Looking for a unique, affordable agricultural based business that's safe, fun, therapeutic and financially rewarding that can be done on a small amount of land...?
Alpacas are the answer!
Alpacas are small domesticated camelids and are cousins of the camel, llama, guanaco and vicuna. Alpacas are relatively new in North America, but are rapidly growing in popularity. Originally from the Andes mountains of Chile, Peru and Bolivia, Alpacas are fun and therapeutic to raise, and can also be an excellent investment opportunity. An average adult alpaca is 1.6 meters (5 feet) in height and 68-77 kg (150-170 lbs) in weight. Their loveable dispositions and natural curiosity make them excellent companion animals. They can easily learn to halter and lead and are gentle with children. The females are breedable at 12-14 months while males are sexually mature at 2-3 years of age. Single births are the norm, twins are rare. The gestation period is 11-11.5 months.  Alpacas are found in a wide range of natural colours. There are 22 officially recognized colours, with 250 different variations and blends. Our farm is rich with colour from white, cream, fawn, brown, rose gray, silver gray, brown-black to blue- black.
The thick and luxurious alpaca fleece forms the underpinning of this vibrant breeding industry. Alpaca fleece is prized by spinners and weavers because of its extraordinary variety of colour, its strength and its warmth. In South America, the processing and production of alpaca fibre is a multi-million dollar industry. In North America the fibre is marketed primarily to cottage industry spinners and weavers. In Canada, a fibre co-operative has been formed to assist in creating a lucrative market for Alpaca fleece and its many forms of consumer products. We shear our animals in the spring enabling them to keep cool in the heat of the summer, while still allowing enough time to grow a warm coat for our cold Alberta winters. We are proud to market our own fleeces from raw to hand spun and commercially processed yarn (spun and milled in Alberta) to create "warm and fuzzy" one of a kind Alpaca creations - made only in Canada! Ideal small acreage livestock, Alpacas do not require a great deal of space, nor any special facilities. Fencing is required to protect the animals from predators such as dogs and coyotes. Basic shelter to protect against heat and foul weather is also necessary. They are inexpensive to feed, requiring only pasture or hay, plus minimal amounts of mineral supplement. Please visit out Industry Related Affiliations/Members:
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