What eager little piggies our alpacas are at feeding time - jostling around to see who will get to the food first. We have tried lots of techniques to assure that each alpaca gets exactly what we want them to get without having them all go to separate feeding pens (another option). We learned which pairs eat well together but need to be separated from the herd and made three catch pens. A few go in each and the rest remain in the main paddock area. We have some slow eaters and we've found that it is best to separate them to assure that they are not bullied away from their meals by the more aggressive animals. I built a carry box (like a tool carrier) that would fit a dozen coffee cans lined up in separated bins (kind of like an egg case but with a flat bottom of course). When we feed the herd, we get them all situated in their pens. Back in the barn, we measure out the feed, vitamins and whatever else we are giving them, into their individual coffee can. Then walk to each feeding station and dump the contents of the can into their feed buckets. This method also proved invaluable while Abby was away and I had to do the morning feeding and still be on time for my teaching job at 7:15. I would make up all the feeding units the night before, after the evening feeding, which helped expedite the process in the morning.

John & Abby Fitzgerald

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Alpaca Segment on The Martha Stewart Show

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