Visitors and customers routinely comment on the cleanliness of our farm and animals.

With alpacas being so meticulous in their placement of dung, I don't confuse them by spreading it all over their active pastures. I only spread the composted dung in Fall on outer pastures that won't be grazed for 4 months or so. I then bush hog those areas to break it down further.

Though not the most glamorous part of "the Alpaca lifestyle," I think that frequent dung cleanup is an important part of pest control, keeping our herd healthy and clean, and our farm neat and attractive.

Separation Lanes: When we began laying out pastures, pens and barns, it occurred to me that "lanes" would be very helpful in moving animals from one area to another, while minimizing disturbance to other animals, and would require less people to move the animals.

An unexpected, but very welcome benefit was a reduction in fence climbing and fighting among the males. Also, the females do not tend to exhibit invitational behaviors when they are not sharing a common fence.

Lastly, the "lanes" make additional "safe zones" in the event a gate is not properly latched (it has happened), preventing unwanted pregnancies.

In the next few years, my wife and I will be retiring from our full-time day jobs and will be able to devote full time to what we enjoy most... our alpacas. The benefits of raising these wonderful animals have far exceeded our expectations.