are best friends (allegedly). People see a cute baby alpaca and owners will get 50 inquiries for a baby, but if you are a good farm, it is not a good idea to pull a baby alpaca off their mothers to be a pet,” Hiltz says.
Hiltz says people should ask themselves what they want in a pet. Alpacas are not going to curl up with you on the couch. They are herd animals, and it is not good for them to be left alone or combined with some other animals. Some handling conditions can even bring on “berserk male syndrome”.
“Berserk-male syndrome can happen when animals associate too much with humans. When they have over-handling in early stages, they see humans as equal, and it starts as play, but it can get rough. I have a friend who was given an aggressive animal, but they didn’t tell her that. The alpaca bit a piece of her scalp. It was ‘play biting’ that turned into a really ugly dominate scene,” she says.
Alpacas do not typically bite, their teeth are for chewing cud, but Hiltz and others advise to make sure males have their fighting teeth blunted.
Aggressive behavior is the exception. Alpacas are curious creatures, compared to cats, in that way, preferring to approach rather than be approached.
“I have some (alpacas) that are very, very sweet. One will come up and want neck rubs and to hang out with me all day. I would prefer that more warnings are given to people in the unknown. The reason is to help animals, so they end up in the correct home,” Hiltz emphasizes.
Finding the right home, the right business fit is of concern for current alpaca owners. They fear people rushing out to purchase the cute animals before learning how to care for them.
One more unknown for people wanting to add alpacas to their homes or farms, dogs are predators to alpacas.
“Proper fencing is a high priority in keeping predators out. There is a distinct difference between a livestock guardian dog and a guard dog. You wouldn’t put a German Shepard with alpacas and expect that to go very well,” she says.
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Know the Lingo
The alpaca industry has its own lingo, and there are a few words that need to be learned early on.
First, alpaca babies are called crias, and they typically are born 11 months after fertilization.
Beans refer to alpaca waste, resembling rabbit beans, and do not have a foul odor. Beans are being used as fertilizer and can be mixed with waxes to make fire logs.
Agisting your alpaca means you board it.
Fiber or fleece is the fur covering alpacas.
Hum, the sound they make, not bleating, humming.
Herdsire is the name given to desirable breeding sires.
Blanket refers to the saddle area which contains the finest fleece.
Fully fleeced means an animal has not been shorn, putting it at health risk.
By Chris R. Gonzalez
END - Alpacas
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