We used welded no climb fence that is 5 feet tall. Alpacas generally do not challenge a fence, so this type of fence should be enough. The main reason for the fence is to keep other animals out. The main wild animals we have around here are deer. There have been reports of a bear but it has been years since any were spotted nearby. The main threat would be dogs (either stray dogs or dogs who get loose). This includes our own dogs, since we are not sure how they will react to the alpacas. I have heard from other farmers that dogs are the biggest threat to alpacas. Many farms have a guard Llama or a guard dog. At least initially we do not plan to have either. For some reason I do not really like Llamas. And I have heard some farmers say their Llama is not much a guardian. If we were to use a dog to guard them we need to get a guardian dog and train it. Most often alpacas are guarded by Great Pyrenees dogs. Possibly in the future we will look into getting such a dog. For now we will stick with our 2 house dogs and let the Alpacas guard themselves. At one farm we visited a puppy got into the alpaca fence and the alpacas went after it (they will stomp other animals). Seeing how they reacted to that puppy, I think the alpacas do a fine job of protecting themselves.
Fence:
The sun shines into the barn in the mornings. I hope the alpacas enjoy the morning sun.
Here is our Irish Setter, Bailey, enjoying the grass. We will need to keep her away from the alpacas. Bailey is scared of everything, and I expect the alpacas will be no exception.
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