Why Alpacas?

Alpacas are a very elegant livestock, gentle, easy to handle and can be trained to the halter. They are relatively easy to keep, extremely efficient grazers, prolific fibre producers with real personality and an inherent cute factor.

Although in South America alpacas provide a cheap source of protein, outside of South America they are strictly bred, at the moment, for fibre; to slaughter one for meat in this country would mean eating the most expensive burgers in the country!

It’s a combination of all these factors and the huge potential for improvement in the genetics of alpacas that induces the basic fascination for breeding these very special animals. Alpacas are creating an interesting viable alternative for the small landowner with the ability to provide a return from a small acreage.

Various reasons people tend to keep and breed Alpacas are listed below!

• Investment:   A new and developing alternative industry. Each alpaca is rather expensive so you don’t need to sell many for a reasonable return. The larger the investment the quicker the returns.
• Fibre: Craftspeople interested in fine fibre crafts often use the fleece from Alpacas. A wonderful fibre to work with.
• Guard: sheep breeders are increasingly using llamas and alpacas as guard animals for birthing sheep. It has been recorded that they are capable of killing a fox.
• Grazing: Alpacas are sometimes used to keep grass down on areas that are difficult to mow.
• Pets: a few people have alpacas as pets as they find the gentle elegant creatures quite enchanting and have been said to cure depression!