Te Kowhai Alpacas

31/12/2025

HAPPY NEW YEAR in 2026!

07/12/2025

IF you are thinking of adding alpacas to your land/lifestyle block/Christmas stocking.
1. They are NOT like other farm animals.
2. You will need back up support from the person/people you purchase from. Make sure of this before your purchase! Some great cheap deal on Trade Me with no husbandary assistance is NOT a good deal! So buy from a reputable breeder who will give you on going husbandary assistance.
3. You will need an alpaca friendly veterinarian. Not all vets are comfortable dealing with alpacas. All medication is off label.
4. Please do extensive RESEARCH about these animals. It is NOT OK to just put them in a paddock and walk away. They do have special needs e.g. Vitamin D supplementation in Winter and Zinc supplementation in the Facial Eczema times. Annual shearing.
5. There is a Welfare Code for Camelids in NZ. Get familiar with it!
6. Ask yourself "What do I want alpacas for?" because this will help determine the direction you go in.
7. Alpacas need special handling skills. Learn how to handle alpacas BEFORE you buy some!
8. Alpacas can live for 20 years or so. Therefore they are a long term responsibility.
HAPPY RESEARCHING!

10/10/2025

This is a great tool. Thank you AANZ for releasing this publically.
It emphasises GETTING HANDS ON with your alpacas! Do NOT be conned by a large and dense fleece as the alpaca underneath it all, may not be as healthy as you think.

BCS is one of the most important ways to assess alpaca health.

Alpacas should be regularly assessed using body condition scoring (BCS), not just by sight. The ideal BCS is around 2.5 to 3.5 on a 5-point scale.

🚨 If an animal’s BCS drops to 2 or below, you must take action — this is a minimum standard in the Code.

That could mean:
* Feeding more energy-rich food
* Managing parasites
* Separating animals to reduce competition
* Calling the vet for advice

🧠 Tip: FEEL along the backbone and ribs — fleece can hide a lot!