Alpaca Risks

Yes, there can be great rewards in an alpaca business. But there can be risks as well. You must recognize these risks, and then, work to minimize these risks.

Since your alpaca business involves live livestock, there is always the possibility of death. Your alpacas will die eventually as will we all. But you want to make sure that they do not die prematurely. We have not yet experienced our first alpaca death, but I know we will be devastated especially if it could have been prevented.

Of course, you want to provide excellent alpaca care to keep your alpacas healthy.

Herd health management should be performed regularly and thoroughly to prevent illnesses, and to recognize alpaca diseases early when they are most likely to be treatable.

Your barn and pastures should be inspected often to make sure that there are no exposed barn nails or ground holes that can injure your alpacas. Also, check for poisonous plants which can be fatal if eaten. Alpacas are so curious that they can easily get themselves into trouble. So, a pristine barn is prudent.

Another security measure is to check your fencing. Adequate fencing is important to keep your alpacas in your pastures, but it is even more important to keep predators away from your alpacas. Dog attacks are a primary cause of alpaca injury and death.

Other alpaca risks involve breeding outcomes which can result in economic risks. For example, your dams may produce more male crias than female crias. Since males are generally worth less than females, your business will have an economic set-back. Unfortunately, there is not much that you can do to reduce this risk.

Often, we breed males and females hoping to yield a cria with the best features of both parents. But, sometimes, you get the worst of both! Or you may get the fleece characteristics that you were wanting, but not the conformation, or vice versa. Understanding alpaca genetics and heritability factors will greatly improve your chances of achieving the ideal alpaca.

Infertility issues are another economic risk. Simply, avoiding heat stress and shearing well around the tail will help your herd sires maintain their fertility. Proper breeding techniques involving cleanliness and infrequent breeding will help prevent uterine infections in your females.

Occasionally, you will find that you may need to cull a given alpaca from your breeding program. Thankfully, in this case, cull does not mean kill like other livestock! For example, you may find that your dam never produces milk, and bottle-feeding every cria is not much fun. Or you may find that your awesome herd sire is not pre-potent meaning that he does not pass along his desirable characteristics.

National economic cycles will also impact your alpaca business both positively and negatively.

Thus, you can see that there are several risks to your alpaca business. However, most of these alpaca risks can be minimized with good husbandry. Fortunately, the potential rewards greatly outweigh the possible risks.

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