How to Buy Alpacas

Decide what you will be using your alpacas for. Some ideas are:^[1]

• Breeding
• Fiber (sales of raw or skirted fleeces)
• Natural fiber products.The creation and sale of end-use products (scarves, mittens, blankets, pillows, in-soles, yarns, rugs, weed-block, fiber arts)
• Therapy
• Education (including 4H for kids)
• Supplying top quality fertilizer to greenhouses

If you plan on breeding, decide what you want the outcome to be and whether you want to breed right away or wait until you are a bit more established and comfortable with alpacas.

• If you want to get a head start, purchase females that are pregnant.
• If you plan on generating revenue put together a realistic business plan with the help of existing breeders who have a history of generating revenue in your areas of interest.
• If you plan on establishing a breeding farm, purchase young females and a herdsire (stud male alpaca), and perhaps a gelding (castrated male) to keep the stud company and later to babysit the weaning cria (alpaca offspring). You could also wait to buy a herd sire until you are ready for breeding.
• If you plan on breeding to obtain offspring to sell educate yourself on the value of the different genetic and fiber qualities. Then purchase starter animals that are capable of providing that quality.

Make sure you have enough fenced-in land for your alpaca. Your local environment and soil quality will determine how many animals your land will support. A good comparison is that about 8 alpacas will equal a horse or cow as far as grazing pressure goes. Check with your local Agricultural Outreach resources.

• The fence needs to be strong, at least four and a half to five feet tall, and the openings should be no more than four inches apart, otherwise, the alpaca could possibly break the fence, jump over it, get their head stuck or squeeze through to the other side. An even bigger reason to make sure your fences are secure and of proper materials is because dogs are a primary danger to alpacas. Coyotes are not such a problem as woven/fabric fences do a lot to deter them. Alpacas don't generally want to escape from the security of their herd and farm, but while roaming, stray dogs form packs and have been known to get into alpaca yards and attack, even kill, entire herds of alpacas not adequately fenced and guarded. Alpacas do not make good guard animals to protect other livestock.^[2]

Sow the land with hay, grass, etc. or buy your hay pre-cut. You will also need to add to your alpaca's diet: If you are breeding alpacas the quality of your feed can have a big impact on the outcome and quality produced.

• Vitamin supplements
• Natural hay. The quality and usefulness depends on the type of grass, when it was cut and how well it was put up. Hay from the same field cut at different times will produce different quality. Cured hay is easy to get tested and may be a good idea to utilize if you are new to feeding livestock. Be sure to avoid feeding fruits or vegetables too high in naturally occurring sugars and starches. Many ornamental plants found in residential landscaping are poisonous to livestock. Alpacas are very susceptible to the meningeal worm parasite.^[3] Check with a local veterinarian for the recommended treatment protocol.

Figure out how your alpaca is going to get water:

• An alpaca can live for days without food but in hot weather an alpaca may not survive one day without water. An automatic waterer with a heating element to prevent freezing is the most ideal way to make sure your animals are getting enough of good, clean water year round.^[4] 5 gal or larger buckets also work but are much more labor intensive to maintain. A natural source can work but likely to contain serious parasites (Giardia E. Coli, Clostridium etc) etc. Keep their water source off the ground as they like to dip their feet in water. Water that they dip their feet in will be a source of parasites and illness. Same goes for natural and man made streams.
• Man-made streams. They also like to wade into water to cool off. This will affect the quality of their fleece and be a source of wool rot and other skin issues.
• A "self-watered" trough. Though these do not cost as much as a man-made stream, they are still pricey. But they are hooked up to a hose and set on a float or timer to fill the trough or bowls are convenient.
• A regular water trough. This is the cheapest, but you will have to fill it up at least twice a day with a hose or bucket yourself, depending on how many alpacas are drinking out of it.

Set up some form of shelter for your alpaca. It needs to have adequate protection from the severe elements and be capable of keeping your alpaca warm and dry in the winter and cool in the summer. A three-sided shelter facing east or south works well, or a barn where the alpacas have free-choice to go in or stay out in adjoining paddocks. Keep in mind that a three sided shelter doesn't help if the storm comes in on the open side. If you are breeding and having crias you will likely need protection from all four sides. Figure at about 8 sq ft per alpaca in a shelter with at least 8 feet (2.4 m) of headroom. Lower ceiling will require less density.