..:: Welcome to the Alpaca Place::..
This website is for everyone interested in alpacas and their care, and has detailed information about breeding, shearing, fleece, health and welfare, cria and more. If you are new to alpacas, Alpaca Facts, Frequently Asked Questions, and Why Buy Alpacas will introduce you to the basics, and show why alpacas are the smart option for lifestyle farmers! 
The Alpaca Place provides:
- New Zealand Alpacas for Sale You'll find the alpaca thats right for you, right here!
- Export Quality alpacas - look at the advantages of purchasing your alpacas from New Zealand!
- Outstanding Customer Commitment you'll enjoy unrivalled customer support and much, much more. You'll spot the difference!
- Fibre sales - you'll love the feel and look of your handspun alpaca yarn
- Free Workshops and seminars You'll benefit from the opportunity to have hands on learning about your chosen livestock
- Stud Services - you'll be impressed with our line-up of stunning stud males. Use them to improve the quality of your cria .... New service: drive-by matings are also available for a reduced fee. Ask for our Stud Services booklet - IT'S FREE!
- Our website is a valuable resource. You can use it to research almost every aspect of alpaca management - it is regularly accessed by alpaca enthusiasts all over the world. Notes on Website Navigation: Click here
Our Location - The Alpaca Place lies in the beautiful Rangitumau Valley, Masterton, New Zealand -for more information on where to find us, click here. We are really easy to find, but if you plan to visit, we suggest you save our phone number - 06 372 5565 into you cell phone, so you can call us if you need to.
Newsletter: Yours for the asking! Our value packed newsletter is by distribution list only- it is not a website resource. To view a back copy and see the interest factor in our newsletters, click here. To order now by email, click here, or contact us using the phone/address details in our "Contact" tab above.
Farm tours : We offer interactive farm tours for individuals, families and groups
Pre-purchase Research: Thinking of investing in alpacas for breeding or as pets, and want to know more? We welcome visits to our farm so we can discuss your questions with you, and show you the many benefits of alpaca ownership and of connecting with us.
..:: News and Updates ::..
September 1,2010
Officially, the first day of Spring! Which was heralded, overnight, with torrential rain - in a winter characterised by high rainfall, this was the heaviest of the lot. However, along with the dawn, came sunshine, and it has been a beautiful day, even if wet underfoot.
Some of our girls have found the weather conditions very trying, particularly those with cria at foot. We discovered a local farm supplies retailer who was selling bright blue calf covers made out of heavy duty vinyl - and the medium siz one fit our average size adult alpaca very well ! These are designed to slip over the head and are secured by a soft elastic strap around the haunches - so they don't interfere with feeding cria. After a few minutes intial panic, our girls settled into wearing the cover, which by keeping out the wind and rain, helped them keep warm, too. Some of our younger cria got to wear the small size calf cover, we have found them a great boon.
Winter photos:
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| The Alpacas didn't do it! Churned to mud by farm machinery | Now you see the holdup in halter-training - this is our handling pen! | Raceway under water - from side to side |
August 29, 2010
What a quiet winter it has been. We have suffered almost non-stop rain since mid-May, and our only news has been, more rain = more mud! Our poor alpacas have had wet ground underfoot for weeks, with little grass growth. Just as well we have lots of hay to feed out!
The last couple of weeks have seen the return of the sun, interspersed with rainy days, but at least everything is starting to dry out.
Lia and I plan to go to the NZ National Show and Expo in early October, so now will be desperately trying to prepare our show team - we plan to take about 7, with a couple of Intermediates (over 1 year) ,and the rest Juniors (last years cria). Most are now starting to walk on a halter, but one young boy has only just been weaned, and wore a halter for the first time today. With all the rain we have had, their fleeces are not in good condition, we can only hope the weather contiues to improve now it is Spring, and that they will be presentable on Show Day!
June 30, 2010
Liz and Cheryl went to the Alpaca Association Conference last weekend. Lots of excellent speakers, and the chance to catch up with alpaca breeders and owners from all around the country. If you didn't go, you missed out on a great occasion - make a date with yourself to attend the conference next year!
Liz was successful in winning an auctioned stud service (run as a fund-raiser for the Conference) to Flowerdale Shackleton, so Zoe will be making a trip south with us when we go to the National Show in Christchurch - we'll leave her there for a date with Shackleton.
June 16, 2010
Now that we are into winter proper, and given the incessant rain over the last few weeks, we have now cancelled all scheduled spit-offs - those girls we are still unsure of (as regards pregnancy status) will now be given an audio scan approximately 7 weeks after mating to see if they are pregnant or not. If not- we will hold these girls over until late spring before remating.
Because of the excessive rain, and now cold, our alpaca have been very appreciative of their hay feed. Because we have covered feeding sheds in nearly every paddock, they can free-feed right through the day - and no-one misses out. We have found this a very successful method of feeding hay as not only do the alpacas like dry hay available all the time, but it reduces the time spent feeding out, as we can often put out several days feed at a time and know the rain will not spoil it.
New pages
Very few black studs reach the level of recognition paid to white and fawn males. The most outstanding black of our time has to be Coonawarra Julius, while another making an impact is the Australian based Peruvian import, Somerset Peruvian Black Reign. We are proud that our own Pejo Rebel features both of these top blacks in his pedigree - and see the power of pedigree at work in Rebels offspring.
Profile - Coonawarra Julius
Profile - Somerset Peruvian Black Reign
Popular Pages
- Novice Handler Syndrome
- Blue-eyed white alpacas - not as black as they are painted!
- Advantages of purchasing alpacas from New Zealand
- Showing alpacas in New Zealand
What you should be doing now (applies to New Zealand only):
Winter Cria
We have always tried to avoid having cria born when there is likely to be weather extremes - both mid-summer and mid-winter. If you are expecting cria in mid-winter, be prepared! New born cria chill very quickly if they are born in cold or wet weather conditions, so you need to be extra vigilant. In some cases you may need to cover or move your cria immediately after birth to prevent hypothermia. If your cria does become chilled, put a layer of bubble-wrap under the cria cover, and warm with hot-water bottles (don't have the hotwater bottle so hot it burns your helpless cria). Have a shelter shed you can put mum and new-born in (it helps if mum is used to going into a shed, so practise feeding her inside before the cria is born). Company for mum in the form of a quiet female or wether helps too - but not if the so-called company becomes agitated and causes more distress than being alone! You should have plenty of straw on the floor, and will need to clean up dung and wet straw at least daily. Your baby cria will quickly be able to join your herd outside, but you may need to keep the cria cover on for a few days longer than usual.
Routine Maintenance:
Worming and vaccination programmes should be up to date. If you have cria, remember they need an intial vaccination followed by a booster vaccination 1 month later. Toenails should be trimmed to prevent them splitting and breaking , and teeth should be checked to ensure your alpaca can feed properly on shorter grass etc - see Teeth & Toenails. You should give at least one more AD&E supplement to your cria, and your adults may benefit from this also.
A,D & E - your alpacas should be due their 2nd dose midwinter, with a third in early Spring. Alpacas have proven to be very tolerant of high levels of A,D &E, so we feel it is better to dose all our herd rather than restrict dosing to just young animals as is often advised. However, as there is a risk of toxicity if you overdose, do please
consult your vet first, if you have any concerns about how often, and how much you should dose your alpacas withl
General Maintenance - with short days, and cold and wet weather conditions, it is easy to skimp on animal welfare. Make a point on checking your alpacas daily, not only that they have sufficient feed, but that they have no injuries or other conditions.
Farm Maintenance - there is not much going on with the land over winter - it is to be endured! However, you should remember to keep a check on simple maintenance issues - is water getting to your water troughs, or have you sprung a leak? Alpacas drink little over winter, but still need a supply of water available. Also, while you might not notice the drain on your water supplies of a leak at this time of year, your paddocks may get needlessly waterlogged. Are your fences in good order? Alpacas are gentle on fences, but can be injured by, or stuck in a poorly maintained fence. Have your alpacas got adequate shelter now the leaves are off the trees? It pays to be aware what is going on with your property!
"The Alpaca Place" is the trading name of Huari and Sunstone Trusts, who are proud to be members of the NZ Alpaca Association. Operated by sisters Cheryl Hughson and Liz Barnes, The Alpaca Place breeds registered alpacas under the Huari and NZ Eikon prefixes.
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