23 Nov Mon 2009
Feeding Time
In the mornings I go out to the barn to check on the alpacas. They’re always fine, quietly munching on hay or cushed chewing their cud. Sometimes they’re out in the pasture grazing. I can’t imagine what’s out there this time of year to graze on! Our pasture areas are far from perfect and still need a considerable amount of work but they always seem to find something. We got some wonderful 2nd cut hay from a friend but if it’s sunny out, they’d rather be grazing on all the little nubs of grass. I fluff up the hay and fill the feeder anyways just to be sure they don’t run out of hay while I’m at work or running errands. Out in the pasture they all love to roll around in the dirt piles. It’s so funny to watch and then they spring up quickly and shake and dust goes everywhere.
In the evening we go out again to check on the boys, and now it’s grain time. My boys love their grain! When they see me they all come running up to the barn. In their excitement they all visit the dung pile too.
As we enter the paddock we greet all the alpacas by name, then Dan and I begin our quiet routine. He starts to ‘scoop the poop’ while I turn on all the lights. I fill up the hay feeders again and dump the water buckets and refill them. All the time we are eyeing the boys to be sure they’re all A-OK. Sometime they will eat hay, sometimes they might cush while we work, but they all watch me. When I’m done with the water buckets I pick up the grain bowls, and they all eagerly follow me to the tack room. I usually get visitors at the tack room door sticking their heads in to eat hay while I fill the feed bowls, all except for Coty, who usually comes all the way in to the tack room and eats hay right next to me from a bale. The spit fest starts between Julio and Guinness if I’m not fast enough.
When the bowls are ready, Dan and I will grab 4 of them and hold them up over our heads as we walk out. The alpacas get excited again and do the 10 yard dash to the stall where we feed them. Commotion erupts for a few seconds while everyone arranges themselves to their particular spots..... Guinness is on one end, Julio the other, and Bo and Coty in between. Arlo walks up to the non-occupied bowl and starts eating while I run back to the tack room to get his bowl and call him into the pen to eat. Most nights all is quiet except for the sounds of munching alpaca mouths. Dan stands with the big boys in case anyone gets a little fresh and tries to eat someone else’s dinner.
Arlo eats so very slowly and I wait with him so he’s not alone. When the big boys are done, Julio patiently waits on one side of the pen and Bo by the other, both hoping Arlo won’t finish. Julio will look over the top of the pen wall, his eyes looking out from under his long topknot. Bo is not quite as tall, so he rests his chin on the top of the pen wall and just stares. Sometimes Dan or I will offer them a small handful of grain which they nibble up in a quick snort. They sniff our noses often, alpaca kisses (!), and sometimes we’re able to scratch them behind the ears. By then Coty will have come over too, but he’s still too shy to eat from our hands. Arlo won’t eat from my hand either, but he loves a good ear scratch and noses me too. They’re just very sweet and so funny. Then there’s Guinness, our little piglet. He’s never too shy when it comes to food! He squeals until we give him a little extra grain too.
When Arlo is done I open up the pen door and he trots off. Julio and Bo will rush in, sometimes Coty and Guinness too, and they all go after Arlo’s bowl, whether there’s anything left in there or not. Arlo has the cleanest bowl on our farm! I go back to the tack room to put things away and shut off the lights. Arlo sometimes like to eat hay by the tack room, so if he’s right there waiting for me, I’ll put out a small handful for him. The others by now are eating hay at the feeders or cushed chewing their cud, and Julio is usually cushed by the paddock entrance, ever watchful.
Nighty-night, my boys.