Farm Communities » Alpaca Communities

Protect Your Alpacas from Diseases

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 06:32:59 +0000

Alpacas are tough animals and they don’t fall ill quite easily. If and when they contract a disease, it would be very hard to spot since alpacas will not show signs of sickness until later stages. This is why regular checkups from your local veterinarian should be received by your alpacas to ensure they are safe from fatal diseases while preventing them from contracting common alpaca diseases as well. This should also be done if you are importing alpacas from other farms to prevent potential spreading of diseases.

It is very important for your alpaca herd to be kept at an optimum health to ensure their long, healthy lives. If you are in the alpaca business, you must know that even one sick alpaca purchased from your farm is enough to ruin your farm’s reputation for the years to come.

Some diseases that you might want to have your alpacas checked are for worms and viruses, either infectious or non-infectious. These are potentially fatal for your herd, if not attended to at once. Vaccinations can help your pet overcome these health threats but should be consulted to a certified veterinarian first before administration.

Viral diseases such rabies, foot and mouth disease, and West Nile virus are some of the most infectious diseases found in alpacas. These are transmitted to your healthy alpacas from infected animals so it is best to keep contact at minimum especially if there is an outbreak going on or if the virus in season. Common parasitic problems for alpacas can be prevented by regular deworming.

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Breeding and raising Alpaca

admin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:44:46 +0000

Alpaca farms are now growing into a large profit-potential business. Alpaca farms are considered exotic farms because Alpacas are exotic animals that were once endangered up until it was allowed to be imported in America and into farms that can sustain their needs.

Alpacas are really easy to raise. They do not require much space and most of the time, they can manage on their own but Alpaca farm owners prefer watching over their herd just for safety measures as every farm owners do.

A female Alpaca is considered mature and ready to breed around 15 months to avoid complications in pregnancy and birth, while males are considered ready when they reach the age of 3 years.

A pregnant female Alpaca is called a dam, and the baby, cria. The dam will carry the cria inside her womb for almost a year and Alpacas gave birth to one cria only per pregnancy. That is why it will take time to fully populate your Alpaca farm, mostly 5-7 years for the farm to reach its peak.

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Alpaca and Alpaca Communities

admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:18:48 +0000

Alpaca is a member of the camel family (Camelidae) of animals. It is native to South America and best-known for its valuable fleece that is converted into a fine fiber that is used in several textile products including items of daily wear like sweaters and gloves. Besides, it is also used in making fashionable cloth. The coppery-gold fleece, obtained from alpacas, is the most costly fiber in nature, known worldwide for its fineness. A square yard cloth made entirely of this fleece, at present, costs no less than two thousand dollars. No wonder then that environment-friendly communities are increasingly seeking alpaca breeding for greater profit. Since the 1980s, when alpacas were introduced in the US, alpaca communities have been established in many developed and developing countries across the globe.

The primary goal of establishing an alpaca community is to bring together a group of alpaca breeders who can maintain and improve the breeds of this economically important animal and obtain the finest possible fleece without employing any techniques or materials that are noxious to the environment. The guiding principle of an alpaca community may be summarized as ‘Natural Fiber by Natural Means for the Greatest Profit’. So how do they reach this goal?

Ideally, an alpaca community consists of more than one (usually several) alpaca farms where alpacas are bred, predominantly, by natural means. Community members work in close collaboration by sharing useful information, resources, and healthy animals (usually fertile young males) for generating maximum profit in the form of natural fiber. Modern knowledge of genetics is now an invaluable source in selecting the best methods for nurturing more productive alpaca breeds. Promoting sales and encouraging the breeding practice of alpacas is another major goal of alpaca communities.

Since the advent of the Internet, the worldwide web has become an important platform for educating alpaca community members via ready access to free information. At the same time, the Internet is serving as an effective marketing source for alpaca breeding and promoting sales of alpaca-derived fiber. Online alpaca communities are getting recognized on the Internet, joined by affiliates, to cover the geographical distance between alpaca breeders. With centuries-long history of commercial farming, alpaca farming is now on a roll in five major continents of the world.

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