So it's August and my little herd (I have 5 adult females, 1 yearling and 2 cria) have pretty much chewed down the acre I have them on to virtual nothingness (there's some pasture left, but very little). I knew this going in, that I'd have to dry lot them. My question is this: there are huge (and by huge I mean 20'x30' or more) bald patches of ground all over. I'm thinking when winter hits (and the rains come), we're going to be knee deep in mud, which I definitely want to avoid. I've used peat moss to soak up mudpuddles before as a temporary fix for smaller areas, but what do people do for mud control for huge areas? I saw one alpaca rancher on FB who said she used AG Lime (or Flume, I think she called it) all over her paddocks (and she promised it wouldn't hurt their fiber if they rolled in it). Sand I was thinking might be another option, but can grass grow up through either of these? If your herd is on dry lot, what is your dry lot made up of? And if you covered soil (that was once grass), how did you cover it? I want to get going on this Before The Rains come so your help is greatly appreciated (as always)!!
