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With the exception of aggressive herdsires, alpacas
do not challenge a fence the way other livestock do. When designing
fencing for alpacas, the object is not only to keep your alpacas
in but to keep predators out. While alpaca ranches near primitive
wildlife areas must be concerned with bears, mountain lions,
etc. most ranchers are more likely to encounter threats from
the neighbor’s dog, packs of dogs or coyotes. In addition
to adequate fencing, many ranchers have guardian dogs or llamas
as added protection for their herds. Cria are especially vulnerable
to attack by predatory animals.
In designing your fence, space fence posts ten
feet apart. We use 4”x4”x 8’ treated posts
buried three feet in the ground so that the fence is five feet
tall. Simply tamp dirt and available stone in around the post.
Do not use cement to anchor the posts. Cement shortens the life
of treated lumber and can make it very difficult to extract the
post if you want to move it. It’s also important to include
as many 8” or 10” gates as possible to provide access
between pastures. Imagine needing to get from one pasture to
another and having to walk the entire length of the fence line
in order to do so.
We use 4” x 2” welded wire mesh four
feet tall and we anchor the fence top and bottom to treated 2”x
4” which span the top and bottom between the posts. It
may seem like a lot of material but it really adds to the structural
integrity and life of the fencing system. In addition, we run
electric cattle wire about six inches from the ground on the
outside of the pen to discourage predators from burrowing under.
Do not burry barbed wire under the ground. While you may discourage
a burrowing predator, you will more likely catch a loose end
in your brush hog or mower and create an injury hazard for your
alpacas. When stretching the wire, we have had success by fabricating
a clamp made of two 2”x 4”s placed on each side of
the welded wire fence and bolted together This makes a effective
draw device for pulling the fence tight. Another method is to
attach the fence at both ends of the fence line and pull out
the slack from the center. Once tightened at the ends, begin
attaching the fence to the posts moving from the ends to the
center.
Alpacas don’t require a lot of pasture. A
pasture consisting of an acre of good grass can support 10 to
15 alpacas. But, you’ll want to design your pastures to
allow for periodic rotation. Pastures should be allowed to remain
fallow for a period of 45 days in order to complete the parasite
cycle. This is not as critical in extremely cold climates as
freezing temperatures kill parasites.
In every aspect of our business, we stand with
our clients by sharing what we’ve learned. Everything you
do in designing and managing your ranch is important so careful
planning is critical. We’re
here to help. |
