Does anyone know how many Llamas there are in the US today? The reason I am asking is that there seems to be a collapse in their prices from the high figures in the past to the hundreds today.

Apparently, the breeder selling to new breeder cycle has run its course and now the animal is going to have to establish its value just like any other farm critter.

Has anyone actually used their fibre for spinning yarn?

-- Dennis Sherwood (sherwood@iconnect.net), August 26, 2001

Answers

The breeder cycle has been over for a while with llamas, but is midway way with alpaca's.

How many in the US isnt going to decide the value, the buyer will always decide the value of an animal. They are either willing to pay for it for not willing.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), August 27, 2001.

Dennis, I have 9 llamas and have stopped breeding for the past couple of years. As all "exotics" they have run their course and what is left is people who love their llamas as pets and people left with what they couldn't sell.

I bought my llamas for pets almost 10 years ago, we thought we would use them as pack animals but in the meantime I have learned to spin and I love the yarn I make. I also knit, I make hats and socks for my family members(and vet)as Christmas gifts. We also have saddles and we hike around, sometimes bringing lunch with us.

Do you currently spin? If I can be of more assistance, you can e- mail me directly.

-- Emily in central Ky. (BellyAcresFarm@kyk.net), August 27, 2001.

I will be traveling over Labor Day to pick up my llama. It is a gelding that I paid $200 for and He is pack trained and a past 4-H project. I want hime for his wool and he will be guarding my small flock of wool sheep. I haven't spun llama wool yet, but intend to. My guild just purchased some llama wool, don't know what they paid as I missed that meeting. The prices in the past were artifically high due to unexperienced investors. Alpacas will take a dive in price next, you can bet on it.

-- Patricia Ramsey (woolspin@aol.com), August 27, 2001.

The main reason why I asked was to "guessimate" when the alpaca market would collapse. When they are priced as a fur-bearing animal and not a get rich quick scheme, I would like to start a herd.

It seems to be that to obtain the best return on the work involved would be to spin the fibre, and not just to dump the fur to wholesalers.

According to some internet sources there are about 9,000 alpacas in the US now, and my guess is when they reach the current population levels of llama's they too will come down in price.

I see the alpaca as potentially valuable homestead animal, and can wait until their prices come down, as they must some day.

Dennis Sherwood

-- Dennis Sherwood (sherwood@iconnect.net), August 27, 2001.

Marvelous price on that gelding! A breeder friend wanted me to buy a gelding a a guard animal for my sheep and was only charging me $1000. Needless to say, I had a change of heart.

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), August 28, 2001.

I have been reading the book, How to Raise Llamas and in there they estimated the alpaca population at 10,000 in the US. The book was written in 1997. I though the price of the gelding was excellent. He seems very nice, was a 4-H project that the boy outgrew. This gelding didn't have a place in their breeding herd. They said he was a little aggressive but he didn't show me that aspect of himself towards humans when I saw him. If he chases some of these strays off, he will have earned his keep!

-- Patricia Ramsey (woolspin@aol.com), August 29, 2001.