How to House Male & Female Alpacas

Alpacas are intelligent and curious herding animals related to the camel. They are gentle animals that rarely butt or bite and are easy to care for. Housing male and female alpacas takes some planning, however. You̵7;ll need to separate the males from the females after males wean and reach sexual maturity. Instead of constructing an entire separate facility for your breeding males, you can simply divide your alpaca pasture into several paddocks.

Things You'll Need

  • Perimeter fencing
  • Paddock fencing materials
  • Basic open shelters
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Instructions

    • 1

      Construct a perimeter fence that is at least four feet high and ideally made of woven wire and 2 x 4s. The perimeter fence is more for keeping predators out than keeping your alpacas in. Install electric or barbed wire along the base of the fence as well as two feet above the ground to discourage predators from digging under or climbing up the fence.

    • 2

      Fence in a separate paddock inside your perimeter fence for only the breeding males. Paddock fences do not have to be as ̶0;fortress-like̶1; as the perimeter fence, because the alpacas won̵7;t challenge fences.

    • 3

      Build a second fenced paddock for the breeding females. Then, construct a third fenced paddock for the young alpacas that have not yet weaned or haven̵7;t reached sexual maturity and their mothers.

    • 4

      Build two to three additional fenced paddocks for pasture rotation. Designate one of the extra paddocks for breeding.

    • 5

      Construct a basic shelter in each paddock to provide a place for the animals to eat and a dry place to sleep. Instead of building closed barns, you can construct simple open shelters with dirt or gravel floors.