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When alpacas were first brought to the US they were marketed as a huggable no kill investment. Unfortunately with the down economy prices are plummeting and costs are rising, the “unwanted alpaca” is becoming a big problem that no one wants to talk about.
As a responsible breeder my goal is to breed for our emerging fiber market (meaning my herd is 90% white/beige and 10% black in color). Like many breeders I strive for the cria to be better than the dam. Female cria can usually be bred up leaving the boys to sit around, jobless. Like in the sheep/goat industry you just don’t need that many studs. Only a select few are of high enough quality to breed a better cria leaving a lot of boys out there without a job.
Culling:
The livestock definition simple: To remove an inferior animal from a herd.
As a breeder it means I have a duty to remove an alpaca that is not of breeding quality from the gene pool by castration or consumption.
International Solutions:
If you look to the wool leaders of the world, Australia and New Zealand have already been marketing the La Viandé as a brand for alpaca meat as part of their emerging alpaca industry. Let us also not forget that in South America camelids are not only raised for their fiber but also for meat which is widely available.
I truly believe a meat market is needed in the US for a few reasons.
To help keep the “bottom” sales price for an alpaca at a level where a profit can still be realized.
To bring sales of seed stock and stud fees to a level in line with other livestock of similar marketability such as sheep and goats.
To increase quality of fiber available in the market
Herd Management Changes:
As of 2011 these are changes I’m making in my herd management practices.
– I will no longer be purchasing a breeding unless it comes with a female cria guarantee
– All non-breeding alpacas will be available for purchase until 24 months of age in 2 categories Pet or Meat.
Pets – will not be registered unless requested and will be castrated before leaving to their new home.
Meat – the alpaca purchased will be sent to a facility licensed and inspected to process the whole animal into cuts labeled “not for resale” and the vacuum packed and frozen cuts will be sent directly to the buyer.
– Non-Breeders older than 24 months will be processed for meat.
Currently I am searching for a local USDA processor that is licensed to sell cuts for individual resale who doesn’t freak out at the word “alpaca”.
– 3-6 months before “processing” all alpacas will be moved to an organic lifestyle to detox and will be shorn no less than 4 weeks before “processing” for better fur quality.
– To educate myself further on USDA regulations for processing alpaca meat for public consumption.
Alpaca Meat:
If you haven’t tried alpaca yet I highly recommend it. To me the look and taste mostly resembles beef with a few of the cuts looking more like pork. Alpaca meat is incredibly lean with practically half the calories, cholesterol and fat of beef with the added benefits of being high in Iron and Vit A. It has totally replaced all beef and pork in my household and is very popular with guests.
End Note:
The irony of me writing this post is that I have been blessed with female cria these past 4 years. At my current herd state I do not have any alpacas that would be sent off to slaughter. I love my alpacas and even I have my select few that will always have a home even if they never sell.
I have also been very successful in re-homing alpacas as fiber pets and I am the main resource for re-homing alpacas at our local humane society’s farm.
Currently, the only alpacas I’ve culled for consumption went into my own freezer. However, I have a plan and resources ready for when the time comes.
I fully believe that La Viandé could easily be accepted by the US pallet. We just need to educate ourselves as breeders and work hard to promote it properly.
**Constructive discussion is welcome but hostile comments will not be permitted.
Sometimes I like to “fork out” hay from my round bale instead of letting the animals free graze on it. Unfortunately if I just fork off some hay and toss it on the ground surely a lot of it will go to waste which is where a hay net comes in handy. If you’ve never used a hay net before they are a PITA to fill. Here is my trick to getting the buggers open and filled with lots of leafy goodness.
1. Employ an old muck bucket and put your hay net in it.
2. Stuff bucket full of hay, feel free to jump up and down on the hay to cram it full
3. Pull up on the draw string and remove from bucket
4. Hang your net where the alpacas can enjoy it
There ya go! Of course it works for square hay too but squares cost to darn much for me to bother with. 700lbs of round bale hay costs me $30 the same weight in small 40lb squares would cost me $62. I’ll stick to feeding my cost effective rounds 🙂
Hello Fiber Arts Friday Fans! It’s been a while since I’ve done a science behind alpaca fiber so here we go. Today’s question, why is alpaca warmer than wool?
What is Alpaca Fiber?
Well all know that fiber from a sheep is called wool and the stuff that we wash and comb on our own heads is called hair but what is alpaca? The argument can be made that alpaca fiber is really a hair but is often referred to as wool but for the majority of breeders we refer to it as, fiber.
The fiber that is sheared from the alpaca is produced by primary and secondary hair follicles and even a derived secondary which grows in both the primary and secondary follicles.
Primary fibers are what we call guard hair and are straight and stiff often giving that prickly sensation next to the skin. These fibers are most present on the legs and brisket of the alpaca and sometimes can be seen as a halo above the finer secondary undercoat or are called “cria tips” on new born alpacas.
Secondary fiber is the soft undercoat that gives the alpaca a soft handle. Secondary fibers cluster around a primary follicle and are the fiber that creates the crimp. Note: You cannot have secondary or derived secondary fibers without a primary fiber, therefore breeding to eliminate primary fiber results in a low density high micron fleece. Surprisingly, as fiber density increases the diameter of primary fibers decreases as it is forced to share skin real estate with secondary and derived secondary fibers.
Derived Secondary fibers are the finest of the 3 types and are what breeders strive for. A derived secondary follicle has its own root structure but share the same exit point from the skin of a secondary fiber. This type of fiber can only be identified through a skin biopsy.
Alpaca Fiber Structure:
Alpaca fiber is made up of 3 different parts, Cortical Cells, Cuticle, Intercellular Binder.
Cortical Cells – These are the body builders of the fiber and give it strength along with creating the crimp that we love so much. What causes crimp? Cortical Cells are made up of 2 parts, the orthocortex and paracortex. These 2 parts twist around each other creating the crimp in Huacaya or the twist in a suri. This crimp causes the actual fiber length to be 10%-30% longer than the staple length. Unfortunately crimp is not a reliable when determining fineness.
Cuticle – to protect the cells each fiber is covered in a material that we often refer to as scale. This protective coating is what provides the fiber its strength and also makes the fiber smooth to the touch. This is what we feel when we check for handle in a fleece as we rub the fibers between our fingers. The scale is also reflective and produces luster.
Intercellular Binder – It’s the glue that holds the 2 cell parts together within the cuticle.
Findings:
Alpaca owners who have been telling others this fess up, “alpaca fiber is warm because it is hollow and traps air for extra insulation.” I heard this from several breeders and never really questioned it until now.
The only medullated (hollow) hair fibers are the thick prickly guard hair which none of us wants in our fiber. So what causes alpaca’s superior warmth? The simple answer fineness and density. Alpaca fiber is finer, allowing more hairs to occupy the same space, more fiber = more trapped air = warmer.
Example Wool vs Alpaca
Let’s take a typical worsted weight yarn. The memory of wool causes the yarn to look fluffy and springy and less fibers are needed to occupy the space for a worsted weight yarn. The alpaca yarn does not have memory, is finer and requires many times more strands of fiber to occupy the same space needed to make a worsted weight yarn. (I keep hearing it’s about 3x more but have not found research to back this yet).
Because dense fine alpaca fiber weigh less than wool, lighter weight yarns and garments can be made from alpaca that have the same or superior insulating properties to thicker wool garments.
UPDATE 8/13/11: According to the Yocom-McColl Wool Testing Labs alpaca fiber is NOT medullated (hollow) but most fibers DO have a trapped air bubble within the fiber! Check it out! The dark bubble in the center of the fiber is trapped air.
Alpaca fiber with air bubbleWool Fiber from Sheep
Thank you and this concludes today’s Fiber Arts Science Friday 🙂 Be sure to check out the link-parties page!
As many of you blog hoppers know this month is Tour de Fleece and with that comes challenge days where spinners try something new or a method they have been struggling with. I was inspired by a post written by Wind Rose Fiber Studio and decided to learn how to spin beads myself. Here is how I thread my beads for spinning.
Supplies:
Beads of your choice
Needle Threader
Fiber from the roving/bat you will be spinning from
Initially I used a beading needle and thread but I found the Needle Threader works SO much better and is a lot faster.
Step 1
Pop the bead on the threader
Step 2
Prepare a small bit of fiber
Step 3
Place thread a bit of fiber through the threader, don’t pull too far on.
Step 4
Pull the bead over the threader and onto the fiber
Step 5
Move the bead to the center and fluff up the ends
Now you have your threaded beads ready to spin into your single!
TIP! When spinning the bead into your single keep a bit of fiber on the outside of the bead to hold it into place. Wind Rose has a great photo of what I’m talking about… Click Here for Photo
Calling all Team of Wonder Tour de Fleece Participants!
Enter to Win!
Share photos of you threading beads with fiber or spin up a small sample of beaded yarn on the Team of Wonder TdF thread to win.
Winner gets 60 pre-threaded glass beads on alpaca/wool as well as 2 oz of the matching roving. Glass bead color choices, purple, green, black, purl, or a funky brown metallic like shown in the photo below.
