We finally finished our second paddock and were able to bring the gentlemen home! These boys are our “rescue alpacas”. Their owner had to sell the farm, fast, to move out-of-state, and they had nowhere to go 😦 . Pictures and details after the jump! 

Marcello, Bravado, and Merlin are all older, *eh herm* intact males. So obviously we couldn’t put them in the paddock with the ladies or the younger boys (Tuscany and Morocco).  Before we could get them home, we had to build another coyote-proof fence (which is no easy task) and a shelter. And in record time, we sunk another two or three dozen post holes, knocked out the internet twice (and almost fried ourselves twice, call your utilities before digging…) and put up a new shed.

Fencing never ends on the ranch.

But that’s all behind us now. We went over to Mark’s (another ‘paca friend), where the boys were staying while we fixed up their new home, and picked them up this weekend. Mark has a system for separating certain alpacas from his llama guarded herd of boys. He has a roll of temporary fence attached to his paddock, which he unrolls and stretches across the space. Then, he herds them into an increasingly small corner of the paddock by moving the fence.

Once we had halters on our boys, we walked them right out of the paddock and into our horse trailer, which we’ve emptied of the dividers. It was easy as pie, frankly, and that’s saying something. Leading an alpaca is more like walking a cat than walking a dog. They just aren’t sure why they should follow you.

After a short ride home, we backed the trailer right up to the gate, and everyone went easily into their new paddock.

Marcello, Merlin and Bravado unload from the trailer into their new paddock.

Marcello is the brown one. I love his color! Bravado and Merlin are both white, and Bravado is a suri. I’ve never spun suri before, so it should be an adventure. I’m told is makes beautiful, thin and heavy yarn. Should be fun!

Merlin, on the left, has a pink face. Bravado is a suri, and looks like a surfer dude.

The boys are in quarantine for now, but everyone is interested in them, and they are *very* interested in the ladies. Much preening and prancing has ensued. Even Merlin, who exudes an air of “I’m really too old and wise for these antics”, got a little spunky.

Marcello prances and preens for the ladies in the distant paddock.