Running an alpaca with sheep is common enough in Australia that most graziers have either done it or know someone who has. It works, within limits, and the limits are what this article is about.
Why they do it at all
Alpacas are herd animals with a strong instinct to see off anything that does not belong. Faced with a fox or a stray dog, an alpaca will usually put itself between the threat and the flock, make a lot of noise, and go at the intruder. That is not training. It is temperament.
They also have height and eyesight on their side. An alpaca sees a long way and will alarm call well before a sheep notices anything, which alone changes how a flock behaves.
What they are good against
Foxes, single stray dogs, and small ground predators. This is the realistic list, and for most Australian sheep and poultry operations it is also the list that matters. Lambing losses to foxes are the usual reason people try it.
What they are not good against
A determined pack of dogs will get past an alpaca and may well kill it. Wild dogs are a different problem and need a different solution. Anyone who tells you an alpaca solves wild dogs is selling you an alpaca.
They are also no use at all against birds of prey or snakes.
How many, and this is the part people get wrong
One. Sometimes two. Never a group.
A single alpaca bonds to the flock and treats the sheep as its herd. Put three alpacas in a paddock and they bond to each other, form their own little group, and ignore the sheep entirely. You have not bought guards, you have bought three more animals to feed.
Two can work but it is less reliable than one for exactly that reason.
Wethers, not entire males
A castrated male, a wether, is the standard choice and it is the right one. Entire males can be aggressive and will harass ewes. Females work but they are worth more as breeding stock, so putting one in a paddock to watch sheep is an expensive way to solve a fox problem.
An older wether that has been handled is calmer and easier to catch when it needs shearing or drenching, which brings us to the honest part.
It is not a set and forget animal
This is where people come unstuck. A guard alpaca still needs:
- Shearing once a year. Not optional. An unshorn alpaca in an Australian summer is a welfare problem and can die of heat stress.
- Toenails trimmed, a few times a year depending on your ground.
- Drenching and vaccination on the same rough schedule as your other stock.
- Teeth checked as it ages.
If you are not prepared to handle the animal, do not buy one. That is the whole test.
The fleece is a bonus, not a business
A guard wether produces a fleece every year and that fleece has value, but a single animal's clip is not going to fund anything. Treat it as a nice extra rather than an economic argument. If you want the fibre, that is a different conversation about a different sort of herd.
Practical points before you buy
- Check your fencing. Alpacas are not escape artists, but standard sheep fencing is fine and barbed wire is a bad idea.
- They need shade and water like anything else, more so in western Sydney summers.
- Introduce them at a quiet time, not at lambing.
- Buy from someone who will take your call in six months. That matters more than the price.
We breed them at Mulgoa
Black Regal Alpacas is at Mulgoa in western Sydney. We breed mainly black alpacas and we do sell wethers as companion and guard animals, as well as breeding stock and stud services.
If you are weighing this up, ring and talk it through rather than filling in a form. It is a ten year commitment to an animal and it is worth ten minutes on the phone first.
See also: what it costs to own alpacas in Australia and choosing breeding stock.