Farm Blog

It is best to have a consistent schedule and stick to it, if at all possible.  I try to be in the barnyard by 8:00 am.  The first thing I do is get everyone out of the barn and clean up the barn.  If there is hay thrown around I clean it up and put it back in feeders and then I clean up any beans from the night before.  I fill all feeders with hay, a small amount of alfalfa, and sprinkle in some alpaca pellets.  I keep free choice minerals in all pens so the alpacas take what they need.  I have six feeders for about nine alpacas.  This cuts down on spitting, fighting, and stress, and eating off each other. There have been several alpacas die in the past few months of hair balls.  We are not sure why this happens but we do discourage feeding off each other.

When I have the barn ready for feeding, I open a door where my nine alpacas (mamas and babies) are waiting and let all the mamas and babies in the barn.  Micky, our guard llama has to wait for about 15 minutes to get in the barn while I pull a cart with hay to the other pens.  Molly, our guard dog, will be waiting to get to the back pasture so I get my hands on her and give her thyroid and glucosamine pills and then I let her to the back.  I fill hay and give clean water to our five junior herdsires (Rocky, Samson, Bentley, Twister, and DoDah).  I then fill hay and water for our two young pregnant females (Aspen and Isabella) that live next to the herdsires.  I then feed Challenger, Cuda, and Soleil, three of our working herdsires.  I then feed our other guard dog, Snow, in a separate area because the alpacas will eat her food and that is not good for them.  If I feed them at the same time they concentrate on their own food.

I now take hay and water to Oliver, our herdsire that lives alone because he is so big.  I then go back to the barn and let Micky in so she can eat.  By now all the mamas have eaten the pellets and alfalfa.  They have fresh food in their bellies and don’t fight with Micky when she comes in to eat.  If I let her in first she will dominate and run everyone off.  This whole chore thing is like a well oiled machine.  If you stay with an established sequence that works for your animals, you can eliminate a lot of stress in the barn yard.  From time to time you have to change the sequence a little to accommodate new babies, weaning cria, late term females, etc.  Everything just has to evolve to different levels of care and the alpacas will adjust to that.  It’s all about them getting used to the way you operate and you getting used to the way they operate.  Developing trust is important in the way you care for the alpaca; then when there is an emergency and you have to give a shot or other medical treatment things go a little smoother.

I now go from pen to pen and clean up all the beans and take it to the back.  I like to spend about two hours in the morning with the alpacas.  I take my time and enjoy watching them in their little family community.  I pay attention and watch each animal.  I watch for anything unusual and try to be proactive in their care.  When we have a new cria I weigh it every day for 3-4 weeks and then weekly for 2-3 months.  This is the only way you can know they are gaining weight.  With their heavy fiber you may not notice if they are not gaining weight.

I also pay attention to the bean pile you can tell a lot about herd health at the bean pile.  This is another reason to clean every day so you can keep a watch out for worms, loose beans, etc.

If I have a baby due I will watch out my back window throughout the day, especially if we are having bad weather.

On an average day I am done with chores by 10:00 am and then I get on with my day.  I return to the barnyard about 4:00 pm and check water and hay and just walk through and check on everyone.  Then at dusk I return to the barnyard and turn on lights and radios and give more hay if needed.  Feed the dogs, gather eggs, and lock up chickens.  Depending on the time of year, if we have a baby in cold weather I will put the mama and baby in the barn at night.  I don’t like to risk baby getting wet and cold at night.  Again, once you are into a schedule the alpacas know what to expect and follow your lead, usually.  It is important to spend time with the alpacas and get to know them so they can learn to trust you and you learn what to expect from them.  This is an important part of being their sheppard.

We have cameras in the barn so we can watch from the house if we have an alpaca that is sick or due to have a baby.  Time outside with the alpacas is very therapeutic and rewarding.  Evaluating a herdsire’s conformation and fiber and choosing a female that can be complemented with this breeding and then waiting for the cria to be born is very rewarding.

We go to the feed store at the first of every month and purchase our dog food and feed supplements for the alpacas.  We order our free choice minerals from Stillwater twice a year.  We fill our barn with hay in the summer and fall, enough for the year.  We participate in all the local alpaca shows:  National Western Stock Show, Extravaganza, GWAS, Estes Wool Market, Fall Fest.  Usually, one out of state competition per year.  It is important to show your alpaca and get a judges comments.  Show time is also a good time to meet other breeders and plan on how you can improve your bloodlines.