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Manna-Gum Farm & Wimmera Skies Alpacas

Alpaca Breeding and Sales since 1992

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Alpaca Management and Care

Mating

Alpacas are stimulated ovulators whcih mean they do not have a mating season. This is convenient in planning your breeding program, but it does mean that males and females must always be separated.
Alpaca Reproduction
Breeding management

Breeding & Birthing

This is where alpacas differ from most other forms of livestock. Gestation of 11 to 11.5 months is significantly longer than other animals of a similar size.Alpacas rarely have twins and give birth in daylight hours and are not seasonal breeders.Like most animals, fertility, growth rate and live births are affected by nutrition, vitamins and minerals . To learn more click the links below.
Birthing Fact Sheet

Alpaca Nutrition & Health

Like all livestock alpacas have very specific nutritional and health needs. One of the best method of evaluating the health of your alpacas is conduct regular body scores. Observation is the key to detecting if there are any problems with specific animals, and knowing the particular personalities and behaviours of animals in your herd can help identify if animals are unwell. The links below provide information sheets about the specific health and husbandry requirements of alpacas.
Alpaca Nutrition
Vitamins and Minerals
Body Scoring Alpacas
Managing Worms

Other Information

Finding A Vet

Even though alpacas have been in Australia for more than 30 years it is still a relatively new field of veterinary medicine. Most vets have little knowledge of how to treat alpacas. The Australian Alpaca Association maintains a list of experienced vets throughout Australia. Even if you don't have ready access to these vets they are an important reference point to assist less experienced vets. Click anywhere on this box to go to the list of vets.

Fleece Testing

This plays and important part in measuring the success of your breeding programs. It can provide information about genetic fineness, and nutritional fineness and will identify animals with more or less guard hair. All of this information can be used to assist in making breeding decisions. There are a number of fleece testing services throughout Australia, but not all are equipped to test alpaca fleece. Our preferred testing service is Micron Man based in WA.

Shearing

Shearing is one of the most important jobs in the alpaca calendar. It is vital from an animal health and welfare perspective, but shearing at the right time using and experienced alpaca shearer can maximise your return for your fleece. There are a number of trained and experienced alpaca shearers that service Australian Alpaca owners. The Australian Alpaca Association has a business directory of available shearers that can be accessed on their website.