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Section 1
This guide is designed to help you get started with farm preparation. It should be used along with other information to help ensure you're prepared to bring your new animals home to a healthy and safe environment. You have resources available through local county "Cooperative Extension
Services" which has a wealth of information available for your
area including fencing guides, what types of grass grow in your area, soil information, farm suppliers, and special regulations on herd size per acre allowed (still check with local government on this issue). Have your future pastures and surrounding areas checked by a professional for poisonous or dangerous plants to prevent possible ingestion by an Alpaca. There are professional Agricultural Engineering companies available for a fee to do the total design and layout if you prefer. Your local government in most cases can provide an aerial photograph of your property, which is valuable tool when laying out your farm design.
1. What's needed for infrastructure?
a. Fencing to keep the Alpacas in and the predators out. A minimum of 5 feet exterior fencing should be used. There are several types available like "NO-Climb and "tight lock". Welded fence is generally not considered high tensile strength and should be avoided. Electric wire can be added to the lower or top of the exterior fence to keep out the unwanted predators. Additionally remember when putting up fencing, you'll have visitors to your ranch so appearance and accessibility are important.
b. Fencing layout (paddocks) should be designed for ease of moving the animals from one paddock to another without much effort on your part. Locate feeding areas centrally as well to minimize the time spent in the paddocks feeding. Remember, those big boys shouldn't have direct fence access to the girls or you'll find your self doing fence repair! Put them out of sight if possible. Otherwise, ensure that a runway or lane is in between these two groups. You'll probably need more paddocks than you think.
Example:
i. Weanlings between the age of 5 months to 1 year
ii. Young males between the age of 1 one year to 18 months
iii. Bred dams up to 40 days of delivery
iv. Maternity ward for late pregnant females with in 40 days of delivery
v. Small breeding area or "get to know my mom area" for newly delivered crias
vi. Large Mature male paddock
c. Limiting factors: try to limit the amount of animals to 5 per acre if possible. This will ensure that the grass can keep up with the animals. Otherwise, you'll find yourself feeding more and eventually "hard panning" (no grass, just dirt)! Leave a few large shade trees if possible. Just make sure they are safe for the alpacas and trimmed high enough so they won't be eating the leaves. Also remember in the fall you'll have to rake those leaves up.
d. A few small areas should be fenced in for new moms and crias to get know each other (maternity wards) and also quarantine areas for arriving animals. These areas should be located near the main shelter/barn if possible and should have visual sight access to the animals of other paddocks so they don't feel alone. Due to their nature, it is especially important that these areas stay sanitary and parasite free. Use them only for their intended purpose and this should not be a problem.
e. Gates (you can never have too many) should be wide enough to get your farm equipment through and swing well in ether direction to help guide the animals from one area to another. Alpacas move easier if the gate is open in the direction you want them to go, as opposed to pointing toward them. Gate layout, like fencing layout, is crucial. You want to be able to move the animals around with as little effort as possible. Place gates in corners verses in the middle of a fence. This makes it much easier to get them to go in the direction you want without much effort on your part. The bars on the exterior fence gates should not be too wide or else predators can get in. In some cases you may need to add boards or a fine wire mesh fence to keep these unwanted guests out. All exterior gates should be able to be locked or somehow secured to prevent people from entering without permission.
f. Shelter. There are many thoughts on shelters from luxurious private barns to 3-sided shelters. From 10 sq feet per animal to 18 sq ft per animal. One thing is known, these animals come from 14,000 feet in the Andes Mountains and I don't think there's any luxurious barns there! We find that heat and cold winds are more of a factor than rain or snow. A shelter should be constructed to allow (if they want) relief from the elements. It should provide shade from the heat and shelter from the cold winter winds. Take the direction of the prevailing winds into account before building. Most animals will seek cover from the rain if a shelter is available, but over crowding can leave some animals out while the dominant ones are dry and smiling. Make your shelter big enough to house all your animals without over crowding or creating an uncomfortable position for the babies. We recommend around 12 to 15 sq feet per animal will be more than enough to achieve this. Fans for the summer heat are a great benefit if electric is available. Ensure the fans do not blow hay or hay dust around and all safety precautions should be used to prevent injury to your animals. Common shelters (boy and girls) should be divided so either group is out of sight from the other. This will limit stress on both groups and keep the boys from sparring in front of the girls showing off as to who's the big boss. ** Important note: Alpacas are a "flight animal" and find it very stressful to be surrounded by 4 walls, leave open access to the paddocks or lanes to ensure they feel they have an escape route if necessary. Your main shelter or barn should have a working area for Alpaca care such as, shearing or vet care. It should be dry and uncluttered with enough room to allow such task be completed without injury to the animals. You may also want to think of dry clean storage for hay, feed, med supplies (small refrigerator) and Alpaca tools such as halters/leads, toe nail clippers, scales and other such items in your main shelter/barn. Access to electric and water is necessary and should be installed if possible. Shelters in each paddock are recommended but sometimes not practical, so at a minimum have your feeders covered for shelter from the elements.
g. Feeders for Hay; Feeders to Alpacas are like plates to humans. They can eat off of the ground but it is wasteful, messy and unsanitary. If you must feed hay on the ground, be sure to clean up the "old" hay daily. Otherwise you will end up with a wet moldy mess sooner than you think. Elevated feeders (off the ground) should be designed for all sizes of Alpacas; remember you will be rotating your herd from pasture to pasture so every feeder must work for every Alpaca. If you use a horse type feeder insure the bars are close enough together that an Alpaca can only pull down only what it can put in its' mouth.
h. Pellet/grain feeders; We use a cheap piece of 6 inch PVC schedule 40 pipe cut down the middle then cut into 3 foot lengths. Several in each a pasture are used to ensure all animals get a chance to feed. If you're feeding pellets it's recommended you put some 3-inch diameter rocks in the bottom to avoid the Alpacas from choking on the pellets. They'll inhale them if given the opportunity!
i. Mineral feeders are cheap and can be purchased at your local feed store for a couple of bucks each. You need to check your local conditions to see what minerals may be needed in your area to offset deficiencies.
j. Water: Clean on demand water must be available at all times. We recommend giving the animals access to the same water you drink. This will ensure they're drinking clean and safe water without the chance of bacteria or other harmful things getting into the animals. Design your watering system taking the elements into consideration such as frost lines (ensure pipe is deep enough so it doesn't freeze in the winter). A local plumber or the town can usually give you this info. Exposed piping system should be protected for winter with pipe heaters to prevent freezing. Several types exist, even solar powered ones. Each water bucket should have a float system installed to release new clean water when the demand calls for it or after you clean the bucket. Watering systems (buckets, heaters and floats) can be purchased at your local feed store. Spend a little more in this area and you'll get every cent back, cheap watering systems will require more attention than ones costing just a few dollars more. Stay away from anything which may rust or crack. There should be water located in every area which may hold Alpacas, shelter/barn, all paddocks and holding pens. If you do NOT have the experience to build such a watering system have it done by someone who can. **NOTE: Water buckets should be cleaned daily. A new toilet brush usually will work for this task and make sure they get washed as well (get several they're cheap)!!!
k. Manure Handling. A farm plan needs to be in-place before the animals arrive. A place of disposal or plan for disposal is an important part of good ranch management. Some farms invest in manure grinders and sell the manure to local feed stores, plant stores or at farmer's markets. Others turn their manure into compost for future ranch fertilizing. Others make big piles and say "I'll have it hauled off one day!!!" Later is not a good option. Manure piles promote parasites and other pesky flying creatures not needed around your farm. Have
a plan to remove or process the manure and everyone in your neighborhood will love you for it. We compost ours along with the old hay and lawn clippings. In the spring it's a great way to get your ranch looking good and green. My neighbors love it too.
l. Field tools needed but often not thought of until the animals are home.
i. Rake(s) for poop patrol ( lightweight with metal teeth that are close together and arched well works best)
ii. Lightweight wide shovel or a large sturdy stand up dust pan for transferring poop from the ground to the wheel barrel.
iii. Large 2 wheel "Wheel barrel" for feed and another for poop patrol It should be able to be pulled easily over your pasture, spend a little more here, it will be worth it (never feed in a container which once carried their poop)
iv. Garden hose
v. Container for pellets or minerals
vi. Measuring cup for pellets or minerals
vii. Feed storage, Steel (galvanized) works best (the old fashion trash cans)
viii. Outside temperature gauge
ix. Cleaning brushes for water buckets (toilet brushes work good, new would be nice)!!!
x. Industrial scissors or field knife for cutting string on hay bales.
xi. A place to keep all this stuff!!!
xii. Areas of concern: If you live in an area which may incur natural disasters, floods, fires, hurricane, etc. have or develop an evacuation plan for your herd. Contact local ranches out of harms way to see if they can handle your herd in case of such an event.
xiii. OPTIONAL ITEMS. Neat toys to make life easier. ATV/riding mower to pull feed and poop around. Gas powered auger for drilling postholes. Real tractor for all of the above (big boy toy) Green or Blue are the better two out there (John Deere/Ford/New Holland)! Kubota's are nice too. Blue's my favorite!
2. Associations to join; Alpacas Owners and Breeders Association
(AOBA).
Alpaca Registry, Inc. (ARI)
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