Murrieta Alpaca Farm Celebrates "National Alpaca Farm Days”

All American Alpacas will participate in the second annual “National Alpaca Farm Days”

On September 27 and 28, alpaca breeders from across the United States and Canada will invite the public to come to their farm or ranch to meet their alpacas and learn more about these inquisitive, unique animals. From 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, All American Alpacas will welcome guests to join them for many activities including fiber sorting and skirting, pet the alpacas, all FREE!

All American Alpacas is located at 35215 Avenida Manana, Murrieta, California, 92563, just north of Temecula .

What IS an alpaca?
Alpacas, cousins to the llama, are native to the Andean Mountain range of South America, particularly Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.

Alpacas were first imported into the United States in 1984. Since then, the alpaca industry has grown steadily, according to the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA), the backbone of the alpaca industry. Current estimates total over 100,000 registered alpacas with the Alpaca Registry, Inc. (ARI) in the United States and more than 4,000 AOBA members in North America.

There are two types of alpacas in the United States today. Although almost physically identical, what distinguishes the two types of alpacas is their fiber. The Huacaya (wa-Ki’-ah) is the more common of the two and has a fluffy, extremely fine coat. The Suri is the rarer of the two and has fiber that is silky and resembles pencil-locks.

Adult alpacas stand at approximately 36 inches at the withers and generally weigh between 150 and 200 pounds. They do not have horns, hooves, claws or incisors. Alpacas are alert, intelligent, curious, and predictable. Social animals that seek companionship, they communicate most commonly by softly humming.

Alpacas are shorn, without harm, every year. They produce five to ten pounds of luxurious fiber. Long ago, alpaca fiber was reserved for royalty. Today it is purchased in its raw fleece form by hand-spinners and fiber artists. Knitters buy it as yarn.

Because of its soft texture, alpaca fiber is sometimes compared to cashmere. Making the fiber even more coveted, it has the luster of silk. Alpaca is just as warm as, yet 1/3 the weight of wool. It comes in 22 natural colors, yet can be dyed any desired shade.

Containing no lanolin, alpaca fiber is also naturally hypoallergenic. Most people who are sensitive to wool find that they can wear alpaca without the itching or irritation they feel from wool because alpaca fiber is smooth.

To find out more about National Alpaca Farm Days visit www.NationalAlpacaFarmDay.com. To find out more about All American Alpacas, visit http://aaalpacas.com
For directions to All American Alpacas, visit http://aaalpacas.com/map.html

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Contact Information

Rick & Pati Horn

Owners

All American Alpacas

Contact via E-mail