Mornings at Lake Liaho Farm usually start for me at 5:30 am. Not because the alpacas are early risers - far from it! They do not appreciate being disturbed before daylight. No, I rise at 5:30 because I relish the early morning hours to eat a leisurely breakfast and do my spiritual reading. I am a student of spirituality and the Bible, so I spend the first forty five minutes of my day reading the recorded words and deeds of Jesus, or the writings of other spiritual masters. I follow this practice with thirty-forty minutes of meditation. By 7:00 a.m. I am usually ready to head to the barn. Hazel and Maude, our two great danes, are ready too - anxiously pacing the floor in front of the door waiting for me to attend our “critters”.
In the barn I do a quick “look-see” and count heads. After all are present and accounted for I proceed to preparing breakfast for our alpaca herd. Breakfast time is a highly anticipated time for alpacas - they anxiously pace back and forth in their stalls waiting for room service to begin. Breakfast consists of approximately 8 ounces of a grain supplement seasoned with minerals and dressed with fiber nutrients on top. I usually start with the males, since their stalls are on the same side as the food bins. Alpacas are creatures of habit. They quickly get used to a routine and will anticipate the same routine every day. The boys know which order their food bins will arrive in, and they line up accordingly. Meanwhile, the girls have gathered in clusters awaiting their breakfast. Once the boys are happily munching on their grain I carry a stack of food bins into the first girls’ stall. Lurissa, our nursing mom, always goes first because she requires a double portion to offset the calories that her cria will drain from her during the day. All the other girls know that she will be first, and politely stay out of her way. Once she is busy eating the other girls gather around me in the neighboring stall - vying for attention and claiming a food bin of their very own that morning. No one is disappointed! The yearling males come next - coming eagerly to the fence panel where their breakfast bins will be hung. Last but certainly not least are the soon to be moms who get lactation feed. As with all the other alpacas - they know the order in which they will be served, and line up accordingly.
After all the animals are satisfied and happily eating their grain I get busy with poop scooping. Poop scooping is a fact of life for all alpaca owners. We maintain very clean pastures and barn areas by removing all the feces twice daily. Poop-scooping may seem like an onerous job, but in fact I find it very relaxing. Alpaca poop has very little odor. It comes in little pellets that are easy to scoop up with a small plastic rake and bin. Alpacas will generally choose one or two common latrines that the entire group will use every day, so the poop tends to be collected in one small area in each pasture. While I’m scooping up poop I notice the beauty of the morning - there is often mist rising off the lake, and birds are singing. It is not unusual to spot the large hawk that makes its home in our woods circling the sky looking for breakfast. I once saw a bald eagle circle the woods next to the lake about eight times before finally flying away. Deer sometimes make an appearance outside the pasture fence. Deer sightings are always occasions of excitement for the alpacas - they will line up and sound the alarm to each other until the deer finally bounds off into the woods. I feel particularly blessed during these morning hours. How many people in the world are privileged to witness such beauty every morning? I want to drink in the nature around me and carry its pristine loveliness with me throughout the rest of my day.
After the cart is emptied in an unused field away from our pastures, room service continues. I sweep out each stall and rinse out the hay bins, standing them up vertically where the sun can dry them. The water bowls are rinsed out and refreshed, and the empty food bins are cleaned and hung out on the fence to dry. Some of our female alpacas find this routine to be very comforting, and they are reluctant to leave the barn stall during clean-up time. I am constantly nudging them out of my way and literally sweeping right under their feet! Although alpacas don’t generally appreciate being stroked or petted like dogs and cats - they do form attachments to their people! I notice each animal’s place or rank in the herd, and then I treat them accordingly. They are very interactive and social animals, and they will rank their owner in the herd as well! I always want to be the “queen” so I am direct but respectful with them, acknowledging their space and refraining from unwanted random touching.
Reluctantly, my morning chores come to an end around 8:30, when I head inside to shower and get ready for work. I am fortunate enough to be able to arrange my work schedule to start at 9:30 or 10:00 a.m.
I can honestly say that my life is enriched by starting each day with my alpacas. They are fascinating animals, and I feel blessed to have been invited into their herd. Check back at this site later and I will describe the end of the day and what its like on herd management days.
