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In Memorium
Brad Neuman
 

WHAT IS AN ALPACA????

An alpaca is not a llama! But the llama and the alpaca come from the same family. Members of the camelid family, alpacas were domesticated in South America over 5000 years ago and are among the most ancient of domestic animals.

Although we raise both huacaya and suri, we specialize in the suri alpaca, the elegant and graceful "royalty" of alpacas, with their lustrous locks that feel like silk. The fiber, once reserved for Inca Royalty, grows parallel to a suri's body, hanging in long, separate, graceful locks-quite different from the soft, wooly look of huacaya alpacas. At Big Meadow Creek Alpacas, we specialize in the suri alpaca, known for their lustrous locks that feel like silk.

Suri fiber is generally more lustrous and often finer than huacaya. Suri's are rarer than huacayas.

With their smaller bone structure, alpacas are not used for backpacking. Nor are they used as guard animals. They are valued for their fleece, which is generally sheared yearly. Their fiber is medullated, hollow fiber, with very warm and insulating properties. Because it is almost free of guard hair, it doesn't have the "itch" associated with wool. Approximately 80 percent of people who are allergic to wool can wear alpaca.

Alpacas come in all sizes and colors. The average height of an alpaca is 35" at the withers, and the average weight of a mature adult is under 150 pounds--from 1/2 to 1/3 the size of a llama. The 21 recognized fiber colors range from true, non-fading black to brilliant white, with browns, reds, fawns, and rose grays. In the United States where alpacas receive more individual attention, their life span is between 18 and 20 years. Alpacas are herd animals, so having two animals is the recommended minimum. You can easily care for 5-10 animals on an acre of pasture.

The average height of an alpaca is 35" at the withers, and the average weight of a mature adult is under 150 pounds. Alpacas have soft, padded feet. They have no upper teeth, so can't bite; they eat grasses and chew a cud. Their manure, "black gold," makes the finest garden fertilizer.

The U.S. Alpaca Registry was closed to imports in December 1998. Approximately 60,000 alpacas are currently registered in this country among 4000 breeders. Self-regulated, the Alpaca Registry uses a scientifically verifiable identification system with a genealogical database that tracks ownership and pedigrees.

Alpacas as an Investment

Thinking about investing in alpacas?  We're sometimes asked why the price of some alpacas are  "so much!" We like to compare buying an alpaca to buying an oil painting. An interested buyer could buy an oil painting of Elvis Presley on velvet. That oil painting wouldn't have a great value--except to the person who purchased it. On the other hand, Van Gogh's painting "Irises" sold at a 1987 auction for $49 million. You can own a "black velvet" alpaca or you can own a "Van Gogh" alpaca. 

Reasonable financing packages are available for alpacas purchased from Big Meadow Creek Alpacas.

Caring for Alpacas

Alpacas are not difficult to care for. They require little in the way of maintenance beyond regular worming and vaccinations. Alpacas are adaptable and thrive in a wide variety of climates.

Alpacas are very intelligent and easy to train. They are very gentle and curious and make good companion animals. They are never aggressive. They have no upper teeth, so can't bite. . They require little in the way of maintenance beyond regular vaccinations. They eat grasses and chew a cud. Most breeders also use mineral supplements. Alpacas are adaptable and thrive in a wide variety of climates. Because they have soft, padded feet, they are good for the environment. Their manure, "black gold," makes the finest garden fertilizer. A natural fertilizer, you can apply it directly to your gardens to produce prize-winning vegetables and flowers.

The gestation period for an alpaca is approximately 11 months, producing only one cria (alpaca baby). Babies are generally born in the morning without assistance. Normal, healthy crias are up and nursing within an hour of birth. Alpacas can be bred almost immediately after giving birth.

Alpaca Products

We have a variety of alpaca products at the farm for sale at reasonable prices: plush, handmade teddy bears, throws, capes and sweaters, hats and gloves, and socks--you'll be amazed at their softness. This luxurious, natural fiber, once reserved for Inca nobility, is wonderful to the touch, beautiful to look at, and hypo-allergenic. Because alpaca fiber has a high thermal capacity, garments offer featherweight warmth. Alpaca socks are greatly valued by mountain climbers and hikers.

Our advice--research, research, research. The internet provides a remarkable source of information about alpacas and the farms where they are bred. Most alpaca owners are more than anxious to talk about alpacas and show them off!