Alpaca And Llama

[FredPuli43]

just bought a copy of a magazine for smalholders, to read on the train (apparently Health and Efficiency isn't sold anymore). There were loads of adverts from people selling alpacas. Nobody was offering llamas. Leaving aside the question of what kind of smallholding supports a herd of alapacas, llamas are much more fun. Is it simply that people think that they can make an income out of alpaca hair, whereas llamas are more a pack, beast of burden , animal?

[woofgang]

aren't Alpaca's smaller and easier to keep?

[jno]

I would have thought so. Llamas were bred for work and for meat; their wool is said to be hard to spin. But in the west people use other animals as carriers and as sources of protein. Alpacas were bred for their wool, which can be worn in the west, and that's almost certainly why people breed them. (Vicuna wool is better, though.)

[jno]

incidentally, I believe llamas' ears point forwards and alpacas' point backwards, but I don't know if that's a deciding factor.

[Brinjal]

Vicuña s are just the cutest things. They can't be kept captive tho. They die. Llamas have longer banana shaped ears

[FredPuli43]

Banana ears do it for me (you never met my exes, I can tell). Also, llamas, being bigger, spit better (you've never met...) and, reputedly are of uneven temper but better at carrying heavy loads (er..no...possibly)

[Brinjal]

Yes all that fred alpacas are more docile and cuter and prettier and and and

[DTCwordfan]

Alpaca meat is pretty good too - tasting of a lamb that has been fed on estuary grass.....

[Brinjal]

Have had baby llama which I suppose is similar. I found it very sweet.

[heathfield]

Not the grass from my nearby estuary, I'll warrant!

[Brinjal]

Estuary grass sounds not so nice

[woofgang]

When I was a child we all went off to London Zoo. In those days, you went dressed in your best so Dad had his best (only) suit on. A llama took a dislike to him and spat his cud it flew out of the enclosure and decorated the entire front of his suit and his good white shirt and boy! did it stink!! The nice zoo keeper helped hi to clean up a bit but we had to travel home on the bus!!!
Great days......

[Brinjal]

Yes they do that so do alpacas but llamas are meaner. I think all camelids spit.

[DTCwordfan]

it's called transhumance with sheep - movement of Crossfell sheep to the Solway Firth or Alpine sheep to the estuary of the Seine, the marine grasses with their hint of salt on them - and, jeez, do those lambs taste good. Alpaca is a very similar taste, lamb that is very soft and tender, almost a hint of salt on the meat - makes cracking burgers.

[society]

I think Mr. Overall would be interested in that magazine also. :)

[Graham-W]

Talking to a guy who keeps Alpacas and was told that Llamas are classed as dangerous animals and you need a zoo licence to keep them along with all the red tape that goes along with a zoo licence.
Alpacas are not classed as dangerous animals.

[woofgang]

its called tranhumance in cows too, its the one bit of geography that I remember. Cows are taken up the Alp to eat grass in the spring and summer to produce more and better milk.

[DTCwordfan]

correct, woofgang, top of the Alpine class for you.....amazing what we remember isn't it.....

[RATTER15]

We will be buying alpacas in the next couple of months, they are smaller than llamas, more sociable and more cute also they hardly ever spit and their fibre is worth more.

[RATTER15]

Im not aware that Llamas are classed as dangerous animals, that really would surprise me, Wrong surely!?

[FredPuli43]

Ratter, that's solved one problem. A friend said "The wolfhounds would have a great time chasing them!". You obviously think they won't. I don't think mine would. They are right wusses. The pup tried to chase the horses once, but as soon as the first mare didn't respond but started to walk towards him, he ran for the safety of me! Any male or gelding alpaca or llama would see them off for certain. Just so long as they don't think one is edible...