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Guides & tools for camelid breeders

Free tools and practical articles on breeding, gestation, paddock management, and farm operations. Written for working alpaca and llama farms - not academic textbooks.

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Featured

Cost Guide

How Much Does an Alpaca Cost? The 2026 Pricing & Maintenance Guide

A clear, no-jargon look at what alpacas cost to buy in 2026, plus the real yearly cost of feed, vet care, and shearing to keep them healthy.

6 min read

All articles

Breeding

Alpaca Breeding: A Beginner-Friendly Complete Guide

Alpaca breeding made simple: how alpacas mate, gestation, birth, weaning, and avoiding lethal colour pairings. A clear overview for new and busy breeders.

6 min read
Care

Alpaca Care: The Complete Guide to a Healthy Herd

A beginner-friendly overview of alpaca care: herd basics, shelter, feeding, shearing, parasites, vaccines and routine husbandry, with links to deeper guides.

7 min read
Economics

Are Alpacas Profitable? The Real Economics

An honest look at whether alpacas are profitable: the real revenue streams, the costs nobody mentions, and how long it takes to break even.

7 min read
Getting Started

How to Start an Alpaca Farm: A Beginner's Guide

Want to start an alpaca farm? This beginner's guide covers how many alpacas you need, land, shelter, fencing, startup budget, daily care and admin.

8 min read
Herd Health & Management

Alpaca Vaccination Schedule: CD&T, Crias, and Pregnant Dams

Your complete alpaca vaccination schedule: what CD&T protects against, exact timing for crias and pregnant dams, and the off-label dosing mistakes to avoid.

12 min read
Fiber Guide

Alpaca Fiber Grades and Micron: How to Read Your Test Report

What do AFD, SD, CV, and comfort factor mean? Read your alpaca fiber test report and histogram, compare grades across countries, and know what to do next.

14 min read
Breeding Guide

Alpaca Pedigree and Inbreeding: A Practical Breeder's Guide

Track alpaca pedigrees, read an inbreeding coefficient (COI), and avoid the silent matings that quietly cost you crias and fleece quality.

15 min read
Husbandry Tool

Alpaca Body Condition Score Calculator: Track Your Herd's Health

Use our free interactive Body Condition Score (BCS) calculator for alpacas and llamas to track nutrition, feed adjustments, and seasonal weather risks.

7 min read
Breeding Guide

Alpaca Coat Genetics: The Pairings That Quietly Kill Pregnancies

A practical guide to classic grey, Blue-Eyed White, and the coat-colour crosses every alpaca and llama breeder should avoid - with DNA testing options.

14 min read
Beginner's Guide

What's the Best Alpaca Breed for Beginners? The Ultimate Guide

Looking to start an alpaca farm? Discover the best alpaca breed for beginners. Compare Huacaya vs. Suri, and learn the basics of caring for your first herd.

9 min read
Market Economics

The Most Expensive Alpacas Ever Sold: Inside the Elite Market

Discover the most expensive alpacas in history, from the $675,000 Snowmass Matrix to million-dollar syndications, and what drives their extreme valuation.

6 min read
Birthing Guide

Alpaca Birthing: What's Normal, What's Not, When to Call the Vet

What does a normal alpaca birth look like, what doesn't, and when do you call the vet? Stage timing, dystocia signs, first-hour cria milestones.

10 min read
Husbandry Guide

Alpaca Weaning Age: Why the 6-Month Rule is Failing Your Herd

Stop weaning based on the calendar. Learn how to calculate the exact cria weight at weaning to eliminate alpaca weaning stress and prove biological readiness.

6 min read
Husbandry Guide

Alpaca Body Condition Score: Fixing the Underweight Alpaca

Visual assessment is useless under fleece. Learn the hands-on BCS method and the feed adjustments needed to hit your target alpaca winter weight.

7 min read
Herd Health & Management

Stop Guessing: The Data-Driven Alpaca Deworming Schedule

Blanket treating breeds super-parasites. Use exact Fecal Egg Count thresholds, real diarrhea causes, and targeted Eimeria macusaniensis rules instead.

8 min read
Husbandry Guide

The 60-Day Cria Growth Curve: When to Intervene

Mathematical benchmarks for alpaca and llama neonatal growth. Stop guessing about milk supply - use the data to know when to start bottle feeding.

5 min read
Husbandry Guide

When to Shear Alpacas: A Climate Calendar

How often should you shear an alpaca? Once a year, on a date your climate dictates. Climate calendar, vet thresholds, edge cases, shearing-day checklist.

16 min read
Breeding Guide

How Long Are Alpacas Pregnant? The Real Math of Cria Watch

How long are alpacas pregnant? 345 days on average, with a ±11 day variance that tells you when to start cria watch and when to call the vet.

5 min read