Getting started?

[khaotickamel]

I looove camels and want to know where to start going about owning them!? I live in the PNW and dream of owning a little offbeat dairy and fiber farm. Off course I also want a camel to ride and pack with too. Thanks :)

[may]

Hello khaotickamel!

Welcome to the Forum!
Where is PNW?

If you plan to own a camel: I would like to recommend to plan to have more than one; camels need company, the best is camel-company, although some other species are fine to be "family". But if you really want to work with your camel: I find it easier to work with more of them, because you can use the different abilities of them in different situations.

Cheers, may

[khaotickamel]

The pacific north west, oops! (washington state, usa) I plan on getting several camels eventualy. Right now I am looking at gov farm loans. Like I said I want to start a camel dairy and fiber farm with several species of fiber animals. Any who, what species of camel do you own?

[camelidman]

Hi,
I'm new to camel keeping and initially wouldn't have thought about keeping a camel for its fibre. What an oversight!
I've now had two bactrians here in Central France for around 3 months and as the season changed from winter to spring their coats started coming off by the bag full.
We've kept alpacas for some years, specifically for the purpose of farming their fibre. We also keep llamas, but not for their fibre, as they moult naturally and they can be a little difficult to shear! Each year, normally in late May or early June (it's a bit later this year because of the strangely wet weather) I start the process of trimming their hair back to around an inch in length. This yields around 7 inches of fibre, which my wife then spins and we sell.
Since the camels have started moulting, I've been collecting it and have been washing, carding and spinning it as much as possible. So far I've spun somewhere near 600m of the stuff, in varying thickness's, and all on a turkish spindle. I've got a couple of kilos left over and it's still coming off them with no immediate sign of stopping. I've made two halters out of it (for the camels) and I've placed an order with the good lady of the house for a hat and a scarf for myself.
All in all, it's great stuff! It's a little courser than alpaca fibre and depending on the type you use, it's easier to spin with (IMHO). One point to note, is that the longer hair that I believe should normally stay on the animal after moulting sometimes comes off with the finer, softer fibre that you want to spin with. This makes the fibre a bit courser to the touch and is noticeable when you're spinning. I don't know if there's a way of getting rid of this hair during the cleaning/carding stage, but if you find a way, please let me know.

If you come up with any ideas for camel tack made from camel fibre, please let me know. I've previously posted an article on this forum asking for ideas, but so far non have been forthcoming. - I've been thinking about having a mat knitted for each of them to provide a little comfort when we eventually start riding them...

[khaotickamel]

Im glad to hear your success with the camel fiber. It gives me hope this is a worth while dream! I also want to keep yak. The fiber is supposed to be very soft and fine, and you can milk them to make great butter and cheese too!

[may]

Hi khaotickamel,
here is any who. I don't own camels (yet). But good fate gave me 2 years working with dromedaries in Australia. I am going back there, and one day I might be deft enough to catch me own ones :o

may

[khaotickamel]

that sounds like a heck of a lot of fun :D