After doing some research I decided that Alpacas were the perfect livestock for me to raise. They are small, low maintenance, easy on the land and they have the cute factor going for them.
The thought of handling a 2000lb steer or dairy cow to trim feet, vaccinate, worm or just plain halter and walk around is rather daunting to me. I'm not very big, about 5'3", so the fact that Alpacas are not very tall and don't weigh much more than 175lbs for a mature male, made them much more feasible.
Alpacas do not have hooves like horses either, they have toes, two on each foot, and nails, similar to a dogs foot. Even when they kick you, and they don't often, it isn't like being kicked by a horse (and I've been kicked by a horse so I know, ouch!). They are not prone to biting, though they can and do spit, and boy do they spit far. But I'd rather be spit on than bit, so you figure in the trade off.
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