National Alpaca Day Sunday24th September 2017
A number of Irish Alpaca Farms across the country will open their gates to celebrate and share the joy of owning Alpacas with the public on Sunday 24thSeptember. This is the first Irish National Alpaca Day and is a free event open to all.
What are Alpacas?
The alpaca is the smaller cousin of the better-known Llama but far cuter. It is of the camelid family bred for its cashmere like quality fleece. Its popular as a tourist attraction in farm guest houses and petting farms.
Who Owns Alpacas
Many keep Alpacas aspetsfor the pleasure of their unique intelligent and quirky personalities. They are an inquisitive animal and have a gentle temperament suitable for children and adults alike. They make for good lawnmowers also giving you back a highly prized manure for your garden.
They are bred for their fibre and manycrafts peoplekeep them for their unique fibre (wool) which is lighter but 3 times warmer than sheeps wool.
Sheep & Poultry farmersthe world over have discovered their value as guards for their flocks as they help increase birth rates and reduce stock losses, they hate foxes and will chase or kill them if they threaten their flock, they will stand up to a single dog but not a pack of dogs.
Smallholderskeep alpacas as they are easy to manage, easy on the land and can create supplementary incomes. You can run 6x alpacas to an acre. The minimum number you can have is two, but three make the best unit.
Where can you see them?
Check the Alpaca Association of Ireland’s website to see what Farms are opening their doors and the times that they will be open:
What’s involved
Each farm will be different however visitors will be able to get up close to the alpacas, you may see cria (baby alpacas), touch and feed the alpacas and learn about their fibre. Learn about raising & breeding alpacas. Learn about the care and handling of alpacas.Hear about their history.
No reservations are required. Please leave your pets at home –no dogs will be permitted on the farms. We look forward to seeing you and sharing the fun we have raising alpacas! Bear in mind some farms will not have toilet facilities, thus go before you arrive.