Alpaca Husbandry

Starting with Alpacas
Starting with Alpacas
Getting Started with Alpacas First and foremost, prospective alpaca breeders should realize alpacas are a business, not an investment. Investments have traditionally been thought of as financial stocks, bonds, gold,... Read more...
Alpaca Business Plan
Alpaca Business Plan
Alpaca Business Plan Its hard not to love alpacas.  They are sweet, cute, gentle, relatively easy to maintain.  Who wouldn't want one?  The real question is, what do you do... Read more...
Alpaca Nutritional Requirements
Alpaca Nutritional Requirements
Alpaca Nutritional Requirements Alpacas are quasi-ruminants with three stomachs. They chew just enough to mix their feed with saliva to form a bolus to be swallowed. While resting, the alpaca... Read more...
Milking Alpacas
Milking Alpacas
How to Milk An Alpaca   I have had the rare opportunity to milk several alpacas over the years.  It was not because I was low on milk for my... Read more...
Alpaca Training - Video
Alpaca Training - Video
Alpaca Training I am always surprised at how many times I get asked, “Why do you halter train them?”  For the same reasons horses and dogs are trained on a... Read more...
An Alpaca Check In
An Alpaca Check In
My dad and I headed up to his 1,100 acre ranch outside of the small farming community of Winifred, Montana this past weekend.  This trip served several purposes for me... Read more...
Alpaca Body Scoring - Health of Alpacas
Alpaca Body Scoring - Health of Alpacas
Alpaca Body Scoring The essential part of alpaca health is keeping them at the correct weight.  Too heavy and they may have trouble getting pregnant, their fleece “blows out” or... Read more...
Alpaca Body Scoring
Alpaca Body Scoring
Alpaca Body Scoring The essential part of alpaca health is keeping them at the correct weight.  Too heavy and they may have trouble getting pregnant, their fleece “blows out” or... Read more...
How Did You Get Into Raising Alpacas
How Did You Get Into Raising Alpacas
Over the years, many people have asked us how we got into raising alpacas.  With James’ medical background, my manufacturing background and having raised a couple of dogs and horses over the years,... Read more...
The Alpaca Raising and Fiber Vocabulary
The Alpaca Raising and Fiber Vocabulary
The Alpaca Vocabulary Every business has its own terms and language.   Here are some alpaca terms we use in the alpaca industry: AOBA - The Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association... Read more...
Picking Out your Alpaca(s)
Picking Out your Alpaca(s)
Picking Out Your Alpacas The alpaca industry is constantly changing. The first alpacas brought into the country in the late 1980's were different to those imported in the late 1990's.... Read more...
Alpaca Feed
Alpaca Feed
Alpaca Feed Due to their size and efficiency, an alpaca farm may keep as many as five to 10 alpacas per acre, assuming there is good forage available. This greatly depends... Read more...