Alpacas. Why?

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Alpacas. Why?
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wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 05 6:42 pm Post subject:
Don't you ride on them then? and can you ride an alpaca?

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 05 7:49 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

Don't you ride on them then? and can you ride an alpaca?

No. And no.
And I think we've established that eating them would be foolish (and probably BTW tough...)

"Trekking": see for example
https://www.hulvertree.fsbusiness.co.uk/price.htm
looks like a nice little business...

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 05 8:15 pm Post subject:
Oh, I'll stick to me dogs then (at least you can take them in the pub!)

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 05 9:18 pm Post subject:
I've never seen a pub with a No Alpacas/Llamas sign, and I believe that British law is based on the idea that things are permitted unless specified as illegal, so it might be worth a try.....

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 05 9:21 pm Post subject:
B*gger, I don't know any llamas or alpacas - otherwise I would take one in our local for a pint - wouldn't mind seeing what my local landlord would say about taking one in his pub.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 05 10:59 pm Post subject:

There's a pull out special in this months country smallholding about alpacas - lots of ads and a few articles on what to do with them. It seems most of the market is in breeding to sell to bolster the 'british herd', but thats not sustainable and will top out at some point, so fleece is the main product.

I've no idea what the overheads are, but I paid 4.25 per 50g for my alpaca wool - so it retails around 85 pounds per kilo! At the average yield of 3.5 kilos per head, that's nearly 300 quid a year. I have absolutely no experience of keeping livestock at all, and obviously there would be costs involved, but I can buy an organic butchered lamb for �150. Stocking densities and the like are said to be similar to keeping sheep.

Maybe it's not so daft, after all!

percypony

Joined: 06 Jan 2005
Posts: 146
Location: Hants

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 05 8:08 am Post subject:

There's a couple up the lane from us who have four of them. ('them' being used as I am not sure if they are alpacas or llamas!). You shoudl see the ponies eyes come out on stalks when they meet them coming up the lane being lead out for walks!

She also takes one of her home bred (hand reared too I think) ones on hospital visits, reound schools etc as a meet and greet type thing! I expect he would like to join you in the pub Gertie!

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28234
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 05 10:06 am Post subject:
Of course Swindon has llamas https://www.jasperfforde.com/swindon/7ws_7.html

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 05 11:50 am Post subject: alpacas

GOATS?

did somebody say GOATS?

as far as i know still available....not smelly.....not nasty- full of character...

and as for alpacas- i would have one tomorrow if i had my own land - in fact i'd have 2 tomorrow

lovely creatures, useful for sheep guarding and packing

leave the car at home and WALK somewhere with your alpaca/llama/donkey carrying your lunch.it's a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours andyou can get your groceries home as well

yes you can walk with the dogs and we do frequently but walking with a different type of animal put s a whole different slant on things

sorry came in on this one a bit late didn't i?

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 05 7:58 pm Post subject:

Right, I am back.

We have 5 alpacas. We bought them after a huge fox attack. To be quite honest, I had only gone to buy some chairs, but you know how it is

We have 4 geldings and one in tact males.

They cost �2000 for the 5.

So far I have sold the fleece to local spinners. This has contributed to the capital cost, after the care costs have been taken into consideration.

We have them sheered once a year, and they also have their overhaul at that time too. Injections, feet, teeth etc.

In the summer they live in the same paddock as the poultry. At the moment they are out with the sheep and lambs.

If a fox or badger come into the field then they go for a low necked run towards them, and start to circle them running them off.

In the poultry field we have still lost a couple to foxes, but usually they notice the comotion before any more than one is killed and chase the fox off.

Plus they are cute!!

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 05 8:33 pm Post subject:

Do the males all live happily together, or is that why you've only got one intact one? I really fancy some of these (especially since I got hold of some alpaca wool, and its gorgeous. I really need some natural material jumpers, as I keep getting electric shocks from the static charge on fleece!)

So are they easy for beginners, or should I start with something a little smaller. I've never had any real livestock before, although I can manage to look after a dog!

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 05 9:07 pm Post subject:
Males will happily live together, ours had been done before we got them.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 05 9:15 pm Post subject:
Where would you put them WW? Cunningly disguised as a couple of South American students in the spare bedroom? Al & his mate Paca?

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 05 9:22 pm Post subject:
I don't see why not, a friend of mine kept her goat in the back bedroom at night

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 05 8:24 am Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

Where would you put them WW? Cunningly disguised as a couple of South American students in the spare bedroom? Al & his mate Paca?

Judging by the state of the pets in our house, tucked up on the sofa by the fire! I might start by keeping them at livery, while I learn what to do with them, and then move on to renting a field. This is all hypothetical, and depends where we are living, and in what circumstances in a couple of years. My MIL is thinking of getting some to look after her paddock, so I suppose I could persude her to have them to stay!

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