Alpacas

[bmac]

So, what's with this alpaca craze? Advertised on TV and even here on TBN. Any of you TBNers in on this?

I am not interested in raising livestock of any kind, so I am not asking for advice on how to get into the alpaca business. Just curious if this is a legitimate, money-making opportunity or if only a small percentage of folks are actually turning a profit while most investors end up taking it on the chin.

Anyone making a mint in the alpaca buisness?

 

[PhilNH5]

It reminds me of the ostrich craze and then the llama fad. In Hobby Farm magazine there are lots of high gloss full page color advertisements for them. $10K for a breeding pair - ouch!

But there is no market for anything they produce. No one eats them. Their fur is extremely soft - but you have a hard time selling it. Hobby Farms ran a cover story in July/August 2004 (can't find a link to the article). They basically said you make money by selling alpacas.
The only way to make money is to sell $10K alapacas to others who hope to get rich. Reminds me of a Ponzi or pyramid scheme.
Phil

 

[bmac]

<font color="blue"> Reminds me of a Ponzi or pyramid scheme.
</font>

Phil.

This crossed my mind as well. As far as cost of alpacas, I clicked on the ad that runs here on TBN, and I think this guy selling his tips to make money with alpacas quotes $10K-15K for a breeding female. Yikes!! I'm wondering if the tip of the pyramid has been reached yet.

<font color="blue"> No one eats them. </font>

Let's see. I've read that the average weight of an alpaca is 100 to 175 lbs. Now, I'm not a hunter so I can't extrapolate, for example, what the meat yield is for a dressed deer. But, lets say that for a 125 lb alpaca you get 50 lbs of meat. If the price for an alpaca is, say, $10K - that makes the meat about $200/lb. A bit pricey, I would say.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've thought about getting a few for pets. From what I've read, they don't take much care, just some good grass, clean water and a loafing shed for shelter. Worms and other parasites aren't a major issue and they don't damage fences. Of course, the price is what makes is prohibitive, so I'll probably get a few llamas instead.

Eddie

 

[DrRod]

I know some people who got them just to be pasture ornaments. They're cute and easy to work with. We have a big Sheep and Wool Festival here and people sell yarn from them but I suspect its a very limited market.

Speaking from experience, if you want pasture ornaments, advertise for give-away horses. Everyone has an extra horse -- too old, too young, hot, too cold, too lame. And no one wants to sell their horse -- its a hassle and a half and the auctions have meat dealers in the crowd. But if you aren't going to ride it, most of these are just nice to have around and they help keep the weeds down, the fence rows clean, and the garden fertilized. We advertised for them several times and, after convinceing the owners of our good intentions, collected several excellant animals -- some better than one's we had paid good money for. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif