Introduction

There are two different alpacas types, the suri and the huacaya. Often, an alpaca farm will choose to focus on one or the other.

The suri has fiber that grows quite long and forms silky, pencil-like locks.	The huacaya has a shorter, dense, crimpy fleece, giving it a very woolly appearance.

Alpacas have soft padded feet, making them gentle on their pastures, and they have no top teeth in the front. The average height of an alpaca is 36" at the withers, and they weigh from 100 to 175 pounds.

Alpacas have a life span of 15 to 20 years, so you can enjoy the animals on your alpaca farm for a long time. Not only do they have a long reproductive life, they will provide fleece for a lifetime, making your investment long-lived.

An alpaca's gestation period is 11 and a half months, and they have single births, twins are extremely rare. A baby alpaca, called a cria, usually weighs between 15 and 20 pounds.

Alpaca fiber comes in 22 different colours that are recognized by the textile industry, and there are many blends in addition to that. Alpacas are shorn for their wonderful fleece each year, which will produce 5 to 10 pounds of soft, warm fiber that is turned into the most luxurious garments in the world. When it comes to keeping an alpaca farm, there is something for everyone.