For those of us that agist (board) our alpacas at someone else’s farm, it is helpful to know what kinds of questions to ask to help find a good farm to keep our alpacas. Here is a list of questions that I have found helpful:
- How much experience do the caretakers have? Are they willing be a mentor and allow you to participate in the care to get experience?
- Do they weigh, and do body scores and fecal tests on the alpacas regularly? Do they perform worming only as indicated by performing fecal testing first? Do they give injections? Draw blood for IgG or progesterone tests? Do they charge extra for these services?
- Do they have any experience handling difficult births?
- Are there pastures for grazing or is it a dry-lot setup? If they have pastures, what do the pastures look like? Do they have room to rotate pastures to prevent overgrazing and keep parasites down? Do they keep up on the poop-scooping? Is there adequate shelter? Are there catch pens available to assist with handling and training?
- Do they have good fencing and security for predators, especially stray dogs? If they use livestock guard dogs (LGD), ask about the dog’s training.
- If there are any intact males of breeding age on the farm, can they assure you that there is no chance of their male(s) accidentally getting to your female(s)?
- What vet do they work with and do they know at least one locally to call in case of an emergency? Can they transport an alpaca to the vet in case of emergency?
- What kind of arrangement do they have for shearing? Do they do it themselves, hire a professional shearer, or go in with other local farms to handle shearing as a group?
- What and how much do they feed the alpacas?
- Beyond the basic daily or monthly cost, what do they charge for extra things like birthing fee, medications, etc.?
- How easy will it be for you to visit your alpacas?
- Do they invite you participate in the herd health chores so that you can learn to do them yourself? Of course, offering to help out with the chores is usually welcomed and a great way not only to learn and spend time with your alpacas, but to show your appreciation.
- Are they open to cooperative marketing arrangements?
It’s a good idea to check with several farms to have a basis for comparison and to find the best fit for your needs. Of course, probably one of the most important things to consider is if it feels like a good “fit” with the people who own the farm. If they are responsive to your questions, you can communicate well and in a friendly manner, it helps make your experience fun.
