Climate snapshot for alpacas
Main challenges
- Wet ground — 59 in of rain a year — mud, foot problems and fluke habitat
Advantages
- Summers rarely reach heat-stress levels for alpacas
- Winters are cold but rarely severe
- Low meningeal worm risk
Overall rating: 87/100 — Excellent on our alpaca climate comfort score. Climate type: Warm-summer humid continental (Köppen Dfb). GBIF holds 1 alpaca occurrence records for Austria.
Month-by-month climate
| Month | High | Low | Precip. | Heat-stress index | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3°C | -5°C | 111 mm | 121 · ok | frost |
| Feb | 6°C | -2°C | 120 mm | 123 · ok | frost |
| Mar | 10°C | 0°C | 92 mm | 127 · ok | — |
| Apr | 11°C | 2°C | 153 mm | 129 · ok | — |
| May | 16°C | 7°C | 133 mm | 139 · ok | grass |
| Jun | 21°C | 11°C | 125 mm | 146 · ok | worms, grass |
| Jul | 23°C | 13°C | 103 mm | 149 · ok | worms, grass |
| Aug | 23°C | 13°C | 127 mm | 152 · ok | worms, grass |
| Sep | 20°C | 9°C | 175 mm | 146 · ok | worms, grass |
| Oct | 16°C | 6°C | 87 mm | 143 · ok | grass |
| Nov | 7°C | -1°C | 131 mm | 129 · ok | frost |
| Dec | 4°C | -3°C | 131 mm | 122 · ok | frost |
Heat-stress index = average high (°F) + mean humidity (%). “Worms” marks months that suit barber pole worm transmission; “grass” marks the grazing season; “frost” marks months with average lows below freezing. Source: Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis (2023-2024) at 47.8°, 14.5°, elevation 830 m.
Alpaca care calendar for Austria
January 3° / -5°C
- Freezing nights: keep water open and feed extra hay during cold snaps.
- Vitamin D for crias and juveniles (ask your vet about product and dose).
- Toenail check and trim.
February 6° / -2°C
- Freezing nights: keep water open and feed extra hay during cold snaps.
- Vitamin D for crias and juveniles (ask your vet about product and dose).
March 10° / 0°C
- Book your shearer now — spring calendars fill up fast.
- Vitamin D for crias and juveniles (ask your vet about product and dose).
- Toenail check and trim.
April 11° / 2°C
- CDT boosters for females due next month; prepare a clean birthing paddock and birthing kit.
May 16° / 7°C
- Shearing month: shear the whole herd, and trim toenails, check teeth and body condition while animals are restrained.
- Run pre-season fecal egg counts so you know each animal's baseline.
- Cria season: check due dates daily, ensure crias nurse within 4 hours, dip navels and weigh crias daily for two weeks.
- Spring grass: switch from hay to pasture gradually over 1–2 weeks and monitor body condition.
- Toenail check and trim.
June 21° / 11°C
- Barber pole worm season: fecal egg counts every 4–6 weeks, check eyelid color, pick up dung piles twice a week.
- Cria season: check due dates daily, ensure crias nurse within 4 hours, dip navels and weigh crias daily for two weeks.
- Breeding window for next year's crias (rebreed females 2–4 weeks after birthing).
July 23° / 13°C
- Barber pole worm season: fecal egg counts every 4–6 weeks, check eyelid color, pick up dung piles twice a week.
- Cria season: check due dates daily, ensure crias nurse within 4 hours, dip navels and weigh crias daily for two weeks.
- Breeding window for next year's crias (rebreed females 2–4 weeks after birthing).
- Toenail check and trim.
August 23° / 13°C
- Barber pole worm season: fecal egg counts every 4–6 weeks, check eyelid color, pick up dung piles twice a week.
- Cria season: check due dates daily, ensure crias nurse within 4 hours, dip navels and weigh crias daily for two weeks.
- Breeding window for next year's crias (rebreed females 2–4 weeks after birthing).
September 20° / 9°C
- Barber pole worm season: fecal egg counts every 4–6 weeks, check eyelid color, pick up dung piles twice a week.
- Breeding window for next year's crias (rebreed females 2–4 weeks after birthing).
- Toenail check and trim.
October 16° / 6°C
- Secure winter hay: about 16 small square bales per alpaca per year here — test a sample before buying.
- Winter prep: install water heaters, repair shelters and windbreaks, stock bedding.
- Vitamin D for crias and juveniles (ask your vet about product and dose).
November 7° / -1°C
- Freezing nights: keep water open and feed extra hay during cold snaps.
- Vitamin D for crias and juveniles (ask your vet about product and dose).
- Toenail check and trim.
December 4° / -3°C
- Freezing nights: keep water open and feed extra hay during cold snaps.
- Vitamin D for crias and juveniles (ask your vet about product and dose).
Key recommendations
- Shearing: May.
- Best months for crias to be born: May–Aug (breed in Jun–Sep).
- Heat precautions: rarely needed — still provide shade and water.
- Barber pole worm season: Jun–Sep — run fecal egg counts every 4–6 weeks in these months.
- Freezing nights: Nov–Feb — keep water from freezing.
- Vitamin D for crias: Oct–Mar.
- Grazing season: May–Oct (about 6 months); feed hay the rest of the year.
- Meningeal worm: Meningeal worm (P. tenuis) is a North American parasite and is not present here.
- Selenium: Check regional soil selenium with your vet or agricultural advisor — many temperate regions are low.
Tools: heat-stress calculator · winter hay calculator · due-date calculator · parasite control guide.
Alpaca farms & shops nearby
Places mapped on OpenStreetMap with “alpaca” in their name, within about 250 km. Contact them before visiting — opening times change.
| Name | Type | Distance | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebensraum Bauernhof - Alpakas, Esel, Schafe, Ziegen, Miniponys, Minischweinchen und Nandus | visitor farm | 27 km | — |
| Nußbach Alpaka Stall | farm | 32 km | — |
| Alpakabauernhof Geiblinger | visitor farm | 33 km | Visit |
| Alpakahof Kremstal | shop | 35 km | Visit |
| Alpakas vom Hacknerhof | shop | 45 km | Visit |
| Hörschinger Alpakahof · Hörsching | shop | 52 km | Visit |
| Hofladen Alpakas | shop | 54 km | — |
| Alpakaria Kräuter und Alpakahof · Aurach am Hongar | shop | 65 km | Visit |
| Alpakahof Stocker | farm | 79 km | Visit |
| Alpaka Clubhaus | farm | 82 km | — |
| Alpakafarm Ahorn | visitor farm | 85 km | Visit |
| Alpaka Laden · Frohnleiten | shop | 85 km | Visit |
| MohnAlpakas | visitor farm | 89 km | Visit |
| Trötscher Alpakaranch · Semriach | farm | 91 km | — |
| Alpakahof Hahn · Grafenschlag | farm | 91 km | — |
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Know a farm that's missing? Add it to OpenStreetMap and it will appear here in the next update.
Frequently asked questions
Can you raise alpacas in Austria?
When should alpacas be shorn in Austria?
What is the best time for crias to be born in Austria?
How much hay does an alpaca need per year in Austria?
Coordinates 47.800, 14.500. Long-term averages, not forecasts. See methodology and data sources. Back to World.