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Ž.Raudys said he was interested in alpacas 15 years ago, when he went to an exhibition in Germany and noticed sweaters sold from the wool of this animal.
“A Lithuanian woman married to a Peruvian sold sweaters that cost 200-300 euros. I thought, a kind of nonsense. Is that wool golden or what? At that time, the minimum wage was about 400 litas in Lithuania,” he said.
Alpaca instead of a lawn mower
After the first meeting, the man became actively interested in these animals, and three years ago he realized his dream. Then they brought five puppies from Poland. In addition, it was necessary to restore the old clay barn, where alpacas now live. According to Ž.Raudys, it took about 15 thousand LTL to start the activity. euros
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Alpakų farm in Jonava
It is true that, according to the owners of the farms, the animals were bought not for beauty but for practical deduction. With the purchase of the garden a decade ago, the family also owned a roughly half-acre parcel where the lawn had to be cut every week.
“You cut it on Sunday, you need it again next Monday. The man says you have to deal with that grass somehow. We thought about sheep, goats, but found that they contaminate the whole area a lot. We also wanted to take a walk around our grass, and alpacas do their natural things in one place, “said Rasa, adding that this animal especially loves newly regenerated grass.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Alpakų farm in Jonava
Atypical zoo
Currently, seven alpacas are growing on the farm, whose owners work for a textile company, and the females are expected to give birth to three more young in the coming month.
From animal wool, the family makes threads, products and then sells them.
“We cut wool and transport it to a former cardinal in Plungė. We want to preserve the wool of each animal so that all the threads are of different colors, not mixed. We sell or knit stockings and gloves, “said R. Raudienė.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Alpakų farm in Jonava
At the same time, the woman runs tours, but charges a symbolic amount of money for them. Tours cost € 2 for adults and € 1 for children.
“Symbolically. The man says that I am working on the idea, but the most important thing for me is to bring it as food,” he assured.
R.Raudienė leads excursions at the Jonava alpaca farm after work and on weekends. She adopts one or a maximum of two families at a time.
“We don’t want it to be a typical zoo when you get to the fence, it should be a closer acquaintance. We prepare food, twigs, delicacies so that children can feed, caress, touch, seduce and hug. And I let myself spend the time I wanted until I woke up. It’s not like we drive the shuttle every hour. The best compliment is when the kids come out and say, “Mom, I want to live here,” said the farm owner.
In addition, R.Raudienė added that it will not be possible to arrive at the farm next weekend and that the time must be reserved in advance. For example, the family now collects reserves for August.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Alpakų farm in Jonava
Not business, but pleasure
It is true that both emphasize that animals are raised without earning a living. It’s more fun, free time.
“We didn’t even think we would popularize the Jonava name with these animals, because we bought animals for ourselves, like puppies, kittens.” We wanted to relax after returning from work, and the animals also graze on the farm. This is the decoration of the farm “, – assured R.Raudienė.
“We go more for the animal so that everything turns out well for him. As a result, we restrict tours and do not allow anything. Queue with us one month, two ahead. We take tours twice a day when we eat. We make sure we don’t overeat, don’t get stressed. We don’t talk much about trade, “added Raudys.
He admits that competition between alpaca farms has already developed in Lithuania, which will only increase in the future. However, he reiterates the need to raise these animals without seeking financial gain.
“People loved that animal very much, many people now buy it not as a store, but as a farm jewelry.” It will soon be that there will be many of them in Lithuania, because we see for ourselves what interest there is in our farm. Many ask how much it costs, how to reproduce better, how to feed. We understand that there will definitely be more of them as far as possible ”, he is convinced.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Alpakų farm in Jonava
A man can cost 80 thousand. euros
An alpaca breeder in Jonava revealed that the prices of male alpacas in Lithuania range from 500 euros, but it is also possible to buy them for 4 thousand. Females are more expensive, their prices start from 1.5 thousand. euros
However, he heard a case in which a farm in Germany bought a man for 80,000.
“Looking at the quality of the wool, alpaca wool is very thin. For example, human hair is between 70 and 100 microns, and the world record for alpaca is 13.1 microns. Imagine how much thinner than human hair. The selection appears to be very thin and of course to have as much wool as possible. Lithuanians generally cut 2–3 kilograms, and serious farms in Chile cut 6 kilograms, twice as much, ”explained the interlocutor.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Alpakų farm in Jonava
Ž.Raudys assured that the Lithuanian climate is perfect for alpacas. It is true that they are afraid of the heat and are protected from heavy rains.
“Then they are soaked like sponges. And it spends the winter in a clay, a centennial barn. It is cool in summer and warm in winter. We also run in the snow in winter, I like to play, I really enjoyed the snow, ”said the man.
And for those who want to grow alpaca, Ž.Raudys has advice: you cannot buy an animal in any way, because they are very stressful one by one.
“And a couple cannot live. There must be two females or two males. Two men can be better for the farm, less problems,” he said.
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