ALPACAS THE MOST UNLIKELY GUARD ANIMALS
Apart from producing fabulous fleece, alpacas can outfox the enemy in the paddock
SHE started adult life with a major in mathematics, so it’s not surprising Margaret Hassall has done the figures on alpaca production.
Yet how she went from being a computer programmer to one of Queensland’s largest alpaca breeders is a relatively straightforward equation.
Today her Double H Alpacas stud and commercial operation is based outside Toowoomba on the Darling Downs, not far from Dalby where she grew up on a mixed cattle and grain property.
It’s been a rewarding case of going full circle for this engaging livestock owner.
“I was just good at maths when I was at school,” she said to explain her degree in applied science majoring in mathematics.
From there she worked as a systems programmer with the Defence Department, Australian Customs in the ACT and then a State Government computer centre in Brisbane.
They were 24/7 roles for someone who was always “a country girl at heart”.
But it was in her busy role in Queensland’s capital that she met her husband, Brett, a Brisbane boy, who was willing to embrace rural life.
So with two little daughters in tow, they made the decision to shift to the bush.
In 1994 they established Double H Alpacas at their Yalangur Stud, in partnership with Margaret’s parents Ken and Aileen Harrison.
“We had a tricky start, but eventually we got some very good quality females and our breeding program started,” Margaret explained.
Today, many of the 400 alpacas on their 100ha property north-west of Toowoomba can be traced back to these original breeders.
“We’ve been very particular about breeding for fertility and temperament as we went on,” Margaret said.
“And those initial females were very fertile and temperament was one of the major reasons we went into alpacas when we had young children.”
Yet while the animals – which have their origins in South America and are related to the camel family – might be renowned for their temperament, they have also proved exceptional in the unlikely role of guard animals.
These days 50% of the family’s business is focused on selling animals for protection duty.
“Alpacas have proved very effective at protecting animals like sheep or even chooks from dogs or foxes,” Margaret said.
“They have very long eyesight to see dogs or foxes coming into paddocks and they go out to meet them and run and spit at them.
“They will also run at predators and strike at them with their front legs.”
She said alpacas had also been known to kill foxes in the paddock.
“There have also been cases where working dogs were killed so landholders do need to be aware,” Margaret said.
“In most cases the alpacas will get used to the dogs they see all the time and can even be worked effectively with dogs and brought in with sheep.”
In regards to predator control, Margaret recommends livestock owners had a minimum of two alpacas with the animals they were protecting so one can “rest” while the other was on guard duty.
“If you don’t have two then one never gets any rest so you do have to be practical,” she said.
But she said the ratio of alpacas per paddock depended on animal numbers, area and predator pressure.
“If you had four wild dogs tormenting a mob of sheep in a paddock I would suggest you have six alpacas, because dogs work together when they attack so alpacas need to work together as protectors too,” Margaret explained.
Ideally she said alpacas needed to be at least four years old to be able to stand up to dogs and a minimum of two years old to handle foxes.
The family has sent a significant number of alpacas into western Queensland in recent years where demand for wild dog protection has seen producers buy 30–40 head at a time.
“We had a sheep producer from Ilfracombe buy 40 head at once, while another producer from Augathella bought 20 head a year for three consecutive years.
“For many of these people alpacas are one of the only ways they can stay in sheep in western Queensland.”
From a value-adding perspective, the South American animals are not so different from the merinos they are so often consigned to protect.
Both have to be shorn annually and alpaca fleeces range in weight from 1.5–4kg with microns varying from 12 through to around 32.
“The bigger males might have a fleece of up to 5kg, and in our herd we have an average micron of around 15,” Margaret said.
Double H fleeces are primarily used on-farm as part of a value-adding program that produces clothing, rugs and speciality pieces.
But on a broader national scale the fibre is used for everything from fashion garments to carpet and blankets.
Currently wool prices for alpaca fleeces vary from $8/kg–$45/kg.
“I am very confident about the future of alpacas,” Margaret said.
“They have a lot to offer in terms of predator protection and fibre and I think we are really just starting to see the difference they can make.”