Ferme Bonne Mine

an alpaca

a llama

They are both from the camelid family, like dromaderies, camels, guanacos and vicunas.
They are native of South America ( Peru, Bolivia, Chile ).
They were domesticated more than 5,000 years ago by the ancient Inca civilization. The llamas were used for materials packing. The alpacas ( Incas Treasures) were raised for their fleeces similar to cashmere and were reserved solely for royalty.
The alpacas were imported to North America in the 80s. In 2006, there were around 16,700 in Canada and around 65,000 in USA. The llamas were introduced in early 1900s and there should be today around 200,000 in North America.

A llama weighs between 250 and 400 lbs ( 115 and 180 kg ) and is about 45" ( 1.15 m ) tall at its shoulders and 5' to 6' ( 1.50 to 1.80 m ) at the top of the head. An alpaca weighs between 125 and 175 lbs ( 55 and 80 kg ) and stands high about 36" ( 90 cm ) at its shoulders and 5'( 1.50 m ) at the top of the head.
our Jack ( 1 day old )
They are ruminants with 3 stomachs.
They have neither horns nor hooves. They have padded feet with 2 toenails. They don't damage the pastures.
Their lifespan is between 20 and 25 years.
Their gestation period averages 11½ months. They give birth to a lonely baby ( "cria" ) during the day, usually between 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Female are usually first bred at 18 months of age. Male will reach their maturity around 2½ years old.
There are 2 types of alpaca: huacaya and suri. 90% of the alpacas are huacayas. Their fleece is different :
o The huacaya, more popular, has a dense crimpy fleece ( like "waves" )
o The suri is covered in long, pencil fine locks that hang straight down from the body

a huacaya

a suri
( Photo Courtesy of
Valley of Peace Alpaca Stud )

They are peaceful, intelligent, gentle, curious, and very adaptable to adverse weather conditions. They are also easy to feed, to handle and halter-trained. They love children and they are safe with them.
They spit rarely at people (unless when nervous or overexcited) but usually they spit at each other (especially when we feed them with grain: it's the battle!!!).
They are herd animals. They don't like to be alone. They can bond well with other types of animals like sheeps sheep and goats.
They communicate through humming noises ('Hummm') and unique body language (head, ears, neck, tail ).
They are good travelers. They are easily transported in a van or stock trailer.

Both produce an exceptional quality fibre which comes in 22 basic natural colors.
Because of their gentle nature, they can be used for zoo therapy with elderly and handicapped people.
They can participate in 4-H clubs. Kids have the responsibility to feed, to halter-train and show them.
They can go in shows which are very popular across the country.
The llama can carry up to 100 lbs on its back. We can take it for carrying camping materials during long trails or even for carrying golf caddies.
The llama can also be trained to pull small carts. A whole family can sit in and then take a small ride.
The llama is a really good guard for sheep and goats against predators (wolves, coyotes).

packing
( Photo Courtesy of Llama Org. )

carting
( Photo Courtesy of
JNK Llama Farm )

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Llama and Alpaca produce both a very fine and luxury fibre but alpaca's one is more wanted.
Their fibre isn't wool like sheep but is more like a hair. It has a hollow core, like a hose. This structure gives a light and warm insulation and strength to the fibre.
It comes in 22 natural colors from white to black, with a large range of beige, grey, brown and auburn.

fibre of our baby Jack

Hypo-allergenic (it contains no lanolin)
Really strong (just after the mohair from the Angora goat)
Very soft (like cashmere)
Very warm (8 times more than sheep wool )
Baby fibre is more sought because of its fineness.
An alpaca produces between 3 and 10 lbs of fibre by year. A llama gives from 3 to 8 lbs of fibre but some of its fleece is more coarse.
The fibre is used for sweaters, mittens, hats, headbands, socks and even duvets.
Spinners and weavers love it.
Many worsted and woolen mills process fibre in high quality products like yarns, rovings, batts. So, we can knit, weave and spin many items.
It can be dyed in many colors and blended with other fibres like mohair, merino).
We can do also some wet-felted or needle-felted items as their fibre felt very well.

Their food is really simple: hay, grass, mineral supplement, salt and grains (1 cup a day in winter).They need clean fresh water every day.
They need to be vaccinated once a year and dewormed twice a year. We need to trim their nails 2 to 3 times a year depending on the animals. Their teeth need to be trimmed too.
They need to be shear in spring on, one hand to protect them against the summer heats, and on the other hand to process their fibre.
They need a 3 side shelter to protect them against the summer heat and the winter cold (especially the wind).
A 4 feet tall fence is enough to take away the coyotes and dogs.
We can raise 4 to 6 alpacas per acre (2 to 3 lamas per acre) depending on the land.
They do their quite odorless poops on a same dung pile. It's easy to clean. The manure can be collected to do some compost for gardens.

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