Two Ways to Own Alpacas - Heart's Desire Farm LLC

Two Ways to Own Alpacas

There are essentially two ways to own alpacas. The first approach is to simply purchase the animals and begin raising them. The second approach is to purchase the animals and place them in the care of an established breeder. This arrangement for care and boarding of an animal on behalf of another is known as agistment. Under this method you, as owner, would still make the important decisions about care, breeding, sales, etc.

The hands-on method of raising alpacas, as either a part or full time business, requires that the alpaca breeder own a small farm or acreage. The property would need to be properly fenced and have a small barn or shelter. Many new owners already have outbuildings suitable for alpacas. The alpaca owner would supply the day-to-day labor.

Many new breeders start with a breeding pair or two females (and purchase stud service). The financial returns are similar at different ownership levels, so don't feel that you have to be a large farm to participate.

There are different methods of getting a return on your initial investment that apply to all levels of ownership. You may have a program designed around selling all the offspring to provide the shortest payback period to recover the initial outlay. Another way would be to sell only a portion of the offspring each year while retaining the rest to allow for herd growth. Both approaches have been utilized successfully within the industry. You can determine which scenario is most appropriate for your situation.

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