Who has Alpacas?

[Whispering Winds]

Hi, my husband and i are starting a small Alpaca farm this year,been working on it for a year, and ready to bring them home next month, and was wondering if we could start a thread here to talk about do's and don'ts of the Alpaca world. I LOVE them, have 7, hope to have 9 by this time next year. . .wonderful hobby and you can make money with them in time!!!

 

[Chicky Tocks]

I have begged my DH to let me start an Alpaca farm. I only want a half a dozen or so...until they start having babies muhahaha! I would love to have them to spin yarn.

What is the going rate for an alpaca? I've heard that they're terribly expensive but I've been known to hoard a hefty cookie jar or two in my life.

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
Well, they are, which is the bad thing, but get this. In Oct. of 08, when the stock market started to falter, it was on the front page of the Wall Street Journal that investors started pulling their money out of the stock market and investing in . . . .yep, ALPACAS!

For info on these absolutely wonderful animals, go to alpacanation.com and check out that website. We paid $22,000 for three, one was bred and the other one was just 9 months old and she is going to be bred shortly. . .I could talk for hours on this, so email me and we can just chat back and forth . . .you can buy a good female right now from a very good friend of mine where one of mine came from for $5000. I bought 4 more a month ago, for $1300, just because I LOVE them and wanted more, and didn't get high end animals, but Laci is being bred to a GOOD stud, which in turn will give me a higher quality animal.. . .what you do is, buy the best female you can (You need two, they are unhappy alone) and then breed her up as high as you can. Most people are wonderful to work with, give you free breedings and all the help and info you can imagine. . .I will have 7 and then hopefully 9 next year. One baby per mama per year, 11-11.5 month gestation. . .wonderful creatures, and it costs less to feed one alpaca than it does a dog!!! AND, the poop in a pile!!!!

 

[menageriemama]

Need more $$$ before I explore alpacas

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
Look around, you can buy them cheap on websites (illinoishorse.com I think might be one of them, if I got it right . . .but you don't have to break the bank. If you are just looking for a pet and a fun animal to have around, don't let those big prices scare you. Like I said, I got FOUR for $1300 . . .a gelding, a female and two nice little studs.