FENCING
At Windy Ridge we recommend good fencing, to keep your alpacas in the area they are suppose to be in, but also to protect them from outside threats like coyotes & dogs. It is also important to have good fencing to separate your males from your females and to keep your little cria safe. We have 3 types of fencing at Windy Ridge.
Secure Area, Perimeter Fencing
We have a secure area, this area is about 1.5 acres. This is the area where the barn is located, along with some pasture area. The alpacas spend winter in this area and spend the evenings here as well. The fencing here is 5 foot high, 39 inch page wire, plus 4 strands of high tensile wire on top. 2 of the top wires are electric (to keep deer out), on the bottom there is 1 strand of electric wire 6 inches off the ground on the opposite side of the post, to discourage a dog or coyote from attempting to dig under the fence. Fence posts are a maximum of 12 feet on centre. All gates for this area are chain link.
Separation Fencing
The fencing in side the secure area is done with high tensile wire. The fencing that is used to separate males from females is a 4 foot high fence with 12 strands of high tensile wire. We use more wires on the bottom & middle part of the fence to keep the cria from getting through the wires. 12 strands also adds extra strength to make sure the males can not come through the fence. The fence that is used to separate the weanling area also has extra wire to keep the newly weaned cria from trying to escape. The secure area has separate runways that can be opened up to run the alpacas out to the larger daytime grazing pastures.
Grazing Pasture Fencing
The wire fencing used for the grazing pastures is only 7 strand, when the females are in the grazing pastures, the males are usually on the back part of our property in their own grazing area. If we do decide to bring the males to one of the other pastures, they are never put in right next to the females. If you are in a situation where the males will have to be right next to the females it would be wise to use more strands to prevent any unwanted accidents. During the breeding season, which is also the grazing season, the males are usually more aggressive and you don't want to take the chance of having one of your males get through.
The fencing that surrounds the daytime grazing pastures, is the original 4 strand barbed wire & 2 strands of electric wires,plus an extra ground wire, on the bottom to keep out predators. All fencing used for runways to the pastures is 7 strand high tensile with 2 electric wires on the bottom. All gates are chain link.
Options
There are other options for fencing, for separation fencing you could use page wire fencing with high tensile wires on top. This would keep the cria from getting in to the male pen and would keep the males from getting in with the females. Fences made from wood panels can also be used as long as it is high enough and the gaps between the boards are close together so no one can get through or trapped. For those of you who can afford it, game fencing or chain link throughout is nice, but not really necessary.
Summary
Good fencing will help keep your alpacas safe from predators. Over the years we have heard of too many incidences that left alpacas dead or badly wounded. Some from wolves, cougars & coyotes but more often than not the damage is being done by dogs, that are either owned by the breeders themselves or by neighbourhood dogs or strays. Protect your alpacas and your investment by providing good fencing.