The Best Way to Make Money With Alpacas

If you love animals and you have ever dreamed of leaving a traditional job in favor of the kind of simple life found by farming and working with animals, maybe you should consider raising alpacas. Alpacas are a rare and exotic animal to some people who are unfamiliar with the species, but raising alpacas can actually be a viable investment opportunity. Working with live animals definitely has its challenges, and the time investment may be too much for some, but with the right skills and motivation anyone can make money raising alpacas.

Things You'll Need

  • Alpacas
  • Land
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Instructions

    • 1
      Some farmers shear alpacas to sell their coat fibers.

      Raise alpacas to sell alpaca fiber just as sheep rangers raise sheep to harvest their wool through shearing. Many alpaca ranchers find tremendous use and money making opportunities in selling the alpaca wool. Lots of practical everyday items can be made from alpaca wool in the same way sheep's wool used to make things such as blankets, socks, sweaters and coats. Alpaca fibers are also used to make certain novelty and craft items such as alpaca rugs, alpaca teddy bears and other stuffed animals and felt. You can make money selling the alpaca fiber to an alpaca fiber cooperative, individual crafters or clothing manufacturers.

    • 2
      Alpaca breeding and herdsire services are very lucrative.

      Make money by breeding alpacas for resale as pets and livestock. Once the initial investment is made in at least one pair of alpacas for your own farm, you can make substantial money breeding alpacas for sale. An alpaca sold as a pet or as livestock for another farm can bring in an average of $2,000 for a healthy animal and as much as $20,000 for a show quality animal. If you raise show quality or an exceptional alpaca breed, you can also provide herdsire services by allowing your male alpaca to breed with an alpaca female belonging to anther farmer or alpaca enthusiast. Herdsire breeding can earn you anywhere from $500 to $2,000 depending on the quality of the animal and results of previous offspring.

    • 3
      Hosting an alpaca petting farm can be a successful way to make money.

      Start your own petting zoo or visitor farm for your alpacas. You can charge fees for admission into the farm, and you can provide a personalized learning experience about alpacas for both children and adults. The farm can offer alpaca products for sale such as raw alpaca wool or crafts and items made with alpaca fibers, and you can even offer lessons and tutorials on how the fibers are spun and how they can be created into crafts and projects. Hosting regular school and summer camping field trips for schoolchildren can become a successful financial venture for any alpaca farmer.