Llamas and alpacas are native to the Andes Mountains of South America, and are primarily found in Peru, Bolivia and Chile. They are extremely hardy animals, easily adapting to North American climates in areas as diverse as Alaska and Florida. They are members of the camelid family, which includes the Dromedary and Bactrian camels of Asia, and the guanacos and vicunas of South America. Llamas and Alpacas deliver a single offspring, called a cria, after an 11-12 month gestation.
Alpacas have been bred for fiber production for thousands of years, while llamas were bred to be pack animals, carrying products to market in the severe climate of the Andes Mountains. Llamas are dual purpose animals, providing excellent quality fiber as well as easing the burden of Andean peasants and hikers around the world.
Highly intelligent and gentle by nature, llamas and alpacas are easy to train and handle, even by children. There is a growing number of 4-H clubs in the United States, including the Luv-A-Lot Lama Club, which is very active at Castetter Farms.
In 1993, two separate things happened which came together to create Castetter Farms. While David and Jean were on vacation, they saw a presentation on the Today Show about raising alpacas in the United States. At the same time, Peggy and Ben were wondering how they could make the family farm profitable. After some initially unsuccessful research about where alpacas were being raised in the U.S., Peggy and Ben happened upon the 1993 North American Llama and Alpaca Show in Louisville, Kentucky, just 30 miles from Castetter Farms in Henryville, Indiana. Armed with stacks of brochures and information, we started looking for our first breeding stock!
We purchased our starter herd of five llamas and one alpaca in November of 1993 and have grown to over 50 llamas and 25 alpacas!
In the course of these years, we have learned a lot about
fiber
production and use. We specialize in producing award-winning llama and
alpaca fleeces for handspinners. We offer show, breeding, fiber and
pet quality llamas
and alpacas
for sale in a wide range of prices. Financing is available at a reasonable
interest rate. Most of our animals are 4-H trained,
and have extensive handling and show experience. We also offer top
quality llama
and alpaca
breeding services at reasonable prices.