Alpacas for investment

As well as being adorable, friendly creatures that are relatively easy to keep, Alpacas are also a sound investment. Once reserved for royalty alone these camelids were highly treasured for their fine coat (and still are!) even Queen Victoria used to wear dresses made from their fibre. However the really smart investor will look to breeding alpacas for this is where the highest returns can be found.

Breeding

When breeding you should expect offspring to be about an even split between male and female i.e. 50% male and 50% female - being a natural process there are of course no guarantees!

A pregnant female at two years of age born of a young dam should fetch a similar return as the initial cost of her mother. Consider a breeding life of about sixteen years, i.e. eight females and eight males. Remember to include any stud fees in your initial calculations.

Alpacas are scarce due to their slow period of gestation (11 months) and the fact that they only give birth to one cria at a time. Because of this, quality breeding stock can guarantee a good return. 

 Geldings or non-breeding males fetch from about £450 up to £1000.

 Stud males or potential stud males should fetch anything from about £3,000 to £30,000.

The price of females varies greatly from between £500 to £14000 depending on many factors.

Fleece Returns

Raw blanket fleece fetches anything from not a lot to about £20 per Kg depending on quality and demand. Expect about 2Kgs from a good quality alpaca.

Processed into yarn the returns will be considerably higher and taken further into finished product the highest profits can be achieved. A ladies sweater can be at least £100 and a mans jacket from £400.

The fleece from one alpaca can make around 5 to 8 sweaters a year!

Set the above against the costs of feed, stud fees and veterinary fees etc as well as non-recurring outlays e.g. fencing, field shelters and grassland management equipment etc. These costs are however slight compared to the returns. Alpacas are sturdy creatures so the veterinary fees are usually just for "routine maintenance".

Apart from the financial investment and great returns Alpacas also give a higher gain in lifestyle because caring for these lovely animals can be an extremely rewarding experience.