Anybody know anything about raising alpacas?

[chaska]

Apparently, my rich brother just bought 3 @$25,000 each. I'm concerned that his yard is way too small for raising livestock.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Are those like llamas?

Do you sell the pelts or something? Or just breed to return to the Andes?

As you can see, I know nothing about this.

[chaska]

8. NO, you shear them for their wool...

then you skin 'em. ;)

[Midlodemocrat]

13. After you skin them.

do you roast them?


















:hide:

[chaska]

14. I bet so.

[matcom]

2. raising WHAT? (you sneezed in the middle of your post)

:D

[Midlodemocrat]

4. I thought you would be drunk by now.

How did the raking (hiccup) go?

[matcom]

5. you wouldn't know

cause you didn't come over to help :cry:

[Midlodemocrat]

7. I'll come over tomorrow.

I am sick of the people in this house. They are totally pissing me off.

They want me to drive them places, cook for them, wash their clothes...

[matcom]

9. thank you oh so very much

:hug:




























































your bringing your daughter right?

[Midlodemocrat]

11. Sigh.

Okay. and the 13yo and the 9yo and the dog and Grandpa.

What's for lunch?

[chaska]

10. No, I didn't. Sneeze is spelled GUHBLEWGUHSHUM!!!!!

[tazkcmo]

3. Not Rich, no time to think

[skygazer]

6. Yard?

I don't know anything really about alpacas but I know enough about large, grazing animals to know that unless he has a yard about the size of a large pasture, he's not going to have much grass left pretty soon. They require a good deal of space to be able to graze without completely depleting the growth.

[chaska]

12. His yard would make a good pen ... maybe. It's tiny...

Maybe he's thinking about letting them graze the hillside. He lives on a mountain.

[radwriter0555]

15. And how long does he figure it will take to get a return on his $75K

investment?

I hope it's legal for him to keep them in his nieghborhood.

I don't think they like tuna casserole or ham.

[Angry Girl]

17. Sounds like at $25k he bought top of the line

So it probably depends on his stud fee and advertising. Or if he plans on selling little alpacas....I forget what they're called.

[Angry Girl]

16. Alpaca FAQs

Here's FAQ about alpacas... This FAQ claims they don't eat much
http://www.dosdonas.com/FAQ/FAQ.html

And another FAQ - this FAQ claims
As to how much space they need, consider that we kept two alpacas very happily in half our backyard (their space measured about 40' by 100') for 18 months. Generally speaking and depending on your pasture, 10 alpacas per acre is a comfortable concentration.

http://www.heartlandranch.com/alpaca_faqs.html

[pitohui]

18. didn't they crash already?

alpacas were the next emu -- you do remember the emu, don't you -- one year they were $10,000 a bird and the next year people were secretly letting them run free in the woods because you couldn't even give them away, the selling price has now stabilized at, er, prob. $150 last time i checked, admittedly some time ago tho

i didn't know alpacas still had any value & i doubt the fad has much longer to run

so the small yard is prob. the least of yr problems unless the rich brother really doesn't mind flushing $75K