Alpaca Ranching

[Old GI]

Well, after a few years of research, we just signed the papers for our soon-to-be alpaca herd. Three yearling "fiber boys", a pregnant female and a companion barren female. It's time to put the homestead to use (35 acres of prairie grazing land with an eight stall barn). We pick them up after spring shearing; in the meantime, we're spending time at their current home learning more about the care, etc. Our intent is mainly fiber production and not get into the high price pedigree show animals.

[crashdive123]

Cool. Looking forward to reading and seeing more about this.

[Pal334]

Good idea. By the way are they edible?

[crashdive123]

Good idea. By the way are they edible?

Only if that whole fiber thing doesn't work out.

[Rick]

Of course they are. He told you they were high fiber. Sheeeeesh.

Old GI - Good luck on the ranching thing. I know those rascals aren't cheap to purchase then you toss in vet bills and all the rest and it can become pretty expensive. Have your own vet check them out prior to acceptance to make certain there's nothing wrong before you get them. Not that the buyer would try anything underhanded but things just happen sometimes. Looking forward to pics and any info you share. Good luck!!!

[Old GI]

Thanks for the great advice. We're getting a great deal on them but we are aware of all the costs involved. One of the reasons the ladies are spending time at the seller ranch which isn't that far away is hands-on learning; they also give adiscount for helping out there. I'm concentrating on ranch layout and fencing improvements as most of what we have is barbed wire range fencing and that won't cut it with the resident coyotes. And, of course, the business end (read tax breaks as alpacas have been declared livestock versus pets).

[Rick]

It sounds like you have the division of work allocated correctly. It would have to be a HUGE discount if I were cleaning Alpaca poop.

[crashdive123]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJF_mefOWfA

[Rick]

Most commercials I find nearly insulting. However, I get a kick of those. Around here they ran for about 2 weeks just talking about how dedicated they were and how ready, blah, blah, blah. Then they started running different scenarios like that that they responded to. One was a broken fish aquarium. I must have been 100 gallons and some little kid with his head down and dozens of fish in glasses and jars spread around the room. It was pretty funny.

[kyratshooter]

Don't worry too much about the coyotes, the male alpacas will hunt them down and kill them. I raised llamas for a while and they eliminated the coyote problem. I have watched the male llamas run down and kill coyotes. South American foxes are the animal's only natural predator and they are genetically predisposed to hunt down and kick the $%!t out of anything that looks like a dog.

My blue heeler hated those llamas!

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Don't worry too much about the coyotes, the male alpacas will hunt them down and kill them. I raised llamas for a while and they eliminated the coyote problem. I have watched the male llamas run down and kill coyotes. South American foxes are the animal's only natural predator and they are genetically predisposed to hunt down and kick the $%!t out of anything that looks like a dog.

My blue heeler hated those llamas!

What Kyrat said....I had a stray dog problem untill I bought the medium donkey. No strays around here anymore.

[Old GI]

It's time ---- to announce the not-so-grand opening of Windward West Alpacas (soon to be llc) out on the prairie east of Colorado Springs. In the first post I gave some very low numbers of animals expected; well, we are now at 28 alpacas and one big guard llama (and is he ever protective!). Our also very protective English Mastiff and he have reached a tentative cease fire. The dog has the house and outlying areas and the llama has the fenced areas. The llama also protects all including people, the new barn kitties (he pushes them back when they stray too far from the barn), etc.

We are concentrating on the fiber production end; the breeding may come later.

Bride and her sister have been doing all the manual labor that I can't do and are taking classes in spinning, loom, etc. as we have the fiber from this shearing this spring. Expect the processing to start shortly depending on time and added value of each stage of this part of the effort.

[crashdive123]

Bride and her sister have been doing all the manual labor

All of you nay sayers that said Old GI wasn't smart......TAKE THAT!!!

[LowKey]

Seriously though, can you eat them?
A guy near here raises them. His herd (and his fenceline) keeps getting bigger. To me they look like long-necked deer.....