Heather-Rayne Alpacas is a newly established alpaca farm that sits overlooking the Susquehanna River Valley. It is a quiet, tranquil, and relaxing setting that the alpacas and visitors enjoy immensely.
The scenic drive to our farm is well worth the trip. We are nestled on the top of a hill with spectacular views.
Bainbridge, New York is located 30 minutes from Binghamton, Oneonta, Norwich, Delhi, we are right in the middle of everything.
We welcome visitors and love to share our starting experiences.
Building the Barn
Our barn started with researching other barns. We looked at every kind of building from exquisite alpaca farms, to very simple sheds. We saw transformed garages, and converted cow barns, to pre-made sheds. Everywhere we visited, we took with us a piece of that building home with us. Finally, the time came to get it all down on paper.
The location of the barn is where we can see the alpacas from several areas of the house. Eating dinner, we can look out the window and see them pronking in the pasture. What a treat!
We started construction in October, 2008. The site was cleared and leveled off, the framing was started, by December 2008, we had a 28'x44' barn with 12' sheds on three sides, a vet room, and an upstairs for storage and hay or meeting area.
The construction of the barn is a stick built barn to blend in with our house and setting. Alpacas really don't need much, they are happy with a roof and wind break.
After having a dirt floor, we decided to put down rubber mats, the new cria thought these were great, they would run and bounce, it was like their own trampoline. The mats work great, except now we had to train the alpacas to go outside to go to the bathroom. It didn't take them long to catch on and it's been a year with very little poop in the barn.
In building the barn, we also planned for automatic waterers in the future. We were lucky enough in the construction process that we stubbed in all the water spigots. We currently do not have the automatic waterers but it is in the near future. There are other items on the priority list.
Advise on building your barn, plan for everything. Where are your going to keep your hay, grain, supplies? Where are your going to put your weaning dams? Where are you going to put your yearling males and your breeding males, together? Where is your quarantine area? Do you have the ability to alter your gates for your current needs? Where are your going to get your water from? Do you need outlets for heated water buckets or fans in the summer??
Fencing
Fencing is a major concern for alpacas. The alpacas can get away with very little fencing, but remember there is always something on the outside wondering how they can get in.
An alpaca's only means of self-protection is to flee and we take that away from them by enclosing them in small spaces. Thus, a perimeter fence, which provides adequate protection from predators, is a basic requirement. Our perimeter fence is 4" woven wire (2x4 or no-climb is preferred) with wooden post that were pounded in for stability.
Several farms that we visited also had either barbed wire or electric wire along the exterior base to discourage digging. The barbed wire is put right along the base of the fence, or you can also use a good layer of rock or gravel there. The electric wire is placed about 6 inches above ground level. Also on the exterior, we recommend an electric wire about 2 feet above the ground to discourage predators from climbing in.
There are also other options for predator patrol; Great Pyrenees dogs , guard llamas, miniature donkey, and it also helps to have a radio on during the night. Apparently setting the radio on the ground sends off a vibration but also the predators believe someone is there.
The primary predators are domestic dogs, but we also have coyote, bobcats, and mountain lions which all pose a threat to alpacas. So, your perimeter fence should be at least four feet in height, and higher is always better.
Pastures and Paddocks
The planning of your pastures and paddock area should be just as important as planning your barn or your alpaca herd. This goes for the layout and also the maintenance.
One of the first planning decisions to make is how many alpacas you expect to have and whether you have enough space. Most breeders will tell you that you can pasture 5 - 10 alpacas per acres. I personally think 7 is the maximum due to the recovery of the pasture. Rotational grazing is something that you should also put in your plans. This maximizes natural forage production. Plan your perimeter pasture than use interior fencing to make smaller pastures. Use a lot of gates. Make sure you can get your farm equipment through them easily, maybe you will put a smaller gate in the same fence for moving the alpacas from one pasture to the next. Whatever works for you, but gates are essential.
The forage varieties that you plant are extremely important. Not every region of the country can grow the same grasses. Your Cooperative Extension office will be able to help you with what to plant and how to get your soil tested so your forage grows.
Alpacas thrive on simple grass pastures and ordinary grass hay. But some grasses are better than others and some should be avoided. One of the most common is clover. There are short, medium and tall varieties. The common white dutch clover is a short variety but is not a vigorous forage. The talls are mostly for haying and the mediums as Goldilocks would say are "just right". They grow well enough to be useful as forage and some varieties are very persistent. Alfalfa tastes soooo good the animals will selectively eat it ...until it dies. Alfalfa is one of the highest protein forages available, but is prone to insect problems. For a forage pasture that your alpacas will graze, insecticide spraying is probably not an option, but would be necessary if you wanted much alfalfa in your pasture. A little mix won't work well either. The animals will selectively eat it, to the exclusion of all else, until it dies. Also, and most importantly, alpacas can have problems if the alfalfa is more than 20% of your pasture. The calcium content is very high and supplemental phosphorus will be necessary to prevent problems.?
Shelter
Alpaca shelters can be something as simple as a 3 sided shed. The main purpose is just for protection against inclement weather. Alpacas prefer shelters with large doors or windows.?