Alpaca Sales/Services

Why raise alpacas? 

Alpacas are raised for their luxurious and soft fleece also called fiber. Alpaca fleece is compared to cashmere. Softer and warmer than wool. Alpaca fleece is known for its excellent thermal qualities and luster. Shearing alpacas once a year  is a must for the health of the alpaca. 

One shearing can produce about 5 to 10 pounds of fleece per animal, per year. This fleece can produce income in the form of sales – fleece prime coat, roving,  yarn and other sellable products. Most popular are alpaca socks, alpaca gloves, alpaca scarves, and alpaca beanies.

Income can come from alpacas in other ways as well:

  • Breeding the stud and selling the alpacas 
  • Fleece sales
  • Artisans will use alpaca fiber to produce handmade produces through spinning, weaving or knitting
  • Agritourism

I want to own alpacas. Where do I start? 

Maybe the easiest is to start with a herd of males.  Males come in a variety of choices:

  • Gelding: A male alpaca that has been castrated. 
  • Stud/Herdsire: Refers to a male alpaca used for breeding.
  • Sire: Specifically means the father of an alpaca.

Huacaya Bred female: 

  • Has been exposed successful to a male 
  • In about 350 days from a successful breeding a baby will be delivered
  • A baby alpaca is called a cria
  • Birthing starts with contraction and can last 1 – 6 hours

Huacaya Open female:

  • Open: An adult female that is not pregnant 
  • Maiden/unproven: An adult female that has not ever given birth
  • Dam: a female that has had a cria

How much does an alpaca cost? 

  • Registered alpaca can range from several hundred to tens of thousand of dollar 
  • The price is affected by the quality, genetics and desirable traits of the alpaca.
  • Registrations/ Certifications are uptained by blood cards and maintained in the Alpaca Owners Association Registry Database