Alpacas produce
luxurious and valuable fleece
in a multitude of natural colors. The worldwide fiber market officially recognizes 22 natural colors of alpaca (they produce more natural colors than any other fiber producing animal). Alpaca fleece is as soft as cashmere and warmer, lighter, and much stronger than sheep wool. A single alpaca produces enough fleece each year to create several soft warm sweaters for its owner's comfort.
Alpacas are
practical
as part of a
stress-free lifestyle
. They are beautiful, intelligent, gentle, clean, disease resistant, earth-friendly farm animals. They are small, easy to handle and halter train. In addition, they make wonderful pets that can be transported easily in the family van.
Alpacas are
low maintenance
. They require little daily maintenance. An acre of land can pasture 5-10 alpacas. Good animal husbandry does require occasional grooming, trimming of toenails and teeth, vaccinations, as well as the annual or bi-annual shearing of the fleece.
cria
- A baby alpaca, usually younger than 5 months.
dam
- An alpaca's mother.
fiber
- The fleece of an alpaca.
huacaya - A type of alpaca with fine fiber and a wooly appearance.
fiber quality male
- A male alpaca whose genetic characteristics are not worthy of breeding.
sire or herdsire
- An alpaca's father, or a male alpaca with the genetic characteristics desirable for breeding.
suri
- A type of alpaca with tightly-wound fiber that looks like dreadlocks.
weanling
- A weaned alpaca, younger than 1 year.
yearling
- An alpaca between 1 and 2 years old.
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