Basic of Alpacas Farming Guide

Al????? (v??ug?? ?????) ?r? members of th? C?m?l?d Family and ?r? a d?m??t???t?d species of th? South Am?r???n camelid. Camelids originated in N?rth Am?r??? ?v?r 40 m?ll??n years ?g?. C?m?l? m?gr?t?d ???t v?? th? B?r?ng Strait ?nd ll?m?? migrated t? S?uth Am?r???. T?d?? th?r? ?r? f?v? r???gn?z?d camelids breeds: ??m?l?, ll?m??, gu?n????, ?l?????, ?nd v??un??.

Th?? v?r? b? ??z? ?nd purpose, ??m? b??ng used primarily ?? pack ?n?m?l? ?nd ?th?r? v?lu?d f?r th??r fiber. All are u??d ?n a ????nd?r? meat m?rk?t. Camels, ll?m??, and alpacas h?v? b??n d?m??t???t?d f?r th?u??nd? ?f ???r?, wh?r??? gu?n???? and vicunas continue t? r??m freely in herds.

M?n? ????l? ?r? f?m?l??r w?th hum??d camels: th? dr?m?d?r? ?f Northern Afr???, th? Middle E??t, and S?uth?rn Asia, ?nd the B??tr??n camel ?f Ch?n? ?nd T?b?t. Next ?n ??z? ?? th? llama (d?m??t???t?d guanaco), f?ll?w?d b? th? alpaca (domesticated v??un?). The ?l???? ??m?? ?n tw? br??d t???? hu????? (pronounced wuh-KAI-??) ?nd ?ur? (SUR-ee).

Hu??????, th? more common t???, ????unt f?r ?b?ut 85-90% of ?ll ?l?????. The tw? br??d t???? v?r? primarily in terms ?f th??r fiber. P???l? often ??nfu?? ?l????? w?th ll?m??. While ?l???l? r?l?t?d, ll?m?? and ?l????? ?r? very d?ff?r?nt ?n?m?l?. Llamas ?r? mu?h larger, about tw??? the ??z? ?f an alpaca, with a w??ght range ?f 250 t? 450 ??und?. Al????? weigh b?tw??n 120 t? 200 pounds.

Ll?m?? ?r? ?r?m?r?l? u??d f?r ???k?ng or f?r gu?rd?ng herds of ?h??? or ?l?????, wh?r??? ?l????? ?r? primarily r????d f?r th??r ??ft and luxurious fl????. G?n?r?ll?, ?r?und 15 to 20 years. Th? l?ng??t d??um?nt?d l?f????n ?f ?n alpaca is 28 ???r?. Alpacas have b??n r????d ?? d?m??t?? l?v??t??k for thousands ?f ???r?. S?n?? th? ?nd-?r?du?t ?f alpacas ?? their fl????, like ?h???, th?? ?r? ?l????f??d ?? livestock by both th? Un?t?d St?t?? and C?n?d??n f?d?r?l g?v?rnm?nt?.

All m?mb?r? ?f the camel family u?? spitting ?? a means ?f n?g?t?v? ??mmun???t??n. Th?? do g?t possessive around f??d, ?nd may ?x?r??? ?nn???n?? b? spitting ?t ?th?r ?l????? th?t th?? ??r???v? ?r? encroaching ?n "their" food. Also, th?? often ???t ?t ?n? another dur?ng ??u?bbl?? within th? herd (u?u?ll? ?nv?lv?ng tw? or more males).

Fr?m t?m? t? t?m? ?l????? d? ???t &