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lpacas are members of the camelid family! Yes, they are relatives of the camel and llama. They are native to the Andes mountain regions in Peru, Bolivia and Chile and are herd animals. They do not like to be alone and require the company of at least one other alpaca. Their primary food source is grass in the summer and hay with a grain supplement in the winter. Alpacas are not large animals, adult alpacas are approximately 3 ft. high at their back with their heads rising to approximately 5 ft. An adult generally weighs between 100 and 180 lbs.
 Compared to other livestock, alpacas are a very safe animal to be around. We are often asked if they bite and the answer is no! Alpacas only have teeth on the bottom and a hard dental pad on the top of their mouths. This arrangement allows them to chew the grasses they feed on. Alpacas are ruminants (an animal that regurgitates it’s food and chews it again). In order to accomplish this process, alpacas have three stomachs! Alpacas have two toes with toenails and soft padded feet. When grazing, they bite off grass rather than pulling it up out of the ground whereas sheep pull the grass out of the ground when they graze. You can raise up to 10 alpacas per acre. They require very little maintenance and are easy to care for. Our children handle the alpacas and we don’t have to worry about them being injured!
Baby alpacas are called crias. The gestation period for an alpaca is approximately 11 months and they normally have only single births. Female alpacas can be rebred a couple of weeks after having their cria. Females can be bred starting at approximately 1.5 years. Males start breeding between 2 and 3 years of age.
 One of the main reasons to raise alpacas is for their fleece. Alpacas have a very high quality fleece that is extremely soft and has an almost silky feel to it. Alpaca fiber is light weight and has a high insulating value due to its structure. Anything you can make out of wool can be made with Alpaca fiber. For some people that have allergies to sheep wool, alpaca can make a wonderful alternative since it is typically the lanolin in the wool that causes allergic reactions and alpaca fiber does not contain lanolin. Alpaca fleece has been used for thousands of years to produce fine garments and other products. In ancient times, Alpaca clothing was made strictly for Incan royalty and high ranking government officials.
For more information about alpacas, please feel free to e-mail us at info@countrysidealpacas.com or call us at 860-738-1490. Additional information can also be found through the useful links on this website.
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