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* We Encourage Calls & Visits from
those wanting to learn about Alpacas. |
We will not let you take an Alpaca Home until we know for sure that you and your farm are ready! |
Proud Members
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What we have learned in our 1st seven years! My wife Frances & I had raised various types of animals on our property in the past, but each case led to more work that it was worth. While our 3 children were growing up the reality of having to kill our livestock in order to recognize a profit became an issue around the household. Subsequently we put our beef cow & chicken farming on hold and concentrated on our jobs and raising our children. Since that time we had let the buildings and the property go to waste while our fence lines & pastures became quite overgrown with high weeds. The property did not look appealing to say the least. Between work and kids we kept quite busy and we chose to ignore the unsightliness of the land that once had been a part of my Grandfather’s Dairy Farm. As our children grew and became more independent we began to find the time again to work on our home and the farm land. When we began to investigate an investment in Alpacas in 1994. We spent
considerable time researching the potential of the Alpaca Industry. The business aspect of
raising Alpacas on our property was clearly something that we were confident about and
having livestock again was something we were looking forward to. One thing that we often
heard was that these animals sold them selves. We found this statement to be quite true
when we chose our 1st 4 alpacas (or as I should say, they chose us). We
did not care what country they had originated from or if they had won any special awards.
We were just able to look at the alpacas that were available and make our choices based on
what "we" felt was desirable about them. No one tried to tell us that other
Alpacas were more valuable than the ones we were looking at nor did they try to convince
us to spend more money to purchase different Alpacas, that we found not as desirable, just
because they happened to be from a particular country. FOR more of "Our Story" click here
What really constitutes "value" in an Alpaca has become more obvious to us with each year that we have grown our herd. We purchased our 1st Alpacas after considering size, color, age, price, confirmation, fleece characteristics and some heritage.. As we have learned from our experiences, both good and bad, it has become quite evident that many more things need to be considered when evaluating an Alpaca for purchase. The items listed below may seem insignificant now, but each has proven to be more important with every year that we have been in the Alpaca Business.
Are bottle babies in your prospective Alpaca’s history? How predictable has the Alpaca been on cria birthing dates? {After you have waited weeks for a cria to be born you will recognize the importance of this !}
Item 6; has become an industry standard that you should expect always...! Our experience to date has been enjoyable. We have
watched our herd grow from our original 4 to the present 22 Alpacas that we own ourselves
and another 7 Alpacas that we share ownership of. Our first cria born was quite memorable
and he, to this day, is the family’s favorite. On our third try we were finally able
to witness the birth of a cria. This happened only after we finally became good enough at
recognizing the signs of a "ready to birth" mother. Even now after having a hand
in the births of nearly 30 cria (ours and at other farms) each one is just as exciting as
the first. They always seem to fool you when it comes to guessing color, sex, and WHEN?
What to
do Now 1.Visit Alpacas farms in your area or in areas that you
might want to visit any how. We belong to a group of 12 farms in North East Ohio that have
made this easy for you. The Alpaca Network of North East Ohio consists of 12 farms that
you can visit in a 50 mile round trip. We have over 150 alpacas to view (both Huacaya
& Suri). Most importantly you can get 12 different points of view on the Alpaca &
the Business. 2.A good business plan is probably just as important as which Alpacas you choose! While visiting farms ask about business plans. I think you will be able to pick out who has a plan and who does not. It can be a rewarding experience either way but the breeder who has a good plan and the ability to stick to it feels rewarded every day!. Those who do not have a good plan that they abide by often feel the frustration of over extending themselves time & money wise. "Keeping up with the Jones’s decision making" does not make good business sense.Spontaneous and unnecessary spending does not help either. 3. Research the Alpaca and the Industry! Figure out what you can afford to
invest and make the numbers work before you go looking for Alpacas to buy. You can do
research on the internet by viewing a few of the Alpaca Breeder web pages and get very
good information on all aspects of the business at the Australian Alpaca Owners Library
page: http://www.alpacassouthaustralia.au.com 4. Prepare for selecting your Alpacas by learning quality features to look for. Also take the time to learn about the things that will determine the value of the return on your investment. "Highest quality" does not always equal "best value". You can often purchase 2 or 3 good quality Alpacas for the price of 1 highly publicized Alpaca. For the thrifty investor not putting all of your eggs in one basket makes good sense. This way you can be looking forward to a faster growing herd and more opportunities for return. Finding a good Sire to breed your Dam can be just as important as which alpaca you purchase first. 5. Before attempting to bring home your Alpacas take some time to learn how to
care for them and how to make your farm & pastures safe. Research where you will buy
feed & hay and where is your closest support? i.e. Veterinarian, people who can help
care for your alpacas if you should be called away or for other emergencies, a person to
do your shearing. There is no substitute for helping on the sellers farm for a few days if
you want to learn how to care for your Alpacas. |
Does
anybody really make a living raising ALPACAS?
Find out now! 
