Country Gem§ Farm

Alpacas herding instincts require that they be in the company of other alpacas. They have a variety of ways of communicating, the most notable being a soft, low humming sound but can be of varying tones. They might also cluck in their throats, or squeal during male wrestling and romping. There is a very high intensity call (a screech) when there is danger, at which the herd runs and huddles together… I can best describe this as a REALLY bad violin playing. They do spit, but usually at each other as a way to communicate their annoyance with other alpacas. Though, we do have one lady that loves to spit at ANYONE or ANYTHING when she is annoyed.

Alpacas have a life span of 15 to 20 years though some have lived to a ripe old age of 25 and they are resilient animals. Their climate adaptability is superb and resistance to the cold and poor nutrition has helped them adapt to the highlands of South America. They live at twelve to fourteen thousand feet, where the pastures are scarce and lack of oxygen can raise havoc in people not used to these altitudes, often…even during summertime the temperatures at night go down to below freezing. Alpacas have soft padded feet with two toes (ensure nail trimming as required) , a feature that allows them to graze without damaging the delicate ecological system of the highlands… OR… your pastures!

Alpacas can be raised on just a few acres, with a small barn or 3 sided shelter. Protection from predators requires proper fencing of your pastures.  Alpacas selectively graze, eating pasture grasses and hay, a fact that makes feeding alpacas relatively inexpensive. A daily supplement of grain, vitamin and mineral pellets round out their diet. Alfalfa hay is generally too rich for them. Pastures are easily kept clean because alpacas use communal dung piles, helping lower the risk of their picking up internal parasites. Their manure is in a pellet form, and is a great asset to gardeners as the manure (little or no odour) is great to put on the gardens raw, as it does not burn vegetables or flowers. We follow an established parasite control program and routine vaccinations for tetanus are given annually.

Males are ready to breed on average between 2.5 and 3 years of age, while females are ready between 14 to 24 months. The females have one baby a year after a pregnancy that lasts 11~11.5 months. The birthing process more often than not occurs in the morning hours, so the baby, called a cria (weighs in between 15-20 pounds), gets warmer and dries with the sun. This way the babe gets ready to join the herd in no time and thirty minutes later is wobbling after the mother. Due to special biological characteristics, the baby has a six-hour window to nurse and acquire the antibodies that the mother passes on through the colostrum (first milk).
Multiple births are very rare and usually only one baby survives. In the last year there were three known instances of twins, in Canada, Australia and USA with survival of both offspring under the loving care of their owners...