Thousand Oaks Alpacas will participate in the 2nd Annual National Alpaca Farm Days.

On September 27 and 28, alpaca breeders from across the United States and Canada will invite the public to come to their farm or ranch to meet their alpacas and learn more about these inquisitive, unique animals. From 10am to 4pm, Thousand Oaks Alpacas will welcome guests to join them for many activities including viewing Alpacas, working with Alpaca fleece such as spinning, weaving, and making felt, and viewing products made from Alpaca fleece, all FREE!

Thousand Oaks Alpacas is located at 15768 Ranch Road 1323, Johnson City, TX, mid way between Willow City and Sandy, TX. From Fredericksburg, take 16 north to Willow City, then go 8.5 miles east on RR 1323. From Johnson City, go 2 ½ miles north on 281 and turn west on RR 1323 for 15.7 miles. Look for our sign.

What IS an alpaca? Alpacas, cousins to the llama, are native to the Andean Mountain range of South America, particularly Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. Alpacas were first imported into the United States in 1984. Since then, the alpaca industry has grown steadily, according to the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA), the backbone of the alpaca industry. Current estimates total over 120,000 registered alpacas with the Alpaca Registry, Inc. (ARI) in the United States and more than 4,000 AOBA members in North America. There are two types of alpacas in the United States today. Although almost physically identical, what distinguishes the two types of alpacas is their fiber. The Huacaya (wa-Ki’-ah) is the more common of the two and has a fluffy, extremely fine coat. The Suri is the rarer of the two and has fiber that is silky and resembles pencil-locks.

Adult alpacas stand at approximately 36 inches at the withers and generally weigh between 150 and 200 pounds. They do not have horns, hooves, claws or incisors. Alpacas are alert, intelligent, curious, and predictable. Social animals that seek companionship, they communicate most commonly by softly humming. Alpacas are shorn, without harm, every twelve to eighteen months. They produced five to ten pounds of luxurious fiber. Long ago, alpaca fiber was reserved for royalty. Today it is purchased in its raw fleece form by a fiber cooperative, hand-spinners and fiber artists. Knitters buy it as yarn. Because of its soft texture, alpaca fiber is sometimes compared to cashmere. Making the fiber even more coveted, it has the luster of silk. Alpaca is just as warm as wool, yet 1/3 the weight of wool to achieve that warmth. It comes in 22 natural colors, yet can be dyed any desired shade. Containing no lanolin, alpaca fiber is also naturally hypoallergenic. Most people who are sensitive to wool find that they can wear alpaca without the itching or irritation they feel from wool because alpaca fiber is smooth.

Additional performance characteristics include: stretch, water repellency, and odor reduction. For travelers, clothing made from alpaca is desirable because it is wrinkle-resistant. To find out more about National Alpaca Farm Days visit www.NationalAlpacaFarmDays.com.

To find out more about THOUSAND OAKS ALPACAS, visit or call, 830-685-3078, www.thousandoaksalpacas.com.“