On Nov. 22 and Nov. 23, the ninth annual Alpaca Extravaganza took place at the Black Forest Community Center. Peter Ziek, an alpaca breeder and organizer of the extravaganza, said the event has grown every year. About 10 vendors showed their wares, which included the cleaned and often dyed fibers from the alpacas.Participants are local breeders and members of the Southeast Colorado Alpaca Breeders group, which formed 11 years ago, Ziek said. The group started out as a support and social group, but members decided to market their alpacas and alpaca products.More people attend the event each year, as alpacas grow in popularity, Ziek said. Alpaca breeders who survived the tough economic times have seen things get better, he added. ìThere has been more interest in the animals and in their products lately,î Ziek said. ìThis year (the event) is probably our most successful.îVendors were creative in how they used the fibers. There were soaps outlined in ìfeltî that emulated a bath scrubby type product. Another vendor made hanging decorations out of less usable fiber ó the decorations attract birds because they harvest the fiber to use in their nests. Several vendors offered beautiful and multi-colored yarns for sale, as well as hand-knit or hand-felted wearables.Three breeders brought animals so visitors to the extravaganza could interact with them.Breeders have seen more interest from people in the ìpet qualityî animals. ìThey want the rural lifestyle for kids to learn, and they like the 4-H possibilities,î Ziek said. Alpacas are good animals for kids because they have nice temperaments and padded feet, instead of hooves; they also only have teeth on the bottom front. Ziekís wife, Barbara, said alpacas are efficient eaters, and it doesn’t take much to keep the herd fed, in comparison to other farm animals. ìThey are very curious, very smart,î Ziek said. He sells his ìpet qualityî alpacas for somewhere between $200 to $500.Prices for alpacas can go as high as $600,000, Ziek said. High-priced animals are valued because they can be bred several times in one year. However, Ziek said there is never a guarantee that the baby alpaca will be of high quality.Ziekís personal breeding stock is valued between $2,000 and $10,000, he said. Fiber quality in terms of color and softness affects the value of the animal. ìYou want to use every bit of fiber that comes off that animal because that’s where the value is,î he said. ìOne thing we’re breeding for now is retained fineness.î Ziek said the fineness of a fiber is its micron count, which refers to the diameter size of the fiber, which is directly related to fiber softness. Ziek has one gelding that is about 10 years old, and over the course of his life his fiber has changed only one micron.Most breeders at the extravaganza said they ship their raw fiber to smaller mills to be processed. There are a number of mills in Colorado and surrounding states that process the fiber, which is shorn from the alpacas. Processing ranges from simply cleaning and straightening out the fibers into rovings or batts that a spinner can use to co-operatives that use the fiber to produce ready-made products such as machine-knitted socks.Fiber aside, the alpaca group is a network of breeders that fosters community. ìIt keeps us active and allows us to come out and meet people, which we wouldnít normally do,î Ziek said.
