Sundance Suri Farm - Suri Alpacas in Indiana

Online Alpaca Tools

Alpaca re-breeding cycle

Alpaca's Name:
  
Birthing Date:  Date cannot be today or future.
  
Today's Date:07/09/2008
  
 

Estimate Alpaca Due Date

Breeding Date:  Gestation, on average, is 345-365 days.
  
Due Date:  Based on 345 days.
  
  

Alpaca Manure and Management thereof...

Estimate Manure Storage Needs
  
Alpacas:  How many alpacas?
  
Bedding Used:  How many pounds of bedding per month?
  
  
 
 
Manure Rate:  lbs per day1
  
Manure Ft3:  Volume of manure in six months (130lb alpaca).2
  
Bedding Ft3:  Volume of soiled bedding in six months (straw).2
  
Storage Ft3:  Manure storage needs (Manure ft3 + Bedding ft3)
  
  
Soiled Bedding Volume Comparison
  
You can cut down on the volume of soiled bedding by using different materials. Based on the above bedding poundage, below is a comparison.
  
Straw ft3:  Volume of soiled bedding in six months.2
  
Wood Shv ft3:  Volume of soiled bedding in six months.2
  
Saw Dust ft3:  Volume of soiled bedding in six months.2
  
  
Manure Application Rate
  
An application rate - whether it is manure, fertilizer, or herbicide - is defined as the amount of material applied per unit area of land. For manure, it is usually expressed in tons per acre (solid or semi-solid). To calibrate a manure spreader, you need to have reliable estimates of both amount applied and area covered. There are a number of different ways to estimate each parameter.3

Below is based on Single Spreader Load.
  
Manure ft3:
Estimate spreader capacity. For box type solid or semi-solid spreader, note if rated capacity is "heaped" or "struck (level) load". Struck level is only half (50%) of heaped.
  
Width:
Measure width (ft) of one spreader pass, allowing for any overlap with adjacent passes.
  
Distance:
Measure (ft) distance traveled to empty spreader.
  
  
  
  
Tons: = Tons
  
Area Covered: = Area (acres)
  
Rate: Application Rate - tons per acre.
  
  
1 Numbers based on LlamaFeeder from LlamaNation collecting manure for a day from one alpaca.
2 Numbers based on Strategies for Livestock Manure Management, Washington State University - King County Extension
3 Manure Spreader Calibration, The University of Vermont - University of Vermont Extension