Saturday was the day of the bi-annual alpaca maintenance with its first task needing the most preparation of getting all alpacas up the hill through various paddocks into the shelter, so we can grab them one by one.
The good things is that they are rather nosy, so any new paddock is exciting for them, whether it has grass or not. So moving them up paddock by paddock takes time and involves quite some walking, but at least no real work. The last step is to get them into the shelter area. Building a funnel with temporary electric fencing does the job for that.
The real work starts now, grabbing them one by one and making sure that they do not move too much when getting their toenails clipped, their vaccination injections and their drenching. Janus does an amazing job, accommodating each animals as it pleases to be handled – some sit, some stand and some lay down.
The whole procedure takes about two hours and involves two to three people and little helpers. Then they are good again for another half year. Some time after Christmas they'll get shorn and the next round of maintenance.
