Busy time

These past few weeks have been extremely busy! Not only does Christmas have us rushing around but so has the winter weather.

Last weekend, the power went out at the farm and wasn't back on until about 12 hours later. This caused problems in the house and barn by freezing up the water pumps. Fortunately, after the power went back on, the heat tape along with Rick's persistence and some heaters got the water flowing again.

The snow brought about more challenges with drifting and blowing snow making our daily chores to the outside pastures miserable. Temperatures have varied between the single digits up to the low 20s and the wind chill makes it more uncomfortable. Of course this is something we are used to in Wisconsin.

We do several things to prepare for the winter. The first thing we do is increase their daily food ration to help them build up a little more body fat. We feed them alpaca pellets and add some "Sweet 16" to it for a little extra energy. We also make sure they have enough hay to munch on throughout the day since there is no pasture available to graze on. At least half of our alpacas and llamas are housed in the barn which is the best place for them during the winter.

The others (all males) are in shelters that we have built as our herd grew. The first shelter we ever built is a little smaller but is able to house five alpacas. My brother added an overhang off the front entrance which is a nice area for them to stay in the shade during the summer. In the winter, we wrap the outside of the overhang with a couple of tarps, creating an extra "room" for their shelter. This seems to work well for us and the alpacas.

Our second alpaca shelter is much larger and has paneled walls. In the summer, we remove one panel on opposite sides to allow a breeze to pass through. When the weather starts getting cold, we put those panels back up. A heated water bucket keeps them with a fresh supply of water all day, without freezing up.

For both of our shelters we make sure there is hay or straw for them to lay on. It always amazes me when the wind is blowing hard and it's snowing or the wind chills are below zero and I walk into one of our alpaca shelters and it is cozy, quiet and noticeably warmer than I expect it to be. The animals will be standing or laying down inside, all content with their hay.

We always do our best to keep our animals warm and comfortable. They do their part by growing long, thick, beautiful fiber.

That's all for now...take care and keep warm!