# I am in shock over the price of Alpacas, what am I getting for 40,000?



## r4eboxer (Dec 13, 2011)

I want alpacas for the wool for my homestead and a few of my knitting friends. I have just begun to look at the market for a few for the farm. WOW these animals are VERY expensive. I don't think I would ever recap an investment of 40,000, or am I wrong about that? I do not wish to show them but it seems like if you are going to recap the investment you have to show, get lots of ribbons and breed and sell the offspring.

Can anyone tell me how this all works? Do you ever break even? How much time do you put in at shows? Gosh I want a good quality animal but I don't think I could ever swing these prices.
 Not all the animals I have looked at were that much but still 1000-2500, I did see some for 500 but it seems those are the ones no one wants and 500 is not pocket change either. I just did not realize how expensive the purchase price was. It seems that there isn't really that much of a market for the wool, except for the knitting market and that is almost extinct too.
I did see stud service for 1000 too, maybe I am in the wrong business and should have some good alpacas. I've never seen animals go for so much.
TIA


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## fortheloveofgoats (Dec 13, 2011)

I am not into alpacas, but I have an Aunt and Uncle who are. I am not sure if it's happening any where else, but my Aunt/Uncle bought some for a lot and now they say that they are losing money because with the hard times, no one is wanting to pay a lot for an alpaca. They even had someone give them alpacas that they paid thousands for, the guy just couldn't afford them. Another guy took his animals into my husbands work (he is a butcher) He said that way he can at least make something from them. It's sad really. Hope that it won't be the same for you.


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## r4eboxer (Dec 13, 2011)

fortheloveofgoats said:
			
		

> I am not into alpacas, but I have an Aunt and Uncle who are. I am not sure if it's happening any where else, but my Aunt/Uncle bought some for a lot and now they say that they are losing money because with the hard times, no one is wanting to pay a lot for an alpaca. They even had someone give them alpacas that they paid thousands for, the guy just couldn't afford them. Another guy took his animals into my husbands work (he is a butcher) He said that way he can at least make something from them. It's sad really. Hope that it won't be the same for you.


This is what I'm thinking, paying thousands for an anmial and then not recapping the investment and or having to take extreme measures with the animal later.
I am wondering if this is a very expensive hobby for some. Obviously it is making some people money but for someone like me I don't think the Alpacas would ever pay for themselves. I'd really like to have a few but not unless prices come down real fast. I am in WV and it seems we have some very successful breeders around here but WV is know for it's poverty rates. They must be shipping them out of state lol.


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## ksalvagno (Dec 13, 2011)

If you look around, you can find some very nice alpacas for a lot less. You can find breeders in your area at Alpaca Nation. Alpacas have dropped in price and some breeders are getting out so you can find some extremely good prices. Even look on Craigslist. Yes, there will always be the more expensive ones but there are a lot more out there that don't cost $40k. If you are in Ohio, I can hook you up with several folks that are selling for a heck of a lot less.


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## r4eboxer (Dec 13, 2011)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> If you look around, you can find some very nice alpacas for a lot less. You can find breeders in your area at Alpaca Nation. Alpacas have dropped in price and some breeders are getting out so you can find some extremely good prices. Even look on Craigslist. Yes, there will always be the more expensive ones but there are a lot more out there that don't cost $40k. If you are in Ohio, I can hook you up with several folks that are selling for a heck of a lot less.


Thanks, I visited your website hoping to see some for sale but I noticed you got out of the business too. I did find Alpaca Nation and those are the prices I was quoting. If I could find one for 1000 that had good wool I'd be interested. Oh I have a lot to learn!


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## fortheloveofgoats (Dec 13, 2011)

r4eboxer said:
			
		

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Too bad you don't live here, people are pretty much giving them away.


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## ksalvagno (Dec 13, 2011)

Yes, I did get out of the business this year. I'd been in it for 14 years and it was just time for me. I did love the alpaca business but I was also getting burned out. So I have moved on to goats and keeping the herd small. If you were in Ohio, you could find some nice alpacas for $1000.


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## r4eboxer (Dec 13, 2011)

fortheloveofgoats said:
			
		

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I wish I lived near you! 

I am thinking I want one white one so I can dye the wool, a brown one, black one and a grey one. I came up empty on Craigs list. I think I will plan a trip to one of the farms on Alpaca Nation, there seem to be an abundance of alpaca farms near me. I wonder if the prices are very negotiable. I can't see we have the demand to keep them all in business. Maybe I will come across a deal.


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## r4eboxer (Dec 13, 2011)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> Yes, I did get out of the business this year. I'd been in it for 14 years and it was just time for me. I did love the alpaca business but I was also getting burned out. So I have moved on to goats and keeping the herd small. If you were in Ohio, you could find some nice alpacas for $1000.


I am not far from the Ohio border and my SIL and BIL live in Ohio County in WV, If I could find a farm on the Ohio/WV border that would be possible. I will check it out online.

What should I be looking for coat wise? I have read 'buttery' to describe. Of course I want a good animal conformation wise but the coat is what is of importance to me right now.


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## ksalvagno (Dec 13, 2011)

I bet you would if you visit farms. I think once people meet someone, they are more willing to negotiate.


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## fortheloveofgoats (Dec 13, 2011)

r4eboxer said:
			
		

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I hope that you can come across a good deal! Another suggestion, you could do a post on CL. Just explain what you are wanting, and you could get some responses. Be careful though, you could get something you don't want. So make sure to do your homework! I really hope that this works out for you.


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## purplequeenvt (Dec 13, 2011)

fortheloveofgoats said:
			
		

> Be careful though, you could get something you don't want.


x2

Make sure you get your hands on them before you bring them home. You don't want to be stuck with someone's problem animal.

Around here (in VT) you can get a good alpaca for $500. Unless you are planning on breeding them, I would suggest getting geldings. Less hormones and they are often cheaper. They are also going to be putting all their energy into growing fiber instead of babies and such.


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## 77Herford (Dec 13, 2011)

r4eboxer said:
			
		

> I want alpacas for the wool for my homestead and a few of my knitting friends. I have just begun to look at the market for a few for the farm. WOW these animals are VERY expensive. I don't think I would ever recap an investment of 40,000, or am I wrong about that? I do not wish to show them but it seems like if you are going to recap the investment you have to show, get lots of ribbons and breed and sell the offspring.
> 
> Can anyone tell me how this all works? Do you ever break even? How much time do you put in at shows? Gosh I want a good quality animal but I don't think I could ever swing these prices.
> Not all the animals I have looked at were that much but still 1000-2500, I did see some for 500 but it seems those are the ones no one wants and 500 is not pocket change either. I just did not realize how expensive the purchase price was. It seems that there isn't really that much of a market for the wool, except for the knitting market and that is almost extinct too.
> ...


For that price you will get a golden fleece or I hope so.


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## fortheloveofgoats (Dec 13, 2011)

77Herford said:
			
		

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## r4eboxer (Dec 14, 2011)

77Herford said:
			
		

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No doubt! I can't believe someone had the nerve to post 40,000.00 as the sale price. I am going to have to go back and look at that listing again since I have spent some time on other web sites and see why that price is so high.

 I am re-thinking alpacas, I want to learn to spin and hubby likes rabbits so we are getting some angoras in the spring. My knitting friends want alpaca wool to knit with and I think having Alpacas would add some charm to my homestead. BUT and that is a BIG BUT, I don't want to sink a fortune into something that is a craft and hobby. I feel that 1000 for one animal is really high, especially considering feed, care and the work involved in harvesting the wool, spinning it and then trying to sell it. I doubt I will be able to sell much yarn. I have signed up for spinning classes this summer and will make my mind up after I see if I have a talent for it.

I will keep my eyes open and if I have nothing better to do on a Saturday I will drive to some of these Alpaca farms to take a look and get an idea of what is good stock and what is not.


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## purplequeenvt (Dec 14, 2011)

You could also look into llamas. The price of alpacas (11 years ago) was the reason we got llamas instead. I have never regretted not getting alpacas. You won't get as much fiber per square in as with an alpaca, but a lot of llamas have amazing fiber too.


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## AlpacaEmployee (Dec 20, 2011)

If you're willing to travel to Western ohio (an hour west of columbus) we recently priced a package of more then 5 for $3500. those were a gelding, two males, and 3-4 breeding females. I don't remember specifics, because I don't handle the salesetc, but You CAN find them reasonably.


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Dec 20, 2011)

One free alpaca and 1 free llama as a pair on CL by us.  In addition 5 bred females for $100 each.   They can be had cheaply.


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## livn4myanimals (Jan 1, 2012)

Hi there.  I am new to this list, and this subject caught my attention.

 I am in Ontario, Canada, and I bought two nice fiber boys a couple of years ago for $250 each, and have gotten some lovely yarn out of them.

I've been doing a lot of research on Alpacas, and no, you don't have to pay thousands to get some good fiber animals.   

People do spend some high prices, but that's only necessary if your goal is going to be breeding, showing and improving the fiber quality to reach the best of the best, if you know what I mean.

I'm no expert, and if someone knows more about it, please correct me, but this is my take on what's happening:

When Alpacas were first being imported into North America, they had to pay top dollar if they were going to bring in the best quality animals they could find.(not to mention just the cost of importing from another country) Those that could afford it did, and soon, others jumped on the bandwagon thinking that they discovered the golden goose that was going to make them rich, when they saw what the animals were selling for.  

A lot of people soon found that the market in North America for Alpaca fiber wasn't strong enough yet to support the prices they paid to get into the business.  It's growing, but it's not going as fast as they had hoped, so some who really couldn't afford it, and had spent many thousands initially, are now selling a lot of stock.

That's good for those of us who want to start building a fiber herd slowly, because prices are coming down for very good fiber animals.   

I've been told that geldings make good fiber animals because their fleece becomes nicer after gelding.  (Someone may be able to explain that one better)

I've learned a lot by just doing research on the web, and talking to those who have been in the business for a while.    

Don't count out getting alpacas, I love my two boys, and it's so enjoyable knitting something knowing the yarn is from them.
Just take your time, and watch for geldings or males that people are selling as non breeders.  Learn about the fiber qualities, and tell people you are looking for boys with good fiber but not expensive.  
Anyone who is showing their animals or into breeding to get the ultimate best fiber, will have non breeders for sale with some really good fiber, but just don't have the physical confirmation for breeding and showing.

Hope this helps


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## craftymama86 (Jan 7, 2012)

r4eboxer said:
			
		

> I want alpacas for the wool for my homestead and a few of my knitting friends. I have just begun to look at the market for a few for the farm. WOW these animals are VERY expensive. I don't think I would ever recap an investment of 40,000, or am I wrong about that? I do not wish to show them but it seems like if you are going to recap the investment you have to show, get lots of ribbons and breed and sell the offspring.
> 
> Can anyone tell me how this all works? Do you ever break even? How much time do you put in at shows? Gosh I want a good quality animal but I don't think I could ever swing these prices.
> Not all the animals I have looked at were that much but still 1000-2500, I did see some for 500 but it seems those are the ones no one wants and 500 is not pocket change either. I just did not realize how expensive the purchase price was. It seems that there isn't really that much of a market for the wool, except for the knitting market and that is almost extinct too.
> ...


I just found a PAIR on CL in my area for $400. I hinted to my DH, lol. Not gonna happen though unless they'll trade for a couple burros, lol.... That is if my MIL is still willing to give up the burros.


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## zzGypsy (Jan 8, 2012)

a couple of weeks ago I saw one go unsold at auction because they couldn't get a bid of $15 on it.   they're for sale cheap on craigslist here in MO all the time.  no knowing the background on some of them, but if you're not looking for papered they're all over here. I've seen lots of them at the auctions, very very low prices.  nothing apparently wrong with them either, just not finding buyers for them.


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## craftymama86 (Jan 8, 2012)

That's so sad.  I'd get one in a heartbeat if I found one for $15.... How do you go about finding an auction like that?


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## zzGypsy (Jan 9, 2012)

craftymama86 said:
			
		

> That's so sad.  I'd get one in a heartbeat if I found one for $15.... How do you go about finding an auction like that?


there are quite a few auctions here in SW MO - I go to the sheep and goat auctions (some are only cattle or only horses) and you'll sometimes see them.  some of the smaller auctions just auction whatever comes in, so there's no species restrictions.  there is one house that has "exotics" auctions a couple of times a year, and alpaca are common at that one.

search online for "livestock auction" near you, there might be something close.  sometimes you just have to go and see what comes in - they don't always have an idea in advace.

where are you located?

oh, and watch craigslist.


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## craftymama86 (Jan 9, 2012)

We're outside of Birmingham, AL.

Watch CL for auctions or livestock?


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## zzGypsy (Jan 9, 2012)

craftymama86 said:
			
		

> We're outside of Birmingham, AL.
> 
> Watch CL for auctions or livestock?


both 

some of the local auction houses list things like "exotics" sales on CL, but you can't always count on it.  and lots of folks list llamas and alpacas on CL.

search "alabama livestock auctions"  "alabama goat sale" "alabama goat auction"  "alabama sheep auction" "alabama exotic animal auction" ... you get the idea.


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## craftymama86 (Jan 9, 2012)

Ah ok.... I did find a couple of alpacas for $400 but we don't have that at the moment but they did mention trading. I thought about asking my MIL if she still wanted to get rid of her 2 burros. She really doesn't need them and is costing her money. If she agrees then I may contact him to see if he'll trade those. That would be cool.


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## zzGypsy (Jan 9, 2012)

try this: http://www.google.com/search?q=alabama+livestock+auctions
if any of those auction houses are close to you, check their website and see if they handle exotics like llamas and alpacas, and when their sales are.


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## zzGypsy (Jan 9, 2012)

r4eboxer said:
			
		

> I want alpacas for the wool for my homestead and a few of my knitting friends. I have just begun to look at the market for a few for the farm. WOW these animals are VERY expensive. I don't think I would ever recap an investment of 40,000, or am I wrong about that? I do not wish to show them but it seems like if you are going to recap the investment you have to show, get lots of ribbons and breed and sell the offspring.
> 
> Can anyone tell me how this all works? Do you ever break even? How much time do you put in at shows? Gosh I want a good quality animal but I don't think I could ever swing these prices.
> Not all the animals I have looked at were that much but still 1000-2500, I did see some for 500 but it seems those are the ones no one wants and 500 is not pocket change either. I just did not realize how expensive the purchase price was. It seems that there isn't really that much of a market for the wool, except for the knitting market and that is almost extinct too.
> ...


there was a time when llamas and alpacas were being heavily marketed as a profitable hobby-farm business.  most of the the earnings of the animal would come from either stud fees or selling the young stock to other folks who had been just as heavily marketed to.  fleece only brings a small price, and I'm not sure even a $1000 animal would ever pay for it's purchase price and feed on fleeces, even if they were maintained on pasture.  I have no idea if people are still paying the $10,000 and up prices...

15 years ago you couldn't get *any* llama for under $1500 - even pet quality culls.  now they're going at auction for $30 (saw one of those recently).  partly its because as the market has collapsed the big breeders have gone bankrupt or had to close and they're dumping hundreds of animals on the market at next to nothing or as rescues, or sending them to auction for the kill-buyer's price.

this happens periodically as tastes change - I worked for an arabian breeder in the mid '70s who had 4 imported from egypt stallions that ran between $100k and $350k, not including the import costs... but when I worked for him he might have been able to get $50,000 out of the best of them.  bought at the peak of the market and lost a ton of money   I think the $40,000 alpaca might be kinda like that.

for the last 10 years it's been Gypsy Vanner horses - $40,000 for a weanling colt that's too young to know if he's gonna grow feathers or be breeder quality.  lately, the same colt would go for $5,000.  I don't think the prices are done dropping yet.

the trick it to predict which animal it's going to be when it's on the rising side of the curve...


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## purplequeenvt (Jan 9, 2012)

zzGypsy said:
			
		

> for the last 10 years it's been Gypsy Vanner horses - $40,000 for a weanling colt that's too young to know if he's gonna grow feathers or be breeder quality.  lately, the same colt would go for $5,000.  I don't think the prices are done dropping yet.


Yay! Maybe someday I can afford to get a Gypsy Vanner!  


Part of the issue going on in the llama and alpaca industry is that both (but alpacas in particular) were advertised as an investment which drew lots of people in. So now you have all these breeders - some better then others - who are churning out cria and the market gets flooded. At some point (right now) it becomes difficult sell a good quality stud or breeding female for anything close to what "value" is, let alone a $500 "pet" gelding. 

What is the solution?? Find another way to utilize llamas and alpacas. Did you know that it is VERY COMMON to EAT llamas and alpacas in South America? Yeah, yeah, I know. They are too intelligent, cute, fuzzy, whatever.....but if people in the US were to cut their herds and keep/breed only the best, there would be fewer unwanted problem animals floating around the auctions. Prices would probably (hopefully) never get back up to the ridiculous height, but it would be easier to sell the animals you have.


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## zzGypsy (Jan 9, 2012)

yep, I remember all the advertising on "become an alpaca breeder and get rich on your fantasy hobby" from back when I had TV.  and I also remember that in the last several years there have been 2 or 3 llama rescues of a hundred or more animals each because of some big breeders going out of business.  I keep a watch out for one of the heavy big-footed drafty argentinian type llamas to come through the rescue process, but so far everything I've seen locally is the small light boned type.  seems the size has gotten smaller around here lately - they trend towards the alpaca size alot.

I'll keep looking for argentinains - would love to have the 'draft' version of llamas.  and when the market comes down enough I'll have the vanners too.  just glad I didn't mortgage the house to get in that market.

so to answer the OP question " what am I getting for 40,000?" the answer is "a really expensive education in getting into the market waaaaay too late."


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## zzGypsy (Jan 9, 2012)

BTW, in some of those rescues, many of the animals went to auction before they were rescued out and went to the kill buyers.


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## BrownSheep (Jan 20, 2012)

I would not invest that much. Around here people used to pay thousands for llamas....now they give them away for free. I think I've even seen a couple alpacas advertised for free too.


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## mocnarf (Nov 8, 2017)

Wow, I got my two alpacas for free.  But I keep them more for pets rather than income producers.  They earn their keep by going for walks with me.  I walk them 3 to 4 miles every couple of days.


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## Bruce (Nov 25, 2017)

@mocnarf you might notice that this thread "ended" in Jan 2012. People were being all loopy about making a fortune on alpacas back then. How? You pay a small fortune for a breeding pair. Then you sell the cria for many many hundreds of $$ to someone else who plans to make a fortune by breeding their expensive animals and selling the cria for many many hundreds of $$ to someone else who plans ..... . Problem was they ran out of people willing to buy into that "business model". People who didn't even have land invested in alpacas, writing off the expenses against other income. They were seriously pushed as a good investment. 

In REALITY, there is potentially a little money to be made from the yearly shearing but most likely one would have to shear the animals themselves and do some "value add" to create a product they can sell to actually MAKE money.

I think it is great you are walking the boys. Besides the "quality time" you may never have to trim their nails since they are walking on hard surfaces!


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## greybeard (Nov 25, 2017)

Bruce said:


> @mocnarf you might notice that this thread "ended" in Jan 2012. People were being all loopy about making a fortune on alpacas back then. How? You pay a small fortune for a breeding pair. Then you sell the cria for many many hundreds of $$ to someone else who plans to make a fortune by breeding their expensive animals and selling the cria for many many hundreds of $$ to someone else who plans ..... . Problem was they ran out of people willing to buy into that "business model". People who didn't even have land invested in alpacas, writing off the expenses against other income. They were seriously pushed as a good investment.


Sounds like the 90s emu pyramid scheme--the 'other red meat'...Alpacas = Emus with  hooves.......Decades before that, it was Chinchillas.
Before that...well, a very similar version of the following actually appeared as an investment ad in a newspaper in 1875 and has been repeated numerous times since the advent of the internet.
_
*Dear Potential Investor:*
I know you are always looking for sound opportunities for investment.

I don't know if you would be interested in this, but I thought I would mention it to you because it could be a real "sleeper" in making a lot of money with very little investment.

A group of us are considering investing in a large cat ranch near Hermosille, Mexico. It is our purpose to start rather small, with about one million cats. Each cat averages about twelve kittens each year; skins can be sold for about 20 cents for the white ones and up to 40 cents for the black. This will give us 12 million cat skins per year to sell at an average price of around 32 cents, making our revenues about $3 million a year. This really averages out to $10 thousand a day - excluding Sundays and holidays.

A good Mexican cat man can skin about 50 cats per day at a wage of $3.15 a day. It will only take 663 men to operate the ranch so the net profit would be over $8,200 per day.

Now, the cats would be fed on rats exclusively. Rats multiply four times as fast as cats. We would start a rat ranch adjacent to our cat farm. If we start with a million rats, we will have four rats per cat each day. The rats will be fed on the carcasses of the cats that we skin. This will give each rat a quarter of a cat. You can see by this that this business is a clean operation -- self-supporting and really automatic throughout. The cats will eat the rats and the rats will eat the cats and we will get the skins.

Let me know if you are interested; as you can imagine, I am rather particular who I want to get into this, and want the fewest investors possible.

Eventually, it is my hope to cross the cats with snakes, for they will skin themselves twice a year! This would save the labor costs of skinning as well as give me two skins for one cat.

May I hear from you at your earliest opportunity?

Sincerely,

The CatMan_


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## Bruce (Nov 25, 2017)

Can't argue with logic and math @greybeard !! 

I remember the emu thing. Used to be people were selling emu oil based things at the fair.


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## OneFineAcre (Nov 25, 2017)

Dang
I would have dann sure invested in the Cat Ranch


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## greybeard (Nov 26, 2017)

Bruce said:


> Can't argue with logic and math @greybeard !!
> 
> I remember the emu thing. Used to be people were selling emu oil based things at the fair.


You still see the oil being sold, but in the 90s, eggs and meat from Emu was TNBT.  By the time 1996 rolled around, the gig was up and even the campy movie Tremors 2 Aftershocks showed that co star Fred ward aka Earl Bassett had squandered his magazine interview and book rights and video game $$$ trying to cash in on the Emu craze, and his 1st scene had him being dragged @ rope's length by the male as he was trying to introduce Wildfire to one of his females.
"_Wildfire, if you and Suzy don't get together and make me some little Emus I'm gonna take some BBQ sauce to the both of you!_"




OFA, at some point, snakes were also introduced into the cat-rat ranch scheme.

_Eventually it is our hope to cross the cats with snakes, for they will 
skin themselves twice a year. This would save the labor costs for skinning 
as well as give us two skins for each one cat. _

so if you don't like serpents, better pass on this one.


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