If someone told me five years ago I would be raising alpacas I would have laughed at them. I never dreamed I would enjoy adding these beautiful animals to our farm as much as I have.
Most of the animals on our farm are for food consumption, but the alpacas are for fiber only, which means I can fall in love with them…and that I have. If you love dogs, you will love alpacas!
Let me share with you a few reasons why I love them so much.
- They don’t care if it’s hot or cold they adapt to their surroundings quickly. It has been 10 degrees and raining and they seem just as happy as if it was sunny and bright. The only thing about the weather that I worry about is when it gets too hot. I turn a big farm fan on in their shelter and they are content.
- They only require a small pasture. Our pasture is no larger than a football field which is all they need.
- They don’t eat much. A bale of hay will last all week in the winter and I only feed them one cup of sweet grain a day. A bag of feed for the three we have lasts well over a month.
- They don’t tear up the pasture. We have split our field down the middle and rotate them between the two. Because they don’t root up the ground, the grass grows back quickly between rotating pastures.
- They produce excellent organic fertilizer for our gardens. Their beans are easy to clean up since the go in the same spot every day. Their poo doesn’t need to age so I can put it straight in our gardens.
- But most of all the fleece that they produce is a spinners dream. The fleece is totally hypoallergenic and it contains no grease or lanolin like a sheep and goats fleece does.
If you have ever toyed with the idea of adding alpacas to your farm, they truly are a farm-friendly addition. And best of all you will fall in love with these warm and cuddly animals.
A word of caution: They do like to spit and I have to stay far out of spitting range when they get in one of their moods.
You may also like to read:
Planning for Alpacas – Cost, Care, Cuteness
Thanks for stopping by!
Tracy Lynn
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Good to know! They sound like a great addition to any farm. Do you spin their fleece? Is the spitting their defense? They are so darling.
Daisy I do spin their fleece. It is so soft and warm and does not have the smell like sheep wool does. I love it. Yes the spitting is the only defense they have. They have pads like dogs on their feet so they don’t kick in defense…but boy the spitting sure makes up for it!
We have alpacas too! They are great animals. And so gentle, my children provide most of their care.
They look and sound lovely, over here they use them in the paddocks as fox deterrents and protectors of the lambing ewes and their lambs. I’m in the process of discussing getting a couple with my husband but I think it will be a long process. Thanks for sharing this great informative post on Good Morning Mondays. Blessings
I had the pleasure of visiting an alpaca farm a few years ago – I loved them! Do you know if alpacas will act as herd guardians like llamas or donkeys do? I have a dream of one day raising sheep for meat and fiber, and would love to have a “reason” to add a couple alpacas to the mix! 😉
Lindsey,
Alpacas are very docile and are not protectors. You have to make sure you have a good fence to keep things from going under the fence. We have to use a woven fence to keep them safe from stray dogs.
Oh well, I guess I’ll have to come up with another reason to convince my husband 😉 Thanks for the info!