Alpacas

Shepherds:  Add Profits by Adding Gelded Alpacas to Your Sheep Farm

Sheep raisers can add a lot of value to their wool clips by adding alpacas to their livestock mix.  Sheep and alpacas share many of the same care needs, and a shepherd would only need to make a few modifications to the daily routine to reap the benefits of adding this highly valued fiber to the farm’s products.

With the alpaca industry maturing in the United States, more non-breeding male alpacas are available at very reasonable prices from reputable breeders.  If the goal is to add a luxury fiber to your clip, these gelded males can fill the bill without costing much more than a pedigreed sheep.

 

Sheep and alpacas have a lot in common:

Both sheep and alpacas are ruminants that get most of their nutritional needs met with good pasture and hay, and they need the same routine maintenance – annual shearing, annual vaccinations, and toenail trimming.  They need protection from predators, protection from internal parasites, the same shelter from cold, and can be halter trained to great advantage.  Alpacas are fairly docile and easy to handle, if raised gently.  They do not normally challenge fences.

A few things are different about alpacas and sheep:

Alpaca vets are sometimes harder to find.  Alpacas need more protection from heat. You may have to look more carefully to find a shearer who understands and has experience with their specialized shearing needs.  Because of their unique poop habits (aggregating their poop into a common pile) they are actually easier to clean up after than sheep.   Commercial feeds are different for alpacas, compared to sheep, as sheep have a sensitivity to copper and must have feed that excludes added copper.

Benefits of Adding Alpaca Fiber to Your Clip

Alpaca fiber can generally fetch two to five times the price of sheep wool, depending on its softness and cleanliness.  It doesn’t contain lanolin like sheep wool, and so can be more easily washed.  Alpacas do roll in the pasture, however, and vegetable matter (VM) will always be an issue unless you’re in a climate where your alpacas can be coated.

Alpaca fiber and sheep wool can be blended in processing, to produce a loftier, lighter, springier roving or yarn.  Both fibers will felt, so that even blended wool preparations can be used in applications where felting is desirable.

Your wool will be more luxurious and more valuable with the addition of alpaca fiber.

If you have further questions about integrating alpacas into your sheep operation, please give us a call and we’d be happy to answer any we can.

Cindy Telisak
Jacob’s Reward Farm
214-284-9218