Running and Breeding Alpacas for Fleece

Sexual Behaviour and Mating of the Vicugna Pacos

Oct 10, 2009 Roberta Goli

Alpacas were domesticated from members of the camel family from South America for the use of their warm, soft fleece.

Alpaca fleece is used in clothing and inside of quilts, and courser fleece is used in carpets and car seat covers. Breeding alpacas is a thriving industry in many countries including Australia, Canada, England, France, Israel, New Zealand, Poland and the United States. Current taxonomy of the Alpaca:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Genes: Vicugna
Species: V. pacos

Alpaca Sexual Behaviour and Breeding

Alpacas reach sexual maturity at 12-18 months of age for females and around 18 months to 3 years for males. Alpacas can breed throughout the year. Females will begin to ovulate when they have been mated. This is known as ‘induced ovulation’ and it occurs in other mammals such as cats and rabbits.

If a female alpaca is already pregnant and a male attempts to mate with her she will refuse to sit and spit at the male. This behaviour is known as the ‘spit-off’ and gives owners and breeders a way to monitor which females are pregnant in a herd.

Spitting is one unfortunate habit of the alpaca. They spit out regurgitated grass as a defense mechanism, and while it has an offensive smell, humans are generally not the targets. Instead, they spit at each other to establish hierarchy, and females use it to deter males.

Gestation period is 11-12 months but can last longer than one year, and females will give birth to only one baby, known as ‘cria’. It is more realistic, however, to project three offspring in a four-year period, rather than one per year.

Cria will stay with their mother until weaned at around 6 months of age and mothers can be mated 2-6 weeks after they give birth. Birth weight for a healthy cria should be around 6-8kg (13-17lb) and will be standing and drinking with 3 hours of being born. Adult alpacas weigh in at 45-87kg (100-190lbs) and measure 32-39 in at the shoulder. Lifespan for an alpaca is around 15-20 years.

Owning Alpacas for Breeding or Shearing

Purchase price for alpacas will vary from state to state and country to country, but price is based on breeding potential and quality of fleece and potential offspring. A wether, which is a castrated male, would be less expensive than an un-castrated male. Pricing for females is based on breeding history, age and quality.

Shearing alpacas should be done annually and generally in spring. A professional shearer would take 5-10 minutes to shear an alpaca and can cut between 1.5-4 kg (3.3-8.8lb) of fleece, depending on the animal and fleece density.

The color of an alpaca when it is born doesn’t change as the animal ages. Some alpacas that are born white may develop into a light fawn color and some black alpacas may develop brown tips when the fleece gets long, however, if assessed correctly at birth, the color of the animal won't change.

There are two breeds of alpaca, and thus two types of fleece. They are the huacaya, which have a full, puffy fleece and the suri whose fleece appears like dreadlocks. Both fleece types are soft and considered luxurious fibers in the textile trade.

Alpacas benefit from being handled when they are young and if treated well, make good pets even eating out of the owner’s hand. Alpacas get along well with other animals such as sheep and goats and non-aggressive friendly dogs. They have a tendency to be aggressive towards foxes so can be a guard for the chicken coop.

When running alpacas with horses or cattle, care should be taken as the alpacas may suffer from kicks from the other livestock. Alpacas thrive best when they have company and it is not advisable to have just one alpaca. Because they are herd animals, they will feel more secure and content with a friend or two.

You may also like to read Diseases Known to Affect Alpacas.

For more information about alpacas visit the Australian Alpaca Association and Bonny Doon Alpacas Webpages.