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Joseph’s
Journey
A brief description of our family, the decision to get
into the alpaca business and
the initial challenges of moving to the "North Country" of New York.
Getting
Started
Year
One
A review of the immediate decisions made
including barn building, site selection,
fencing and some basic question and answers based on our experience.
Joining
The
Industry
Year
Two
This section includes a quick review of
year one decisions, recommendations
concerning need equipment, structures, choosing your breeder, farm chores,
feeding,
shearing, alpaca associations and getting to know your fellow alpaca breeders as
well as a brief review of lessons learned.
We began our most recent journey from
Princeton Junction, New Jersey. Having served in the Army for almost 25 years
and worked in Metro New York for another twelve years, I was ready to move on to
something other than corporate life and commuting. Gail is a registered nurse
and with our experience of moving around the world she was confident that she
could continue in her chosen profession anywhere. Our children are grown and
very supportive of our decision to move along on our journey.
Jennifer, our oldest daughter,
her husband Jim and Nathaniel (their son) are planning to join us on this
journey once we are established. Right now they visit often and are helping with
animal husbandry, animal selection and physical labor of putting fences, etc.
Nathaniel loves the animals and I am sure he will be a great help. Our youngest,
Joanne, is a graduate student in St. Louis, MO so can’t be close by – but she
thinks having our own business with alpacas is great. She was back for the
holidays and has met the alpacas and donkeys. Douglas is with the Metropolitan
Transit Authority Police (MTA) in New York City. He and his wife Shauna have
been a great help visiting alpaca farms and moving household goods. We could not
have made the move without the family support.
Also looming high in our minds was why were we paying huge property taxes as
well as carrying a mortgage on a house that was now too big for our needs. The
community was great, but since our children were out of the nest it was time to
move on. The real question was where and what would we do. The question should
we stay or move was pretty easy to answer.
We have lived in nine different states and in Italy and Germany. Having moved
over a dozen times the idea of picking up and moving was not a new notion or
frightening prospect. We first looked at moving south to the land of lower taxes
and warmth but decided that with our NY “accents” and better familiarity with
the northeast area, we probably should ignore the idea of going south. Also,
Gail’s mother and extended family are located in the Utica, New York area, where
she grew up (my parents were no longer with us) and my brothers are spread
throughout the country. Being closer to most of Gail’s family and other
considerations brought us to conclude that Upstate New York was the place to be.
Fortunately for me, one of my brothers had also planned to move “upstate” and to
be near his grandchildren.
Gail was assured of employment as a nurse. I, of course, offered a different
employment picture. Business and industry is not thriving in central NY and
although online human resources consulting/services are possible, I really
didn’t want to continue the corporate life. This prompted us to look around at
many business opportunities. We attended a “Get to know an Alpaca” gathering in
New Jersey. The people were great! They took the time to talk about their
animals, getting started and all aspects of the business. It was a real
eye-opener and did appear to offer a wonderful opportunity to start a new
business. We were absolutely impressed with the openness of everyone and the
family oriented quality of life. Being a born cynic I was pleasantly surprised.
We continued our journey by taking a serious look at joining the alpaca world.
We began by looking at the many websites of individual owners and associations.
You can link to some of these sites from our home page. Visits to local alpaca
farms are a must for serious investors or for an opportunity to meet an alpaca.
Owners are very happy to share their experiences and it’s a great outing for the
family. These visits were critical in our decision process. Not only did we
learn about the care maintenance of the animals, but also of the equipment, land
and buildings as well as the capital investment that would be required. We went
to several farms in New Jersey, New York and even took the opportunity to visit
a farm in Indiana while visiting our daughter. We strongly recommend that you
visit an Alpaca farm in your area and attend an alpaca function. (Most of these
functions are listed on the AOBA website.) You will not be pressured to buy
anything or make any commitments and it’s a great outing. We just like to show
off our animals!
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about getting started
or just want general information about alpacas. Even if you don’t have a farm
you can own alpacas. Come visit us and meet the alpacas. Gail and I will be
happy to speak with you, share our experiences and contacts. As we grow, we will
be updating the site with information concerning searching for a farm, building
barns, fencing, pastures and general information that hopefully you will find
interesting and useful.
The journey from Princeton Junction to Remsen has been filled with excitement,
fun and very rewarding. The support of alpaca owners has been great and our very
special thanks to the Jones family who have opened their home and wealth of
knowledge to us.
Winter Build Barn:
Shelters are nice, but in my view they are temporary structures not suitable for long-term alpaca maintenance. There is a host of information concerning the size and styles of barns that are “best” for alpacas (see the AOBA website). We did research and made several farm visits talking with numerous owners/breeders and found that everyone has their idea of what works and what does not work. I cannot over emphasize that farm visits are the best source of information as well as attending alpaca events. Alpaca owners provided the best insights or what works and what doesn’t for them in their region. I was impressed of how open owners were and there were no sales pitches attached.Typically here in New York most farms come with a dairy barn or no barn at all. Dairy barns are perfect for cows but not so great for alpacas. Another problem with established barns is they normally are not in the best of condition depending upon why the farm is for sale. People tend to spend less on maintenance, as they are moving away from dairy farming. Check the roof and foundation carefully, most everything else is relatively inexpensive to fix. But layout of the barn is also critical. Look for cross ventilation, pasture access and fencing requirements (barbed wire is not for alpacas). Another concern is the type of floor. I have found no one who like cement floors except dairy farmers.
Before making major decisions get estimates. But be aware that getting estimates and getting construction work done is NOT easy and you should plan on lots of time delays. “ I’ll be over Thursday” may not mean this Thursday or next Thursday. Get references and referrals from someone in the area. It is best to have someone in the area either call the contractor for you or take you to their current worksite or home and introduce you. At this stage do not look for solid estimates – you need ballpark figures only.
Our farm came with a beautiful old Welsh barn that had not been maintained and had collapsed years earlier. Therefore, the first issues were could we reconstruct the barn? Could we get a grant? And what was our timeline/budget. My ballpark estimates included “don’t bother” or “set it on fire and the volunteer firefighters will enjoy the practice”. We took the barn down and landscaped the land to recover several acres that were returned to pasture land. State grants are wonderful, but did not fit our timeline. In NY the state Department of Agriculture will assist with grant information as well as your local farm bureau.
We initially selected a local contractor but it was too late in the season for him to start, but he agreed that he would put me in the front of the list for early spring. The decision that it was too late did not come up front. It came only after other alternatives had been rejected. Since we had already purchased our animals, I needed a place to put them in when they arrived in early spring. We were therefore forced to go with a regional contractor. They were significantly more expensive, but had the ability to put up a structure in the snow and sub zero weather. Early decision making and keeping an eye on the timeline will save you a great of money. If time looks like a problem, go back to your breeder and work out a arrangement. This is an industry where most breeders are very helpful and work to get you off to a successful start.
At any rate, we settled with a regional contractor for a winter build, but stayed local for a follow on spring build. The regional contractor had great references, openly shared names of previous customer and was generally very helpful. We had already visited some of their barns and were satisfied of their abilities. Site preparation was my responsibility. Be careful of the hidden costs (site prep, electrical and water installation, backfill). We will be happy to share our experience. Just contact us. This barn is 30x60 with two porches (40’each) and six doors to offer maximum ventilation and alternative to pasturing.
On February 10, 2003, right on schedule, we started. I took my tractor with front loader and plowed the snow off the site. I also cleared a large area for storage of materials and equipment. My tractor mounted snow blower made this easy work. My insulated underwear made it bearable. Working in sub zero weather is not a great idea. Maybe good for snowmobiles and skiing but not sitting on a tractor. My respect level for the outdoor trades people has gone up significantly.
The site was laid out, lines drawn, pole locations situated and all in all everything looked great. On day two of the build, we quickly learned that the auger truck was not up to the task. The ground was too hard and when he could break through the frost line he ran into large rocks. I obtained the services of a neighbor who owns a backhoe (site prep is our responsibility – there was a “hard dig” clause in the contract). It took a hour per pole. The hole was dug, the pole set and it had to be backfilled immediately the center poles required cement that could not be delivered because it was too cold; the backhoe stayed and worked until it broke off a digging tooth due to the coldness. Bottom line – The price of the barn just went up! This was way outside my budget and they estimated it would take another three days of digging and backfilling. I found another excavator (locally recommended) who finished the job in a day. The question to be answered is do you use the lowest bidder or a professional who get the job done. It turned out that it would have been cheaper to have gone the professional route in the first place – but the neighbor was happy and it will have dividends down the road.
They finished the barn and it looks great even in the five feet of snow. That was it for the winter build project and I learned two great lessons:
Rule #1: Do not build in the winter.
Rule #2: If required to build in the winter refer to Rule #1
Step By Step (click on each to enlarge):
Delivery of the building material.
Getting started ~
15 degrees below zero!
Main structure is up (30'x60').
Roof and cupola completed.
Winter build is complete,
but there is much to be done
with backfill, interior fencing
and utilities.
This is the completed "winter build" barn.
The truck is the delivery of our first alpacas (seven boys).
Barn 2:
We planned on two barns from the beginning. Construction on two began in early spring and went without hitch. We went with our local builder. No written contact, hand drawn plans and a lot of talking. This barn is 28’ x 60’ with four doors and a full loft with two porches.
Construction went with out any problems other then the normal delays due to material not being on site as needed. This is not modern manufacturing industry with “just in time” inventory practices. At any rate it went very well and we are quite pleased. We got just a little less building but achieved a saving in excess of $10,000.
We added water and electricity to both barns at this point. A local contractor did the work and was in and out in three days. Again no contract, just what do you want, where and when. They were extremely helpful in deciding placement and allowing for future expansion. Once you have the trench dug, put as many lines in as possible. Wire is cheap. We don’t have a phone or a hook up to our computer in the barn, but we have the wires to do it later. Digging the trench is the costly part.
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Building in the spring is much
easier. This is the boy's barn. |
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Almost done! This barn is 28x60 feet
and includes three pastures of 80x100 feet with catch pens. The boys will share the barn with our donkeys. |
Questions and Answers:
How big?
Cannot be too big; however, you must be able to manage the area the animals
have access to inside the barn. Too large an area make it difficult to conduct
health days and training. Too small and you have a sanitation and perhaps and
more difficult time with personality issues.
Back to FAQ's.
What can you do to limit the inside area?
There are several good articles
from either AOBA or other sites concerning interior fences including the use of
hay bales. We use interior fences that are on hooks that can be left in place
or removed. Our fences are made of wood and cost less than $15 each to make.
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A few of the boy one day at Beaver
Meadow Farm. Gail and I are answering their questions about the new place. |
Is running water required?
No, but unless you want to carry buckers of water back and forth it is
highly recommended. Local contractors can install water either from an existing
facility or from a new source. Cost is dependent upon how far or deep they have
to dig.
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This is not the Panama Canal. We
have a high water table here. The ditch is 5' deep and takes water from our existing well and delivers it to both barns. Once the hold is dug, put everything in including electrical and communication lines. |
What keeps the water from freezing?
There are several options available. Automatic water supplies are readily
available which include heaters to keep the water from freezing. We simple have
buckets secured to the wall with a submersion heater to keep it from freezing.
(If you have a large budget you can heat the barn).
Wood or metal?
Either material will work fine and the alpacas don’t care. We have metal
because of reduced maintenance costs as well as ease of expansion as necessary.
The cost between wood and metal is not that difference, again depending on your
region. With our metal barns, we can take the end of the barn and expand in 10’
increments and put the end back on the barn. I don’t think you can do that with
wood.
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Some of the boys got together to discuss the new farm. |
Loft of no loft?
At some point in time you will have to store hay. The loft is great as once
you get the hay into the loft it is quite easy to get in down to the animals.
Getting the hay to the loft is another issue. It requires an elevator, labor or
an agreement to deliver and stack to the loft. Many other alternatives exist
including round bales and interior storage.
What kind of doors should we put in?
We have several types of doors. Since we live in a snow region it is
imperative to have interior sliders unless fully covered by a porch. We also
have overhead doors and man doors. The secret to doors is to place them to make
the best opportunity of ventilation and pasture.
What kind of floor should we put in?
My recommendation is keep reading the literature and talk with breeders. If
a breeder has a particular floor and they do not like it, I would take that
recommendation very strongly. It they like the floor they have keep looking and
asking questions. Their answer may be absolutely the best answer or it may be a
new floor material that has not been tested over time. It would be wise to get
lots of input. We have a dirt floor. Some swear by sand, stone dust,
particular types of clay, etc. I don’t think there is a one-floor answer at
this point in time.
Contact us with any type of question. We are learning and are happy to pass along our “lessons learned” hoping they will not become “mistakes repeated”
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It's not always snowing in Remsen! |
There are many informative articles concerning fencing and alpacas. Primarily, fencing for alpacas is to keep others out. The alpaca normally will not challenge a fence; however, I happen to have a “flying alpaca” that cleared a four-foot no climb fence with no problem. I’m sure there is a formula that proves that increased motivation enhance jumping capability.
The two options we most carefully looked at were no climb and electric fencing; as well as a combination of both. We elected to go with no climb 5 foot woven fence. Be certain that the fence is woven and not welded. Welded fence will not match the contour of your land. With the fencing we chose the option of adding electrical protection later is quite simple.
The ideal fencing plan is what matches your land and building layouts. Some prefer corridors to move the alpacas from meadow to meadow and others say it not worth the extra effort. I originally planned corridors, but dropped the idea after spending untold hours trying to drive posts though rock. Here is Remsen, they tease that there are no rocks in Remsen and that is a true as there is not snow in Remsen. Putting in no climb fencing can be a difficult task depending on the ground and help. Where the posts went in easily, the job was quite easy. I have not put in electrical fencing yet (going to help a neighbor shortly), but my guess the issue is putting in the posts. Electrical fencing normally requires fewer posts.
There are several ways to put fencing in. The best alternative is to pay someone to do it and sit on the porch and watch. While sitting on the porch we noticed that we couldn’t afford to watch, so we went about getting the task done. Once again, farm visits and talks with those in your area. The fence requirements in some regions are vastly different from the requirements in other regions. Remember the fence is primarily to keep other out.
We have about four acres fenced. Within the area we have eight meadows for grazing that we can easily handle more animals. Each barn has a catch pen and we can control the access to the meadows from the catch pens. This took a lot of drawing, measuring and walking the field before we came to agreement of the best use of the land. We had landscaped the land as part of the old barn removal and addressed drainage issues. Unfortunately, the landscaping also means that you have to seed the fields, hope for rain and keep you eye on the ever-present timetable.
Fortunately, I was offered the use of a post-pounder (thank you Lynn and Vic, Dewey Meadow Farm) and we put it to full use. There are approximately 250 posts (landscaping pressure treated 8’ placed at a depth of 3’) in our design and it contains 2,400 feet of fence and currently has 12 gates. (You cannot have too many gates.) As a side note, when planning for gates a ten foot gate requires posts 10 feet apart to operate most effective. It should also be noted that a 10-foot gate cost about $4 less than a 12-foot gate. If you are moving equipment in the field the larger gate is recommended.
Fence stretching is a great deal of fun, especially if done in the rain and by yourself. There is nothing that is impossible if you have the right equipment, but working with others make the job go faster and the final result better. It should also be noted that there are installations instructions with each roll. (It was nice to confirm that I had done it almost right). We were able to enlist help from my brother for a couple of days, my son-in-law on days off, daughter and grandson and even our neighbor alpaca farmer (Ester, Adirondack Alpacas).
The fences are up and gates in place. Each day as we go through the field I envision where we need another gate. The Co-Op just loves to see me come. If you want more information on the project or our planning thoughts please feel free to contact us. Everybody has an idea. Gather them all in and go for what appears right for your land. Back to FAQ's.
Site Selection
As noted in our “journey” we had elected to move to upstate New York. We looked at the website of several realtors and made frequent trips. Initially, we were quite disheartened. There was lots of great land, but very few farmhouses that would fit our needs. Do not be discouraged. The fact is that most farms that are on the market are there because the farmer wants out of the business for a variety of reasons. The profit from milk production is very poor and to stay afloat building maintenance suffers.
We had come to the conclusion that we would find the best property and build our own house, but fortunately we ran across our farm in Remsen and did not have to alter our business plan (budget) to get started. The house was in very good condition, but there were no useable outbuildings. The barn, a beautiful old Welsh barn, had collapsed a few years ago and left to deteriorate. (Please see the tab concerning barns “for the rest of the story.”)
We acquired forty acres of which 35 were under contract to be hayed. This was ideal for us. Since the areas were being actively farmed, we would retain the agricultural tax advantage and there was sufficient room for establishing new fields for the alpacas.
Luck was now running in our direction. We achieved a location close to family, Gail easily obtained employment and I was able to concentrate of developing the land and getting our “journey” on the fast track.
With the kind assistance of our neighbor, we were able to talk with contractors/builders and continue our discussions with fellow alpaca breeders to finalize our plans. The only remaining challenge was could we stay on our timetable and get work done before the winter set in. The quick answer was no!
We continue our Journey into year two here in Remsen, affectionately know as the North Country in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Our first year was a building year and a learning year. I have frequently heard the expression “wet behind the ears” to express being inexperienced. In our case, I think we have been drinking out of a fire hydrant and wet behind the ears is an understatement.
2002 and 2003 brought the most amount of snow that this region has seen in over fifty years. We learned how to drive our tractor with and without attachments and how to reinstall fencing based on our driving lessons, we built two barns and purchased animals (12 alpacas, 2 miniature donkeys and sheep as well as lots of chickens). We also learned that one of our four dogs has quite a taste for chickens and is able to jump a five-foot fence without a problem. The neighbors have been great and settling into a small town has been quite enjoyable. We have no regrets.
We are taking our time in building the business and have had fun with the website (although I must update it more frequently). The herd has grown by five alpacas this summer/fall and they are doing well despite the cold. As part of the learning experience Mother Nature has thus far provided us with the coldest winter in years. –30 degrees is not unusual morning temperature. We are learning about shows (we did not show this year but volunteered in both set up and take down of the show), marketing and other basics of the business. One of the things that we have very strong feeling about is the marketing of alpacas. We believe it is imperative to understand the basic requirements of the business before you invest and hopefully this “Year Two Journey” will be helpful. Certainly feel free to call or email with any questions you have concerning alpacas, particularly in getting started.
Choosing Your Breeder: You need to look at your business plan and make choices that move you in the direction of the plan. The quality of your herd is critical if you are planning to sell your crias in the early years of your business. Your budget is critical, but should be flexible to take advantage of unexpected opportunities. Don’t stick to a plan of four animals as a starter, if a breeder offers a better starter package with more animals at a slightly higher price. If your plan requires certain colors, I recommend you draw up another plan. Perhaps most important, be sure your breeder will provide after sales support, particularly if you are a first time buyer.
Talk with a number of breeders not only to validate prices, but also to get a feel for the support the breeder will provide. Be sure you will feel comfortable with the breeder and want a long-term relationship. We have not met a dishonest breeder to date; however, I am not ready to accept that all alpaca owners are candidates for sainthood. Look at their advertisements carefully and factor that into your decision of “do I want to be associated with this breeder?”
Selection and Breeding: There are textbooks by the ton that will discuss the best selection process for improving your herd, but first you need select your starter herd and then plan what you want to improve. Consider your business goals and budget. Are you primary objectives color, structure, fiber quality, etc? We recommend that you do some studying before you select your original animals and build your breeding program from that point. There are several seminars concerning breeding and other subjects conducted throughout the year by alpaca associations (check the calendar tab on any association website). Alpaca Magazine has recently published several technical articles on breeding that are very informative. Part of your breeding program may call for the use of stud services and should be in your budget and part of your original selection process. We have an agreement with our breeder for future stud services.
Selection of your herdsire is critical to your future herd growth. We have excellent potential candidates based on careful selection and new crias from this year’s births. As noted above, we have an agreement for a second breeding. This allows us the time to let our males mature and make a final determination of their quality to serve as a herdsire. Gelding is critical in establishing a healthy herd and growing your business. Letting an inferior male breed is a costly and long-term error. Pay for a stud service and geld the inferior males. He is still a productive fiber producer. You will, at some point, have to geld to keep the number of breeding males manageable (try selling them first). In either case this insures only the best pass their genes along with furthering your breeding program. Back to FAQ's.
Herd Growth: The advertisements would lead one to believe that there is one cria per year per female. The alpaca business, like all other businesses, has no guarantees. Some crias do not survive birth, some bred females lose their cria and sometime you have to hold over your female. We held over two ladies this year because the risk of extreme cold weather at their projected birth month was too great a risk. Our plan called for five crias next year, but it will be three. A plan is a plan – we need to make adjustments.
Make sure you get a written contract and the contract spells out what support you will get. We were very fortunate in our choice of breeders. The after sale support has be invaluable. We were provided more services, including boarding; consultations and ever borrowing equipment that significantly reduced start up costs and helped overcome and avoid problems. We are most grateful for their continued support.
Finally, the question is should you buy from a large established breeder or a small newer breeder. The larger breeder may provide a larger choice of animals, but smaller breeders often join together with other smaller breeders to offer similar choices. We don’t recommend brokers for first time buyers. After sale service and support are what you must judge. Like most businesses, the new operations tend to try harder, but this does not mean that they can provide the quality support you desire. Breeder selection is an important choice. We clearly have a bias. Do not rule out the smaller operations where you may find competitive starter packages and/or strong after sale support.
Equipment and Support Structures:
Trailers: Trailers are expensive and used trailers are hard to find. So the question is do you need a trailer. The simple answer is no. Many advertisements indicate that you can transport you alpaca in a van or station wagon. I assume this is true; however, alpaca should be transported at least in pairs (they are herd animals and get frightened when alone). Also, alpacas do not give up their bodily functions while traveling. Be prepared to clean out you vehicle upon arrival and return. Alpaca poop and urine is not odorless. You can contract trailer support but be sure you know what service is going to be provided e.g. will the provider process the alpacas through the show entrance requirements or just register and deliver them to a pen. At some point in time we believe you will need a trailer to get the animals to show and deliver them to their new owners. If you can’t deliver, buyers may move to your competitor.
We searched for a used trailer as the cost of a new trailer was outside our budget. We believe that a two horse trailer is best and for safely of the animals is should be a tandem trailer. We went to farm auctions, dealers, checked the classified and the Internet. If you are not from farm country, be aware it is perfectly acceptable to drop in on a farm if you see equipment (trailer) that appears to be out of service and ask if it is for sale. We found our trailer through word of mouth. It needed a lot of work. We had the outside sandblasted and then took it to an auto body repair shop and had it painted. Even a used trailer is expensive so consider the option of working out a deal with a trailer owner to rent their trailer or contract for trailer service while you search for your own trailer. Back to FAQ's.
Shelter:
Just a personal note here: We have seen several advertisements including AOBA’s, indicating that a three-sided shelter is all you need for alpacas. We strongly disagree. We are in the North Country and a three-sided shelter will not meet the needs of your alpacas. It is too cold and windy. Three-sided shelters are good secondary buildings particularly in the summer, but in winter you need to be able to close doors according to the wind conditions. You need to determine where you are going to shear your animals, provided vet care, shots, etc. We just don’t believe that a three sided shelter works as a primary structure for your animals.
In Our Journey (Getting Started) we talked about barn building and other issues. We have learned much in the year and now have two barns. We thought our barns were perfect until we put animals into them. Even putting hay up was an experience. In our first barn we did not include a loft (since corrected) and in our second barn we could not reach the loft door with the hay elevator because of fence placement. (The fence was moved.) Back to FAQ's.
Inside our barns we enclosed sections with fences that we built. The sections hang on the barn support poles and allow for a very flexible arrangement as well as a quick set up to reduce the size of the area for health days or training. These fence sections have proven to be very successful. In one barn we are using only half of the barn for the animals. If you let the alpacas have too much room they will poop in several places. Reducing the area actually eliminated any pooping in the barn for the spring and summer. In our second barn we have two sheep and two miniature donkeys sharing the floor space. The interior fencing there is more permanent, but has flexibility built into the design.
Floors: We have dirt floors and would prefer to have something else, but have not found a better solution. Cement is too slippery for the alpacas and stone dust puts too much dust into their fiber. We talked with a breeder who put down a cement floor and then covered it with cow mats (similar to wall to wall carpeting). This sounds great but we imagine quite expensive. We have also heard many discussions about different kinds of clay floors to reduce the dust of a dirt floor, but we know too little to make a recommendation. We are leaning toward using cow mats without the cement under floor. Mats are expensive and we continually look at farm auctions for purchases. Back to FAQ's.
Winterizing: We use a lot of straw on the floor. Spreading several inches thick through out the barn. In fact sometimes we just put a bale down and let the alpacas spread it to where they want it. The bales are quite useful in covering up drafts from doors and building temporary walls during strong windy days. In our area straw goes for about $2 a bale, if you pick it up.
We use electric buckets to keep the water from freezing. There are a lot of ways to handling water and this should be addressed early on in your planning. Automatic waterers (heated) are widely available and not too expensive if you have water in the barn and depending upon the floor type you have. Automatic waterers require the water to be passed underground to the unit(s) as well as some electrical hook-ups. We have also seen emersion heaters that seem to work fine. Some folks we know carry water several times a day in the winter. Anything is possible, but for us the electric water buckets ($50 each) have served us well. If you plan to take this route make sure the outlets are high enough to be away from the tallest alpaca and the bucket is close to the floor. The electric cord comes with the bucket and is about five feet long. Be aware that the consumption of water goes up significantly in the winter when the alpacas are eating mostly hay. They need the water to “wash it down”. Back to FAQ's.
Chores: We do chores twice a day. This includes water, hay, graining and poop patrol. As noted earlier, the consumption of hay and water goes up significantly. We keep the hay feeders filled all the time. Also noted earlier, we did not put a loft up in the first barn when it was constructed; therefore, we have to transport hay from one barn to the other. Not a difficult task in warm weather, but we don’t have warm weather in the North Country in the winter. It was not a good decision to put all the hay in one barn particularly when we did have the option of storing hay in both barns. We learned and put a loft in for next year. Back to FAQ's.
Hay: We feed the alpacas second cut hay only. We get the hay from our farm as part of our leasing agreement with a local dairy farmer who hays the land. The sheep and donkeys get first cut. First cut can also be used as bedding hay for the alpacas. Straw has a better insulation value, but we use what is at hand and will do the job properly.
Grain/Minerals: We use Agway Maintenance E based on the recommendations of Dr Evans (the alpaca guru). We also use his minerals. We grain the ladies twice a day at the rate of one to two cups per alpaca. We have six-grain feeders and they share pretty well. Grain is a favorite treat and the alpacas will spit for it and push each other around to get to the feeders. The boys get grained once a day and seen to have accepted their schedule quite well. In the summer/spring the grain is cut back and it is used mostly for training purposes.
Poop Patrol: The Alpacasite has some interesting information and advise concerning poop management. Recently there was a posting about getting started in which every other paragraph was “have a poop plan”. I agree. Don’t believe that your neighbors will beat down your door to get alpaca fertilizer. Nor would I have as part of my business plan to put Scott’s out of business with 5 lbs. bags of alpaca fertilizer. I have sold poop, but it is not in my plan. We put in a “poop pit” away from the barns and house. We clean the barns and pasture of poop twice a day and take in to the pit with our tractor. When the dairy farmer that leases some of our land spreads his manure, he will let me empty my pit into his spreader (twice a year) and he spreads it on our meadow. The bottom line is you need a poop plan. In the winter getting the poop off the ground is a real challenge. Mostly the poop wins and it stay frozen on the ground.
Farm Equipment is expensive and we knew very little of what we would need or where to get it. The equipment you need is dependent upon how big a farm you have and how much of the work you want to do. Make sure you plan for the costs in you business plan. Fortunately, our breeder made recommendations and we followed them. Back to FAQ's.
Tractor: We purchased a used tractor with front loader from a dealer. Auctions are frequent and equipment is available at a much cheaper rate than a dealer; however, if you don’t have great mechanical skills there are no service agreements with auction purchases. We have been very satisfied with our support and dealer. He did a couple of service calls at no cost as well as providing telephone support teaching me how to fix problems. There is a lot to learn if you have not worked with farm equipment. I knew nothing about diesel engines but I learned their fuel freezes in sub zero weather. I now know how to prevent the freezing and fix the problem if it occurs.
Snow Blower: We have a 7 ft snow blower that attaches to the rear of our tractor. It has been perfect for us. I can get our 250-foot drive cleared in less than fifteen minutes and clear approaches to the barns and a path to our “poop pit”. Others prefer a plow. We did not take the plow option because if you are in an area where you accumulate significant snow a plow requires that you clear large areas to “store” the excess snow. In either case, if you have no experience with the equipment the dealer will tell you most of the problems you will encounter. With a snow blower make sure you have extra sheer pins. At any rate, after the first winter you will have some landscaping to fix, but the problem goes away very quickly, with most of the mistakes occurring the first year.
Bush Hog: A bush hog is a big grass cutter capable of cutting a lot of grass, weeds, bushes and anything else that you want to cut. We use ours to keep the grass low around the fencing, otherwise a smaller piece of equipment like a lawn tractor would be adequate depending upon the size of your farm.
Post Pounder: I don’t have one but I am looking for one. I borrowed one and put in 250 posts for our fencing. I would like to double the fenced area this year so I need to look some more. Keep an eye on auctions for this type of equipment because almost nothing can go wrong with this equipment and the cost should be lower. Also check with you neighbors to see it they have one they want to rent/sell or let you borrow.
Miscellaneous: You will need rakes, poop picker-ups, wheelbarrows and an assortment of other minor tools to make life easier and keep the farm up. None are expensive and can be bought along the way. If you don’t need it don’t buy it.
Shearing Equipment: If you are going to shear you animals you will need the equipment and it is not cheap. Talk with your breeder and consider having someone come in and do your animals for the first and maybe second year. It’s a skill that has to be learned. You will need clippers, multiple blades, a restraint system and assistance. Fortunately our animals came sheared and we were able to assist a fellow alpaca breeder shear their animals. Next year we will help each other. We built a shearing table and we both have a restraint system. They will provide the expertise and experience and we will gain expertise and experience. It’s a good industry where breeders help breeders. You get out of it what you put into it.
Speaking of the Industry, we are fortunate to have an active association here in New York. The Empire Alpaca Association coordinates shows, conducts educational seminars and provides an opportunity to talk with other members concerning all aspects of alpaca breeding and marketing. Most recently the Association published an Ethics Codes for all members. To the best of my knowledge, we are the only association with an ethics code. Back to FAQ's.
Nationally the alpaca herd is growing at a good rate. Regional associations are graining membership and offer the necessary help to get started in the industry. We see American fiber processors beginning their businesses and the sale of alpaca products growing. We still have a very strong belief that the growth will continue and there is lots of room for more to join the alpaca life.
Please feel free to contact us with your questions of getting started in this most enjoyable enterprise.
