32 replies to this topic

[Redwine]

Wethers and pregnant females for sale ideal for starter herds, pets, flock guardians and fibre priducers.

We can also provide free husbandry lessons to anyone who purchases alpacas from us so that they feel confident that they have the necessary skills to look after them.

After purchasing your alpacas you will not be left all on your own. If needed you will be able to call us anytime for help and assistance.

Please email/post if you are interested.

[Mountain View]

Can you tell me please, as I have no knowledge of Alpacas, are they easy to shear or do they drop their coat themselves?

Also are the wethers young and do they have the same quality fleece as the females?

Thanks

[Redwine]

Alpacas need shearing once a year.
We get a specialist shearer in to do the whole herd at the same time.

The wethers are 6 years old.
Their fleeces will not be as good as the fleeces on our females, however, they are still of good enough quality to be used as fibre producers.

If you would like a bit more in depth info let me know.

[barrymoore]

HI I understand from David's book that they need to be kept in and I assume purchased in at least 4's? I have south facing field with good grass which is on chalk in hampshire, would that be suitable? also as the animals are quite expensive what about theft? regards Derek

[Peta]

HI I understand from David's book that they need to be kept in and I assume purchased in at least 4's? I have south facing field with good grass which is on chalk in hampshire, would that be suitable? also as the animals are quite expensive what about theft? regards Derek

Alpacas do not have to be kept inside. We breed alpacas on the Hampshire West Sussex border. All our alpacas are kept outside but do have a shelter per field so that they have shelter in the torrential rain. They can cope with the cold but hate heavy rain. They must be kept in at least a pair but preferably 3 as they are herd animals. We also have a selection of males and females for sale. All alpacas have to be registered with the british Alpaca society and are microchipped so even if they are stolen, they cannot be sold on as they must have registration papers.
If you want any more info, please feel free to contact us    www.dunreythalpacas.co.uk

[bean19871983]

hi there,
what price were you looking at for the females in young and do you have a unrelated stud for sale? How long is the pregancy term.
cheers
james

[Peta]

We have pregnant females starting at �3500. If you look at our website, all our alpacas for sale are on there. We do not have a stud for sale at the moment but may well do towards the end of the summer.
Alpacas are pregnant for between 11 1/2 and 12 months.
Hope this helps, if you want to know any thing more, give me a ring. The number is on the website.  www.dunreythalpacas.co.uk

[paully]

Hi
a general question about Alpacas - which seem to be promoted as the saviour to every smallholders dreams.

How long before the market is saturated....with smallholders trying to sell their surplus stock to other prospective smallholders?

They seem like delightful creatures and a joy to work with. But given the capital cost involved, are they likely to be a "phase" which is maturing quickly - especially given  the ideas set out in F2F (not a criticism, just a query)?

And since the idea is to demonstrate you have a viable business, presumably you have to rear and sell enough of them.Is the market for  them sustainable....or (see my other post on profitability) is this something that would allow you to demonstrate you have a viable business without worrying about the long-term sustainability of the business.

Not intending to challenge the forum member with Alpacas for sale - but as the original BETAMAX man, I have a habit of buying into a concept just before the rug is pulled 

[Peta]

OMG you sound just like my husband !!!
Yes, alpacas are delightful animals to work with. Apparently the fashion industry cannot get enough alpaca fleece to satisfy their needs as it is such a luxurious fibre and they blend it with other fibres to produce garments. We do not sell on any of our fleeces as we keep it and knit it up into unique hand knitted garments which we sell on at shows and to people who come to the farm.
We have only sold minimal alpacas so far but we are expecting 13 cria this summer and so grass is going to be a bit short next winter so we are planning ahead !!!
Im sure that the market will only be saturated when all the little pockets of land in the country have been sold and people are living the dream on their land,( that doesnt include the needs of the fashion industry ) and that is when people in this country will start to eat alpaca as they do in South America !! We make a large amount of our income from Walking with alpacas which is a very popular persuit.

[MINSTER ALPACA MAN]

Dear all interested parties in alpaca keeping!

I have just signed up and although I haven't read in too much detail, as yet, all the alpaca comments I can concur with what I have picked up on so far on the keeping , maintaining a viable national herd and the general outlook for the future in the alpaca industry. 

We had heard about alpacas and their ability to help tick a few boxes on the planning permision side of things, we only have a few acres of land, so we thought we would have a go. WOW, once you have them then the bug bites and you are hooked.  Ever dream of producing something exceptional?  Well, the challenge is there for all to try to attain! Really high quality / exceptional animals are few and far between and therefore command high prices, recently some animals have passed hands for 50k and even 75k.  Don't get too excited and think - well I only need to sell one at that and the financial  aspect of planning permission is met!!  It ain't that easy!  But with the right mating decisions and the correct choice of females for a starter herd then progress can be made reasonably quickly (one cria a year!).  And fingers crossed and a bit of luck you start to tick those neccesary boxes for living on your land! 

For a chat or more info. contact us through minsteralpacas.co.uk

[Burl]

Dunreyth Alpacas have a sale on stock in readiness for our new arrivals .
Discounts on starter herds,free back up and on site training,Money making ideas  from your Alpacas,various pregnant females and halter trained boys all have to go.
www.dunreythalpacas.co.uk 
[email protected]
Come and see how we got started and what we have done so far. ;D

[Wiseowl]

Apparently the fashion industry cannot get enough alpaca fleece to satisfy their needs as it is such a luxurious fibre

...but in which case why is the wholesale price so low - about £5/kg, or say £20 per alpaca?

[happymanoftheworld]

...but in which case why is the wholesale price so low - about £5/kg, or say £20 per alpaca?

Quite correct - you ARE a wise owl!! Worse, I was speaking to some Alpaca breeders and it seems that the advertised "buy" price is then graded when the fleece arrives at the buyers.... i.e. YOU might think that it is top class- £5.p k. but they might say 2 of your k's are top class, the other k's are lower grade/colour etc. therefore £4.... £3.50 p.k.

[barrymoore]

we now have 9 Alpacas and all 6 of our girls are pregnant for next year, we have kept our fleeces from last year and will try to sell them after we have sheered in May, the problem is that the industry to procces the fleece is not here yet in the UK. America and Austrailia are 10 years in advance of us and the fleeces are well sort after and fetch good prices. The figures banded about are 100,000 are needed to build the industry here, we are at about 30,000 at the moment!
our site is http://www.alpacas-hampshire.co.uk
regards Derek

[Wiseowl]

Actually there is no commercial industry to process the fibre in the USA or Australia either, despite both having 100,000 plus.

There is a well-established commercial industry in Peru, but there are 3-4m alpacas there, supplying most of the world demand, and the industry is based on very low wages.

There is also all the competition from other natural fibres such as merino, cashmere, and mohair.

It is unrealistic to expect that any significant expansion in alpaca production in the UK and other developed countries could somehow lead to a rise in the low world market price for alpaca fibre, against the usual rules of supply and demand.

[shepie]

Hi have you tried the Natural fibre company run by Sue Blacker in launceston cornwall ? , thats where i take my shetland fleece .

[barrymoore]

Thanks for that shepie, wiseowl do you have any Alpacas?

[happymanoftheworld]

Thanks for that shepie, wiseowl do you have any Alpacas?

Dave C might know! (lol)

[happymanoftheworld]

Hi Burl - surprised you don't have an "alpacas for sale" page.