How do they survive the winter?

I can’t believe we’re closing in on the holidays next week! It has been so cold lately with a persistent arctic wind that it feels as if New England skipped December and jumped right into late January.  🥶

This prompts a question I hear regularly: How do the alpacas handle the nights when the temps drop to near zero, and do you close them up in the barn?

You’ll be impressed to know that alpacas handle freezing temperatures very well because of the way their fleece is constructed.  

Each follicle is hollow and traps air as miniature thermal pockets, enabling their coats to retain a large amount of heat and keeping the alpacas very well insulated during extreme temperatures.

So while we’re bundled up doing chores and feeling eager to get inside to get out of the cold, they’re looking at us, wondering what our problem is.  Honestly, they’re probably happier to see us go like a teenager who can’t wait for their parents to get out of their room - LOL.
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Anyway, their insulated coats are why we often find the herd kushed under the stars in the paddock instead of inside their shelters, bedded down in the warm straw.  

It’s comparable to us sticking our foot out from under the covers to regulate our body temperature.

This doesn’t mean they don’t go inside at all.

When the weather turns icky (rainy, windy, and/or snowy), the alpacas will make their way inside, where it's dry, to fresh hay, water, and a thick bed of straw.
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​So, it’s no wonder that alpaca fleece is the ultimate for winter weather.

Stay Warm With Alpaca