The rich fine fiber of the alpaca is a rare and wonderful commodity. Compared to angora and cashmere, alpaca is relatively cheap to produce and harvest. We are currenetly selling alpaca rovings for $7.00 per once. A quick serach and you will find it selling for $40.00 per once. Our alpacas produce an average of six pounds a year. Though the fiber is the end product of the alpaca, the indusrty is now geared toward building the national herd. This means that breeding animals are an excellent source of income to the serious breeder.
A breeding age female is worth about $15,000. We were a bit stunned by that price until we started to do the math:
Alpacas bear young for aanverage fifteen years (many produce for twenty).
If you buy two females that bear young for at least fifteen years, and sold every female born to you, your female would create $135,000 over those 15 years. Over her years of production she will produce about half female. Now think of what happens if you keep some or all of your females during a 10 year period and also breed them. By the end of ten years it would be possible to have a herd worth $795,000.
Alpacas are inexpensive to feed and maintain. About $2.75 per day feeds all seven in our little herd. With proper management they can adapt to most climates.
The American alpaca industry is very new. It has been fewer than 30 years since the first were imported. Iimports have since been closed. The serious breeder will always be looking for animals that will increase the fineness and density of the fleece in their herds. They will see their alpaca enterprise as a business rather than an investment. Serious breeders are willing to learn all they can about these amazing animals and their care. They learn how to market and sell their animals.
Black Pine Alpacas is an exceptional resource to help the serious alpaca breeder in all aspects of the business.
To recieve more answers to alpaca questions, or to recieve a free information packet please contact us.
