How easy is it to farm alpacas?
Because alpacas have been bred to cope with the harsh environment of the Andean plateau (Altiplano), alpacas are generally healthy, easy to care for and remarkably disease free. Alpacas graze through the summer months and are supplemented with hay in winter. Breeding females and growing youngsters also benefit from a vitamin and mineral supplement added to their feed. Alpacas require little regular care other than occasional toe-nail trimming two or three times a year. Annual inoculations and worming are commonly performed, but will vary according to local conditions and herd management. In our herd, we find we don’t need to routinely worm our animals, as alpacas have a high natural resistance, we have enough fenced space to rotate paddocks on a regular basis and they don’t share grazing with other stock. They also don’t have any of the other common problems you get with sheep – footrot, flystrike, etc. They don’t usually try to escape from their paddock; so simple 4 foot stock fencing
