Old Bridge Farm Alpacas
"Fiber of The Gods"
Welcome to the wide wonderful world of alpaca ownership. Alpacas are very gentle by nature and very easy to keep and care for. They will enrich your life with their wonderfully calm, gregarious attributes and bring great delight to those lucky enough to own them. Alpacas are members of the camelid family and indigenous to South America. The alpaca is raised for its extremely warm, soft fleece. Alpaca fleece was so sought after and reveled by the ancient Incas, it achieved the status "Fiber Of the Gods". The fleece is sheared yearly, yielding roughly seven to fifteen pounds. After some minimal preparation it is ready to be spun into yarn. Alpacas require only modest amounts of food amounting to approximately one and a half to two percent of their body weight in hay per day. Their daily diets can also be supplemented with additional grain servings based on specific nutritional needs and preferences. Alpacas are separated into two distinct breeds, the huacaya (wah-ki'-ya) and suri (surrey). The difference of the two breeds is clearly identifiable by the fleece and the way it drapes off of them. The huacaya has a fluffy Teddy Bear appearance caused by a waviness or "crimp" in their fiber. The suri has fiber that drapes off of them in almost a silky "dread lock" appearance. This is caused by the fact that there is no crimp in their fiber. Alpacas stand approximately 36 inches at the withers ( the area where the spine and neck come together) and weigh between one hundred and two hundred and twenty five pounds. They have communal manure "piles" which when directly added to a garden can produce amazing results! With their padded feet the are very easy on the pasture.
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A small herd of 14 huacaya alpacas, six males and eight females. Great lineage from championship bloodlines!
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Alpaca History
First domesticated by the Incas from the wild Vicuna over 5000 years ago, the alpacas are the worlds most ancient domesticated animals! This first occurred in the cold high plains of Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. Most of the 3 million or so alpacas found in the world today still inhabit these regions. Alpacas are extremely intelligent and social creatures. They are very docile and can be trained easily. You have probably heard about alpacas spitting. People talk about alpacas and spitting many times in the same "sentence" and I must admit it does make for amusing conversation. The facts are that alpacas rarely if ever spit at humans, it is normally directed towards each other. A female will often "spit off" a male in an attempt to ward off his "advances" if she happens to be pregnant. Male alpacas will on occasion spit at each other in an attempt to create a hierarchy. Young alpacas can be easily halter trained. Alpacas all have individual personalities, They herd up easily without a dog and are a joy to watch and own! They are fascinating to watch and make great pets!
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So, if you're still wondering "why should I own an alpaca?" The answer in a word, fiber fiber fiber! The primary function of an alpaca is fiber production. This animal just happens to have hanging from his back one of the most luxurious and valuable fibers that exists today! It is the combination of warmth, softness, tensile strength, and a variety of colors that set alpaca fiber in a class by itself. There are 22 internationally renowned alpaca colors. Although the fiber may be dyed different colors, there is really no need to do so. The fiber, if left as it is shorn off the animal in its natural state has a wide variety of tones and hues. Before being spun into yarn it can be mixed with fiber of different colors. When left in its natural state, alpaca fiber is most beautiful, it gives back to the beholder the rugged beauty of raw untouched nature that made the alpaca in the first place. The rarity of certain colored alpacas contribute to their value. The absence of guard hair in alpaca fiber make it very very comfortable. The absence of lanolin (found in sheep's wool) makes alpaca fiber itch free. It has the warmth of the best wool and "wearablity" of the best cotton. The fiber shaft is partly hollow and has continues crimp throughout its length. This makes garments made of alpaca extremely lightweight and very very warm as those wearing alpaca socks can testify. Going back thousands of years the alpaca was domesticated and used by ancient Incan civilization located in the high plateau regions of the Andeas Mountains of South America. The fibers were woven into intricate colorful clothing that, along with the alpaca itself, played a central role in Incan culture. The Incan people considered alpaca fleece "Fiber of the Gods".
Alpacas were first brought into the United States in the early 1980's. They are now being raised in many places around the world. Alpacas are no longer imported from South America so domestic industry growth falls on the herd that is already in place here in the United States. For thousands of years alpacas have lived in the highlands of South America where grass grows sparse. For this reason they have developed into very efficient eaters. Compared to other livestock they require low amounts of protein in their feed and still grow and thrive producing a high quality, healthy fleece. They are ideal for small farms in that 6 to 8 alpacas require only one acre of pasture. They live for 20 years or more, have padded feet (easy on the earth), and conveniently deposit there pellet like dung in common manure piles, allowing for easy clean up. This low nitrogen natural fertilizer grows vegetables like crazy! Most alpacas are registered, their bloodlines are kept track of as rigorously as any purebred animal. This makes breeding for a particular improvement or trait a lot easier to keep track off.