What is an Alpaca? An alpaca is a member of the South American Camelid family which includes llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicunas. Alpacas are grown for their luxurious fleece which is extremely soft and warm (see above). They are not pack animals.
A male is called a Macho, a female a Hembra, a baby, a Cria. Alpacas have a much wider variation in the length of their pregnancies than most species. The gestation period for a female alpaca averages 355 days and can be anywhere between 315 and 370 days. Curiously, spring matings often result in longer pregnancies while fall matings result in shorter ones!
The forage should be endophyte free. Preferred grasses are Orchard grass, Annual Rye grass, Kentucky Blue grass, Brome, and Tall Fescue. Grasses to avoid because they coarsen fibers with their high protein content are Timothy and alfalfa. Clover is great for the soil in small amounts but red clovershould be avoided. Alpacas also love Chamomile!
Alpacas only need a 3 sided structure to get out of the wind and inclement weather. Humans need a barn to store tools, hay and feel good about themselves! Our barn measures 12'x20' with a loft for hay and 4 divisions which can be divided into 7 if we need to. We found that "dutch doors" are a must. It has a 6" base of #2 limestone with the fines which is fantastic for drainage and odor reduction.
Fencing is very important! It's there to keep predators out, not alpacas in! We installed 2/4/60 mesh fencing with 10' posts, and electric fencing at the top (to discourage climbers) and about 10" from the ground (to discourage diggers). The finished height of the fence is 60". We also lined the base of the fence with rock to discourage diggers and snails or slugs. Menengeal Worm.
80% of an alpaca's nutrition should come from forage in the form of hay or pasture grass. 20% will likely come from supplemental pellets. A pasture is ideal for grazing alpacas but many are raised on "dry lots' and fed primarily hay from bales and grain.