Alpacas are fiber animals. This was the purpose for which they were domesticated. We have always said that an Alpaca fiber harvest is so much more than you get out of cows. If they are not dairy cattle then they are usually only being bred for processing.
Alpaca Fiber—What Do I Do with It?
Now that you are in or considering the Alpaca business you should develop or have a plan for what to do with fleece.
You can…
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- utilize it yourself,
- sell it yourself,
- join/pay for a fiber cooperative,
- send it to a mill,
- have a business that sells products you make by hand from it,
- or donate it.
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We utilize all of our fiber in our farm business. We produce and sell the following from our own fiber:
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- Raw fiber by the pound
- Raw fiber samples—4 oz. packages
- Yarn (processed by a mill*)
- Roving
- Batts
- Dryer Balls
- Soaps felted with Alpaca fiber and silk
- Bird Nest Kits
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*We utilize The Shepherd’s Mill, Inc. to process our best fiber into yarn. Sally runs a great operation with a very reasonable cost and turnaround time. They are wonderful Christian folks as well.
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