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It is officially cold! The windows are closed and the heat is on. We try to wait as long as possible before we turn up the thermostat, but there's definitely a chill in the air that prompts us not to tough it out any longer. Seeing the frost coating the pasture every morning tells us it's time to give it a rest, and so the herd enjoyed their last day in the field this week. While they were enjoying their last opportunity for open grazing this season, we took advantage of them being out of the way and finished winterizing the barn, relocated hay racks, installed solar lighting, plugged in heated water buckets for the alpacas, and installed weather panels on the chicken coop.  Summer posing in front of the barn, now winterized  Genny, Tia, Olly, & Melody enjoying the solar lights ambiance  The chicken coop is ready for winter It's around this time that herd usually vocalizes their complaints as they look over the paddock fence longingly at the field. but they have been relatively quiet....so far. It might be because we decided to move the boys closer to the barn (since there are just two of them) and given the girls the larger paddock space with the shelter we set up for the boys.  Baxter in the foreground & the girls in the larger paddock Who knows for sure, but we can tell by their happy interactions with us that they're content with their circumstances.
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With the cold morning temps telling us that winter is approaching, we are shifting focus to prepare for the colder months. We've already completed some essential preparations. Our boys, Baxter and Ace, now have a cozy shelter with an insulated floor to keep them well-protected from the elements. They don't know it yet, but they're going to have their own hay supply inside their bachelor pad.  Tia likes the boys' winter shelter/bachelor pad We've also started preparing the pastures for their annual winter rest with leaf clean-up.   Next on our to-do list is to spread lime in the fields, winterize the coop and the barn to block the wind and weather, and pick up our second round of hay supply.
How much hay do alpacas need to get through the winter? That depends on a few factors:
Not to get too deep on this topic, but based on the above, it's smart to overstock. We plan for hay as you would plan for a dinner party - you don't want to run out of food before the party's over. The herd is doing great growing their winter coats to keep them well-insulated from the cold during the snowy days ahead. While we'll miss having visitors during this time, we're looking forward to participating in holiday markets and sharing our alpaca products with you. Stay tuned for updates on where you can find us! Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you again in the spring for our farm tours. |
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