HaSu Ranch Alpacas: alpaca husbandry

articles

Alpaca Facilities

This excerpt taken from the book The Alpaca Shepherd, written by Mike Safley and illustrated by HaSu Ranch owner, Susan Muther, walks both new and experienced alpaca breeders through the process of building barns and fences appropriate for alpacas. Susan's detailed diagrams and drawings clearly illustrate the successful techniques Mr. Safley has learned in his more than 15 years breeding alpacas, dozens of trips to Peru, and countless conversations with alpaca breeders from all around the world.

How to Select Winners

There are some traits that are common denominators among prize winning alpacas. They include: 1) size - larger alpacas tend to win; 2) bite - a bad bite often eliminates an alpaca from competition for first or second place; 3) in huacayas crimp wins; 4) in suris luster wins; 5) density often becomes a determining factor amongst similar alpacas; 6) fineness is good, but absolute superiority in fineness is rarely the determining factor in ribbon placement...

Shear Success

One of the most important days of an alpaca breeder's year is shearing day when the precious fiber is harvested. It is also the opportunity to measure whether the new generation of alpacas is producing better fiber than the generation before. A well organized shearing day should be a part of every well organized breeding program. We at HaSu Ranch want to help you make the most out of your shearing experience. Here are some tried and true tips that have worked for us.

Suris in Winter-- dispelling a myth

There is a commonly held myth that suris can't endure the cold winters of the northern parts of the U.S and Canada. This article addresses the inaccuracy of this myth via interviews with industry specialists and breeders. In the words of the camelid veterinarian Dr. Dave Anderson, "Saying suris can not live in Canada is like saying huacayas can not live in the USA. Obviously not true as huacayas are thriving in the USA and many suris thrive in Canada."

Alpaca Husbandry

articles

Alpaca Facilities

How to Select Winners

Shear Success

Suris in Winter-- dispelling a myth