That was the question we asked ourselves when we brought home our first alpacas.  

I'm sure you've asked yourself the same question when you brought home your first pet or even your first child.  

No matter how much you prepared for their arrival, it's still a shock of reality that you just brought something home that will change your life forever. 

When we made arrangements to bring our first two alpacas home, we did as much preparation in advance as we could: 

• found a large animal vet
• found a shearer
• found a hay supplier
• sourced a supplier for grain, bedding straw, & other supplies
• ensured our pasture fence was secure
• the farm that supplied the animals was willing to mentor us

It wasn't until we brought our first two alpacas home (Tauri & Fiona in December 2014) that we realized there were still many shortcomings that we didn't know we had.

• the paddock fence (a 4 board plank design) wouldn't keep unwanted animals out and was slowly rotting
• the paddock and pasture were fenced separately and the gates were 75 feet apart with no way to transition the animals from one space to the other without the risk of escape
• we had insufficient lighting in the barn (2 incandescent bulbs), and we had to wear headlamps at night for evening feeding
• hauling heavy 5-gallon water buckets from the house to the barn twice a day wasn't going to work (especially in winter snow and ice)
• we had two strange animals on our property that we knew very little about 

In hindsight, these issues seemed monumental at the time, because we were new to keeping alpacas and didn't know the answers - and that's okay!  It is absolutely okay to not know because how will anyone know unless they develop experience.   

• our mentors advised us to observe, monitor, and get to know the alpacas
• our vet taught us how to trim their toenails and administer shots (intramuscular and subcutaneous)
• we acquired books on alpaca health, behaviors, and handling  
• our shearer taught us best practices for shearing day 
• our fiber mill and online videos taught me how to skirt (clean) and grade alpaca fiber for yarn-making
• we learned first-hand how to identify good and bad hay
• YouTube Academy had very little alpaca information in 2014 & 2015, but I found a few videos on alpaca enrichment that inspired me to explore training for enrichment and socialization

Over time, there were changes we wanted to make on our farm and figured out the best solutions for us:

• non-chemical traps for biting flies & barn flies
• holistic parasite prevention vs. ivermectin injections
• chemical free pasture care and seeding solutions that benefitted the alpacas 

 These are a few basics from our experience to think about if you are wondering if you could have alpacas.  Every farm will have its own unique circumstances and challenges.  Here are a few other things to consider:

• if you plan to have both male & female alpacas, you'll need to keep them separated by fences with their own shelters (so they don't breed willy-nilly unsupervised). 
• If you plan to build a barn, there are designs available specifically with alpacas in mind.
• Depending on the number of alpacas and the size of your grazing space, you may want to divide the grazing area for animal rotation to allow over-grazed areas to recover.

How many alpacas should you get?

• being herd animals, a solo alpaca will become distressed and lonely without another alpaca for a friend. So, at a minimum two. Three is better in case one passes away.
• The cost of care for a single alpaca is comparable to caring for a single large dog.  In our case, we have 12 "large dogs", 1 "puppy", and another "puppy" on the way.
• Alpacas are therapeutic. They are calming to watch and as you get to know them individually, their personalities come through and may make adding more to your herd very attractive. The more the merrier. 
• The amount of land you have available for the animals should be taken into consideration. Eight alpacas can be raised on an acre of grazing land comfortably. As above, you may need to establish a rotation plan to prevent over-grazing or raise them on hay only (a/k/a "dry lot").

If you're wondering whether alpacas might be right for you, consider scheduling an alpaca 101 farm tour with us to get an in-person understanding of what's involved in an alpaca's day-to-day care.  You can also schedule a "meet the alpacas" farm tour or simply shop our farm store.

As April flows into May, we are still in that period of weather transition.  

You know the window I'm talking about where it's cold in the morning, warm during the day, and cold again at night.

It's also the time of year on our farm that we're waiting for the grass in the pasture to grow tall enough so the alpacas can be released from their winter pen for grazing.  

We can feel the anticipation building as the field slowly turns from brown to a lush shade of green. The alpacas wait at the fence... Is it ready yet?  How about now? or Now?  Can we go?  Now? Now?  

We did actually let the alpacas out early for a day last weekend -- shhh!  Don't tell anyone.

We cycle our alpacas in and out of the pasture twice a year.  They have free reign to graze from mid-late May through October before we close the pasture for rest and recovery until spring returns. 

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Spring and summer are ahead to be fully enjoyed before we start thinking of fall arrangements again. 
​

Subject: Alpaca Show (and Tell)

From Sandy:

What is an alpaca show? In the simplest terms, it’s similar to a dog show where an alpaca’s features and characteristics are evaluated by a certified judge and ranked against their peers in the same class.  
I went to the North American Alpaca Show (NAAS) & Northeast Alpaca Show (NEAS) in Springfield, MA to learn about the show’s process so without the added pressure of competing.   One alpaca owner I spoke with said attending just to learn was a smart approach rather than “baptism by fire” in the show ring. 

You do not have to be an alpaca owner or competitor to attend an alpaca show.  You can attend as a spectator or contact the organizer and volunteer to help (they LOVE volunteers) or contact a farm and ask if they would like assistance at the event (as I did).  I met a woman at the event, Julia, who wants to own alpacas one day and learns all she can while volunteering at the show.  One year she spent time in the ring accompanying the judge and captured all the notes given by the judge - talk about an inside track!  

The show consists of a half-day for arrival/check-in, followed by one or two days of competition (depending on the number of entrants).

Registration and check-in are relatively low-key.  Trucks and trailers arrive throughout the afternoon. Health papers are submitted, microchips are scanned, and then the alpacas are led to their assigned pens and settle in with fresh hay and water while fans hum to keep them comfortable. Owners connect with long-time colleagues, make new connections, and admire (and size up) each other’s herds.  This is a very friendly community that enjoys talking and sharing information about their animals and operations.  

The next morning the organizers host an exhibitor meeting outlining the day's events and schedule, introduced the judges, and encouraged everyone to be supportive of their fellow competitors - if someone looks like they're struggling, step up and offer to help.  

The rest of the day is spent with judges occupying their own show rings for NAAS and NEAS who conduct halter shows.  These judges examine all the animals in each color and class (juvenile, yearling, two-year olds, etc.,) and look for particular conformity in the alpaca’s body (legs, gait, head, etc.) and uniformity, density, fineness, in their fleece by examining three areas (middle of the back, above the shoulder, and the flank).  Based on what they see amongst the entrants, the judges will consider the qualities of the entrants and determine the rankings of the animals before them and award ribbons accordingly (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) --  but it doesn't end there. When all the color class competitions (white, brown, darks, and grays) are completed, all the first and second place winners of each class category by color are invited back to the ring for championship judging against their peers.  As above, each is examined for its appearance and fleece qualities and two winners are chosen: Champion (1st place) and Reserve (2nd place).  Of all the entrants who have competed, these two have risen to the top as having the best qualities of all the entrants in their color class.

But wait, there's more!  After all the competitions in the various color classes are completed, all the Champions in all the color classes return to the ring to be judged and select a "Judges Choice" (comparable to best in show).   

I learned the above not only by attending but also by being invited to be a "handler" for an alpaca who was there to compete (his name is Archer).  Archer is a member of Alpacas of New Hampshire at Sleeping Monk Farm, and his owner asked me if I would like to bring Archer into the show ring.  After viewing a few of the judging events, I felt that, yes, I could do that with Archer.  My responsibilities were not complicated, but first, I needed to get along with Archer. If he didn't like me, then why would he want to spend 15-20 minutes with me in the show ring? I went to his pen and introduced myself to him as I clipped the lead to his halter.  I spoke with him as we walked across the arena and let him know what we were going to do; after all, it was his first time in the show ring too.  All we needed to do was walk across the show ring when instructed, stand where we were told to stand, and stand still while Archer's fleece is being examined.  Overall, it's simple enough, unless you have an alpaca who isn't willing to do any of that.  Archer was agreeable to walking with me and standing with me throughout the judging process.  Archer was so agreeable that he was comfortable with standing right next to me while my arm was around his shoulders like you would with a best friend.  In the moment, I felt like he was my best friend.  He did wiggle a few times while the judges parted his coat to take a close examination, and also while they briefly grabbed his testicles (I don't blame him one bit for that!).  After the judges completed their initial evaluation of Archer and the other competitors, the judge asked us handlers to have our alpacas stand in profile and then face forward so they could be visually evaluated for their overall body conformation.  After more consideration, the judge might reexamine an alpaca's coat and then make notes on a scorecard.  He would then ask each competitor to step forward in order of our award ranking (1st, 2nd, 3rd place, etc.) and hand out award ribbons congratulating each handler/alpaca for their placement.  The judge would then take a moment and summarize to the competitors and audience the reasons behind his decision starting with first place and why that particular alpaca's qualities qualified for their award and reviewed each subsequent alpaca accordingly.  Archer and I competed in two halter competitions and placed second and third respectively.  For our first time in the ring, I was pleased with our results and so was Archer's owner.  

And if that isn't enough to keep you busy, while the above is going on, there is a "walking fleece" show happening in a third ring.  Each alpaca can compete in its color class for fleece assessment only.  Unlike the halter now, the judging is purely based on fleece qualities and scored accordingly. These qualities are given scores on a scorecard and -- you guessed it -- the best score wins.   Archer and I entered that competition, and he took fifth place in his class.  


Overall, it was a great experience and a lot of fun.  I met a lot of nice people who were kind and generous with their time and information about their farms.  I'm glad I went without the anxiety of needing to compete with my own alpacas.  It broke the ice for me, and now I feel more comfortable knowing what's expected at these events so that I can bring members of my own herd to enter the show ring.  
Here is a short video of my experience: