Cheap hay feeder

With the economy in a downturn, we are faced with the decision of either buying cheaper quality hay or finding a way to waste less of it. Alpaca Shack's Sooleana goes to the wheel barrow and scoops the hay out with her nose in order to eat the chaff. There are hay feeders that are on the market which eliminate this problem, but they seem expensive.

This Spring I came across the excess flexible fencing that we use to divide our pastures. I have used it to sort fleece after shearing and find it easy to eliminate sharp ends by trimming it with wire cutters. Using three plastic ties, any size trimmed piece of flexible fencing can be attached to a fence. I attach it at each top corner and I use one tie in the middle of the bottom.

It can be fashioned to hold as much hay as you need. Another plus is that the hay easily dries out after wet weather. The stalks that remain are removed from the bottom and put out for mulching. The feeders accomodate alpacas on both sides of the feeder and can be quickly moved.

No more hay on the ground! Voila!

Holiday Respite

Holidays are very difficult for people with autism. Over stimulation and disruption of routines makes for much stress. John uses the barn and the alpacas as a form of respite. When he needs to relax, he heads to the animals.

We do the chores in the cold weather as quickly as we can. But, with proper clothing: long underwear and flannel lined jeans, he often asks to do more and stay longer. If the wind is blowing, the animals seek shelter. Their ears are especially vulnerable to frost bite. They wait by the gate for John to hand over some fresh hay and chaff. We often feed ahead for cold temperatures. January has been brutal here this year. Normally we would only offer grain in the evening, but this month we have supplemented with additional grain in the morning.

But, the high light of the day for our herd is the very warm water that comes both at the break of day and early afternoon. Our seven females drink down two five gallon pails in no time. We are amazed that often the pails in the barn do not freeze. We keep two heated pails for the very lowest of temperatures, but seldom use them.

With our tractor to scoop and clear the snow and our trusty old snowblower, we're as snug as a bug in a rug. The alpaca barn is welcoming and relaxing after a hectic holiday season.