Alpacas are slow reproducers with a gestation of about 11 months and maturity at 1.5 to 2 years. They usually have a single birth in the daylight hours. They have been known to life over 20 years. They weigh an average of 120 to 175 pounds. Height is about 36 inches at the shoulder. They do require being kept in at least PAIRS, they not do well alone.
They are easy on the land with there soft padded feet. Adaptable to most climates. Fairly easy keepers, not requiring expensive barns and fencing. Use a communal dung pile, so cleaning pastures is easier.
Alpacas are generally good natured, gentle, peaceful, curious animals. There is nothing better then sitting and listening to the HUMMING come from the pasture.
Llamas are also camelids from South America. The camelids originated in North America some 40 million years ago. They then started to migrate to South America, They became extinct in North America approximately 10,000 to 12,000 years Ago. Llamas were domesticated from guanacos in the Andean Highlands of Peru 4 - 5 thousand years ago and are among the oldest domestic animals in the world.
Today Llamas are used for a variety of things: Packing (25-30% of there body weight), Driving, Guard Animal, Fiber etc.
Life Span is 15 - 25 years, Height 40 - 45 inches at the shoulder, Weight 280 - 450 pounds, Gestation avg. 350 days.
Llamas are very similar keeps as the alpacas. They (some) also do well as guards for Alpacas, Sheep, Goats etc. Most will bond with the smaller livestock and will watch over them. They will alarm at any sign of dogs, coyotes and anything out of the ordinary. Most will charge and spit at dogs.
The modern Icelandic Sheep is a direct descendant from sheep brought to the island by Viking settlers in the ninth and tenth century. They were of the North European Short tailed type. Genetically it is the same today as it was 1100 years ago. Possibly the oldest and purest domesticated sheep in the world today. Icelandic sheep are of medium size with mature ewes weighing 130 - 160 lbs. and rams 175-200 lbs. They have fine bones, with open face and legs. Both sexes come in polled and horned, but is primarily a horned breed. Icelandic sheep mature early and have been known to still be lambing at 12 to 14 years of age. Twins and triplets are common place and quads or more can happen. Gestation is 142 - 144 days. The Icelandic is not a docile breed. They are fast and alert on their feet, very individualistic, good browsers that seem to enjoy brush and wild grasses.
They are a triple purpose breed, being used for meat, fiber and milk. The meat is fine grained with excellent flavor. The fiber is a dual coat. The fine under coat is called "Thel" and the long, courser outer coat is called "Tog". Shearing weight is usually 4-5 lbs and because of length usually are shorn twice a year. Colors range from white, grey, black, & browns. Patterns include spots, mouflon and badgeface.
The ostrich is the world's largest bird living today. Ostrich fossils have been found in North Africa, Europe and Asia, but today the bird is indigenous to Africa, where it has been raised commercially for more than 100 years. The ostrich grows to a height of seven to eight feet and weighs 250-400 pounds when fully mature. It is an environmentally friendly animal, requiring less acreage than other livestock and relatively modest amounts of food and water. Ostriches were first raised for their feathers. Now they are more valued for the low-fat red meat and world-renowned leather the birds provide.
did you know?
- It is of the Ratite family, which means flightless bird.
- A male Ostrich is called a rooster and a female Ostrich is called a hen.
- The male is black with white wing tips and tail plumes.
- The female has light brown and gray plumage and is slightly smaller than the male.
- This great bird has two toes, all other birds have three or four toes.
- The Ostrich can run at speeds of up to 40 MPH for sustained times.
- An Ostrich will live to be 50 - 75 years old.
- Although an ostrich egg is the largest of all eggs, it is the smallest egg in relation to the size of the bird.
- The Ostrich egg will weigh 1600 gm and is equivalent to 2 dozen chicken eggs.
- An Ostrich Hen can lay 40 -100 eggs per year, averaging about 60 eggs per year.
- Ostrich eggs hatch in 42 days.
- An Ostrich chick grows one foot taller each month until it is 7-8 months old.
- Females sit on eggs by day; males sit on eggs by night.
- To soft boil a fresh egg would take one hour. To hard boil would take 1 1/2 hours.
Emus are ratites, a group that includes all species of flightless birds: ostrich, emus, rhea, cassowary and kiwi. The male and female emus look very similar. The female generally is the larger of the two, and as they mature will produce a booming sound. The female is traditionally the dominant member of the pair. In the wild or on many farms, the male emus sits on the nest. Males make a grunting sound. Records show emus live for about 30 years and are productive for most of those years. Adult size is about 5 to 6 feet tall and 100 to 130 pounds. Grass usually survives well in emus pens except along the fence, where the birds' tendency to "fence walk" kills it.
Emus reach sexual maturity between 18 months to 28 months of age. Emus courtship consists of strutting and displaying the neck feathers by both the male and female. The female makes a drumming sound booming and the male makes a grunting sound. Emus lay eggs in the winter months, usually between November and March. Eggs are laid every 3 or 4 days, with an average of 25-30 eggs laid per season. Some may produce up to 50 eggs per season. The incubation period for emus eggs is 46 to 56 days with an average of 52 days.
Emus products include leather, meat and oil. Leather from emus hides are thinner and finer textured than ostrich leather. Current and future uses include clothing and accessories. Emu meat is a low-fat, low-cholesterol, high protein red meat. The average meat per carcass is 26 pounds and average fat is 13-18 pounds. Emu meat products include steaks, sausage, jerky, and ground. Emu oil, rendered/refined/finished from emu fat, has been used in skin care, cosmetic and medical relief products for years