Visited the Wisconsin State Fair and saw quite a few Llama and Alpaca breeders. I was very surprised to learn that Llama prices have come down a lot (one breeder offered a prime female for $3,000) from sky-high prices years ago. Presently, Alpaca prices range from $10,000 to over $22,000 but my question is: How long before the breeders satisfy the market and prices drop down to more reasonable levels?

I have been thinking of raising alpaca's to finance my move to the country. Welcome advice.

-- Dennis Sherwood (sherwood@iconnect.net), August 19, 2001

Answers

Just want to share some websites that I had bookmarked. I have no personal experience with these beasties. Seems to me that there were claims that the price of alpacas would not drop because no more were going to be imported. Don't know if that's what I really read, because that was months ago, and if it was what I read, don't know if it's really true!

http://www.llama.org/alsa/
http://www.aoba.org/
http://www.humminghill.com/index.htm
http://www.alpacaregistry.net/


-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), August 20, 2001.

Probably when the "newness" wears off. I recall JD mentioning in Countryside several yrs ago about the Boer goats. I remember seeing a price tag of around 50,000. I had to chuckle, remember laughing as i told my neighbor then. But then about 8 yrs later the prices dropped to around 300.00 for a full blood and now you can pick them up very reasonably at sales.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), August 20, 2001.

Ask youself, Who is going to be able to afford the $10-20K for an alpaca? Only those who will be breeding to make their money back. You cant make enough from showing the animal or even from the wool to make any profit at $10K so you have to do it with off spring.

This means that your only sales outlet is other breeders. How many other breeders are there to choose from? There all trying to do the same thing you are.

It is basicly a pyrimid scheme with no one running the pyrimid. Those who get in early can makde some good money, but as the base gets widers the profit and outlets go down. Based on the Emu and llama craze I would say 5-10 years for a trend to run its course. Emu went at about 5 years, Lllams lasted a little longer. Alpaca's are a number of years into their max sales potential. How long will it last? In good financial years maybe a while, but with the economic change the last year, maybe less. Not sure I would bet the farm on it.

Dont get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with llamas, alpaca's or emu. I have llama's myself. They are fun animals, but are not going to fund a farm.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), August 20, 2001.

After I posted the above question, I surfed the net with Google and there's lots of breeder websites. What I found interesting was some breeders were offering the first bred female alpaca at $10,000 but the second at half price. First hint of some weakness in the market?

Even with the alpaca registry closed, eventually the current breeders will increase the population level to where the animals will have to pay for themselves as sources of fur. I guess if you are loaded and can afford the current high prices, it's a good investment assuming that there's a constant stream of new potential breeders coming into the market. That $3,000 female llama was quite an eyeopener for me, in that it drove home the point that timing was everything.

I still think alpaca's would be a great homestead animal, but I think I will wait until the breeder/big buck frenzy is over. With a weakening market, that might not be so far off. The alpaca breeder at the fair was trying to sell off her herd of llamas, for example.

At some point, the value of an alpaca will be based mainly on the value of the harvested fur (which would be greatly increased if processed into yarn) less their maintaince costs. Exceptional animals will always be worth more as breeding stock, just like horses or pigs.

-- Dennis Sherwood (sherwood@iconnect.net), August 20, 2001.

Dennis, Note sure if an alpaca would be a good homestead animal. They are right now expensive. Are small and dont produce a lot of wool per animal. They can provide income by selling the offspring, but to make that viable you have to spend a lot of time showing and proving your animal.

If its just wool you want, then llama's would be a better choice. Larger, more wool, much lower in initial cost.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), August 20, 2001.

Nothing feels quit as nice as good alpaca wool! Llama dosnt come close, of course depends on what you want to make. Llama is great for blankets and coats.Alpaca feels wonderfull against the skin.[ of course depends on the animal as the course ness varies between animals].

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), August 20, 2001.

If somebody could update us about the prices of ostriches, emus, etc., we could get a better idea. Remember how expensive they started out to be? Maybe it's the same thing.

-- sheepish (WA) (the_original_sheepish@hotmail.com), August 20, 2001.

Thanks for the links. I visited the offical alpaca registry site and left a question: what are the actual numbers of males & females registered since 1988? I want to determine the rate of increase of the population.

At some point, like the emu or other exotics, the numbers of animals will exceed the number of potential breeders.

They are cute animals.

Dennis Sherwood

-- Dennis Sherwood (sherwood@iconnect.net), August 20, 2001.

Question: there was a comment about alpavcas being useful as a farm animal. i had to stop and figure how, then I wondered if they might make good guards like Llamas. i once read that they are kin to Llamas. There was an article on them in Farm & ranch or small farmer, can't recall which. I am also curious to see if they will be shown at NAILE sometime in the future. saw my first llama show last yr while there.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), August 20, 2001.

Last year I fell in love with a llama who cost me less than $500. I now have 3. I love to go to the shows, but I don't show them. They are wonderful, gentle, quiet, intellegent animals.

And I would not have any other type of livestock after learning that they all poop in the same pile. I don't have to watch my step. And their feces are nearly odorless. this was a wonderful reality for someone who has lived in dairyland all her life.

I hope to get a hat and mittens from this years fiber harvest.

-- Deb Jacobs in Madison area (debjacobs8@cs.com), August 20, 2001.

I personally don't know about Alapacas, wife says she would like to try some of the wool in spinning and weaving, but she would try the dogs hair if I didn't watch her. And that dog stinks. But last week a friend of mine said that another neighbor that got in to rasing ostrich birds was overstocked and was wanting to sell some really cheap. Seems they are eating him out of house and home. Seen this scam several time in my life but even I am not old enough to remember the Tulip bulb scam a couple of hundred years ago. Seems that there is always some one out there who has a get rich scheme that just can't fail. If you want a alapaca buy one, but don't plan on getting rich.

-- David (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), August 20, 2001.

Aroound here, Southern Oregon, people give thgem away. A friend of ours had 7 Llamas given to her last year, I have seen adds for free Llams often.

-- hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), August 21, 2001.

Wow, just surfed some Llama websites and I could buy many different ones for under $1,000. It would be interesting to find out what they were going for, say 5 years ago. At these prices, they are approaching their true values as pack animals, fur, etc. and not as a fast buck vehicle.

No word yet from the alpaca registry concering population numbers.

-- Dennis Sherwood (sherwood@iconnect.net), August 21, 2001.

I, too, have checked into llamas and alpacas because I am thinking of getting sheep and I thought these would go well. The fur of the alpaca is very different from that of the llama and is prized because of it's softness. The fleece and yarn sells for more than either sheep or llamas'. Also, to answer someone's question about alpacas serving as a guard animal. They will not. They are a timid animal and would react similarly to how sheep would to a dog attack. The llama is the one that will protect it's flockmates and that is primarily why I have an interest in getting a llama. I like sheep first and my husband really wants to get an alpaca so that is why we have been researching them. I have been in contact with all of them and the alpaca certainly is a very sweet and somewhat shy animal but if they are handled when young they don't mind being petted. They also are not as tolerant of the heat and need to be given plenty of shade and fresh water if you are in a warm climate. Llamas are not as sensitive in that area. Hope this answers some of the questions.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), August 24, 2001.