What did we just do?

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.

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