People own Alpacas for different reasons.

Firstly there are those who have a bit of land and just want a grazing animal to keep the grass down. In fact that is how most current Alpaca breeders started.

Secondly there are those who wish to generate an income from Alpacas. Either by breeding alpacas themselves or purely as an investment.

Thirdly there are those who have seen Alpacas, touched Alpacas and just simply, as a result, have to have Alpacas.

So why pick Alpacas?

1.They are easy to look after.

2.They are very hardy having adapted well to the temperamental British climate.

3.They are cheap to keep requiring not much more than the odd bale of hay, an occasional mineral supplement and basic care (husbandry) all which you can do yourself.

4.They can survive on relatively poor grazing. Their natural habitat on the Altiplano of Peru, Chile and Bolivia offers poor grazing and yet they thrive.

5.They are environmentally friendly. They have ‘soft’ feet and cause little damage to the environment. They will not churn up your field like a horse. Even a herd of 20 animals plus makes little impact on a reasonable sized field. Grazing rates are similar to sheep and to keep them year round in a field you should have no more than 6 to the acre.

6.They do not challenge fences, sure they will walk through an open gate but otherwise they are content to graze where they are put.

7.They are friendly, inquisitive animals and are eminently watchable. In fact they are great time wasters. Sit in a field with them on a summers day and before long they will come over to find out what is going on.

8.They are sociable animals and will deliberately graze near you just to be in your company. Once they get to know you they will eat from your hand and allow you to give them the odd cuddle. If you haven’t cuddled an Alpaca you don’t know what you’re missing. They can easily be halter trained and always cause a great deal of interest wherever they go.

9.They are in effect producers of luxuriously soft and wonderful wool. They are sheared once a year and a top quality Alpaca will produce up to 5 or 6 kilograms of beautiful fleece. This in turn can be used to produce the ultimate luxury clothing. It is soft, light, strong, fine, lanolin free and completely without the ‘prickle’ factor you get with most natural fibres. It also comes in 22 recognised natural colours ranging from white through every conceivable shade of brown to black.

10.Spitting is not as big a problem as people may believe. Alpacas spit at each other as a means of communication. It basically means ‘go away’. To spit at a human is a very rare thing and has never happened to me. Beware high winds though as if an Alpaca spits into the wind and it’s blowing your way you could come a cropper!

We entered the Alpaca world as part of a plan to dramatically change our lifestyles. We have started small and have a long term plan involving eventually a long drive south to the French Pyrenees to become Alpaca breeders there. We are 100% convinced that we have done the right thing and believe wholeheartedly in the future of the Alpaca as a producer of a truly excellent and marketable product.

If you need further convincing give us a call or pop round and we will introduce you to some of the most fascinating and productive animals in the world.

PATOU ALPACAS

Patou Alpacas

PATOU ALPACAS

You don't have to be big to be mighty.

Mark & Sue Steele, Park House, Chicksgrove, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6NA. Tel: 01722-717920 / 0788 054 2260. E-mail patoualpacas@aol.com