Suri & Huacaya Fine Fleece Alpaca Stud — Hunter Valley
Are you looking for a lifestyle change… some time and space to sit and actually smell the roses? Are you interested in grazing animals that are affordable, beautiful, sweet natured, halter trained, exquisite to touch, easy to look after and easy on the ground?
Alpacas are animals that will keep your grass down but won’t pull it out by the roots. They are environmentally friendly, they have a soft pad on their feet that does no damage to your paddocks and they are really easy to herd and to manage. Because they all poo in a communal pile, cleaning up after them is easy and alpaca poo is just incredible on the fruit trees and plants in your garden! It can go on straight from the poo pile to your shrubs and it doesn’t burn your plants.
Their fleece is just gorgeous and you can use it to spin and knit or sell to the craft or fibre industry. It also makes great garden mulch if you don’t want to do anything with it – slugs and snails hate it! Alpacas are excellent guards against foxes for chickens, lambs and kids and as part of a small scale or hobby farm, your alpacas can provide you with tax benefits.
You can purchase alpacas simply for the beauty of sitting and watching these delightful and inquisitive animals graze and play. If you are doing anything in the paddock they will come up to check out what you are up to. One day when I was out in their paddock one of my girls, Goldie sat down next to me and then fell asleep with her head on my chest while I was lying contemplating how blue the sky was. It’s these perfect moments of stillness and peace that add richness and clarity and healing to my life.
At certain times during the year we have halter trained alpacas that are specially selected when little for their friendliness and fleece quality. These little ones are for sale once they have been weaned from their mothers. Because our babies are part of our family we have rules for purchase…
- We will not sell one alpaca on its own – they are a herd animal and they pine (and will pine to their death) without another alpaca for company. If you already own alpacas then this isn’t an issue, but for those starting out you must have two.
- We won’t sell our babies to people on less than 2 acres. They don’t belong in a standard back yard surrounded by colourbond fencing. Alpacas won’t like being walked around the block on a lead…they really are grazing animals that need to live in a paddock.
- You need to have good fencing – alpacas rarely challenge a fence but dogs can tear them apart so fencing for the alpaca’s sake is very important.
- They also need shelter in the form of shade trees and access to clean water.
What we will do when you purchase alpacas from us…
- We will spend any amount of time with you showing you how to be comfortable and knowledgeable about their traits, their husbandry and any queries that you have. That includes hands on training.
- We will deliver them to your property.
- We offer free ongoing email and phone support for when you get them home and you have any questions.
- We will take any of our animals back if your circumstances change and you decide that you no longer want them.
The most common question I was asked at the last field day was: "What husbandry do you have to do to alpaca’s you own"?
They have to be shorn once a year, vaccinated, drenched and toe nails clipped. When we only had a few alpaca our shearer use to come in once a year and after each animal was shorn he would trim their nails, vaccinate them, give them a drench and check each one for any problems. That was the only husbandry that was needed. He bought all the equipment and medical supplies with him, all we had to provide was an extension cord for power. It cost me less per alpaca for all of that than to have one of my Clydesdale’s hooves done on a monthly visit. Unless they have an accident or you have breeding females it doesn’t get any simpler.
You are most welcome to call us and arrange for a visit to our farm at a time that suits both of us…even if it is only for a chat, a coffee and an introduction to alpacas :-)