Jan. 21, 2010 - Despite both having successful careers at the time, Amy and Arlin McCroskie, owners of A and A Alpacas in Hunt County, decided 13 years ago they wanted more out of life.
After reading a newspaper article about alpacas, Amy suggested she and Arlin visit an alpaca farm to see the creatures for themselves. The next day, they visited a local farm and fell head over heels in love with the animals.
"Two weeks later, on my birthday, we bought our first four alpacas," Amy said. "That was 13 years ago, and we are still going strong with our alpaca business."
Now, both in their early 50s, they own and manage 157 animals at A and A Alpacas in Greenville, with the help of one full-time employee and one part-time employee.
They have both Huacaya and Suri breed types.
"Most breeders will have one or the other, but we love the fleece style of both breed types," Amy said.
Among the challenges the McCroskies faced when starting their ranch was finding the proper acreage for their animals.
"You honestly don't need a lot of acreage as alpacas are members of the Camelid family and have soft, padded feet," Amy said. "They are incredibly friendly to pastures. Plus, they 'nibble' as they graze, so the impact is not at all heavy on pasture grasses."
As a result, an alpaca rancher can have a large number of alpacas on a very small piece of acreage. However, with small acreage, a breeder sometimes has to be careful about zoning issues.
"Check with the county to be sure of any restrictions before you purchase any acreage to make sure alpacas will be allowed," Amy said. "They are not classified as 'Exotics' with the USDA any longer. In 2008, the classification was changed to 'Livestock,'"
Once they found the proper acreage, the single most important issue was fencing.
"So many Texas farms have barbed wire fencing, and that has to be replaced," Amy noted. "Any wool-bearing animal would become entangled in barbed wire. Alpacas should not be allowed to play in water either -- such as a creek running through your property or a pond. The mud and water causes the leg fiber to rot away. It's really unattractive, but it does grow back."
Because Texas has extremely uncomfortable summers for alpacas, because of the dense fiber, the McCroskies shear their entire herd in March to prepare them for the high heat and humidity of summer.
"If not shorn, they will become overheated and will die," Amy said.
According to Amy, when feeding the alpacas, as with any other livestock, keeping a supply of good, quality hay is always important.
"Alpacas only eat about two-and-a-half pounds of hay each day per alpaca, but the quality is important, otherwise they are not able to produce the low-micron, exquisite fleeces that alpacas are known for," Amy said. "We also supplement a custom-milled grain, since we have so many pregnant or lactating females."
For the healthcare of their alpacas, the McCroskies were challenged with finding a vet that was willing to take on their herd, since many Texas veterinarians are not accustom to caring for camelids.
"Alpacas have only been in the United States for approximately 30 years, so they are not well known by all veterinarians," Amy said. "Alpacas require the same annual immunizations of most any other livestock, CDT and parasite medication, if required. Also, rabies vaccinations are important if exposure is high in your area. Beyond that, alpacas are really pretty low-maintenance animals."
The McCroskies' primary focus is breeding stock, but they have a full-service, all-inclusive working farm with breeding stock, fiber production and they sell alpacas as companion animals.
"We have purchased and bred for the highest quality alpacas possible," Amy said. "Virtually, every female born is added to the foundation herd."
The gestation period for alpacas is approximately 348 days -- limiting the impact a quality female can have on herd. At the ranch, only males with perfect fleece character are admitted to the gene pool.
"A male can breed twice a day, every day so they can impact the quality of your herd very quickly," Amy said. "If they are not nearly perfect, they are gelded and become fiber production animals only and will live out their lives doing nothing but fiber production for us."
The best fiber is called the prime blanket. It stretches from the base of the neck, down to the top of the legs and across the body of the alpaca. The leg and neck fiber is usually not as high quality.
"We produce approximately 700 pounds of alpaca fiber each year and use every ounce of it for end products such as yarn, sweaters, scarves and gloves," Amy said.
In addition to raising alpacas, the McCroskies enjoy mentoring those interested or just beginning to raise alpacas.
"Alpacas are livestock, but they are very different from cattle, horses or sheep or goats," Amy said. "They are super intelligent animals and very curious. It's important to mentor to others because alpacas do have some special maintenance issues, but they are easy to maintain once you understand their basic care.
"Arlin and I have helped tons of people get started with their first purchases and almost without exception, everyone is still in the business and having a blast with alpaca ownership. It's very rewarding emotionally, but if you buy well-trained, improved alpacas that will produce higher quality offspring for you, they can be financially rewarding for years to come."
To find out more about A and A Alpacas, visit www.aandaalpacas.com .
