Preliminary study of body measurements on alpacas in northern Italy

Abstract

The study involved 6 farms in northern Italy and 94 alpacas of the Huacaya type. Eighteen males and 45 females were measured for height at the withers, heart girth and hip width. In each farm a questionnaire was filled out to gather information on farm characteristics and feeding strategies. The farms had on average 5.8±5.1 ha of pasture land and reared 15.7±6.4 alpacas. On average, each farm had 6.0±2.8 males. During winter or on rainy days, alpacas received on average 1.4±0.4 kg/d of commercial hay and 0.2±0.4 kg/d concentrate. The size of the farms was very small, and the alpaca business was not the primary source of income. The alpacas were 4.1±3.2 years old (female: 4.4±3.0, male: 3.5±3.6). On average, the height at the withers was 85.6±8.1 cm, the heart girth was 93.0±14.6 cm and hip width was 24.0±3.7 cm. Some regression analyses were performed: heart girth (cm)=1.3795 wither height (cm) – 24.956 (r²=0.57); hip width (cm)=0.3392 wither height (cm) – 4.9761 (r²=0.54); heart girth (cm)=3.0198 hip width (cm)+20.451 (r²=0.58). In conclusion, there are good opportunities to improve alpaca farming management in northern Italy, particularly in terms of feeding and environmental factors affecting alpaca growth.