posted by admin on Jul 4
Protect Your Chickens With An Alpaca!
This is no joke - alpacas really do prevent livestock and poultry deaths just by being around. Even Prince Charles has taken them on board at his organic farm according to the Sunday Times.
What Are They?
Alpacas are a relative of the Llama (and more distantly – the camel) and are bred for their wool. They grow up to 6ft tall at the head and will apparently walk towards foxes once sighted and chase them away – kicking and stamping on them if given the chance!
They also have a strong herding instinct with whatever animal they share their fields with if they sense danger - be it sheep or chickens – and they will round them up until the danger passes.
Many farmers lose stock to foxes (a steady population of around 250,000 reside in the UK – but this increase to over 600,000 when cubs are born) so in this eco-driven environment they needed a natural alternative. The alpaca fits that niche perfectly, and there are currently about 17,000 in the UK today (mainly on wool farms) - from almost none just over 10 years ago.
But because of the re invention of the lucrative alpaca wool industry in the UK, many are just not lowly enough to be ’chicken protectors’ as they are just too valuable as breeding stock. A breeding female could fetch £3,500, with an excellent stud male stacking up a huge price of £30,000!! For the ’non-worthy’ common little alpacas, the price is closer to £500 each – with males providing the best bouncers…..
So, be more like royalty yourself and choose the latest natural remedies for your farming worries rather than old-fashioned hounds and guns!
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