Llamas
Dances With Llamas & Alpacas
We Offer Beautiful Llamas & Alpacas For Sale
Alpacas
Welcome
Dances With Horses
Because they are highly sociable herd animals, llamas need the companionship of other llamas. Independent yet shy, llamas are gentle
and curious. Their generally calm nature and common sense make a trained llama easy for anyone to handle and an excellent choice for
a child's pet and companion.
Alpacas are New World camelids and look like small llamas or long-necked camels with no humps, especially when recently sheared. They
have shaggy necks and camel-like faces with thick lips, pronounced noses, and long ears. Their large, expressive eyes seem to exhibit
both wisdom and childlike curiousity. Easily domesticated, alpacas are friendly, gentle and curious.
Llamas will spit at other llamas in order to establish the pecking order within the group, to ward off an unwanted suitor, or to say
"Bug off!". A llama who has been mishandled, feels abused, or threatened may occasionally spit at humans
Llamas are known to
be very protective animals and will make distinct sounds when predators or strangers approach. Llamas have the reputation for being
excellent guard animals. Our Llamas roam freely over 40 acres with horses, dogs and lambs. They are never confined and we socialize
with them daily.
Alpacas were exported from Peru in the mid-1980s and have become a premier livestock in North America and abroad. In the United States,
the national Alpaca Registry (ARI) was formed to ensure breed purity and high standards. Importation from South America is now closed.
Each alpaca born in the US is blood-typed before registering. This practice helps keep our North American standards high, our
animals healthy, and our breeding practices more focused on growing the best alpaca fiber in the world
Females are first bred at 16 to 24 months of age. Llamas do not have a heat cycle; they are induced ovulators (ovulation occurring
24 to 36 hours after breeding). Llamas can be bred at any time of the year. A single baby ("cria") is usually delivered from a standing
mother, normally without assistance. Most births occur during daylight hours, which is better for the cria and most certainly more
convenient for the llama owners. Twinning is a rare occurrence. Normal birth weights are between 20 to 35 pounds, and the cria usually
stands and nurses within 90 minutes. Depending upon the cria's size and the mother's condition, the baby is weaned at 4 to 6 months.
Unlike the llama, the fiber of the alpaca can be used for clothing. Alpaca fiber is softer than cashmere or angora, and warmer and
lighter weight than wool, without the prickle-factor that some wool has. Since alpaca fleece has no lanolin, it is easier to process
and is hypoallerginic. The hair of the alpaca is called 'fleece' or 'fiber' rather than 'fur' or 'wool.' Alpaca fleece has 22 natural
shades ranging from black to silver and rose gray and white, from mahogany brown to light fawn and champagne. Alpacas can be bred
for specific color.
There are two types of alpacas, classified according to their fiber type:
Huacaya ('wah-KI-yah') —
dense, crimped, wooly, water-resistant fleece. About 90% of all alpacas in the North America are "teddy-bear" huacayas.
Suri ('SUR-ree')
— very fine and lustrous fiber which grows parallel to the body in long, separate locks. Only 10% of the alpaca population in the
US are suris.
Llama wool is Grease-free and lightweight, llama wool is warm and luxurious. A valuable commodity sought after by fiber artists, such
as weavers and spinners, the wool is a marketable product for llama owners.
Llamas are modified ruminants with a three-compartment
stomach. Like cattle and sheep, they chew their cud. Because of a relatively low protein requirement and an efficient digestive system,
they can be kept on a variety of suitable pastures or hay, with the supplementation of recommended vitamins, minerals and salt. A
llama costs significantly less to feed than other comparable-sized animals.
This lifestyle is made possible since alpacas can be raised on relatively small acreage and they are clean, safe, quiet, intelligent
and disease resistant. Alpacas have soft padded feet, are gentle on the land and can be easily transported. Alpacas have brought impressive
financial returns to families all across America, but it's the fun and hands-on nature of this lifestyle that has really captivated
people searching for a simpler and more rewarding way of life.
Like all animals, alpacas exhibit individual personality. They are herd animals, preferring the companionship of their friends and
their established community, and will become stressed if separated from their buddies.
Observe who is always first at the food
bins, and who is last. Notice when a female is extra-friendly — she may have lost her pregnancy and is wanting to be re-bred. Some
cria exhibit independence at an early age, others may be momma's kids, just like two-leggeds.
Gentle and curious, alpacas respond
well to children, and many ranches are a family affair. A confident youngster can handle an animal in the showring or on an obstacle
course. Regional events sometimes offer a costume contest. Alpacas are well-suited for 4-H projects to learn animal husbandry. During
winter holidays you may even see a couple of them stand in for their camel cousins in a Nativity scene.
