Care & Husbandry

Alpacas are easy to keep & husbandry is not difficult allowing diverse ownership for equally diverse purposes. Primarily, alpacas are fibre-producing animals that are part of the camelid family including llamas, vicuna, guanaco & more distantly camels & today alpacas are kept for pleasure, breeding, trekking, as pets, therapy, as flock guards & attractions.

Quick Guide to Keeping Alpacas

• The stocking ratio should be 3-5 alpacas per acre plus an acre to rotate onto.
• Three alpacas are the minimum for those alpacas to be happy & stress-free; more if you have space.
• Groups must be of the same sex; girls live happily with a mixed age group while boys of differing ages need a careful introduction for a harmonious future.
• Castrates are not usually kept with girls.
• Check & feed daily ensuring adlib hay & fresh water are always available.
• Keep paddocks clean of faeces & weeds.
• Shear annually for welfare & fibre harvest.
• Vaccinate & worm at designated times.
• Few alpacas enjoy being cuddled though some do enjoy being hand-fed.
• Have the facilities to pen your alpacas for closer inspection/handling.
• Register with a local farm vet with camelid knowledge.
• Alpacas do need time to settle in a new home so give them space & patience to explore their new surroundings.
• Enjoy them! Spend time with them observing their herd interactions.

In more detail:

Grazing & Supplementary Feed

• Alpacas’ staple food is grass & they require access to roughage all year round in the form of soft long-stem hay or haylage in addition to grazing. Hay needs to be kept dry.
• Alpacas require daily supplementary feed, quantities depend on the status of the alpaca (youngsters, ageing stock, pregnant, lactating etc), quality of grazing, body score etc & should be in line with the product manufacturer’s feeding guidelines. There are many commercially prepared feeds to choose from; some are complete feeds which require no further additives while others are vitamin supplements & require additional feeds to balance & complement them. We feed Waterhouse Alpaca & Llama mix
• Alpacas are ruminants & ‘chew cud’ extracting maximum goodness from food.
• Balanced vitamins & minerals are vital to maintain optimum herd health.
• BAS produces 2 fact sheets which can be found HERE & HERE

Vaccinations, Worming & Vitamin Supplementation

• Alpacas require vaccination against Clostridial diseases & either worming twice annually in the Spring & Autumn months or faeces tested (FEC – faecal Egg Count) to establish if there is indeed a worm issue & then target treatment if required.
• Vitamin D is required over the winter months. We prefer to use an injectable source every 6-8 weeks so we know each alpaca has had their top-up; there are also oral pastes available which require administering more frequently following the product manufacturer’s instructions. We administer Vitamin D to all of our alpacas.
• Your vet will assist with an annual health plan if they are familiar with camelids; most owners do not require a vet to administer the vaccines, wormers or supplements.
• We are happy to teach you how to do this yourself at the point of purchase of alpacas if required.
• BAS produces a fact sheet which can be found HERE

Microchipping & Ear Tags

• Alpacas must have a valid microchip inserted & an assigned ear tag number to be registered with the BAS.
• Microchips are inserted below the left ear; we insert microchips at the point of sale or at first shearing whichever is sooner.
• Ear tag numbers are assigned in birth order & carry the breeders’ identity initials & animal number. The usual format on a yellow flag or button tag would be BASUKAEA001 – BASUK relates to the society, AEA being our herd initials & 001 signifying the firstborn; alpacas are no longer required to have an ear tag inserted & breeders are no longer required to have a drawer full of uninserted tags.
• A vet is not required for microchipping & we will happily demonstrate how to microchip if required.

Shearing

• Alpacas are shorn annually in the UK between April & July; suri alpacas are sometimes shorn every two years however the fibre often grows too long or becomes tender from the wet weather & is no longer processable commercially.
• While shearing courses are available these are designed to be used in an emergency. Most breeders hire professional shearers who visit the farm at a pre-booked date to shear. Your seller should provide you with details of shearers.
• Alpacas are restrained on the ground for shearing which can take as little as 5 minutes per animal.
• It is usual for toenails to be trimmed, tails neatened & top knots tidied as part of the shearing service.
• Breeders may choose shearing time to vaccinate their alpacas while restrained.
• Most shearers provide an invisible top-to-toe check of your alpacas while being shorn.
• Shearing is a great opportunity to skirt & assess your fleeces.
• BAS produces 2 fact sheets which can be found HERE & HERE

Paddock Maintenance

• Keeping your paddocks weed & faeces-free is a necessary task – to promote healthy grazing, prevent the spread of parasites & ensure fleeces remain free of vegetation.
• Poo picking can be done manually with a rake & pan or by a paddock vacuum.
• Fencing should be checked daily, especially after stormy weather.
• Fresh water should be available at all times from clean troughs.
• Soil testing & analysis is an opportunity to have your grazing assessed & to be aware of any deficiencies that may cause health related issues if not addressed. More information can be found HERE

Body Scoring for Condition

• Alpacas should be body condition scored &/or weighed as often as is necessary – at least every month, more often in adverse conditions or if you think there is a problem.
• Visual assessment is insufficient as the fleece will mask condition.
• Alpacas are generally hardy but spotting & addressing weight issues, especially weight loss, quickly is essential.
• Consistency is vital – usually, one person will carry out the body scoring to be constant.
• Score on either 1-5 or 1-10 with one being very thin & 5 or 10 being overweight.
• BAS produces a fact sheet which can be found HERE

Toe Nail Trimming

• Alpacas will require their nails to be trimmed at least four times a year including at shearing, sometimes more often if their nails are white rather than black.
• Trimming is a two-person task unless you have an alpaca chute to restrict them.
• BAS produces a fact sheet which can be found HERE

Fencing & Farm Layout

• A  good layout for your farm is vital to enable easy & stress-free movement of alpacas from paddock to paddock or barn/shelter/ stable.
• Wire stock fencing or post & 4 rails is recommended to at least 4′. Electric fencing must not be used & can be very dangerous if alpacas get tangled in it – they have a significant covering of fleece making the electric shock useless. Alpacas rarely jump or challenge fences but prevention is better than an injured alpaca.
• Careful positioning of gates & water should be considered.
• Laneways are vital for easy movement of alpacas as they move as a herd being guided by the fencing on either side of them.
• Penning areas should be incorporated & used for daily feeding to ensure the alpacas become accustomed to being penned for easy inspection.
• Ensure entire males & females are grazed as far apart as possible.

Halter Training

• Halter training is not essential but will enable easier moving of alpacas for restraint for veterinary examinations, breeding etc
• Training your alpacas to lead on a halter is usually attained in 6-10 short 5- 10 minute sessions; once happily walking on a head collar they rarely forget. Alpacas are herd animals & halter training should be done in groups.
• Walking alpacas builds the trust between owner & animals & should be done in a calm & quiet, unrushed manner. with properly fitting head collars specifically designed for alpacas – equine/foal/shetland head collars are not suitable; alpacas wear their halters higher & tighter than horses & never when unsupervised.
• BAS produces a fact sheet which can be found HERE

BAS has a series of short videos covering welfare & care which can be found HERE & a Welfare booklet containing the above fact sheets & further reading HERE