Practical management Planning ahead

In the last of her series of practical management articles Kate Brookes, Mullacott Alpacas, off ers some useful pointers to ensure your herd is ready for autumn and winter.

Why should I prepare now for winter?

It is much easier to prepare in advance for winter. Putting up shelters and fencing is easier in dry weather rather than attempting either job when the ground is wet and muddy. You may also fi nd there is a waiting list for your preferred shelter or for a worker to build it if necessary. Hay will probably be less expensive, and you can be sure of the best selection, when you buy early - so long as you have space to store it, or can arrange for your order to be kept for you.

How can I make the most of winter grazing?

You are likely to have enjoyed maximum grazing for the last few months and those months when the grass hardly grew, or disappeared under water or mud seem a long time ago - but they will be back. Plan how you can maximise grazing as grass growth slows and stops once the temperature is below about eight degrees Celsius. Thorough poo picking will limit areas unsuitable for grazing and good weed control will keep your entire paddock edible. Ask yourself; can you add drainage to allow more of the fi eld to be grazable during the winter? Have you a system in place to rotate and rest paddocks?

Should I buy hay or haylage?

Hay is fully dried and does not need plastic wrapping, but when unwrapped hay will need to be stored undercover. Haylage is partially dried and can vary in moisture content when baled. It will have been plastic wrapped to exclude oxygen and stop the rotting process.

Haylage needs to be eaten within a few days of opening – spread it out well after opening to allow further drying. This will help to make your bale last longer otherwise it can overheat and start to rot. The wetter the grass at baling the quicker this will happen. Owners with small herds may fi nd there is considerable wastage with haylage when the bale is not eaten quickly.

Hay and haylage comes mainly in big round bales and small square (actually rectangular) bales. A round bale is equivalent to about 10 small bales. Buying a round bale is more economical but you will need specialist equipment to move it and round bales may not suit your available storage area. Wrapped bales can be stored outside saving you inside space but make sure there are no holes in the plastic. Hay is not normally a huge expense which means it may be easier to have bales you can handle without too much diffi culty.

How much hay will I need?

This will of course depend on the number of alpacas you have but pregnant, nursing, working or growing alpacas will need more hay than those spending their time “relaxing” in a fi eld. The amount will also vary depending on how palatable your hay is. My alpacas prefer their hay not to be too coarse and stemmy. They will carefully burrow into the hay rack to eat the tastiest; eating more when it is fresh rather than a few days old. Turning and refreshing the racks can entice them to eat more but there is always some for the compost heap.

Shelters come in many shapes and sizes

Small bales in the barn read for winter

Buy your hay from someone you trust – you can then be confident that it will not be full of unpalatable weeds or worse still contain dried poisonous plants that may seriously harm your alpacas. Hay should look and smell attractive and by sourcing a good quality supply now you can buy the best rather than having to buy what’s left. When buying from a local farm you may be able to negotiate storage until you need it.

What winter shelter do I need?

Many owners will say their alpacas rarely go into a shelter but shelters can be made more inviting. They should be light and airy – if going into your shelter feels like walking into a cave your alpacas may not like to enter. Consider high level gaps to let air in – this will also help prevent your shelter moving in strong winds. Windows, translucent panels, or even safety mirrors will all let light in.

Alpacas don’t feel the cold as their fibre keeps them warm but they don’t generally enjoy wind and rain together. They should always be able to get into a shelter. Observe your alpacas’ behaviour in case one is preventing the others from entering, or bullying them in the shelter. Get them used to being fed in the shelter making it easier to move them in when you need to or when the weather is at its worst.

It is definitely better to practice this in the summer rather than in the wind and rain! The general rule as a guide is to buy bigger than you think you could possibly need. Then your shelter will still be suitable as your herd size grows – alpacas are addictive.

Make sure you can shut them in when you need to. This may be for a planned vet visit or when the weather is unsuitable for them to be outside and for the day before shearing. There is a significant waiting list for some makes of shelter so plan ahead and place your order sooner rather than later.

Where should I position a new shelter?

Look at you field layout; is there a position where one shelter can serve several fields? Perhaps you can achieve this by adding a runway or some additional fencing. Make sure the shelter will not be located where water gathers in a wet winter – place it on high ground and face the opening away from the prevailing wind.

In my experience it is easiest to get alpacas to walk uphill and into a corner when I am trying to get them to go into a shelter so this would be worth considering when deciding on a location. Consider the floor – will it become muddy in wet weather? Can it be made higher than the surrounding land perhaps with hardcore? Will it drain when they use the shelter as a toilet? What will they lie on possibilities include rubber mats, straw and sand? These issues need to be sorted out before any heavy machinery or vehicles used to install the shelter churn up your land particularly when the weather is wetter and the ground softer.

How fat should my alpacas be going into winter?

Learn how to body condition score (BCS) and keep a record allowing you to track changes over time. Ideally your alpacas should have a BCS of 3-3.5 out of 5. With rich spring and early summer grass they may put on some weight – make sure fatter animals are not being over fed treats or extra feed – grass, hay and mineral supplement is all they need to stay healthy. It is important to try to get the BCS of any skinnier animals up to at least three before the winter and skinny alpacas are more likely to need a coat to keep warm in cold weather.