Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Good Information For An Alpaca Breeder Near Denver

By Jason Miller


An alpaca refers to a species of South American camelid that is usually domesticated. It is close in resemblance to small llamas. Usually, two different breeds of alpaca exist, that is, Huacaya and Suri. Although these animals resemble llamas in appearance, they are smaller and are not beasts of burden like llamas. There are many people who breed alpacas in the United States. To become an alpaca breeder near Denver, it is vital to understand all facts about these animals.

Anyone who breeds alpacas should find the tips in this writing very useful. To begin with, alpacas have been domesticated for several thousands of years. The images of the animals are used in art of the Moche people of Northern Peru. Alpacas are known for not living in the wild. The wild ancestor of alpacas, which is also its closest relative is the vicuna. Both species have their origin in South America.

Alpaca is one of the animals classified as camelids. Other animals within the same class are camels, llamas, and vicunas. The fiber of alpacas and vicunas is the most valuable among all camelids. Fiber from alpacas is known for high quantity and quality. Conversely, fiber from vicunas is known for high quality, fineness, and softness.

Alpacas and vicunas are some of the smallest animals belonging to the camelid species. Due to the small size, breeders do not use them as pack animals. They are bred for fiber and meat only. Andean inhabitants once considered the meat a delicacy. There is a growing market for alpacas in North America and the animals fetch a high price. The high prices has led to increased of smuggling of alpacas into the US and Canada.

Alpacas are social herd beasts. They reside in family groups that are made of young ones, females, and a territorial alpha male. When there is an intruder, the animals warn each by producing sharp, noisy inhalations that resemble high-pitched brays. Smaller predators are usually attacked by the whole herd, which kicks and spits on them. They are particularly aggressive towards members of the canid family, which makes them to be used in some cases to guard sheep.

Alpacas are known for using communal dung piles. The dung piles are usually sited far from grazing zones. The spreading of internal parasites is limited communal ding piles. The number of dung piles is usually smaller for males than for females, which renders males tidier. The use of communal dug piles has been exploited to house-train alpacas.

Sounds produced by alpacas vary depending on various situations. When terrified or in danger, they make a high-pitched whine. They make a wark noise when they are excited or when they spot a strange cat or animal. Clucking or clicking is used in signaling submissive behavior. Alpacas also hum commonly to indicate to others that they are presence or content. When fighting, males produce bird-like screams.

Females need between 10-24 months to reach age of maturity. Conversely, males take a slightly longer time to mature. They need two to three years. It takes 11.5 months for the female to give birth to a young one and they rarely produce twins. Females are ready for after 2 weeks only.




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