alpacas

[Michelle Lyon]

We are planning on getting our first two alpacas (6 month old males) this weekend.  The reasons are many....first off, they are so darn cute!.....the fiber....also the theory of them being great herd protectors as we are moving a corral a little further back towards the "woods" line of our property.

We are planning on housing them in their own paddock/area, but within one of our barns that our non-milking/non-bred goats and our wether will be living in.  I've read that they can be fine in a three sided structure, but we get some nasty weather in New England so being a closed barn seems better for them.

Just curious is anyone else has these little ones in addition to your goats.....and if so,  how you feel it is working out.

Thanks in advance!

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

We waited until ours were almost two, and the play-fighting with each other got a little scary towards the end. If I ever have two intact male cria in the future, I think I'll do it by 18 months. I only have one intact male now, and there isn't any of that behavior between him and geldings. I wonder if breeders keep intact males separate, or if they really won't hurt each other. I've never noticed or asked any of my llama/alpaca friends.

Michelle Lyon said:

Thanks Deborah

here they are!

We def. plan on gelding them as soon as possible, taking into consideration what is best for them. From what I have been reading and have been told, the males should not be gelded until they are about 12-28 months,these little guys are only 6 months

"Male alpacas should be gelded, but this is best done after the age of two. Evidence suggests that gelding an alpaca prior to the growth plates closing on the bones can lead to excessive growth in the long bones of the legs. "~Gateway Alpacas

"Geld non-breeder males no earlier than 12 months, with 18-24 months recommended.' Alpaca Connect

Again.....thanks everyone for your advice and help.....so exciting, yet a little anxious about it all.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

Oh, my! They look like twins!

Michelle Lyon said:

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[Michelle Lyon]

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alpacas.jpg

[Michelle Lyon]

Thanks Deborah

here they are!

We def. plan on gelding them as soon as possible, taking into consideration what is best for them. From what I have been reading and have been told, the males should not be gelded until they are about 12-28 months,these little guys are only 6 months

"Male alpacas should be gelded, but this is best done after the age of two. Evidence suggests that gelding an alpaca prior to the growth plates closing on the bones can lead to excessive growth in the long bones of the legs. "~Gateway Alpacas

"Geld non-breeder males no earlier than 12 months, with 18-24 months recommended.' Alpaca Connect

Again.....thanks everyone for your advice and help.....so exciting, yet a little anxious about it all.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

I just wanted to mention that if your alpacas are not gelded, they probably should not be with female goats. I know a shepherd who lost several ewes before he realized his intact guard llamas were trying to mate the ewes when they were eating hay. Llamas (and alpacas) lay down to breed, and I'd imagine that even an alpaca would be heavy enough to crush a Nigerian if it laid down on one.

[Michelle Lyon]

Thanks again Kim for all your help/advice!

I'll keep you posted on how this all goes... :)

[Michelle Lyon]

Oh....and when you mention the kicking thing.....do you keep your alpacas, llamas and ND goats together during the day (in a corralled area) or are they separated all the time?
Thanks in advance!

[Michelle Lyon]

Thanks for your encouragement Kim!

We were considering giving them their own stall in the barn to hang out together as opposed to putting them in with the goats at night. Do you think that is a good idea?

The more I read about them......the more it suggests that the 3 sided shelters are preferred over being inside a weather tight barn. But if they are not aggressive enough, what is to protect them from predators?

Thanks again...it is so helpful to learn from seasoned breeders and I appreciate it!

[Michelle Lyon]

Thanks for the info....I didn't hear about the alpaca protection thing from the person who is selling the alpacas, so I am sure I am not getting lied to.

As I mentioned, we are just getting into the beginning stages of having them, and they are mainly for pets and for the fiber. The herd protection was bonus. And to be honest.....it's not like I am relying/depending on them as guard animals ;) We have our fencing system that is quite reliable....we wouldn't chance anything. We had the opportunity to get a few llamas but my husband was not thrilled with their size and what would needed space wise.

I guess we treat all our animals like you described......no matter what they cost. Expensive fencing, nice barns, etc. Sometimes too much to the point that "old school" farmers tell us we spoil them.....right down to the chickens and bunnies. LOL

Thanks again for your help! Will check out your other group too.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

Hi Michelle,

Alpacas are NOT livestock guardians -- llamas are, and you should go with the biggest llamas you can find. Of my five llamas, I have one who is on the small side, and I worry about him. Many people who have alpacas have llamas to protect them. Whoever told you the alpacas would guard your goats was either misinformed or dishonest. And I wouldn't even trust six-month-old llamas to be good guardians.

I don't know much about alpacas, but we have friends who raise them. They are so expensive that most people treat them very carefully, which means putting them in nice barns with very expensive fencing to protect them from predators. My llamas do fine with three-sided shelters.

You might want to check out my other Ning group, http://modernhomesteading.ning.com/
I know there is at least one person on there who has alpacas, maybe more.

Deborah