THE VANCOUVER ISLANDS LLAMA AND ALPACA CLUB
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Welcome
to the world of camelids comprised of Alpacas, Llamas, Guanacos and Vicunas. One
of the oldest domesticated livestock known to mankind, the majority of
alpacas in South America are from Peru- around three million and then Chile and
Bolivia. They have been bred for their superior fleece; which is used for a wide
variety of clothing. These gentle animals have been revered by the natives in
South America for centuries and are an integral part of the spirituality of the
people. They believed that the Alpaca was a gift from the Gods and so held a
special part in their history. Today,
they also become a part of you, each alpaca with their own deep melting eyes
enter a part of your heart. With their gentle and spiritual manner they give so
much to us and yet ask so little in return. As a result of this mild mannered
personality; children work with the alpaca in the 4 H and both men and women
find them easy to work with. Types: There
are two types of Alpacas, the Huacaya and the Suri. Each are distinguished by
their conformation and their distinctive fleece. Huacaya:
Thick,
dense fleece growing vertically from the body. The fleece has brightness and
sheen and frequently has defined crimp. The Huacaya alpacas comprise
approximately 90% of the world’s alpaca population.
Suri:
Has
long silky fibre that grows parallel to the body hanging in long distinctive
pencil locks. Has an exquisite luster with a smooth hand.
Shelters
and fencing: On the West Coast of Canada, we are indeed fortunate; our weather is conducive to raising alpacas, as we do not have the extremes of cold and heat. These conditions allow us to have shelters, that may be a lean-to or three sided shelters. Alpacas do not need to be housed in barns. Along
with adequate shelters predator control is a must. The defenseless alpaca is
unable to fight off any predator. Part of a proper predator system may include;
high fencing, livestock guard dogs and guardian llamas, each of these working
together form a team. Health: Each
farm will work out a health program with their vet, this may include medications
for worming, vitamin deficiencies, selenium deficiencies, clostridial diseases
and parasites control. Many of these are regional issues and testing should be
carried out before incorporating these into your herd health. Always working
with your Veterinarian, he/she will advise you on what care is required. Alpacas
have a three-chambered stomach and are modified ruminants. Their manure is in a
pellet form, and is a great asset to gardeners as the manure (little or no odour)
is great to put on the gardens raw, as it does not burn vegetables or flowers.
The alpaca’s manure piles (dung piles) are usually in communal piles, making
pasture clean up a much easier task! Reproductive: The
female alpaca is an induced ovulator, which means that the a
Physical
characteristics: An
average size for an alpaca is 34” (85 cm) at the withers. With males weighing
between 120 and 200 pounds (54 to 90 kilograms), and females weighing between 95
and 175 pounds (43-80 kilograms. The birth weights on crias (baby alpaca) range
from 12 to 24 pounds (5.5 to 11 kilograms).
Fibre: Shearing
takes place once a year, usually in the spring, allowing the alpaca to be cool
in the warm weather and time to grow fleece for the fall and winters. Shearing
is also done for the animal’s health which allows us to process their
wonderful fleece. Histograms-Breeders use a histogram (fibre analysis) to assist them in their breeding programs and to enable them to know the quality of the fleece on their animals. In your report, some of the statistics you will be given w Mean:
Average fibre diameter (micron – one million microns in a metre) SD:
Standard Deviation = fibre diameter variation within a sample CV:
Co-efficient of Variation= spread of fibre diameter variation throughout
the fleece %>30: The percent of fibres over 30 microns This
is just one tool in the measurement of the fibre; also to be considered is the
handle, the degree of softness displayed by the individual fleeces.
Micron
Grading Chart: #1
RB (-20) #2
B
(20-22.9) #3
SF (23.0 –25.9) #4
M
(26.0 – 28.9) #5
C
(29.0 – 32.0) #6
S
(32.0 – 35.0) RB:
Royal Baby
B:
Baby SF:
SuperFine M:
Medium C:
Coarse S:
Strong These
fibre statistics are from the Natural Fibre Centre and Testing Lab at Olds
College, Olds, Alberta Alpacas
in the show ring: When
entering your alpaca in a Show, you do not groom or comb your animal’s fleece.
You will remove the larger pieces of vegetation while not changing the lock
structure of the fleece. In the show ring, the judges will be looking at
conformation (animal structure) and the qualities of the fleece. Some of the
areas of fleece judging:
Fineness and handle
Uniformity
of micron
Brightness
Character
(style of crimp)
Lock
type/ Density
Length
Impurities/Stain/Tip
Damage
Lack
of Medullation (Primary Fibres) Clean Fleece Weight There
are many facets of the alpaca industry, from the superior fibre, to the alpaca
products, breeding programs, fibre animals (pet stock); to alpacas used as
therapy animals, alpaca shows and seminars.
Today’s alpaca breeder is an informed breeder and always enjoys having
visitors to the farm, so we can talk “Alpaca” We encourage you to research
the industry and visit as many farms as possible. |
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ct of the breeding,
combined with the male orgling (a sound the male alpaca makes from his throat)
and an open female all assist in the ovulation and impregnation. The gestation
on a baby alpaca (cria) is approximately 345 days. Of course we have ladies that
go longer and some are shorter, just like humans. Twinning in alpacas is rare,
1-20,000. Today there is research going on in embryo transplants and artificial
insemination.
