Home

Products

Directions

Animal Pics

Animals
for Sale

Welcome to Precious Alpaca Farm, Inc.

Are you looking for a new and exciting place to visit?  A place where kids and adults can experience the marvel of a beautiful animal first hand?

Well, here’s your opportunity!                                             

About Precious Alpaca Farm 

Owned and operated by David and Brenda Brown, Precious Alpaca Farm is located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountain community of  Thurmond, North Carolina.  The farm provides loving care for one of the world’s most interesting animals, the Huacaya Alpaca.  The fiber sheared from these beautiful animals is stronger, warmer, lighter, and softer than the finest wool.

 Domesticated more than 6,000 years ago, alpacas were the cherished treasure of the ancient Incan civilization.  Their original home was located in the high Andean plateau and mountains of South America.

 Today, there is worldwide commerce in the alpaca and its products.                                                                                                             Brenda & David

Plan Your Visit 

We can customize your visit to provide you or your group with almost any level of information.  Contact us with your specific needs. We’re sure you’ll be pleased with the results.  Schools, daycares, small family groups, as well as tour groups are welcome.  To ensure our availability, we ask that you contact us in advance to schedule an appointment.

q      Take an old fashioned buggy ride.

q     Tour the pastures and barn to learn how these animals live.

q     Touch the extremely soft fleece. 

q  Bring the kids to the annual Easter egg hunt.

q     Visit the gift shop for great alpaca products.
Once you experience what an alpaca feels like and you spend quality time with these gorgeous animals, you are sure to want something to demonstrate to your family and friends how the fleece feels to the touch. 

q     Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it under our outdoor shed. 

There is a nominal fee for tour groups and classes.  Please contact us for specifics.

Alpaca Facts

Life Span:  15 to 25 years and increasing.

Average Height:  36 inches at the withers

Average Weight:  100 to 176 pounds

Average Gestation:  355 days

Birth:  Weight 15 to 19 pounds.  Baby alpacas are called Crias.  Infant mortality is very low.

Colors:  22 natural colors and shades.                                                     Tira and baby Carma

Diet:  Alpacas and ruminants.  They chew cud like a deer or cow.
Pasture grass, low protein hay, and mineral supplement are their only dietary requirements.                                                                                                         What a cutie!

Other Facts:  Alpacas are prone to spitting at each other when angered.   Rarely do they spit at people.  They are easy to maintain.  They are small and non-threatening and require no extraordinary care.  They require basic 3-sided shelter in this area.  Protection from heat is most critical.  They do not challenge fences but do need protection from predators like dog packs.  They require routine worming and vaccinations.

Alpacas are easy to manage. They are quiet, intelligent and very hardy. Their padded hooves contribute to their suitability for small acreage farms as they do not damage the pasture and can be run at a similar stocking  capacity as sheep. Alpacas are shorn annually during the summer, and at this time a general health check can be done and their toenails trimmed. They can be left in the fleece for 2 years. Alpacas have very few health problems. They require vaccinating six-monthly with "10 in 1". Crias receive their first vaccination at 6-12 weeks of age.                                                                                                       

History

The oldest known records of these charming creatures was 1,000 years before the great pyramids of Giza. The Inca nobles demonstrated their wealth by the number of alpacas they owned and by showing off their beautiful garments woven from soft alpaca fleece. A thriving Peruvian economy emerged and continued for thousands of years with these magical animals creating wealth and prosperity for their Inca owners.

When the Spanish Conquistadors conquered the Inca Empire in the 17th century, the Indians sought refuge the heights of the Andes and took with them a limited number of these precious animals. Consequently, alpacas escaped extinction, and they are now plentiful in wild herds at about 3.5 million strong. Indians of the Andes continue to shepherd them.

In Peru in the 1940's, Don Julio Barreda purposefully began to breed alpacas toward better fiber and specific color. He utilized better nutrition by fencing his herd and rotating pastures. By paying careful attention to genetics, he created distinct herds of both huacaya and suri alpacas, and culled out llama genes. Today he is recognized industry-wide as the world's finest alpaca breeder. "Accoyo" alpacas are from the bloodline of his Peruvian herd.

In spite of their rich history, alpacas were not well-known worldwide until recently. The first imports into the United States were in 1983, and now they have been imported into every major country.  Because of their valuable fiber, population rarity, and desirable livestock characteristics, they quickly came into demand for investment. 

The imports were rigorously screened for quality of fiber and soundness of body.  An alpaca registry was created to ensure that North America Alpaca was second to none and better than most in the world!

Alpaca Fiber 

If you have ever felt a garment made with true alpaca fiber, we believe that you will want one.  The fiber has a cellular structure similar to human hair.  It is more resilient and seven times stronger than sheep wool.  It is also three times warmer and one-half the weight of wool.  Most of all, it is extremely soft!  It feels like angora.  As it has no itch factor, it is more pleasing to wear next to the skin.  AOBA recognizes 22 natural colors and shades of alpaca fiber.

Each animal with proper diet produces from 6 to 10 pounds of fiber each year.  That’s an average of 128 ounces for each alpaca each year.  Since it only takes 16 ounces to make a woman’s sweater, that’s an average of 8 sweaters per animal per year!  Eight of the softest, warmest, lightest, and most wear-resistant sweaters one could hope to own.

                          


                     Shearing an alpaca

Alpaca fiber is a soft, lightweight, lustrous fiber, second only to silk for strength, comparable to cashmere for luxury and more durable than both. It is thermally efficient and does not pill like cashmere. It is also much more acceptable on the skin for those with an allergic reaction to wool, due to its special characteristics.

The fiber comes in 22 natural colors, including a true rich black, through chocolate brown and russet, as well as various shades of gray, honey and fawn, to a light champagne and finally pure white. Textile quality fiber will typically have a fineness in the range 18 – 28 microns

Q: Is alpaca fiber really useful?
A: Alpaca fleece is a premium fiber and in high demand in the fashion industry. It is light-weight, warm, durable, soft and not itchy. Handspinners appreciate its quality, and handcrafters find it easy to work with. The natural hues are highly desirable, yet light colors readily accept dye. Many ranches have small stores selling yarn from their own animals or clothing and accessory products crafted from the fleece.

Q: What's the difference between alpacas and llamas?
A: Size and fiber quality. Llamas were primarily bred to be beasts of burden, and alpacas were bred primarily as fiber producers. An average alpaca stands 34"-36" at the withers (shoulders), whereas a llama stands 42"-48" at the withers. Alpacas weigh 125-175 pounds on average. An adult alpaca will generally produce 5-8 pounds of high-quality fiber each year. More alpaca info

Q: How long do alpacas live?
A: Alpacas have a life expectancy of 20-25 years.

Q: When do they reach breeding maturity?
A: Females reach breeding capability by 16-24 months. Males usually don't reach sexual potency until 24 months or more, with the rare one becoming potent as early as 12 months.

Q: What is the gestation period?
A: The gestation period is 11-1/2 months (~350 days).

Q: When do females stop breeding?
A: Females will breed throughout their life.

Q: How much do the babies weigh when born?
A: Alpaca crias average 18 lbs. Delivery usually occurs during the daytime and rarely requires the assistance of humans. Twins are extremely rare. Cria are weaned at about 6 months of age.

Q: What do alpacas eat?
A: The alpaca is an herbivore, grazing on grass and munching weeds, shrubs and trees. They process their food through 3 stomachs where special secretions enable the animal to absorb 50% more nutrients than sheep. Low-protien feed is recommended, with additional mineral supplements for females since they are generally pregnant and/or nursing.

Q: Do alpacas spit?
A: Not very often and only at each other, to signal displeasure at a herd member. A pregnant female 'spits off' an inquisitive male to let him know she is disinterested in his advances.

Q: What predators threaten alpacas?
A: The alpaca is prey to mountain lions, coyotes, bears, and other carnivores. In its native Andes, the alpaca's long neck helps spot predators among the rocks of the mountain slopes. On US ranchs, llamas, donkeys, and guard dogs such as Anatolian shepherd dogs are often used as herd guardians.

Q: What sounds do alpacas make?
A: Humming is the most common sound an alpaca makes, a sort of musical purring. The mom calls to her cria by humming, or they hum to communicate with each other within the herd.
   When alarmed, a staccato tooting is made by one animal, then joined in by the rest of the herd as they focus attention in the direction of potential danger.
   During breeding, which lasts from 20 to 30 minutes, a male trumpets or 'orgles' a lovesong to his mate.

Q: Is their manure good fertilizer?
A: Their manure is excellent fertilizer and may be applied directly to the garden without danger of 'burn.' Because alpacas are not nomadic, they mark their territory with their dung piles and usually wait to get to the designated area to defecate or urinate.

Q: Are alpacas environmentally friendly?
A: The alpaca's two-toed feet are soft pads protected on the top and sides by toe nails. Unlike hard hooves, they leave the terrain undamaged. And as they graze, they only nibble the top of the pasture grass rather than uprooting it. By rotating between two or three pastures, there is always a fresh supply of orchard grass.