Good Questions Deserve Straight Answers

As mammals belonging to the camel family, alpacas are native to the Andes Mountains, from Bolivia down to Peru, and Argentina. Alpacas are much smaller than their camel cousins. Their very fine fleece is processed into some of the most luxurious garments in the world.  

Two alpaca breeds exist: Suri and Huacaya. Alpaca fiber or fleece is what you might call fur on another animal. The Suri features long, lustrous, fine fiber, while the Huacaya produces short, compact, “crimpy” fiber. The irresistible Huacaya’s appearance is somewhat akin to a teddy bear!

 In 1984, the first alpacas were imported into the US from Peru. Suri alpacas make up 10% of the US population and the other 90% are Huacaya alpacas. With proper care, alpacas provide 100% pure enjoyment.

While alpacas did not directly descend from llamas, they are cousins belonging to the Camelid or camel family.

Alpacas are much smaller than llamas. The endearing mid-sized mammals weigh between 110 and 180 pounds, while llamas can weigh between 250 and 400 pounds. Alpacas have short, straight pointed ears. Llamas have long banana shaped ears. Llamas have longer noses and less fur on their faces. The fur on many alpacas’ noses give them a distinctive look. Llamas have a propensity to spit more so than alpacas. Be careful though, on both animals, you may get caught in the cross-fire especially during feeding time!

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Llamas are independent and are often used as guard animals to protect the alpaca herd. They can also serve as pack animals for hiking and camping due to their sure-footedness and ability to carry up to 1/3 of their body weight.

 Alpacas are social animals. They live in a herd and need each other for support, like most people. The best way to raise alpacas is in a group of at least three males or three females, while always keeping them separated.

 Alpacas have been bred for thousands of years for their fine fleece. Their fleece is processed into luxurious yarn and garments such as sweaters, hats, socks and scarves, as well as blankets. If you have a chance to touch an alpaca fleece garment, you’ll sink into the softness. The llama’s fleece, on the other hand, is much coarser than the alpaca’s and usually only used for rugs.

Alpacas weigh between 110 and 180 pounds and are between 4-5 feet tall. They’re smaller than their llama relatives but bigger than Great Danes, even Scooby Doo!

Alpacas come in 22 colors from white to beige to fawn to gray to rose gray to brown to black. When you visit Goshen Meadows Alpaca Farm, you may find that you have a favorite color of alpaca.

Alpacas can live 15-20 years. We love them and wish it could be much longer.

Alpacas can be bred starting three weeks after giving birth. Another interesting fact: alpacas are induced ovulators which means they do not ovulate until after they are bred. This is similar to cats, ferrets, and rabbits, although these critters birth a lot more baby animals.

The alpaca’s gestation period is 11 1/2 months. We’d guess the mamas are just as anxious to give birth at 11 months as human mamas at 9 months.

Alpacas have one offspring called a “cria” at a time and their gestation period is 11 1/2 months, longer than a human’s pregnancy. Each cria looks adorable and weigh 10-22 lbs at birth.

Alpacas are sheared once per year, and sometimes twice, depending upon the animal and the weather. We can shear about 4-15 pounds of alpaca fiber from each amazing adult member of our herd. That’s quite a bit more than the average visit to the dog groomer produces!

Products made from alpaca fiber are hypoallergenic due to little or no lanolin present, they repel water and retain heat due to the unique hollow fiber of the alpaca making them warmer than merino wool.

 Alpaca fiber is also flame resistant and it has smoother fiber scales that make them less itchy than sheep wool. Alpaca fiber is very fine and is measured in microns. A micron is one millionth of a meter. The alpacas’ micron size ranges between 16 on the fine side to 30 microns on the very coarse end. To get a perspective, a human hair is 17-181 microns. We thought our hairs were thin, yet alpacas have us beat!

The finer the micron, the softer the finished garment. For extra softness, producers use between 16 and 20 micron fibers in products worn close to the skin such as scarves and sweaters. When touched, these garments produce an automatic, “Ahhh,” from most people. The higher end of 20-to-23-micron fibers, are used to make hats, gloves, and socks. Rugs are made from the 28 to 35 micron-sized fiber.

Products made from alpaca fiber can be purchased from alpaca farms that have a farm store, online, in retail boutiques and vendor markets. We hope to have our own farm store called, Lydia’s Yarn & Boutique.

Alpacas come from the native mountains of the Andes, from Bolivia and Colombia down to Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina. Here’s a fun tidbit. Due to the extreme popularity of the cardigan sweaters worn by the golfer, Arnold Palmer, a huge demand was created for this luxurious fiber. The first alpacas were imported into the US from Peru in 1984, and the importing ended in 1998. 

Alpacas have a bit of difficulty keeping cool in the long hot summer days especially in the farm’s location of North Texas. To overcome this challenge, we spray the bellies of our alpacas 2 to 3 times per day in the hot summer months. They don’t have passes to the local swimming pools, so they seem to enjoy the spray.

Alpacas can cost anywhere from $250, which are bred as pet quality, to over $100,000 due to the exquisite genetics they possess. The higher end alpacas provide farms with breeding and showing animals. In the end, all alpacas are lovable because they don’t know how much they are worth in dollars, only in our hearts.

Yes, you can! Alpaca poop does not have to be composted. You can put it right on your garden directly from the animal. We offer it here on our farm to all those who are interested. We do not guarantee a non-smelly variety!

Orders are prepared within 24 hours and taken to the Post Office the following business day from our farm in Sanger, Texas.

Standard shipping is FREE on orders over $100 before tax. Orders under $100 ship for a flat $7.99. USPS Priority Mail is available for an additional $20 per order.

Most orders arrive within 3–7 business days via USPS Ground Advantage. Delivery times may vary due to carrier delays, weather, holidays, or other circumstances outside our control.

We currently ship to the continental United States only. We do not ship to PO Boxes, APO/FPO addresses, military addresses, or international destinations.

We accept returns within 30 days of receiving your order. Items must be unworn or unused, with tags attached, in their original packaging, and accompanied by proof of purchase.

Contact sue@goshenfarm.net to request a return. If your return is approved, we’ll provide a return shipping label and instructions. Items sent back without first requesting a return will not be accepted.

Yes. We do not accept returns on sale items, gift cards, perishable goods, custom or personalized products, certain personal care items, hazardous materials, flammable liquids, or gases.

Once we receive and inspect your return, we’ll let you know whether your refund has been approved. Approved refunds are issued to your original payment method within 10 business days. Your bank or credit card company may require additional processing time.