Amazing animals and phenomenal fleece!
Chances are you have heard little about alpaca fleece. Perhaps you have heard it used in fine textiles. Do you know where it comes from? An alpaca.
Alpacas are fully domesticated animals similar to sheep. They have a longer neck than sheep and the fleece is generally software than sheep wool. They communicate by humming to one another. They do spit, but usually only at one another to show dominance.
About 3,000 years ago, the Incans of South America domesticated the alpaca. From that time to this day, all alpacas are domesticated animals, that is, there are no alpacas roaming free in the wild. Due to the rarity of the alpaca and its fleece back in the times of the Incan Empire, textiles and clothing made from it were solely the domain of the wealthy, usually royalty. Today, alpaca fleece is used in the fine textiles of Europe. Additionally, other clothing items are produced with alpaca fleece.
Alpacas, when bred, generally produce a single offspring. On occasion, twins may occur, but it usually results in the death of one or both of the offspring. The gestation period of an alpaca is 11.5 months and they are generally not bred again until at least 2 weeks after giving birth. As a result, one female alpaca will produce one offspring per year at the most. That means that the alpaca population takes a long time to increase in size, keeping the fine fleece highly sought after.
The Beginnings
After a lengthy time of contemplation and research, we purchased a starter herd of 8 alpacas and 2 llamas in 2015. The first years were a time of trial and learning. After a couple of losses and numerous failed breedings, we had our first surviving offspring in 2018. In 2020, we celebrated the addition of 2 additional offspring, one of which was 30 days premature and required multiple contacts throughout each day to help her survive. We are a small breeder, but simply adore our alpacas. We also have two llamas, one male and one female. The llamas serve as guard animals to keep the alpacas safe from predators, a natural job for them. Whether alpaca or llama, they each have their own distinct personality.