Owner Susan Reynolds loves this time of day, as it is peaceful, clean and fresh.

Hers is a 52-acre farm with 79 alpaca. She started in 2001 with just three. Ms Reynolds  runs the farm solo.

The first task of the day is to release the ISA Browns and Orpingtons to freely range.

“Such industriousness is rewarded by seasonal insects, fruit, vegies and their special favourite treat, a small amount of raw mince.” Ms Reynolds said.

“I then check on the girls that somehow meld into the rising mist, forming swan-like shapes as they move through the grass in the bottom paddock.

“Feed is good, water is OK, and we patiently wait for seasonal rain.”

Alpaca are part of the Camelid family and are conservative with their water consumption, and never foul water supply, a bonus in a dry climate.  

They communicate with soft hums of varying pitch, depending on their circumstance and mood.  

Intelligent and observant, their alarm cry makes everyone on the farm instantly alert and on guard.

They are a flight animal that can surprise most with their speed and agility.

“In the shearing shed I have a four year old male who is recovering from iron deficiency,” Ms Reynolds said. 

“He has demanded close observation and attention for the past two weeks, requiring vitamins and hand-feeding.

“He is quiet and gentle, opening his mouth for me and eating fresh grass from my hand. He is alert, and improving.”

With the shearing completed, the alpaca’s bodies are sleek and athletic and it is a good opportunity to view their profiles to check on pregnancy advancement.

“Delivery time will be late summer,” Ms Reynolds said. “During these last months, their nutrition is important.

“As they draw closer to delivery, preparation of a maternity paddock close to the house is done and mothers with their crias (juvenile alpacas) are separated [from the flock] to encourage bonding.  

“Watching the crias in the first and last light of the day, bounding and leaping, is a joy to behold.”

A mix of high quality lucerne chaff and alpaca pellets ensure the animals have a balance of rich green grasses with dry feed.

“I know each by name and can pick up on the slightest limp or issue from a distance,” Ms Reynolds said. “And of course, I am ever-watching as snake season is upon us.”

Ms Reynolds breeds and sells her alpacas as pets, and protectors for ewes and lambs against fox threat.

There is an annual harvest of their fibre for spinning into yarn at Orange and in Victoria.

She designs and makes products for pets, knitwear for people, and knitting yarn to sell on farm, online and at a gift shop in Crookwell.

The farm is a tourist destination for people to be educated and shown how to hand feed an alpaca up close.

The alpacas are divided into four areas across the farm: females with grown daughters; high dependency for ill, nursing mums or geriatric animals; teenage retreat for weaned boys who need to learn from “uncles” how to behave in a male herd; and a bachelor retreat for all the mature boys.

Keeping on top of stubborn thistle is a challenge and it has taken seven years to contain it, Ms Reynolds said. The pastures are enriched by the alpaca dung piles that break down and replenish the soil.

“Life on farm can be challenging, particularly when losing animals that have been close for many years, but this is the cycle of life and I feel privileged to farm these magnificent creatures,” she said.

“No two days are the same, but I would not swap it for anything else.”