Emergency Preparedness

As a livestock owner there are things you need to plan for. In an emergency, you not only need to think of yourself and your family, but you also need to think about your animals. How will they be managed and do you have a plan? There are several reasons you may need to have an emergency plan. It could be weather, natural disaster, illness, death of a spouse/partner or disease outbreak. Below are some things to keep in mind to be better prepared should you encounter an emergency.


Weather emergencies can be lightening causing a fire, flooding, tornado, extreme heat, excessive snow, earthquakes and hurricanes. First and foremost you should have an evacuation plan. Establish a phone tree with other breeders outside of your immediate area who you can call for help. Be sure to have both cell numbers and home numbers in case they don’t answer one, you have the other. Determine where your animals can be housed. For our big evacuation in 2012 the best choice was the local fairgrounds because we had over 140 alpacas. If you have a smaller headcount maybe you can take them to a few breeders. You will need to determine who can take how many animals, which types males/females, barn cats, guardian dogs, llamas, etc. Determine which animals must go first. Maybe it’s pregnant ones, the most expensive, non-insured, boarders, etc. You may not be able to get them all out so you should decide ahead of time which ones would have priority. This is not an easy thing to do, but you are better off making that decision when you’re not in the throes of an emergency when emotions are already running high.

Gather up medications for animals under treatment & commonly needed meds/tools. Based on past experience, don’t try to halter all the animals. What works best is to herd the animals into the trailer. You may want one on a lead to walk it into the trailer first so others will follow. Having a few panels that can be set up to funnel them to the rear of the trailer works best. Be sure your trailer is always accessible and not buried in a snow drift. Periodically check the tires to be sure they are all inflated and that the trailer is in good working condition. Have the keys & hitch kept in an easy to find place for you or others in case you’re not there. Practice hooking up the trailer before an emergency occurs and practice backing up to the barn ahead of time. Keep the trailer empty so it can be ready at a moment’s notice.

You should also have your address posted in an highly visible place along with your cell number. Again, if you are gone, anyone can see and read your address to first responders. Call for help from your land line if you have one. 911 calls from cell phones make is harder for help to determine your exact location. Be sure to have a fire extinguisher in the barn and make sure it is not expired. Do you know how to use it?

You should have a backup plan if it’s too late to safely leave the property. Do you turn the animals loose or do you keep them confined to the barn or another part of the property. Make sure all the animals have ID on them. With alpacas and llamas many will be microchipped or have collars on with names. This is something you need to think about ahead of time should it come to this.

If you have a tractor and there is time, you may want to make a fire line around the perimeter of the property or certain structures. Remember when you are constructing property fencing; think about how emergency vehicles may need to navigate on your property to best help in your emergency. We installed our field fencing 30’ from the perimeter fence. The reason, so a vehicle can drive where needed. We had fire trucks driving between the fences to access the state land we border. It saved them time and they didn’t have to cut our fencing because there was accessability. The 30’ we were also told was a good distance for neighboring livestock to prevent transmission of illness.

During some types of emergencies there will be loss of power. A lot of us have a well we depend on for water. If there is not power, most likely you won’t be able to get water and the automatic waterers won’t work. Having multiple gallon jugs of water or a large rain barrel filled with water at all times is best. No power means no lights if you’re emergency should happen after sunset. Keep headlamps, flashlights or hand held spotlights in the barn for just this reason. Replace the batteries annually when you replace the batteries in your home smoke detectors. Maybe you will want to consider purchasing a generator?

NOTE: In Colorado, our utility company put us at the top of their reactivation list because we had a family member on oxygen. It was at that time we learned that having livestock also moved us up on the list during an extended power outage. Check with your local utility company to see if they offer the same service.

Another type of emergency is the sudden illness or disability of yourself or your spouse/partner. Know who you can call for help (family, friends and other breeders). Ask for help and have both a short term and long term plan. If it is a permanent illness or disability you may need to seek outside help to sell the animals or downsize to what can be managed. Make sure your family knows your wishes should your current health situation change.

Death of a spouse/partner can be another form of an emergency. Again, know who you can call for help. Discuss the possibility before it happens. Will you be able to continue in the same capacity or do you want to? Will you need to downsize or sell all the animals? This decision may depend on who’s dream it was to own alpacas. Was it the spouse who has passed or was it your dream? That will determine the future.

Be sure you know passwords for on-line accounts, know where things are kept, and know how to do their job on the ranch. My husband does the accounting side of our business doing the monthly computer invoicing, etc. along with animal care. I manage the marketing and overall animal healthcare. Be sure you can step in even if it is only short term. You should also talk about if you both pass at the same time. Does your family know how to handle your operation in the short term? Is there a family member who would want to continue your business? If not, do they know the value of your business and animals? Do they know where to disburse or where they can get help to do so? All of these things should be discussed now while you can determine the best outcome.

Over our 21 years of raising alpacas there has been either in the US or other countries some type of broad illness or disease vulnerability that the industry wasn’t previously aware of. Be sure you have a plan. Access on-line sites for the most current info from the USDA (United States Dept. of Agriculture) or like agency in your country. Does the national alpaca/llama organization have information, or your local affiliate? Talk to your veterinairian. They are usually notified of any health related issue for their area. You may want to consider doing your own quarantine of your facility (no animals in or out) versus government imposed quarantine. Again, have a plan.

National disasters can present yet another type of unexpected emergency. For example, terrorism such as 9/11 can affect your business and operation. There can be communication problems, access to money, stores not open to purchase needed feed or supplies. Always have a surplus of water and generator if you are on government provided utilities. As seen recently in the Hawaiian Islands, volcanic ash can impact air quality and impact grazing for animals in the pastures. If the disaster is Bioterrorism, there can be feed or water contamination. Again, having surplus feed and water may be a good idea.

After you have a plan in place for the animals, don’t forget the following important things for yourself. Be sure you have all your important documents like wills, birth certificates, passports, insurance papers, bank documents, tax records, Driver’s License, ARI and ILR certificates, health records (animals and human) and social security cards. Other things to consider are medications, glasses, hearing aids, cell phones and chargers. Other equipment might be computer or laptop, back-up drives and disks. Also think about family keepsakes, photos and jewelry. One last thought, if your house is hooked to propane or gas, turn off the gas to the house.
Denise Haines, Daybreak Criations Alpacas, Bellvue, Colorado, USA. Denise and her husband Ron have owned and operated Daybreak Criations Alpacas since 1997. They had a large fire cause them to evacuate their herd of 142 in 2012. The information shared above are things they learned from that experience. If you would like to reach Denise or Ron you can email at [email protected] or www.DaybreakCriations.com.