What does it cost to start an alpaca business?
Once again, it depends: In general, costs can be considered some what like the IRS considers costs–investments and operating costs. The listing below is not all inclusive but is somewhat indicative of the magnitude of costs that you might expect: INVESTMENTS: • LAND: Land values vary widely throughout the United States. For purposes of this analysis, assume that 5 to 10 alpacas can be raised on one acre of reasonable pasture. Here in Pennsylvania, the number is more like ten than five, whereas drier, mountainous areas like Colorado, New Mexico and Utah might be more like 5 per acre An alternative to having land is to have your animals “agisted” at a nearby ranch. Many new alpaca owners start this way. • ANIMALS: The cost of the animals is a principal variable in the costs to start-up and operate an alpaca ranch. The number of animals, age, sex all can contribute to the overall animal investment costs. • SHELTER: Alpacas can do with a three sided shelter, without much in the way of fri
