Two white Huacaya alpacas guarding Merino ewes and their lambs.
Why alpacas?
* can increase lambing and kidding percentages by about 20%.
*
natural dislike for foxes
*
easy to handle
*
intelligent
*
eat the same pasture as sheep and goats
*
are relatively low care
*
live for 15 – 20 years
Relatively low care
* soft padded feet
*
dung in a communal pile (reduces the incidence of worms). Although when run with sheep and goats need to be on the same drenching regime.
*
don’t require docking
*
not prone to footrot or fly strike
*
do require shearing and toenail cutting
*
don’t shed their fleece
Nutrition
* alpacas are efficient feed converters
*
carrying capacity, in terms of dry sheep equivalents, similar to sheep (wether = 1 dse; lactating female = 2.5 – 3 dse)
*
susceptible to plant toxins
*
require 4 – 5 litres of water per day
*
eat 2% of body weight per day
*
food ration should consist mainly of forage (pasture or hay) rather than concentrates
*
most pastures contain everything an alpaca needs
Husbandry
* vaccinations - 5 in 1 – twice per year
*
drenching. “Less is best” approach reduces likelihood of resistance. However they need to be drenched on the same regime as sheep and goats
*
toenail cutting – maybe twice a year depending on the hardness of the ground
*
teeth trimming – maybe required in older animals
Choosing an alpaca wether
* buy animals that are well grown and at least 18 months of age and reasonable conformation
*
never buy an entire male as a guard. They have been know to attempt to mate ewes
*
buy animals that have been ‘humanised’, that is, handled. It makes it easier for mustering, vaccinations and shearing.
*
ensure animals come from areas that are not prone to disease such as Johne’s or some coastal areas where liver damage can be a problem.
Farm management
* best to be kept with their mob
* should not run alpacas in different mobs that have a common boundary
* effective if two or more are with the same mob
* can be difficult for farm dogs but get to know the dogs soon enough, especially when with humans
Cost Effective
* cost $300 - $400 plus GST (depends on location)
* live 15 – 20 years. Average cost over 15 years is $20 - $25 per year
* can increase lambing and kidding percentages significantly. For example. Instead of 80% marking having 98% marking. With 500 ewes this is an increase of 90 lambs @ $60 per head or $5400 per year. A return of 700% on investment in the first year
Breeder Comments
“I think they’re pretty good. I had an 80% marking and my neighbour had 30%” “I’ve got alpacas and he hasn’t”.
“You don’t think they are working but at the end of the season the lambs are on the ground”
“Takes a while to get used to them but I wouldn’t be without them now”
“We bought 12 last season. A great investment”
Contacts
| Northern NSW |
David & Bronwyn Mitchell
'Glenhope'
Red Gum Lane
Amidale NSW 2350
T: 02 6772 1940
M: 0422 969 310
e: mitch@glenhopealpacas.com |
Central West NSW |
John & Julie Lawry
'Bonnie Vale'
7963 Mitchell Highway
Wellington NSW 2820
T: 02 6846 7292
M: 0438 467 292
e: jlawrie@bonnievalealpacas.com
|
| Southern NSW |
John Pike
PO Box 58
Ladysmith NSW 2652
T: 02 6922 1727
M: 0429 323 886
e: jdpike@bigpond.com |
NSW and VIC |
Jim Watts
PO Box 2604
Bowral NSW 2576
T: 02 4862 2050
M: 0409 364 864
e: srs@hinet.net.au |
Numbers can be sourced and white are usually the preferred colour for wool growers. Give contacts plenty of time to fill the order for you.
|
